I want you to turn back in your
Bibles to the book of Exodus 20. And if you will, step back
one chapter to chapter 19. There's a portion of Scripture
that I want it read. I don't know how it didn't get
placed there, but I need you to see it so that we can have
a context for what we will be dealing with today. We are in
about our fifth message on our journey through the wilderness.
We are dealing with learning what it means to be taught by
God, by the children of Israel who came to know Jehovah personally
and providentially 1500 years before Jesus came. And today's
text is a hallmark event in the life of the nation of Israel,
because on this day, 1480 something years before Messiah came, Israel
was constituted a people. What we are dealing with is the
establishment of a covenant in the life of more than a million
and a half people on this day. I hope to lay enough of a foundation
for you to appreciate this unique event that happened only once
in human history, And only the people of Israel could say that
they experienced this event. But before we do that, there's
a portion of scripture that I want to read. It's in chapter 19,
and it's going to be verses 20 through 25. The Lord had told
Moses to tell the children of Israel to sanctify themselves
so that on the third day they might be prepared to meet with
God. This is where they are meeting
with God. And this is where the 10 commandments were given to
them of which we will talk extent today about, but in preparation
for their meeting with God on Mount Sinai, he told them to
clean up, get yourselves cleaned up, sanctify yourselves and be
ready on the third day, because the Lord will come down in the
sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. So we hear in verse
20 these words and the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the
top of the mount and the Lord called Moses up to the top of
the mount and Moses went up The Lord said unto Moses go down
and charge the people Lest they break through unto the Lord to
gaze and many of them perish. I and let the priest also, which
come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break
forth upon them. My goodness, the Lord ain't playing,
is he? And Moses said unto the Lord, the people cannot come
to the Mount, for you have charged us saying, set bounds about the
Mount and sanctify it. Oh no, watch what Moses, watch
what God says. And the Lord said unto Moses,
you better hurry up and get down this hill and shall come up. You and Aaron
alone will come up. Now watch this, ladies and gentlemen,
because I'm laying a foundation for us to understand the giving
of the law. But do not let the priest. You
see, the priest and the people break through to come up to the
Lord Lest he break forth upon them So moses went down Unto
the people and spake unto them Now the title of our message
today is mount sinai The king the command and the covenant
The king the command and the covenant. These are three aspects
of the giving of the law that I want to explain today to you
to help us understand the design and scope for which the law of
God was given. As I said earlier, the people
who are receiving the law of God are the most privileged people
in the world. The nation of Israel is the only
nation of whom it can be said that God talked to them directly,
audibly, without a mediator, in the presence of all of the
people, great, small, young, and old, collectively, individually,
on one day, at one time, God spoke to the whole nation. No
other people in the world could ever say that. I want you to
mark this now. A nation witnessed the voice
of God being spoken to them. God's direct voice Now a lot
of times we talk about hearing the voice of the Lord Right. I'm trying to discern whether
that was the Lord's voice Well, let me assure you that if God
ever speaks to you like he spoke to these people You would never
have to raise the question. Did the Lord speak? But you see
Exodus chapter 20 and is giving us a point in human history which
will never occur again. And I wanted to resonate with
you. The masses of the people on this day in the Arabian desert
at Mount Sinai, all of them, the children in the womb, the
little bitty babies, the young adults, the young teenagers,
mama and daddy, grandmama and granddaddy, great grandmama and
great granddaddy. This was the most unique and
vivid and explicit worship service any church could ever have because
God spoke to them directly. God spoke directly and they heard
the voice of the Lord. Now Moses told the children of
Israel some instructions that are relevant to you and I today
because as you know the Old Testament It points to New Testament realities
and there are things in the Old Testament that we read that apply
to us today. We as believers say we hear the
voice of the Lord. We hear the word of God. God
speaks to us through the scriptures. He has spoken to us His son he
speaks to us through the preaching of the gospel does he not he
speaks to us in Providence in Certain ways we as the people
of God today We know something about God speaking to us and
yet there are some things to learn about Approaching God you
notice that God was very serious very very serious about the children
of Israel not approaching the mountain when he's serious about
that and Here's what I want you to mark God had done something
for them and he had stated it in chapter 19 This is our first
point in the the the the point here that I want to make is that
God? Redeems his people by his sovereign power alone And in
chapter 19, verses one through four and five, which you already
read, it says, in the third month when the children of Israel were
going forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came
to the wilderness of Sinai. So we're three months in now,
right? Last week, we were a little more than two months in. Now
we are three months into that journey. And remember, the children
of Israel are learning how to depend upon God. God is teaching
them His ways. He's instructing them. this new
relationship that they have with God and they had never Learned
how to walk with the true and the Living God before and they
are learning and here's what God says He this is what he says
over in verse 3 and Moses went up to God and the Lord God called
unto him out of the mountain saying You thus shall you say
to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel now mark
these words you have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and
Now watch this and how I bear you on eagles wings and brought
you to myself The first thing that God wants Israel to know
is he saved them by his sovereign power alone that they're being
in the position that they are in now to hear the voice of God
and be a Unique people that are set apart because they're delivered
aren't they they are out of Egypt They are in a place of consecration
They are in a place of relationship with the true and the living
God and they are on a journey to a land of promise that they
they did not Accomplish for themselves nor did they earn it nor did
they deserve it? But they are now on a course
of blessing before them of which the Lord wants them to be clear
Listen, you didn't do this in your own strength. I want you
to remember every day of your life. I redeemed you out of Egypt
I brought you out with an outstretched hand. In other words, the foundation
of the relationship that God wants to establish with Israel
is one of Him having redeemed them. They are already a redeemed
people. They are already a blood-bought
people. They are already a consecrated people. They are already a sanctified
people. Are you guys following me? Even
before they receive the law. This great truth tells us that
redemption precedes the giving of the law. God had already sanctified
them. He had already delivered them
out. He had already brought them. And now mark what he says, I
brought you out on eagles' wings. You know what that means? That
means they were under divine protection. God in his sovereignty
worked like the eagle works in delivering her young ones from
danger and Rescuing them from danger and rising above the heights
of danger and taking them to a safe location This is what
God said. I brought you out of danger like
an eagle Raised you above your problems and brought you now.
I want you to hear this to myself. I They are in the presence of
God. Now, the most auspicious and
blessed place that you and I could be is in the presence of God.
Isn't that right? Coram Deo in the presence of God. He says,
I brought you to myself. How does a sinner get to God?
He must bring them to himself. He must operate sovereignly in
his power to take you and I from the house of bondage, from the
place of sin and darkness and bring us into the presence of
God. Now, this is the foundation that's being laid Before he deals
with even the giving of the law. He says make sure you always
remember that I redeemed you I redeemed you see when people
realize that they have been redeemed They will walk with a little
bit more humility. Am I right when you know that
God redeemed you he didn't negotiate with you He redeemed you He didn't
talk to you. He redeemed you. He bought you
back. He purchased you. He paid a price,
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, he owns you and I.
And so the blessings that you and I have are because of a sacrificial
act on God's part. Now, he's saying this to Israel
so that they can know that the basis upon which God is acting
is in what we call covenant love. The reason you and I are saved
is because God loved us enough to save us. Israel is being taught
before they're being revealed the law of God that they have
no grounds or basis of thinking that they are special people
in themselves. The second thing that he says
to them in context of what you and I are dealing with, and this
is the second point that I want to raise up, though they are
set apart by God's sovereign power, though they are now in
a consecrated place, though they are in a place of blessing where
God has already manifested his glory, providing for them the
healing of the bitter waters and providing for them bread
to eat in the morning flesh to eat in the week in the evening
fresh water to drink all the way through the wilderness that's
a good situation isn't it for us to know that God's gonna take
care of us all of our days that's a good situation now though all
these things be so you notice how they wanted to kind of creep
up and take a look at God That's the natural innate curiosity
of mankind to want to see God. Remember what God said, if they
come up, I'll break out against them. Now this is remarkable
because he also told the priest, you stay back too. Here's the
lesson that I want you to get. Even though God has redeemed
us by his grace, even though God has purchased us by a magnificent
price, even though you and I are consecrated and set apart in
the blessings of God, even though you and I are now serving in
a kind of mediatorial role because they are, he said over in verse
four and five, I have set you apart to be a holy priesthood
in the kingdom to me. And you know, the New Testament
church has taken on the fulfillment of that principle in first Peter
chapter two. We are a holy priesthood, are
we not? We are a royal nation, are we not? We are sons and daughters
of the most high God, thus we are kings and queens, are we
not? But take heed to understand this, just because God has placed
you in that blessing, doesn't mean you get to run up on God
anytime you want to, or any way you want to. Please mark these
words. Though God has put us in a favorable
place of consecration and service, it is essential for us to recognize
that apart from the grace of God, you and I are in danger
of destruction. Point number two, though set
apart by his sovereign astounding grace, mark these words, God
alone is holy. God alone is holy. You know you can get too friendly
with God. Am I making some sense? You can
get too friendly with God. And God knew the mindset of these
people, ladies and gentlemen. He knew that somehow they had
lost their minds temporarily and thought that they could peek
in on God. Now stay with me. We've had a few occasions where
certain persons in the scripture thought they could do that. Remember
that brother Uzzah, as the Lord was bringing the ark Back to
Jerusalem through the hand of David and as a thought he would
Uphold the art by stopping it from falling and God struck him
down dead like God needs some help But on occasion listen on
occasion we act like God needs some help Secondly, it always
falls out that we will act in a manner that is unbecoming when
we fail to keep in mind keep this in mind child of God God
alone is holy He is intrinsically holy. He is perfectly holy. He is impeccably holy. And you
and I are not. You and I are not holy intrinsically. We are not holy naturally. We
are not holy in ourselves. Though we are set apart, we are
not holy. If we would ever stand before
God without a mediator, we would die immediately. Am I making
some sense? And what God was saying to the
children of Israel is critical for you and I today. In our outline,
it's a real simple point that I want to make. Even though we
have the role of being mediator, this is what God says over in
verse five. Now therefore, if you will keep
my commandments, obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all the people of the earth. Verse six, and you shall be unto
me a kingdom of what? Priests, a holy nation. These are the words which you
shall speak unto the children of israel the privilege of being
kings and priests Now to be a priest means you stand between god and
man The whole nation of israel had the role and privilege of
being a mediator between god and man The church of the living
god today serves in that same role. Don't we? mediators between
a holy God in a sinful people to mediate on the behalf of sinful
people to God and to prophesy on the behalf of God to sinful
people we have the same role don't we but watch this the mediator
needs a mediator Did you get that the mediator
needs a mediator You and I may be mediators for God, but we
need a mediator We may stand in God's stead to speak for him
as it were, but we beseech you on Christ's stead, be you reconciled
to God. We may stand on the behalf of
God to pray for erring sinners and weak and feeble saints and
call on the true and the living God and ask him to show mercy.
We may stand in the gap for brothers and sisters who are lost and
don't know God, and we pray that God would save them. But watch
this, ladies and gentlemen, the mediator needs a mediator. You and I will always need a
mediator between us and God. Though we stand between God and
lost sinners and erring saints, we need a mediator. You and I
will always need one between us and God. Do you know why?
Because we are not holy. We are not intrinsically righteous.
You and I are not intrinsically holy enough to stand before the
holiness of God. The holiness of God is so absolutely
perfect that you and I, even in a state of salvation, in a
state of grace and fellowship with God, would be rejected by
God immediately. Should we try to circumvent and
get into the presence of God without a mediator? Never forget this then, child
of God. The mediator, what? Needs a mediator. God says, don't
let them come up here. I'll wipe out the people and
I'll wipe out the priesthood too. And the point was to teach
God's people what I think we have to be taught over and over
again. God is holy. And sometimes we fail to grasp
that. This is why our master said in
the emphatic term of John 14 6, no man comes unto the father
but by me. And this is why Paul said in
1 Timothy 2, 5, there is one mediator between God and man,
the man Christ Jesus. There is no successful access
to the true and the living God but Christ. Our fellowship with
God, though wonderful as it may be, as you and I are partakers
of the spirit of God, and we enjoy the gospel of grace, and
we enjoy growing in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord,
and we enjoy the opening up of his word, and the transformation
of our soul, and the drawing nearer to God day by day. It
is only to the extent that you and I realize our union with
Jesus Christ that we have confidence with God. The moment we fail
to realize the necessity and expediency of our mediator Jesus
Christ, we are in danger. God's laying this foundation
now to drop on us the role and purpose and design of the law
of God. And I wanna deal with that under
the metaphor of three analogies, three analogies, three analogies. This beautiful document that
God gave us in the giving of the law, is a document that people
stumble over because they don't altogether understand how to
deal with why God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and why
he gave it to us. Well, God gave the Ten Commandments
to Israel according to the New Testament for two primary reasons. First, it was designed to preserve
Israel and to hedge them in and to keep them from acting such
a fool that God would destroy them before the other purpose
of the law would be fulfilled. The law was given to Israel as
a hedge and as a fence. It was given to establish boundaries
and parameters. The law was given to national
Israel to fence them in so that their course could be accomplished
without it being aborted by God destroying them. Now as you and
I continue to work through the wilderness sojourn, what you
and I are going to learn is that God punishes sin, doesn't he?
You and I are going to learn also that God often punishes
sin severely and most severely upon the people that know him,
don't we? We will see that God will punish Israel in such a
severe way that you and I will raise the question that Moses
raised. Will these people make it from the wilderness to the
promised land? And sometimes we think about
that with regards to the Church of the Living God today. The
Church of the Living God in many ways is in an awful mess, isn't
it? But do we believe the promise
of Jesus Christ in Matthew 16 when he says, I will build my
church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it?
Do we believe that? If we believe that our confidence
lies not in the capacity of the church to keep itself, nor in
the capacity of the church to perform such good works that
it becomes holier and holier before God, and thus God is happy
with it, but because God himself is faithful to keep his people
in spite of their rebellion. Am I making some sense? So the
two New Testament revelations that are given to us as to why
the law is given, and you need to understand this, why did God
give you his law? To hedge you in. To stop you
from running in your mad desires and selfish lust and bits to
do whatever you want to do. Remember what Paul said in Romans
7? I had not known coveting until the law said, thou shalt not
what? See, you know in our sinfulness, we kind of just like to be ignorant,
don't we? We don't actually want people
to tell us explicitly and clearly what's wrong. But the law of
God does that, doesn't it? The law of God puts a stop sign
up and tells you, you cross this line, you're going to suffer
the consequences. And this is why Paul said in
Romans 7, the law is good because the law tells us what's wrong.
In Romans 6, he said, it makes sin exceedingly sinful. Because
you and I will play it down, won't we? We'll play it down,
and we'll say it's all right, it's not that bad. But before
a holy God, it's horrible. And that law is designed to check
you and me, just to check us. It's not going to stop you. It's
going to check you. And it's designed to play a role
in hedging you in and bringing you to the place where Jesus
Christ becomes your all-in-all. Galatians chapter 3 put it this
way, the law was added until the seed should come. Which seed
is who? Jesus Christ. This is why it
was given to the children of Israel in the wilderness. And
I want you to mark the three metaphors by which the law is
given. This will help you if you are studying biblical theology
with us, you will learn some things about how God works. In your outline under the threefold
analogy of the giving of the law, I want to deal with three
aspects of the giving of this glorious Ten Commandments that
God gave to us. The first is You are to view
the giving of the law as it took place on this day, 1480 years
or so before Jesus, as the King's covenant constitution with its
citizens. That's the first analogy that
I want you to get. The Ten Commandments become a
constitutional set of documents that is given to a people who
have now been purchased by a king and are part of the king's citizenry. This was part of the Old Testament
treaties system. When kings dominated other people
groups and took those people groups and made them their slaves,
the king would read a treaties of do's and don'ts, of promises
and blessings to that new set of subjugated people that are
under them. When Israel is reading or hearing
read by God, I'm going to talk about that in a moment, the Ten
Commandments, God is explicitly and directly telling them how
he wants them to behave as his citizens. In biblical theology,
we call this the king-servant paradigm. Israel is a servant
of God. God is the king. He is Jehovah. He is Lord. And in the king-servant
paradigm, you and I do what God tells us to do. Isn't that right?
In the New Testament, the word is archonomos. And what it means
is we are servants of the king that rules over us. Now, I know
this doesn't settle well for us autonomous free agents here
in Western civilization. Because we're so used to being
free and autonomous, the idea of having a king over us to tell
us what to do, it's hard to comprehend that, isn't it? But Israel was
a servant under a great king who gave him gave them his treaties
And the treaties was in 10 words and the 10 words are summed up
this way Love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind
and strength watch this and your neighbor as yourself Isn't that
what jesus said? On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets now having said that because we are a soundbite
age I don't want you to think that you can't benefit from every
one of the precepts of God's law. The apostle Paul said the
law is holy, the law is just, it's righteous, and it's good.
And you and I know this. You and I know that to the degree
that we violate the precepts of God's law, you and I suffer,
right? You see, because the law of God was given as a social
expression of love for God and love for man. Now, listen, you
don't love me, if you stealing from me. You don't love me if
you bearing false witness on me. You don't love me if you
take my wife and cheat on me with her. Every precept of God's
law was to manifest or demonstrate a social conduct on the part
of the people towards one another on a horizontal level. And then
God said, you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart,
soul, mind, and strength. As he said in the Decalogue,
I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me.
Isn't that what he said? Now this is the treatise, ladies
and gentlemen, of a king-servant paradigm. You'll see this all
the way through the scriptures. Israel is called the servant
of God, the servant of God, the servant of God. And the servant
always obeys the master. Is that right? The servant always
obeys the master. So on this day, rather than Israel
meandering through the wilderness ignorantly of God's explicit
economy, he gives them the economy. Ten words of God. Are you guys
following me? That's the that's the context
in which this is given So let us work through a few scriptures
because I want you to see this very clearly He gave them the
law in order for them to enter into a agreement. This is a covenant
Agreement to honor to love and to serve god exclusively and
particularly Exclusively, how do we know it's a covenant? Look
back at chapter 19 verse 15. I want to take you guys to four
verses Exodus 19 I'm sorry, verse five. Are you there? Listen. Now, therefore, if you will obey
my voice indeed, that's in conduct and do what? Keep my what? You got it. The Ten Commandments
are a covenant. Now, a covenant is an agreement
between two parties, isn't it? So as God is laying out his covenant
to Israel, he's calling them to enter into agreement with
him, isn't he? Not. Deuteronomy then chapter
4. I want you to see these verses
Deuteronomy 4 I love the book of Deuteronomy because you know
what it is is Moses giving the history of the giving of the
law all over again The word deuter means twice the word no most
means law Moses gave the law twice one in written form the
second in oral form. That's what Deuteronomy is You
know why he had to give it twice? Because we're slow How many of you have children?
I'm getting ready to talk about that in a moment, where you gave
them a commandment one time and they did it. I'm just telling you, we're just
like them. You know why children drive you
crazy? Because you have to face a mirror. You just do. And you don't like what you see.
But the reality is, you're just like them. And God gave it to
us twice and expanded on it. And listen, I want you to get
this, children of God. I'm talking about you guys who
are elect. Always love God's law. Don't ever play God's law
down. And thank Him for it. Thank Him
for it. He gives it to us because He
loves us. He gives it to us because inherent in the law are God's
characteristics by which we get to know God better. See, when
God wants to have a loving, lasting, effectual relationship, He reveals
Himself to you. And the law of God reveals things
about God to us, and we get to learn things about ourselves.
We don't like what we learn about ourselves, but we certainly love
what we learn about God, don't we? Now listen to what He says
in Deuteronomy chapter 4. In Deuteronomy chapter 4, listen
to how God speaks over in Deuteronomy 4 concerning the Ten Commandments. And I'm affirming that the 10
commandments are themselves the 10 words of God, a covenant. Here's what he says in verse
12. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire.
You heard the voice of the word, but you saw no image, no similitude. You only heard a what? This is
why we always believe from Genesis to Revelation, faith comes by
what? In hearing by what? We are not
saved by what we see, but by what we know. And we know what
we know because of what we hear. What we hear in the way God is
setting this up is a very clear, redemptive truth from heaven.
First, God speaks. God speaks. He speaks, this is
what we call the spoken word. In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth and it was without form and void
and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of
God moved and God said and God said and God said and God said
and God said and everything was created. Do you believe that
by the word of the Lord were the heavens made? God spoke everything
into existence and after God speaks, guess what God does?
God writes. He speaks. and then he writes. He speaks and then he writes. He's given us his spoken word
from his own divine fiat coming out of his own mouth and then
he wrote it down. Why? Because we're slow. Verse 13. And he declared unto
you his what? And God declared with his own
mouth his covenant Which he commanded you to what? Which is an agreement
between two concerning the contract or the treaties or the covenant
at hand now watch this ladies and gentlemen, please mark these
words even How many commandments? Ten commandments and then what
did god do and he wrote them upon two tables of stones. You
got that? He spoke and he wrote Who wrote the ten commandments?
Don't ever let a man tell you Moses wrote those commandments.
The text tells us God spoke and God wrote. This is powerful. This is powerful. God spoke and
God wrote the Ten Commandments, which he describes here as a
covenant. And then here's the construction
or the paper upon which he wrote it. Two tables of what? That's
exactly right two tables of stone go with me in your Bible now
to Deuteronomy chapter 5 I want you to see it in Deuteronomy
chapter 5 as well. I'm gonna read verses 1 through 5 and I
want you to hear again the construction and the order of delivery of
God's Word orally and then in a written form Mark this Moses
called all Israel and sent it to them here Oh Israel the statutes
judgments, which I speak in your ears this day that you may learn
them and keep them and do them the Lord our God is I want you
to mark this, made a covenant with who? Us! He's talking about
right then at that moment with national Israel. In Horeb, which
is Sinai. Moses said God made a covenant
with us. Now you ladies and brothers are
learning in biblical theology that sometimes when God talks
about covenant, he talks about establishing a covenant, which
means when he establishes it, it was already made and people
are being brought into a pre-established covenant or pre-made covenant.
But when he uses the word made, it means he's making a brand
new kind of covenant in that moment. The Ten Commandments
was given by God to Israel at that moment, and he's going to
explain that the Ten Commandments were specifically given to the
nation. This was a personal act on God's
part, uniquely to national Israel. Uniquely. Now watch what he says.
And for those of you who were in Sunday school this morning,
you would have heard our elder explicate this, and I'm going
to do it with you today because it's going to be critical. Listen
to what he says in verse 3. The Lord did not make this covenant
with our fathers. Do you see that? He did not make
this covenant with our fathers. Who is he talking about? Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. But with us, even us, who are
all of us here alive today. You see that? Now what covenant
did God make with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Are you ready? A covenant
of grace. covenant of mercy a covenant
of grace the covenant that God made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob
was a covenant of grace remember what we've been learning in theology
there are three covenants a covenant of grace a covenant of redemption
and a covenant of what words grace redemption works you better
write that down don't be lazy write it down it's important
for you to learn how this works the covenant that God made with
Abraham was not a covenant of words It was a covenant of grace. Now, when you and I are made
to be partakers of a covenant of grace, are you following me?
It means that on your part, there are no conditions to be met.
That when God brings you into a covenant of grace, you are
permanently blessed with the benefits of that covenant, apart
from anything that you have to do. When God came to Abraham,
he said, Abraham, I'm going to make you a great nation. And
out of your loins are going to come kings and queens and nations. And the greatest man on planet
Earth is coming through your loins. And you know what God
didn't say? If you do this. It was not a
conditional covenant. It was an unconditional covenant
on his part. It was a covenant of grace. Abraham
had already embraced what we call the covenant of redemption.
because the covenant of redemption was given to us through Adam
when he fell. God the Father gave us blood
and he gave us a lamb, didn't he? The blood has been flowing
ever since the days of Adam all the way to Abraham. Abraham was
already worshiping God on the basis of blood redemption. When
God comes to Abraham now, he gives him a covenant of grace
and brings Abraham into a paradigm or a model that is worth you
and I understanding. The covenant of grace Is a covenant
between the father and the son in glory by which he would have
a people for himself for all eternity Of which he works out
in time the covenant of redemption is god Utilizing the atoning
work of jesus christ through the typology of offering lambs
and bullocks throughout human history As an alternative to
man's violating god's covenant of what words God is good, isn't
he? He gave Adam the covenant of
works in the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge with good
and evil you gonna die He should have died. But what did he do
in his mercy? He gave him a covenant of redemption
without the shedding of blood. There is no remission of sins
Adam Here's a bullock. Here's a lamb put some new clothes
on because we got work to do right and Same thing happened
with all the brothers all the way down to Abraham. Now, the
reason why Abraham was in a covenant of grace with God rather than
a covenant of works with God is because Abraham is a type
of God, the father. And the father is not under obligation
of an obedience of works. The obedience of works is always
ascribed to whom? The son. You guys got that? The son. The obedience of works
is always ascribed to the son and therefore the obedience of
works of which you and I are dealing with now in the context
of the Ten Commandments is given to whom? National Israel, which
is Abraham's what? Son. He's the one that was brought
out of Egypt. Bring my son out of Egypt. Are
you guys following me so far? Please get this. The law that's
being laid upon the nation of Israel is because they follow
the son paradigm the son paradigm Remember, there are two adopted
sons one authentic son. The first adopted son is who
Adam the second adopted son is who Israel the only begotten
monogamous is who Christ and all three of them are under a
covenant of what words because obedience Will you hear me? Ladies and gentlemen is radically
essential to between the father and the son. The relationship
between the father and the son is a relationship of obedience
on the part of the son. This then brings us into another,
a very clear model in our text. I said to you that we are dealing
with a king-servant model, but we're also dealing with a father-son
model. For God was Israel's father,
and Israel as a type of God's son are under obligation to keep
the covenant. Are you with me, ladies and gentlemen?
This is why the Ten Commandments was given. And this is why Moses
was clear to tell them, listen, you guys, the covenant that God
is giving you in this context was not given to Abraham, Isaac
or Jacob because they represent the fathers. You guys represent
what? The sons, the sons. Listen to it. So the text says
the Lord talked with you face to face. in the mount out of
the fire. See verse four, we call that
an anthropomorphical term. It means that we are using earthly
language to describe an intimate relationship. God did not talk
with them face to face, not literally, but he did speak to them audibly
from the mount so that they heard God. And what they heard amounted
to a revelation of God's glory that corresponds with seeing.
Now, why is this interpretation important? Because you and I
know several times the word of God has already said, no man
can see God's face in what? Live. And we never contradict
the scriptures, do we? We always look for what we call
the harmony of the scripture. So when the scripture uses the
term face to face here, it simply mean that God spoke directly
by his own voice without a mediator. Generally we hear from God through
a mediator That's a prophet or a preacher or an angel Israel
heard from God himself But remember what the text said in chapter
4 you saw no similitude You saw no face. There was no shape.
You can't see God and live stay with me We got a few more things
to work through here. And so Moses clearly is Demonstrates
in this text that there were two covenants made one with the
fathers one with the children and God spoke to them now Listen
to what he says in verse 5. I stood Between the Lord and
you at that time you guys got that Remember the mediator needs
a mediator Remember what Moses said? I have to stand between
you and God because you guys are trying to rush up and take
a look at God and He says, I stood between you and God on that day.
This is why Moses is called the mediator of the covenant. He,
in this context, represents whom? Jesus Christ. For Christ is the
mediator of the new covenant. He is the mediator of that covenant
of redemption and grace by which you and I have a relationship
with God the Father. You and I cannot come into God's
presence on our own. We don't have the qualities.
We don't have the attributes. We don't have the capacity to
see God ourselves. So in our analogy, we are covering
the idea of the king's covenant constitution with his citizens.
Covenant constitution with his citizens. The second analogy
I want to deal with now is called a marriage contract between Jehovah
and his bride. Now, going back to Exodus 20,
let me talk about that briefly. Because what I'm doing with these
analogies is helping you and I understand how to apply the
covenant in our life before God. How to understand its application
in the Scriptures as well. The one thing that you and I
are surprised about when we read Scripture that God will say to
national Israel of whom he said to no other nation Amos chapter
3 verse 3 you only have I known out of all the nations of the
earth and have we learned ladies and gentlemen that the idea of
knowledge in the Bible connotes conjugal intimacy the idea of
knowledge connotes conjugal intimacy Adam knew Eve and she what conceived
When God said to Israel, you only have, I know, you know what
he was saying? I have an intimate relationship
with you. That's on the same par as a husband
with his wife. This is why we read in the prophets
Isaiah chapter 54. I want you to see it for yourself.
Isaiah chapter 54 verse five. Listen to what God says. This
is remarkable about the manner in which God describes his relationship
to Israel. Isaiah 54. 5 and and I'm gonna
read one more passage and I want you to get this what God is doing
with the Ten Commandments is laying down not only the king-servant
relationship not only the Husband-wife relationship, but he's laying
it down in a way for us to grasp the intimacy that is Anticipated
in the life of God's elect when Christ accomplishes all that
the law demands Isaiah chapter 54 verse 5 listen to this I'm
going to start back at verse 4. Are you there? In fact, let
me start at verse 1. This will help you. Sing, O barren,
you that did not bear. You know what that means? She's
not able to bring four children. break forth unto singing and
cry aloud. Remember the women of Israel always wanted to be
childbearing women, fruitful women, because they might very
well be the one bearing the seed, we call him the Lord Jesus, right?
So bringing forth children was the highest order for women in
that day. And here's what God says, those
of you who are barren, cry aloud, you that did not prevail with
child, for more are the children of the desolate than the children
of the married, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent
let them stretch forth curtains In your habitation spare not
lifting your courts and strengthening your stakes This is the metaphor
ladies of gentlemen making room to have more babies like see
Well me and my wife started off a million years ago We had our
first child and we was living in a studio It was so small that
our bed was up in the wall. You know how you had to raise
the bed up and down? That's how small it was. We had our first
child, Rachel. And so Rachel slept with us.
And it wasn't enough room for me, my wife, and Rachel because
she would turn perpendicular and kick me out of the bed. Anybody
know what I'm talking about? And then when we had Olivia,
I had to move. Cause the place was too small.
Enlarge my boundaries. And then when we had Renee, I
sure enough had to move. We had to get a two bedroom apartment
and in a two bedroom apartment, we were able to capacitate four
children, but that was driving me crazy. So we had to move again
and get a big three bedroom apartment because we ended up having five
kids. After five kids, I said, it's
time to get a house, because my kid's making too much noise
for all the other neighbors. I'm stretching out my boundaries.
Am I making some sense? There was a day that came that
we got to seven kids, and I thought we was done. And Trinity said,
uh-uh, you're not through. So we need a five-bedroom house. This is what God is talking about
here. And I've been blessed every day ever since. Are you hearing
what I'm saying? This is what God has said. Now
watch what he says. Watch what he says, verse eight, verse four.
Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, neither be confounded,
for you shall not be put to shame, for you shall not, you shall
forget the shame of your youth and shall not remember the reproach
of your widowhood anymore. God was talking about that period
in which God judged Israel and she was unfruitful and unproductive
like a woman that was barren. But listen to the words of verse
five, for your maker is your husband. Boy, that's good stuff,
isn't it? You know what God says? I'm your
husband. That's what he says in the national
anthem. I'm your husband. And thy Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall he be called. And
then he explains why he's centered down the road a little while.
We'll deal with that ourselves down the way. What I'm sharing
with you is when you read the Ten Commandments, you must read
the commandments within the framework of these analogies or they will
make no sense. First, a king, Jehovah, over
his servants. Second, a husband, Jehovah, over
his wife. Read it for yourself if you want
to be even more romanticized, you mothers today. Ezekiel 16. You know what God said in Ezekiel
16? He said, Israel, Israel, give
me your attention. There was a day, child, when
you was hanging out in the open field Because your mother had
you and out of the exigency of the circumstance, she had to
leave you in the open field. You were left to die, child.
There was none to help you, none to pity you, none to rescue you,
child. It represents your and my state
when we are lost in sin. None to help in the open field,
left to perish. And you know what the text says
in Ezekiel 16? And I passed by you that day. Did he do it by accident? Or
did he do it on purpose? Did he know that little child
before the world began, before he created the universe? On that
day, he walked by and saw that child. And you know what he says?
And I looked upon you, and you became mine. He said, I took
you up, I cleaned you up, I suppled you, I dressed you, I adorned
you, I put jewels on you, and you grew up, and I married you. good stuff that's good stuff
in other words he says you're my bride from the time you were
conceived I knew who I was gonna marry here here's what we say
in terms of the doctrine of election God doesn't save anybody by accident
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, called by grace
in time, quickened by the power of God in our darkest hour, brought
to God through Jesus Christ and made to be a son or daughter
of God, saved on purpose. That's good stuff. Saved on purpose. And you know why he did it? A
covenant scheme between the father and the son before the world
began that the son would have a bride to hang out with the
son and the father for all eternity. That's why he looked upon me.
That's why he looked upon you. The other one, as I said earlier,
and I'm going to wrap it up here with these two points, is the
metaphor that you must grasp the giving of the Ten Commandments
under is not only the king-servant paradigm running all the way
through the scriptures. God is king, we are his servants. Not
only the husband-wife paradigm running all the way through the
scriptures, being fulfilled with Christ in the church, Point number
C is the will and testament of the father given to the son.
Do you guys see that? The law of God really does describe
for us When it is read in light of all the scriptures the will
of God given to the son For the redemption of his people when
you read the Ten Commandments Read them with this in view the
father is speaking directly to the son. You got that? And the son is under obligation
to perform and execute every precept of the law. Every jot
and tittle of, I am the Lord your God, which brought you out
of the house of bondage, to you shall not covet your neighbor's
wife, your neighbor's house, your neighbor's ox, your neighbor's
ass, anything that is your neighbor's, I am the Lord your God. You know who's talking? The father
to the son. And you know what the son says?
Father, I will do all your pleasure. I will fulfill all your will.
I will keep all your precepts. Father, I will love you as my
God alone. I will have no other gods before
you. You alone are the true and the
living God. I am your son. I will obey you. I will serve you. I will worship
you. I will keep your commandments with all my heart, soul, mind,
and strength. In every fiber of my being will
I love you and adore you. I will serve you so much that
I am willing to lay down my life for your people. I will keep
all your precepts perfectly, impeccably, gloriously, and I
will demonstrate it publicly in the audience of everyone who
is observing that day so that I can say to them, which one
of you can convince me of sin? Anybody here want to say I haven't
kept my father's commandments? I always do those things that
please him. The Lord is something else, isn't
he? I always, listen, we're all children. Come on, tell the truth,
children. You don't always do those things
that please your mom and your daddy. Today, we are observing
Mother's Day because we love our mothers. Hallelujah for mothers. Hallelujah for mothers. Thank
God for our mothers. Hallelujah. They are a miracle
of grace in their own right. Why on earth would they have
us and then be happy after they did it? They are a miracle of
grace. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Thank
you for your economy of grace, for using mothers to bring us
into the... See, because I'm happy. I'm saved. But I couldn't
be saved until I was brought into this world. And God chose
my mama to bring me into this world of whom after worship,
I'm going over and hug, give her some flowers and a card and
say, I love you all over again. Am I making some sense? This is what God did for us.
And in our Lord's perfect obedience, you know what God does? God shows
mercy to us because he gave Christ the responsibility to keep the
whole of the law. Israel gets these 10 commandments.
You know what they foolishly say? Lord, we'll do everything
you say. You know what God tells Moses
over in Deuteronomy? Moses, come here. They ain't
going to pay me no attention. They're not going to keep one
of my precepts. I wish they would, but they won't. But don't worry
about it. This is my last point. Are you
ready? I'm going to take these 10 commandments, which is the
Decalogue, and I'm going to place them inside the Ark of the Covenant
for safe keeping. I'm going to take my law out
of the hand of my people, because they're going to break them before
they even cool off. So I'm going to take my law and
put them inside an ark. And inside that ark, they're
going to be preserved. They're going to be kept. They're
going to be reserved for the obedience of one that the blessing
might come on many. Jesus Christ becomes the ark
of the covenant where God takes his holy law, puts it in the
ark for safekeeping. Christ then becomes for God his
safe deposit box. Because if he's going to have
a people for himself, he's going to have to trust somebody he
can really trust to get the job done. Am I making some sense?
And he's going to teach Israel how to worship God in the face
of their rebellion, because God is faithful to his own covenant.
God is faithful to keep us when we cannot keep ourselves. God
is able to give us redemption when we fail to keep his law.
God is able to make all grace abound when we are looking forward
to breaking everything that God gives us. Now, the reason he
did that is because before the world began, are you hearing
me? He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our words, but according to his own mercy and
grace and purpose, which we had in Christ. before the world began,
before the world began. How did he secure you and me?
By making sure that Jesus Christ was our covenant head, our federal
representative, the one who would do all the will of God the Father
for us so that we can get in on the benefits. Hell bound sinners
saved by the mercy of God, by the grace of Jesus Christ. by
the grace of Jesus. Listen, now watch this now, and
we love God's law. Don't you ever, ever, ever diminish
the glory of God's law. Don't ever do it. Don't ever
do it. The price that the Son paid to keep God's law intact,
to maintain God's honor and holiness in order to have you for himself
merits your highest esteem of those ten commandments. The covenant
that was given to you was given to Christ so that you could have
the blessing of the reward of that covenant because he obeyed
it. You know what we call that, children
of God? We call it grace, grace, grace, grace. For by grace are
you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift
of God, not a worse, lest any man should boast. God saves us
by his grace. He fulfills his law for us and
then imputes to us the righteousness of that law so that we might
be called sons and daughters of God. Isn't that wild? How
many of you in here are son or daughter of God? Are you a son
or daughter of God? That's crazy. Now how on earth
are you a son or daughter of God? Because of a man who loved you
and gave himself for you, that you might honor him and his father
with him. And that's why we are happy people
and worship God, don't we? Happy! Worshipping the true and
the living God.