WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.500 Okay. So, for one last time, we're thinking about Moses and the law of God. We've been 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:15.320 thinking for the last two weeks, what role does God's law play in the life of His people? 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:20.940 So, we recognize in the flow of the book of Exodus, God's people are saved by grace, 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:27.400 and they're saved for covenant relationship. And law obedience becomes the condition for 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:33.560 them to continue to enjoy that relationship that they're brought into with God. We saw that they've 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:40.780 been set free from slavery, but they've also been set free for something, for free and grateful 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:46.840 obedience. So, that law obedience for them becomes a heart issue and a worship issue, 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:55.099 just as for us, that Jesus would be the master we would gladly serve. We saw last week that Israel 00:00:55.100 --> 00:01:00.520 becomes a nation under God, with a special mission to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, 00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:06.219 that they might bring God glory. So, there is something in the law obedience of God's people 00:01:06.219 --> 00:01:11.520 that is intended to reveal God's goodness to the world. And Jesus picked up on that in the 00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:16.219 Sermon on the Mount, as we heard. So, we've been considering so far the Ten Commandments, 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:23.240 and the Ten Commandments represent the principles, the foundation upon which the life of God's people 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:29.699 was to be built. But now we come to this lengthy section where these principles, these foundations 00:01:29.699 --> 00:01:38.519 begin to be worked out in practice, in families and in society. How do they apply to workplace issues, 00:01:38.699 --> 00:01:47.560 the justice system, personal property, social concern, religious life? One of the questions that we 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:53.260 will be asking, and we ought always to ask is, how do the principles of the Ten Commandments, 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:58.680 which are binding on all of God's people at all times, how do we work them into our life today? 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:05.120 Because just to hear that list of laws, we realize Israelite society was very different to our society, 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:11.780 but those principles remain. So, we're going to ask four questions this evening to help us with this. 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:16.000 One is the longest by far, the other three are far more brief. The first question, 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:22.800 how do we worship God in all of life? I hope that we'll see that the intent of these various laws is 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:28.919 that we would worship God in all of life. How do God's ways affect my ways? How did God intend that 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:35.159 His character, as it's revealed, work itself out in the character of His people? The third question, 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:40.379 what difference does it make to be different? And then hopefully leading from that, we'll understand 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:45.500 why this question, fourth question, why do we need grace and the gospel? 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:52.979 So, question one, how do we worship God in all of life? Okay, some introductory points about this 00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:57.819 section. First, if you've got time, you can read through all of this, but if you read it, 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:06.900 you will discover this is demanding. Alec Motier, an Old Testament scholar, said that the Lord means 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:11.819 His law. That's one of the things that's clear as you read these chapters. He means that His law would 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:20.280 govern the daily life of His people. That God expects reflection on His law and how to be obedient to 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:25.500 that law, how to work out those principles in life is not straightforward. It is demanding. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:33.959 This section also reminds us that the law is comprehensive in the areas of life it covers. 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:41.740 We can't just make compartments into our lives and say, well, God's law applies here, but just regular 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:48.760 principles for my life over here. No, it covers all areas of life. And actually, if you were to take 00:03:48.760 --> 00:03:54.200 the time, if you were to look at any individual law, you would find behind it one of the Ten Commandments. 00:03:54.740 --> 00:03:59.100 So, the Ten Commandments stand behind all the various laws that are here. So, it's demanding. It's 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:05.819 comprehensive. It's also unique. So, people have compared it with the legal documents of other 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:12.459 ancient societies at the time, and it's recognized that none of those documents cover as much ground 00:04:12.459 --> 00:04:20.800 as what's known as the Book of the Covenant. None of them give people as much dignity and value 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:29.139 as what we have before us. And while each claim, every ancient sort of people claim their laws came 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:36.860 from a God, there is something unique about the God of Israel, because He has acted in grace and in 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:42.680 salvation to bring them to Himself, inviting them into relationship as a starting point for receiving 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:50.259 His law. So, having said that, and with our Bibles open, let me give you the very briefest 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:57.740 of overviews with some key points recognized. In chapter 21, verse 1, it says, these are the laws 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:03.180 you are to set before them. So, the first section of the law, first 11 verses of chapter 21, are all 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:10.680 about slavery. Now, when we think about slavery, we probably go to 17th, 18th, 19th century. We think 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:17.219 about a racist system. We think about those horrendous abuses. That's not what we have here. A couple of 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:27.440 vindicators. Verse 2, compulsory and lifelong slavery was forbidden. Six years work, seventh year go free. 00:05:28.340 --> 00:05:33.680 Also, we understand that this was a system that people could appreciate. Yes, there were abuses, 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:40.920 but it also provided a sense of stability for a family. And we see that in verse 5. A servant could 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:47.580 declare, I love my master. I want to be part of his extended household for life. So, there's partly 00:05:47.580 --> 00:05:54.780 stability going on here. Verses 8 and 9. And this is one of the unique things about the law code of 00:05:54.780 --> 00:06:02.900 Israel. There is protection from abuse. There is a measure of care for the rights of female slaves. 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:11.500 There is the concept of redemption. A slave owner has no right to sell a woman to foreigners. So, it 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:18.939 begins with slavery. And then it moves, verses 12 to 27, to consider various aspects of personal 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:26.899 injury. So, verse 12, anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:33.919 if it's not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:42.459 All these laws put together remind us that God takes life and the protection of life very seriously. 00:06:43.219 --> 00:06:49.060 Going back to the book of Genesis, people made in the image of God. If someone takes the life of an 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:56.139 image bearer, then God demands that life. Judgment comes. But also, there's this principle that innocent 00:06:56.139 --> 00:07:01.800 life should be protected. So, verse 13, there's that person who accidentally kills someone else 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:08.019 instead of judgment and vengeance falling on them that are established these cities of refuge. 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:15.439 So, there's slavery, there's personal injury. And within that, verse 24, words that are perhaps 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:20.439 familiar, if you know the Sermon on the Mount, if there is serious injury, you are to take life for 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:25.939 life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Now, we need to know the context 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:31.500 for this because one of the things that Jesus does in the New Testament is He rescues this law from 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:40.959 abuse. The law of eye for eye, it was a law for the law courts. So, the setting here, verse 22, 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:46.480 people are fighting, a pregnant woman's been hit, she gives birth prematurely, but there's no serious 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:52.279 injury. The offender must be fined wherever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 00:07:52.279 --> 00:08:02.599 So, this is a protection against a family demanding excessive revenge. This is what's going to prevent 00:08:02.599 --> 00:08:11.179 cycles of revenge from happening. And so, when Jesus comes in Matthew 5, verses 38 to 42, 00:08:11.919 --> 00:08:17.799 He understands that the Pharisees were using it and teaching it in exactly that way. And so, 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:22.639 Jesus says no to personal revenge, and in the Sermon on the Mount, He says absolutely yes to being a 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:31.900 peacemaker who pursues good for others. Chapter 21, verse 28, attention moves to personal property all 00:08:31.900 --> 00:08:38.820 the way through to verse 15 of chapter 22. Principles here, you must care for the property of others. 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:44.519 We are not to be negligent. There's the command, if you are found to be stealing, 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:50.659 you must pay back with interest. Chapter 22, verse 1, whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:57.460 it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. From there, 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:02.539 there was that section that we read about social responsibility, which ended with the idea that 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:08.480 Israel were to be God's holy people. What did it look like to be God's holy people? Would it involve 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:13.259 certain things about how they related to one another? So, there's in verses 16 and 17, 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:19.299 treatment of women. Verse 21, the treatment of foreigners is there. Verse 22, treatment of 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:25.059 the widow and the orphan. We'll come back to that. There's verse 25, treatment of the poor. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:32.679 Even how they treat God is included here. Verse 28, do not blaspheme God. Verse 29, do not hold back 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:38.399 offerings from your granaries or your vats. So, there are relationships and responsibilities within those 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:43.740 relationships that are being included within the book of the covenant here. Chapter 23, 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:53.139 first nine verses are all about justice and mercy. It begins there. Verse 1, do not spread false reports. 00:09:53.299 --> 00:10:00.000 Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. So, a principle is about truth and integrity, 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:04.460 especially in a court of law, the importance of honoring someone's good name, 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:11.740 testifying accurately. Then verse 4 is interesting. If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:19.879 off, be sure to return it. So, there's the principle of mercy to an enemy. And then verses 6 to 9, 00:10:20.300 --> 00:10:27.780 there is the provision of justice for all. Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:34.740 And then after that, there are laws about religious life. So, the Sabbath rest is established as a gift 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:42.220 for all of society. So, the land gets rest, servants get rest, foreigners get rest, the Israelite gets 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:50.179 to rest. And then there are these, in verses 14 to 19, commands about the three annual festivals. 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:55.199 So, when they entered into the promised land, they weren't free to determine when and how they would 00:10:55.200 --> 00:11:05.980 worship God directed that. So, put all that together, and hopefully we can recognize that all of life 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:16.759 matters to God. How we live in all of life matters to God. That He wants His people, Israel, He wants His 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:25.000 people today to apply His revealed Word, the Bible, to the details of our lives. And of course, 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:31.440 that requires us to do some thinking, because our time and place and our specific circumstances are 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:38.679 clearly very different to those of Old Testament Israel. I can't think of a time when my enemy's 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:44.639 ox was wandering by and I happened to find it. So, we need to be thinking. We can't just take 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:49.419 these and say, okay, this is how I'm going to live. No, we have to go back to the principles of the Ten 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:56.399 Commandments and begin to think for ourselves. What does it look like to apply those principles 00:11:56.399 --> 00:12:02.679 to my life in the 21st century as a follower of Jesus? Because Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:09.019 reminded the crowds in His day, not one iota, not one little part has gone from the law. 00:12:09.579 --> 00:12:16.219 So, the principles remain. And He made plain as well that obedience becomes a matter of the heart. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:22.899 It's not enough to do the outward box ticking thing. And it's important too, as we heard, 00:12:23.580 --> 00:12:28.180 that it's an expression of our worship. That the way that we seek to live, 00:12:29.560 --> 00:12:36.899 to live in society, has as its goal the glory of God. That we would let our light shine so that 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:44.700 men might see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. So, it calls us to seek God's wisdom, 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:51.920 to be guided by the Spirit, to be thinking about how to apply the Ten Commandments to the times in which 00:12:51.920 --> 00:12:59.700 we live. You know, think about areas like technology, artificial intelligence, social media. 00:13:01.020 --> 00:13:05.379 Does my smartphone usage allow me to love my neighbor well? 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:14.279 Does the way that I interact with social media, does it lead me towards gossip, coveting hate, 00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:17.899 or is it a chance for me to express worship and to encourage other people? 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:24.379 The principle here of showing mercy to the poor and the weak runs all through the book of the covenant. 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:29.620 What does that look like in our day and age? Who are the poor? Who are the weak? Who are the 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:36.879 vulnerable in our society? And what's the best way to help? Should we do that directly? One person to one person? 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:43.320 Do we do it through a charity? Do we seek to be a voice for the voiceless? It requires wisdom. 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:51.320 There are principles about work and about consumption for the Israelites, but what about for us? 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:59.320 I think we would all do well to think about how do I Sabbath well when life is busy? How do I rest well? 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:05.860 How do I worship well? When I purchase, are we thinking about a fair deal for those who are producing, 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:11.400 for farmers, for factory workers? How is it that we can, in our own workplace settings, 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:19.580 show compassion and care to our colleagues? The issue of social concern, caring for others, 00:14:19.580 --> 00:14:26.300 is everywhere in these verses. Even as we come to think, for example, about how to vote in a general 00:14:26.300 --> 00:14:33.200 election, where does the balance of concern fall? Does it fall for my interests? Or am I thinking 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:39.780 about the interests of the disadvantaged? How do we think about immigration issues in light of what is 00:14:39.780 --> 00:14:46.160 taught here? So this call to obedience, it is a call to a life that is demanding that the law is 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:50.079 comprehensive, it is for all of life. So it is a call for us to worship and it is a call for us to 00:14:50.079 --> 00:14:56.539 think and to pray and to act. Well that is question one. That is the longest question by a long shot. 00:14:56.620 --> 00:15:06.699 Question two is this one. How do God's ways affect my ways? Now to help us to think about this, 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:13.879 let me just share a story of a man by the name of Dr. Bill Wilson. Some of you may have heard of him. 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:20.759 He is the president of an organization called Metro World Child Ministries, which by now is a global 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:28.519 organization, but it began in New York City with a very deliberate aim of sharing the love of Christ 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:36.039 with children from very difficult conditions. And Bill Wilson and his workers do this at great cost to 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:42.959 themselves at great risk to their own lives. It's a wonderful story whose child is this. 00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:51.659 Why did that ministry begin? It's so important for us to understand. Because Bill Wilson was a child 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:57.959 who was abandoned by his mother at the age of 12. And while on the streets he was found by a Christian 00:15:57.959 --> 00:16:03.899 man who showed care for him, who paid for him to go to a Christian camp where he heard the gospel, 00:16:03.899 --> 00:16:10.779 where he discovered love from God's people, and he was saved. And in that moment, 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:17.100 there was a new purpose for his life. As he understood Jesus loved me and my brokenness and 00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:23.220 my mess, I want to share the love of Jesus with children that they might know it too. 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:31.000 And there is this wonderful principle within the book of the covenant, where God the Lord says, 00:16:31.420 --> 00:16:40.220 this is who I am, and this is how I have treated you as my people. And because of that love and that 00:16:40.220 --> 00:16:48.740 mercy you have received, now go and do likewise. So where do we see that in our text? Turn with me 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:58.220 again to Exodus 22 from verse 21. And we'll see this to answer the question, how do God's ways affect 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:07.200 my ways? So verse 21, do not ill-treat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:13.460 The Old Testament picks up on this so many times, saying to Israel, remember to show mercy, 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:18.640 mercy, especially mercy to the foreigners, because when you were a foreigner, when you were a slave, 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:25.000 you received it. God rescued you, therefore show mercy and care to others. 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:34.640 Verse 22, do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:43.000 I will certainly hear their cry. God has a particular care for the weak, for the helpless. 00:17:43.460 --> 00:17:50.279 For the widow, for the orphan. And God invites His people to recognize that was their story. 00:17:52.079 --> 00:18:01.220 They were pitifully weak and helpless as slaves in Egypt. And God showed kindness and mercy. 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.559 And He says, you must do likewise. 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:13.919 What about for the poor? Do not take advantage of the widow and the fatherless. Verse 25, 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:18.299 if you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal, 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:24.899 charge no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:29.640 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:37.759 When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. There's the principle. God is a 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:43.320 compassionate God. God has shown compassionate care to them. Therefore, they should not exploit 00:18:43.320 --> 00:18:49.560 others financially. They should show care and humanity in their treatment towards others. 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:56.859 And that prompts us to ask a question in light of the gospel of redemption. 00:18:58.679 --> 00:19:02.460 You know, how has God, if we are Christians here today, how has God treated us? 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:10.779 Has He shown us mercy? Of course He has. He's shown us kindness. He's shown us love. He's refused to 00:19:10.779 --> 00:19:18.679 retaliate when we have treated Him badly. He's never sought to exploit us. He's never sought to destroy 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:26.779 our dignity or value, but rather He cares about those. Therefore, go and do likewise. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:34.720 Jesus in the New Testament gives us the Good Samaritan principle. Remember, He has that discussion 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:40.720 with a man, and He wants to know who is my neighbor. And Jesus tells the parable to show, 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:47.360 here's how to be a neighbor. Expend yourself. Sacrifice for anyone who is in need. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:55.199 And of course, Jesus comes as the Great Samaritan, showing such love to us as His enemies, extending 00:19:55.199 --> 00:20:03.159 grace to us in our need and helplessness. And because of that, He invites that we should go and 00:20:03.159 --> 00:20:13.219 do likewise. Of course, for this to happen, for God's ways, for God's dealings with us to affect how we 00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:20.480 relate to others. That requires for us to get the gospel daily into our hearts, to remind ourselves 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:30.319 of God's grace and mercy and love, so that when we are tempted to take revenge and retaliate, 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:36.600 or to spread gossip, or to turn a blind eye to suffering, or to cheat somebody, 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:45.279 or even to hold back on giving to God, we remember. We remember the life of Jesus. He held 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:51.699 nothing back. We remember the death of Jesus, His cost for our salvation. We remember the saving 00:20:51.699 --> 00:20:59.480 mercy of Jesus, so that how God treats us would increasingly shape how we treat others. 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:05.420 Well, that's the second question. How do God's ways affect my ways? Question number three, 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:12.799 what difference does it make to be different? Because this is a call for Israel to become a 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:19.200 very different society from the nations around them. Now, it's long been recognized that Western 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:25.279 civilization, where we find ourselves today, is built on the values that we find in the Bible, 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:31.899 built on the ethics of Christianity. So, even people really hostile to the Christian faith 00:21:31.899 --> 00:21:37.740 recognize that. People like Richard Dawkins would recognize that. At the foundation of our society 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:44.460 lie Christian principles. But we know, don't we, that we don't live in a Christian society anymore. 00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:52.079 We live in a secular society. We are a post-Christian nation, and so there is a question for our society, 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:58.439 which is this, and we all have to ask this question, what's the basis for demanding justice? Because 00:21:58.439 --> 00:22:06.500 this is all about justice, isn't it? Everybody believes that justice matters, but why does justice 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:13.339 matter? And one of the things that's important for us as Christians is to recognize that justice 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:21.079 matters to us because we have a just God. If we take away the reality of God, 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:29.819 if we are here by accident, then life has no great meaning, so why shouldn't the strong eat the weak? 00:22:31.159 --> 00:22:36.740 If life has no design, if there is no ultimate moral standard, 00:22:37.619 --> 00:22:43.179 how can I turn to history and say that the allies were right and the Nazis wrong? 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:49.920 The only basis for justice in human rights, and as people think about this, they come to recognize it, 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:57.340 there must be a creator God. It must be our starting point that we are made in His image, 00:22:57.420 --> 00:23:01.960 that values are absolute, and that life has value. 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:08.600 We said this last week about the Ten Commandments, and it's true as well about the book of the covenant. 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:15.619 As those principles are worked out into society, if these were obeyed, this would create a very 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:22.299 different society in the very best way. Compared to the nations around them, they would be far more 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:29.879 moral and far more merciful. There'd be greater justice for all sectors of society. There would be 00:23:29.879 --> 00:23:36.719 greater respect. There would be more welcome. It would be more fair. And we saw it last week, 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:42.299 and we need to restate it, that the goal of that wasn't simply that they would live in a wonderful, 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:50.120 good society, but it's that their way of living, their way of worship would reveal God and His character, 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:58.279 that it would draw others to want to know God. There's that amazing text in the middle of the 00:23:58.279 --> 00:24:06.059 the people movement out of slavery in Egypt. So after God has worked those ten plagues, 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:12.500 those judgments on Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, and it became so incredibly apparent that God was 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:20.879 with His people and for His people, that He was the one true and living God. As the crowds left Egypt, 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:30.640 among them on that day were Egyptians. Egyptians who were clearly able to see what was happening in 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:34.960 their day and to recognize the God of Israel. He's the one true and living God, and He's the one that 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:42.480 we want to follow. And now that God is establishing this new nation and this new society, there is that 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:48.960 invitation to them to represent God. And because they're representing God, all of life matters. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:54.840 Their holiness matters. So look at 23, chapter 23, verse 9, 00:24:55.420 --> 00:25:00.700 do not oppress a foreigner. You yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners because you were foreigners 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:07.840 in Egypt. So one of the ways they were to be distinct was in their different treatment of the other. 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:17.039 Became a wonderfully powerful thing within the Christian church as well, how we treat those who are 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:26.200 unlike us matters to God. Chapter 23, verse 12, six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:32.119 so your ox and donkey may rest. The slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:38.980 may be refreshed. Rather than an existence that they had of being worked to death, now they're set free. 00:25:38.980 --> 00:25:46.860 And the way that they set up their society is to be refreshing, is to be different, is to be attractive. 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:54.779 Then verse 13 of chapter 23, be careful. To do everything I've said to you, do not invoke the names 00:25:54.779 --> 00:26:02.079 of other gods. Do not let them be heard on your lips. So their different worship also had this purpose 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:11.859 of pointing people towards the reality that there is a God and that He can be known and that His ways 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:18.099 are good. Then we turn to the New Testament. We return to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. We realize 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:24.240 that same principle governs the life of the church. Matthew 5, 14 to 16, you are the light of the world. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:29.099 You are the salt of the earth. Let your light shine. And what's really interesting, we didn't have time 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:33.959 to read it, but what comes next when we ask ourselves the question, well, how do we do that? 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:38.539 How do we become the light of the world and a city on a hill and the salt of the earth? And what Jesus 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:47.240 does is to radically apply God's law to the lives of His followers right to our hearts. You have heard 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:54.659 it said, do not murder. But I tell you, even if you're angry, then you're breaking that commandment. 00:26:54.660 --> 00:27:01.820 And then He calls them to seek reconciliation quickly with someone that has something against 00:27:01.820 --> 00:27:08.200 you. You have heard it said, do not commit adultery. But Jesus makes it a matter of the heart. Even if 00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:18.040 we lust after another, then we are guilty. He talks about no easy divorce. He talks about not being those 00:27:18.040 --> 00:27:23.540 who swear and break oaths, but those who are truth-tellers who let their yes be yes and their no be no. 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:33.039 He speaks of the refusal of personal revenge, but rather of loving enemies. He speaks of giving to 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:42.720 the needy as an act of worship. So, it's Jesus' design that the way that we live be what brings glory to 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:52.460 God as we live out His Word. So, obedience matters for our mission, and we know that. We know that 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:59.840 hypocrisy turns people off. We know that if our Christianity doesn't actually make a difference 00:27:59.840 --> 00:28:08.059 to our lives, then why would our neighbor bother? So, again, we need to apply God's Word to all of life 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:16.460 to let His character shape ours. That brings us to the fourth question. Why do we need grace? 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:24.500 Why do we need the gospel? Well, I hope it becomes really apparent with just a little bit of reflection 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:34.019 that we fail. As the people of God, we fail. God calls us to a life of holiness, and so often we 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:40.360 don't choose holiness. God says, live in such a way that my character is reflected in your character, 00:28:40.359 --> 00:28:47.079 and that's not always true of us. God says, work out my law in all of your life, 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:53.719 and we're trying so very hard to put God in a box, to not let His Word reach to every area. 00:28:55.359 --> 00:29:02.500 And so, as we hear God's law, as it is applied, it reminds us again that we don't and we can't keep it, 00:29:02.979 --> 00:29:08.799 and we need God's grace. And there's wonderful, beautiful bookends of grace on either side of the 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:15.339 book of the covenant, reminds us that grace comes before law, and it reminds us that the Christian 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:26.579 life is lived surrounded by God's grace. So, turn with me to chapter 20, verses 22 and following. 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:32.359 Where is grace here? Tell the Israelites this, you've seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.859 heaven. Do not make any gods to be alongside me. Then he says, make an altar of earth for me, 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:42.019 and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:49.759 your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. There's grace. 00:29:50.139 --> 00:29:59.019 There is an altar. Here is grace. God speaks. God meets with His people. God will receive worship, 00:29:59.399 --> 00:30:05.740 will accept the sacrifices for sin. God Himself will come and bless His people. There is grace. 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:13.640 And then we go to the end, to the other side. Chapter 23, verse 20, all the way to verse 33, 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:18.839 it stands as the epilogue. Let me just read at the beginning there. See, I am sending an angel ahead 00:30:18.839 --> 00:30:25.440 of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:31.980 listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him. He will not forgive your rebellion, since my name is 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:38.920 in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies 00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:44.799 and will oppose those who oppose you. See, there's wonderful grace that there is this provision of 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:51.519 God that the angel bearing the Lord's own name will go before them, that God Himself is present to lead 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:57.400 His people towards the promised land, that God Himself guarantees victory. He will become a source of 00:30:57.400 --> 00:31:05.780 terror to their enemies, bringing peace and salvation. Wonderful grace, but notice this. 00:31:06.840 --> 00:31:17.560 Still, the tension is not removed. Chapter 23, verse 22, if you listen carefully to what He says 00:31:17.559 --> 00:31:25.240 and do all that I say. All those wonderful promises, all that blessing has a condition. 00:31:26.819 --> 00:31:34.659 Keep the law, obey. And we're back to where we started. You and I don't obey. We don't keep. And 00:31:34.659 --> 00:31:39.559 that's why we need grace. That's why we need the gospel. That's why we need the coming of Jesus. 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:46.639 Jesus, the only one who perfectly kept the law. Jesus, the one who fulfills the covenant, 00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:53.680 so that all those rich blessings, they don't come to us on the basis of our law-keeping. They come to 00:31:53.680 --> 00:32:03.980 us in Christ. In Jesus, God meets with us. In Jesus, God is with us to bless us. Jesus is the one who 00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:10.460 bears the name of the Lord, because He is the Lord. Jesus is the one who wins the victory over His enemies 00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:16.960 for His people, defeating on the cross sin and death and the devil. He is the one who will bring 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:26.100 us to the promised land, the new creation. He is our hope. And He's also the one who supplies the power, 00:32:26.600 --> 00:32:34.380 who supplies the grace, so that we can live more and more as His people, so that we might more and more 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:41.920 live out His values, that we might pursue today and tomorrow and this week life to His glory. 00:32:43.540 --> 00:32:44.240 Let's pray. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:53.500 Our Father, we thank You that while there are so many laws within this section that can seem so confusing, 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:53.660 amazing. 00:32:53.660 --> 00:32:53.700 Amazing.