Thank you.
Genesis chapter 15.
We will be looking at Exodus and Leviticus, but we will be starting off in Genesis 15.
So get your Bibles at the ready.
Genesis 15.
You'll see by the title there this morning we're looking at relationships.
Somebody sent me a message when they saw that and said it was great that I was fitting in well with the day and what a romantic I was to be thinking of relationships.
Well, let me make a disclaimer here.
I made no connection between what I am saying and hadn't a clue that it was February the 14th and that it was Valentine's Day.
I'm a complete disaster in the area of spontaneity.
So my poor wife, I shall try to do better.
Nonetheless, we're still going to be looking at relationships.
We can delete what's on the recorder.
Don't worry.
In case they remind me next year for the same mistake.
So here we go.
We'll pray and ask for God's help.
Father, we thank you for all the good things you bring to us every day.
There are times we struggle with ill health.
There are times we struggle with circumstances that we are in.
But yet in the midst of it, you are always God.
In charge.
Lord over all.
With us.
Not forsaking us.
So would you please help us to understand better this relationship that you've called us into.
What it looks like.
And how we should live with you.
Father, please encourage us all this morning, we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, it was a night that they would never forget.
After 430 years of brutal slavery,
God had rescued Israel from the cruel oppression of Pharaoh.
But if we've been following the story,
that rescue would not be a surprise.
Because 600 years beforehand,
God had made this promise to Abraham.
Have a look at Genesis 15, verse 13.
Genesis 15, verse 13.
So this is 600 years before the release from Egypt.
Then the Lord said to Abraham,
Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own,
and they will be enslaved and will be ill-treated for 400 years.
So he promised that there would be slavery.
But he also promised this, verse 14.
But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,
and afterwards they will come out.
Literally, they will be redeemed,
and with great possessions.
But rescue was not only the beginning of the plan.
Have a look at Exodus chapter 6, verse 6.
Exodus chapter 6, verse 6.
Exodus chapter 6.
So rescue was in God's mind at the beginning.
But there was something more.
Chapter 6, verse 6.
Therefore say to the Israelites,
I am the Lord,
and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
I will free you from being slaves to them,
and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm
and with mighty acts of judgment.
And here comes the reason for the rescue.
I will take you as my own people,
and I will be your God.
Can you see that?
They are rescued for relationship.
I will be your God.
You will be my people.
I will belong to you,
and you will belong to me.
Israel, this great nation,
had been released from the brutal oppression of Pharaoh
and have now been brought out under the loving rule of God.
They have been rescued for relationship.
And in some ways,
it's a looking back to the Garden of Eden.
Do you remember how it was then?
Adam and Eve living in relationship with God,
enjoying God in the Garden of Delight.
And now God is saying to this nation,
not just to two people,
but to a whole nation,
I am going to be in relationship with you
in a new land,
in a new place,
where you can know me
and enjoy me.
You see, God's aching desire
is to rescue people like us
so that we also can live in relationship with him.
He rescues us from our slavery to sin
so that we can enjoy him.
He frees us from the oppression of Satan
so that we can live under God's good rule.
That's the big story of the Bible.
Now, if we're to live in relationship with God,
well, it's a relationship that really matters.
And we have to know how to learn
or how to live rightly with God.
Have a look at Exodus chapter 19
as we move on through the story.
Exodus 19.
At this stage, they've been released from Egypt
and they're now travelling through the desert
and they've come to a mountain
which is called Mount Sinai.
And here God comes and speaks
through Moses to the people.
So chapter 19, verse 3.
Moses went up to God.
So he went up this mountain
and the Lord called to him from the mountain
and said,
This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob
and what you are to say to the people of Israel.
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt
and how I carried you on eagle's wings
and brought you to myself.
Do you see again?
It's that theme that's repeated.
I've rescued you
and I'm committed to you.
This relationship that God is in with the people
is not going to be an in-out kind of relationship.
It's a relationship where God says,
We're not going to break up.
We're going to be committed to one another.
And that means there's going to be responsibility.
So look at verse 5.
So if you obey me fully
and keep my covenant,
then out of all the nations
you will be my treasured possession.
Although the whole earth is mine,
you will be for me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation.
These are the words
that you are to speak to the people.
I am going to give you a way to live,
says God.
I'm going to show you
how you are to live in relationship with me.
But there's a problem.
These people can't get close to God.
Look at verse 10.
And the Lord said to Moses,
Go to the people and consecrate them.
Get them ready to meet God.
Consecrate them today and tomorrow.
Make them wash their clothes
and be ready by the third day
because on the third day
the Lord will come down from Mount Sinai
in the sight of all the people.
Put limits for the people around the mountain.
and tell them,
Be careful that you do not go up to the mountain
or touch the foot of it.
Whoever touches the mountain
shall surely be put to death.
But what's going on?
God had said so clearly,
I will be your God
and you will be my people.
You are going to be my treasured possession.
I rescued you for myself.
But if you try and get close to me,
you are going to die.
But what kind of relationship is that?
It's an invitation to say,
Come to me.
But if you do,
it's going to be very dangerous.
Well, I think God wants us to understand
who he is.
God is not our best buddy
who we ignore and we can forget.
God is not our mate
who we can treat as we please.
No, God is different
to every other kind of relationship
and he demands that we treat him rightly.
So look at verse 16.
On the morning of the third day,
there was thunder and lightning
with a thick cloud over the mountain
and a very loud trumpet blast.
Everyone in the camp trembled.
Then Moses led the people out of the camp
to meet with God
and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was covered with smoke
because the Lord had descended on it in fire.
The smoke billowed up from it
like smoke from a furnace
and the whole mountain trembled violently
and the sound of the trumpet
grew louder and louder.
And Moses spoke
and the voice of God answered him.
Here is God in his supreme power
an absolute purity.
Picture the scene.
This fire coming down.
This smoke coming from the mountain.
The mountain itself begins to shake.
You don't mess with this God.
You dare not come to him with disrespect.
We cannot treat God as we want
and expect to get away with it.
You see, the problem is
we have domesticated God.
We have reduced our Creator God
into something manageable.
We like the idea of a relationship with God
but we want to control
how that relationship should work.
So we like the idea of a God
who is all-powerful
but not so powerful
that he will confront me
and challenge me.
Or we like the idea of a God
who is pure and just
but not so pure
that he won't agree with what I want.
If the truth be told
we want a grandfather type God.
A God whose job it is
to give us treats
and soothe us with gifts
when things don't go our way.
We want a God
who won't tell me how to live.
A God who will ignore my sin
but will always accept me.
But God will not let us do that.
Verse 23
Moses said to the Lord
The people cannot come up Mount Sinai
because you yourself warned us
put limits around the mountain
and set it apart as holy.
You see, God is different to us.
We are not co-equals.
He is not our mate
our best buddy.
He is our creator
and our Lord.
So there are three things
we need to know about God
if we are to live
in relationship with him.
Here is the first one.
God commands
that we worship only him.
Look at chapter 20
verse 1
And God spoke
all these words.
I am the Lord your God
who brought you
out of Egypt
out of the land of slavery.
This is what I have done for you.
I am the God
who has intervened
into your lives
and rescued you.
I freed you from slavery.
I have brought you
out of your cruel bondage.
So because of what
I have done for you
this is how you should relate to me.
This is how you should treat me.
Now I hope at the beginning
of what we call
the Ten Commandments
you can see an order here.
Do you see the pattern?
God always rescues first
and then shows us
how to live in relationship with him.
God does not say
follow this command
and then I will rescue you.
No, God says
because I have done this for you
because I have freed you
and made you my people
this is how you should treat me.
And it's no different for us.
God always acts in grace to us
first.
He says
because of what I have done for you
it's not your performance
it's what I have done for you
this is how you should live
in response.
So what does God command?
Verse 3
You shall have
no other gods
before me.
Do not replace me
with your own gods.
Remember
I'm the God who created you.
I'm the God
who has given you
life and breath.
I'm the God
who sustains you
and provides you
with every single thing
that you have.
So don't go making
other gods
and pretending
that they look after you
and that they save you.
Jesus himself
would say the same thing
when he was asked
what is the greatest commandment.
Jesus replied
love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
I'm the God
who rescues you
so give to me
your undivided loyalty
and devotion.
worship
only
me.
Now as Moses
was receiving
this command
what do you think
the people were doing
down below
when Moses was up
on the mountain?
Remember what the command was?
You shall have
no other gods
before me.
What do you think
the people were up to?
Well have a look
at Exodus
chapter 32.
Exodus
chapter 32
and verse 1.
So we've got to remember
the scene
we've got to keep
this in context
Moses is up the mountain
talking to God
all the people
are down below
and they can't get
close to God.
and what do we read?
Chapter 32
verse 1
When the people
saw that Moses
was so long
in coming down
from the mountain
they gathered
round Aaron
and said
come
make us gods
who will be
before us
who will go
before us.
As for this fellow
Moses who brought
us up out of Egypt
we don't know
what's happened
to him.
Aaron answered
take off your
gold earrings
that your wives
your sons
your daughters
are wearing
and bring them
to me.
So all the people
took off their
earrings and brought
them to Aaron.
He took what
they handed him
and made it
into an idol
cast in the shape
of a calf
fashioning it
with a tool.
Then they said
these are your
gods
O Israel
who brought
you up
out of Egypt.
Isn't it ironic?
Now we look
at these
bunch of people
down around
the mountain
carrying on
like this
and we think
no I would
never do
anything like
that.
That's not me.
But we must
remember an idol
is not just
a carved
statue.
An idol
is anyone
or anything
that takes
the place
of God.
So that means
your children
can be an idol.
Your job
can be an idol.
An activity
a desire
an object
your career
anything
that takes
the place
of God
is an idol.
Just like Israel
we worship
other things.
We give
our loyalty
to our kids
our devotion
to our work
our praise
to our heroes.
We replace
God with
something else
but God
will not
stand for that.
Look at
chapter 32
verse 9.
God looks
down from
the mountain
and here's
what he says
verse 9.
I have seen
these people
the Lord
said to Moses.
They are a
stiff necked
people.
That is they are
stubborn and rebellious.
now leave
me alone
so that my
anger may
burn against
them
that I
may destroy
them
then I
will make
you into
a great
nation.
But Moses
sought the
favour of
the Lord
his God.
O Lord
he said
why should
your anger
burn against
your people
whom you
brought up
out of
Egypt
with great
power
and with
a mighty
hand?
why should
the Egyptians
say it
was with
evil
intent
that he
brought
them
out
to
kill
them
in
the
mountain
and to
wipe
them
off the
face
of
the
earth?
Turn
from your
fierce
anger
relent
and do
not bring
disaster
on your
people.
Well if
we were to
go on
reading through
the story
we would
see that
God does
not ignore
their
rebellious
behaviour.
He does
punish the
people
but
he does
relent
and the
vast
majority
are
saved
but
God
is
still
unwavering
in his
command
to the
people.
Chapter
34
verse
14
So after
this whole
episode
God
comes back
to it
again.
Verse
14
he says
to them
do not
worship
any other
God.
for the
Lord
whose
name
is
jealous
is a
jealous
God.
You see
God does
not want
to share
us
with
anything
else
or anyone
else.
We
belong
to him
so he
deserves
our lives
he deserves
our
worship.
We
sometimes
think of
jealousy
as something
that's
negative.
But
jealousy
can also
be
something
positive.
So think
of a
married
relationship.
If you're
in that
married
relationship
you don't
want to
share your
husband or
wife with
another
person.
So suppose
you're a
wife and
your husband
comes home
one day
and brings
another
woman into
the home
and says
I want
to share
my love
with this
woman as
well.
She's going
to move
in with
us and
we're going
to live
together and
well we
can be
committed
to her
too.
What would
you say
to that?
Oh
that's
okay.
I've no
problem with
that.
We can
share our
loyalty and
love
together.
Of course
you wouldn't.
There would
be a
righteous
kind of
anger.
there would
be a
jealousy
that rises
up within
you because
you are
jealous for
your husband's
love because
you're committed
to each other
and you are
not going to
share that
love with
someone else.
Now how do
you think the
creator of the
world should
respond when
his creation,
his people,
who he loves
and who he
sustains,
who he
provides for,
who he
rescues and
they give
their love and
loyalty,
to someone
else?
How do
you think
God will
respond?
Oh it's
okay.
That's
alright.
Live how
you like.
Just pretend
that these
other gods
rescued you.
Just pretend
that these
other gods
provide for
you.
It's fine.
Make your
own gods.
It's all
okay.
No,
God is a
jealous God.
I am
your God
who rescued
you.
So give
me your
undivided
loyalty
and devotion.
Worship
only
me.
You see,
if we are
going to
live in
relationship
with God,
there is
no room
for another.
It is
God who
is first
and he
shapes
every other
relationship
that we
may have.
So he
commands that
we worship
only him.
Second,
God desires
that we
can live
with him.
Look at
what God
commanded
Moses a
little earlier.
Just go
back to
Exodus
chapter 29.
Exodus
29
verse
44.
Here's
something else
God had
said to
the people.
verse 44.
He says,
I will
consecrate
the tent
of meeting.
Now the
tent of
meeting,
you can
read about
this through
Exodus.
The tent
of meeting
is sometimes
referred to
as the
tabernacle.
Basically
it was a
very carefully
designed
mobile
tent.
Very
intricate
and specially
designed
by God.
And this
tent was
where God
would live
amongst
the
people.
So
verse 45.
Then I
will dwell
or I
will live
among the
Israelites
and be
their God.
They will
know that
I am the
Lord their
God who
brought them
out of
Egypt so
that I
might dwell
or live
among them.
I am the
Lord their
God.
Now when
we think of
what the
people did
next,
Christ.
So we are
in chapter
29.
Remember
what they
just did
in chapter
32.
They went
making a
gold calf
to replace
God.
Now you
would think
in the
knowledge of
all of
that God
would get
wise about
what they are
like and
he would
pull out
of the
deal and
you go
I am
not moving
in with
that lot.
Look at
the way in
which they
behave.
There is
no way I am
going to be
in relationship
with them.
But that is
not what
happens.
Have a look
at Exodus
chapter 40
at the very
end.
Exodus
chapter 40
verse 1
Exodus 40
verse 1
Then the
Lord said
to Moses
set up
the
tabernacle
the
tent
of
meeting
on the
first day
of the
first month.
Then move
down to
verse 33
Then Moses
set up
the courtyard
around the
tabernacle
So he's
setting up
the tent
as God
had designed
in the altar
and he put
up the
curtain
at the
entrance
and so
Moses
finished
the work.
Then the
cloud
the cloud
represents
the presence
of God
coming down.
The cloud
covered the
tent of
meeting
and the
glory of
the Lord
filled
the tabernacle.
You see
God
comes down
into the
midst of
these people.
God is
moving in
with these
bunch of
rebels.
Now logically
it's the wrong
kind of response
isn't it?
After
everything
that the
people
had done
God
should be
keeping
his
distance
from
them.
But we're
not dealing
with somebody
who's like
us.
If somebody
offends us
and upsets
us we
pull back
we withdraw.
But God
is so personal
and so
intimate and so
concerned for
his people
that he
actually moves
in with
them.
He's moving
in with a
bunch of
failures.
You see
God
not only
wants to
rescue
his people
he longs
for this
relationship
he longs
to reside
with messy
broken
people
like us.
It shouldn't
happen
but yet
that's what
God does
for us.
Later on
in Numbers
chapter 2
you can look
at it later
on
we read
about a
great detailed
plan of how
the whole
camp should
be set up.
And the
whole camp
is set up
around this
tent of
meeting.
So wherever
they go and
settle
God's tent
the tent
of meeting
is always
in the middle
of the camp.
Surrounding
it is
everybody
else's
tent.
And even
when they
get up
and they
start
travelling
somewhere
else
God's
tent
is always
in the
middle
of all
the people
as they
move
along.
God
living
among
failures.
it is
as if
God
is
ramming
home
to
these
people
even
though
you
fail
even
though
you
worship
other
gods
I
will
be
your
God
and
you
will
be
my
people
I
am
committed
to
you
I
rescued
you
and
I
am
going
to
show
you
how
to
live
in
relationship
with
me.
This
is
the
kind
of
God
that
we
have.
God
but yet
how do
we live
in
relationship
with a
God
who is
so
personal
but yet
so
jealous.
A
God
who is
demanding
our
worship
but then
strikes
people down
when they
don't
worship
him
properly.
God
may want
to live
among
us
but he's
so powerful
and so
pure
it's
not
safe
for
us
to
live
with
him.
So
how do
we get
over
this
tension
and this
obstacle
how can
we get
to live
in
relationship
with
this
God?
Well
third
God
provides
the means
or the
way so
that we
can
enjoy
him.
Go
to
Leviticus
chapter
16
and
here's
where you
need to
start
talking
to your
children
over
lunch
and
find
out
what
they've
been
learning
in
Leviticus.
You
see this
tent of
meeting
was a
place where
the people
could come
and meet
God.
But you
couldn't
just go
walking
in there
high
fiving
and
presuming
everything's
okay.
The
whole
book of
Leviticus
is to
show us
how
we can
actually
get to
meet
this
God
and
how
we
can
live
in
relationship
with
God.
And
right at
the heart
of
Leviticus
is
chapter
16.
Right
at the
centre
it gives
us
the clue
it gives
us
the
detail
of
how
we
can
meet
with
him.
Have
a look
at
verse
1
of
chapter
16.
The
Lord
spoke
to
Moses
after
the
death
of
the
two
sons
of
Aaron
who
died
when
they
approached
the
Lord.
Do you
see what
happens
when they
try to
get close
to God?
They
die.
God
is too
powerful,
too
pure.
And
when you
try to
get close
to him,
you die.
We
cannot live
in his
presence.
So what
are they
going to
do?
Well,
God
provides a
special
sacrifice
which
happens
once
a
year.
And
it's
called,
as maybe
the heading
in your
Bible
has,
the
day
of
atonement.
And
that's
what
chapter
6
is
all
about.
Read
through
it.
It
has
this
atonement
all
the
way
through.
About
20
times
in
one
chapter.
Atonement
simply
means,
if you
look at
the
screen,
God's
wrath
being
turned
away
from
us
so
that
we
can
be
at
one
with
God
so
that
we
can
enjoy
him,
relate
to
him.
Now
in
this
sacrifice,
we'll
go through
it quite
quickly,
this
sacrifice
required
two
goats.
The
first
goat
that
they
were
to
take,
well
this
goat
was
to
be
killed
for
the
sins
of
the
people.
In
a
dramatic
way,
it
was
teaching
all
the
people
that
somebody
had
to
die
in
place
of
them.
But
then
they
took
the
second
goat
and
this
second
goat,
well
it's
not
killed.
Have a
look at
verse 21.
Something
different
happens.
Chapter
16
verse
21.
He
is to
lay
both
hands
on the
head
of the
live
goat
and
confess
over
it
all
the
wickedness
and
rebellion
of the
Israelites,
all
their
sins,
and put
them on
the goat's
head.
He
shall
send
the goat
away
into
the
desert
in the
care
of a
man
appointed
for the
task.
The goat
will carry
on itself
all their
sins
to a
solitary
place
and the
man
shall
then
release
it
in the
desert.
Do you
see what
happens in
this symbolic
way?
The sins
of the
people
are
transferred.
They are
taken away
from them
and it
is carried
away
out of
sight
so that
the people
can be
at one
with
God
so that
they can
get close
to him
and enjoy
him.
But the
problem
is
it was
never
fully
realised.
If we
read on
through the
story of
the Bible
they could
not really
get close
to God.
How could
they ever
get close
to this
God?
How could
God ever
be contained
in a
tent?
How could
a goat
literally
deal with
the people's
sins?
It was
impossible.
It never
worked.
But God
did it
all to
prepare for
one who
would come
and make
it all
truly
possible.
Remember
how John
put it in
John's
Gospel
chapter 1
verse 14?
when Christ
when Jesus
came
he said
the word
became
flesh.
The word
that's
God
became
flesh
and made
his dwelling
among us.
God
did
physically
move
into the
world
in the
person
of Jesus
Christ
no longer
in a
tent
but as
a person.
God
came to
live
amongst
this
world
and
he
became
known
as
one
who
ate
with
sinners.
He
came
to
the
broken.
He
came
to
the
failures.
He
came
to
the
screwed
up
and
the
messed
up.
He
moved
into
and
lived
amongst
rebels
like
you
and
me.
But
more
than
that
he
came
into
the
world
to
deal
with
our
failures.
No
longer
symbolically
but
in
faith
we
now
look
to
Jesus
and
as
it
were
we
place
our
hands
on
the
head
of
Jesus
and
our
sins
are
literally
transferred
from
us
to
Jesus
and
Jesus
carries
our
sins
all
of
them
to
the
cross
and
pays
the
debt
that
deserves
to
be
paid
so
that
people
like
you
and
me
can
be
at
one
with
God
as
far
as
the
east
is
from
the
west
so
far
as
he
removed
our
transgressions
from
us
never
to
be
remembered
again
taken
away
so
that
we
can
be
at
one
with
God
but
that's
not
the
end
not
only
does
he
take
our
sin
away
but
now
God
moves
in
remember
what
we
said
at
the
very
beginning
John
chapter
14
verse
23
Jesus
said
if
anyone
loves
me
that
is
if
anyone
trusts
me
he
will
obey
my
teaching
as
evidence
of
someone
who
obeys
or
loves
God
they
will
obey
him
my
father
will
love
him
and
we
will
come
to
him
and
make
our
home
with
him
did
you
get
that
God
would
make
his
home
in
us
not
in a
makeshift
tent
but
God
the
creator
God
who
rescues
us
moves
into
our
lives
by
his
spirit
father
son
and
holy
spirit
dwelling
within
us
so
that
we
can
experience
him
so
that
we
can
enjoy
him
so
that
we
can
be
at
one
with
God
every
single
day
it
really
shouldn't
happen
but
this
is the
kind
of
God
that
we
have
let's
pray
together
our
father
God
we
are
sorry
that
we
do
not
treat
you
as
you
deserve
to
be
treated
we
are
sorry
for
reducing
you
down
into
something
manageable
where
we
make
you
nothing
more
than
a
grandfather
type
figure
who
doesn't
challenge
us
or confront
us
but
accepts
us
whatever
we
do
and
father
we're
sorry
for the
way
in which
we
behave
please
help us
to see
you
as you
really
are
thank you
that you
did
come
and
rescue
us
and
thank you
that you
have now
called us
into
relationship
with you
and we
thank you
that because
of jesus
who has
taken
all our
sin away
we can
draw close
to you
we can
come close
for you
are now
living
within
in us
we
praise you
for that
and we
ask that
you would
help us
to live
in our
relationship
with you
well
and that
we would
be people
who point
others
to jesus
so that
they also
can have
this incredible
relationship
with you
we pray
this in
jesus name
amen
we're going
to sing
together
it's an
older hymn
but a
great hymn
and you'll
see there
just on
the
top
verse
it