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God is
desiring for his children to draw near to His throne. He is calling to
Himself a people who will worship in spirit and in truth. Who will
recognize His voice when He speaks who will have ears to hear and hearts
to obey. It’s in His presence that we are changed by the power of His
Spirit, when they behold his Holiness. In His presense our unrighteousness
is revealed. But praise God we no longer depend on our
righteousness.
Exodus 19: And Moses
went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying,
“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of
Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on
eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, you will indeed
obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure
to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6And you shall be to Me
a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you
shall speak to the children of
Israel.”
So Moses came and called for the elders
of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD
commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that
the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the
people to the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in
the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and
believe you forever.”
So Moses told the words of the people to the
LORD. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them
today and tomorrow, and let them wash their
clothes (a fullers wash, stomping the
clothing on the rocks. Come before the Lord having prepared yourself don‘t
expect someone else to get you there, put to death the desires of the
flesh, put on white robes) And let them be
ready for the third day (come desiring the
Lord more than anything else)For on the third day the LORD will
come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying,
‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the
mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be
put to death. Going before the Lord without
His invitation can cause death (get more into that later) Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned
or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not
live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”
(God is a Holy God and sin and holiness cannot dwell together)
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the
people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be
ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.”(no sex, because they needed to set
their attentions on the Lord in this preparation, didn’t need any
distractions to keep them from focusing their attentions on the
Lord)
Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there
were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and
the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who
were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of
the camp to meet with God (they all went together),
and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai
was completely in smoke, because the
LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a
furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the
trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God
answered him by voice. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the
top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain,
and Moses went up. (Being called up was considered a sign of promotion.
God draws us near when He wants to speak with
us.)
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and
warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of
them perish. Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate
themselves, lest the LORD break out against
them.”
But Moses said to the LORD, “The people
cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds
around the mountain and consecrate it.’”Then the LORD said to him, “Away!
Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you.(now Aaron is called
forward) But do not let the priests and the people break through to come
up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.” So Moses went down to the
people and spoke to them.(He was now with them, not separated from them by
the barrier.)
The Lord then proceeds to give them the 10 commandments.
Ex. 20 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the
lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and
when the people saw it, they
trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses,
“You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God
speak with us, lest we die.”
And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear;
for God has come to test you, and
that His fear may be before you, so that you
may not sin.(Don‘t be afraid of the fire it will change
your life)” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God
was.
God had already been having fellowship
with Moses, Moses had drawn near to the Lord on his own accord. Even
before God sent him back to Isreal Moses sought God out. When no one else
would go up the mountain to see what the fire was Moses went. Moses was
drawn by the Holy Spirit to the mountain.
Now God is desiring to have fellowship with you and
I. He’s saying
to us " Do not Fear" I am testing you I want you to know
whats in your heart. That you will honor me and reverence me. Not as in
fear and trembling but because I am Holy and you want to be right.
Eph 2 12-18:
that at
that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of
Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who
has made both one, and has broken down the middle
wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in
Himself one new man from the two, thus
making peace, and that He
might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who
were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both
have access by one Spirit to the
Father.
The barrier that once
kept them from drawing near to the throne of grace talked about in Heb
4:16 has been torn down.
Whats keeping you from entering into
the throne room. Fear that you have not prepared yourself to come in?
The blood of Jesus cleanses you from a multitude of sin. Maybe you came in
and felt that you were vulnerable to attack when you did.
(Did you have a hidden aggenda? Example: Esther and Haman.
Coming into the presence of the Lord with self-seeking and envy in your
heart will get you into a heap of trouble, it's like you broke through
that barrier and touched the mountain, you can't approach a Holy God with
unholy intentions as Haaman did.)
James 3:14-18 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking
in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does
not descend from above, but is
earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist,
confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without
hypocrisy.
Ester was an example of this) Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace by those who make peace. Maybe its fear of what you might have to
give up?
1
Pet 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that
he may exalt you in due time. Casting
(throw it off because you want to get rid of whatever it is,
not because your forced to do it) all your care (distractions, things
that you set your affections on) upon him; for he careth (conscerned
about what goes on in your life pertaining to those things that you
need) for you.
Those
who have laid down there lives in order that God use them have drawn near
to him and have gone on and done mighty exploits for the Lord. Some things
we do are hidden and some are seen. It’s not important that what we do is
seen, but that in our obedience we are storing up treasures in heavenly
places. Our life here in this earthy flesh is temporary, but our life with
God is an eternity...It is those who hunger and thirst for Him, who will
seek 1st His kingdom and His righteousness so that all those things are
added to them. |
