OPEN: One man told of the time that his company’s factory had received an ominous package. It arrived at the loading dock with this warning printed on it: Danger! Do Not Touch!
“Management was called and we were told to stay clear of the box until it could be analyzed. When the foreman arrived, he donned gloves and safety glasses, and then carefully opened the box. Inside were 25 signs – each of which read: Danger! Do Not Touch!”
APPLY: About a year before the incident we’re reading about here in Exodus 19, Moses was a shepherd taking care of his father-in-law’s sheep. One area that apparently offered good pasture land was an area that lay in the shadow of Mt. Horeb… the Mountain of God.
It was there that Moses saw a strange sight on the side of the mountain. It was a bush that was on fire it did not burn up. This so intrigued Moses that he determined to investigate and when he did, God spoke to him from the bush.
Does anybody remember what God’s first words were to Moses that day?
"Do not come any closer, Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5
Another way of saying that would have been: “Danger! Do not touch… this is holy ground.”
Now, nearly a year later, God brings Moses and people of Israel back to that same mountain. When they arrive, God challenges them a make lifetime commitment to Him and then He tells them to take the next couple of days to sanctify themselves. They are to wash their clothes and to focus on that mountain.
To drive home the importance of this experience God has them put limits around the mountain. They are to fence it off. And anyone who crosses the line and touches the mountain is to die.
God essentially tells them the same thing that He’d told Moses a year or so before: “Danger! Do not touch… this is holy ground.”
Now, there are a few things in this story that got me to thinking.
1st – when you deal with God… you need to understand that there are boundaries.
There are things you don’t do…. Places you don’t go… things you don’t say… etc. etc.
Paul writes the Ephesians and says: “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.”
Ephesians 4:17-20
Essentially, the Ephesians were told “Don’t touch those things. You are a Holy people!”
Galatians tells us that there are two ways of living: God’s way… and the world’s.
If you live God’s way - if you allow the Spirit of God to control your life - then you will be a person filled with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
BUT, if you cross the line… if you allow yourself to breach the wall that separates yourself from the world then you’ll find your life controlled by things like: “sexual immorality, impurity… hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Galatians 5:19a-21
You don’t want to go there.
You don’t want to cross that line.
Those who crossed the line in Moses’ day died.
Those who cross that line mentioned in Galatians 5 will suffer even a worse fate.
Paul says to the Galatians “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:22
THOSE FOLKS ARE GOING TO GO TO HELL!
We serve a Holy God who calls us to be a holy people and if we ignore His boundaries, we do so at our own peril.
ILLUS: About 10 years ago I read about a military base on Okinawa. At the end of their July 4th celebration, there was to be a spectacular fireworks display. Apparently, as the time approached 3 tipsy airmen headed for the commanding officer. One of the men ambled up to the general and, without even a salute, cheerfully swatted his arm.
"Say," he asked the general, "what time do the fireworks start?"
The general eyed him coolly for a moment then replied, "Any minute, son. Any minute."
There are boundaries in this life you don’t want to cross.
And there are boundaries we don’t want to cross with God.
We serve a Holy God who calls us to be a holy people…
The 2nd thing I realized about boundaries was something I learned when I read in another man’s sermon on this passage.
LOOK AGAIN at Exodus 19:12-13
"Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain."
Here’s a question for you: if a person or animal touched the mountain… how were they to die? (stoned or shot with arrows)
Now think about this.
This is God’s mountain.
Why isn’t He punishing those who’ve overstepped the lines?
Why isn’t He dealing with those who touch what they shouldn’t touch?
Why is He putting this responsibility on back on the people?
Why? Because He expected His people to enforce His boundaries.
That preacher I told you about earlier noted that when Israel came to this mountain, they had come into the glorious, Holy presence of God and God was telling His people that it was their job to protect His glory - His holiness.
“That is why a vast number of churches do not have the glory of God in their midst; they don’t care enough about it to protect it. God’s attitude is this, “If it isn’t important enough to you to protect it, I will simply remove it. Hence that is the enduring alarm from the seven churches in Revelation, “I will remove the candlestick.” (Philip Harrelson, “The Blessing of A Border” June. 02)
ILLUS: I once knew of a large, prominent congregation that had an Elder who was very rich, powerful and influential. When something needed to be paid for… he often paid for it.
Then one day, they discovered that he was sleeping with a few women in the church. The preacher took this man’s eldership away from him… but when that preacher moved on to another church this congregation put this rich powerful man back in as Elder.
It wasn’t much longer after that that it was discovered that the treasurer was stealing from the church funds. The Elder who’d been reinstated, went out to that treasurer’s home… and burned the books!
A couple of years later the church split - and the group that split off refused to have Elders for the next 20 years.
That main church (from which the other group split) has struggled ever since. At one time they had had over 600 in worship, but they now have about 100 people rattling around inside a very large auditorium.
And you know why? It was because the church didn’t care enough about God’s holiness to protect it. And since they weren’t going to protect God’s holiness, God removed Himself from their presence.
Now that led me to another thought.
I looked closely at that passage in Exodus 19 and something occurred to me.
There’s no record of any person or any animal being stoned or shot with arrows.
There’s no record that anybody ever touched the mountain.
How come?
Then I realized:
If I knew that it was going to be my responsibility to punish people crossing the line.and I saw someone I loved walking too close to the boundary what do you think I would do?
What would you do?
If you saw someone you loved walking too close to the line wouldn’t you run over to them, take them by the arm, and pull them back?
I would!!!
And that’s one of the major functions of a church…
· to be there for each other
· to be so committed to each other that when we see one of our Christian bros or sisters walking too close to the edge
· when we see them pushing the boundaries of holiness
We rush to their side and drag them back.
ILLUS: The story is told about the Apostle John (it’s not in the Bible). It seems there was a man in one of the churches he preached in, who walked away from God. Then one day, John saw this man across a field and John began to run after the man… and literally tackled him. And John began to plead with him to return to Christ.
Now, I’m not sure that approach would work with just anybody…
But that story placed in my mind the significance of our responsibility to each other.
Our purpose as a church is to know where God’s boundaries are and to help each other avoid crossing the lines.
One last thing occurred to me as I studied this passage:
God had brought the Israelites to this mountain. He had challenged them to a life changing commitment. And they had made that verbal commitment to Him. They’d said "We will do everything the LORD has said." Exodus 19:8
And then God essentially told the Israelites…talk is cheap.
I want to see you put this into action.
If you’re going to be my people - and you’re going to pursue this commitment to me - then I’m going to expect something more than words. I want you to prepare yourselves for Me. I want you to sanctify yourselves and cleanse yourselves.
I’m going to expect you to make yourselves holy.
Now, this is how I see this applying to us
We’ve just begun our Capital Stewardship Campaign. And we have said that we want this to be an act of faith. We want this to be a project where we rely on God for its success. In fact, we’ve set the financial goal so high… that the only way we’re ever going to reach it is if God is involved.
So if we expect God to be involved in this project then we need to PREPARE ourselves.
We need to wash ourselves
We need to sanctify ourselves
We need to purify our hearts and our minds in His presence.
So, how are we going to do that?
Well, first we have to take the time to do that
When Israel was at the foot of the mountain God told them to take 3 whole days to wash up and clean up. Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations." Exodus 19:15
These people were not allowed to distract themselves for anything.
That part about “abstaining from sexual relations”… He’s not talking about boyfriends and girlfriends not sleeping together. No, He’s talking to husbands and wives having sexual relations.
For 3 days, they weren’t to allow ANYTHING to distract their focus on purifying themselves
So, here’s what I propose:
For three days this week, I want you to find something that you abstain from.
Anything that would distract from focusing on God.
Anything that would distract from the realization that our Stewardship campaign depends on Him and our being holy in His presence.
You can abstain from playing on the computer… or checking your e-mail.
You can abstain from TV those three days.
You can abstain from eating.
You figure it out.
And during the time that you shut yourself off from that activity I want you to pray about this Stewardship campaign of ours. To pray for our holiness and purity as a congregation, and to pray for our dedication to serving God with our whole heart, soul and mind.
And I want you to do right now is stand with me in prayer. I want you to all join hands and focus on our need for purity and holiness in this church and for God to lead us in this upcoming campaign.
