When God Comes Part 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. When God appeared in thunder at Mount Sinai to deliver the Ten Commandments, He left no doubt that He was absolutely holy. In our age of easy belief, let us not forget that God has not changed, not one iota. Today, more of the story of a close encounter at Sinai.

From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, would you agree that judgment is sure to follow when we as a nation flout the Ten Commandments given so long ago? Well, Dave, we have to answer your question very carefully, because all sin has immediate consequences.

Let me give you a very quick example. The very fact that millions of children will go to bed tonight with only one parent in the home is a judgment because of sin. And of course, we could name other examples. Now, what you're referring to, though, I think is corporate judgment, judgment of a nation, of course. And we already see the marks of judgment because our nation has forgotten God.

But more judgments may indeed accumulate. My, how desperately we need to go back to Sinai, back to the Ten Commandments, back to the book of Exodus. I've written a book entitled Getting Closer to God. It's actually a book that is based on this sermon series, Lessons from the Life of Moses. This is the last week we are making these resources available. You can either have the book or the sermon series in permanent form.

For a gift of any amount, you can go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. And now let us listen once again to God's word because when God speaks, we must listen. Verse 3, you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them because I, the Lord, am your God and am a jealous God. Jealous?

Yes. Jealousy is a sin for us, but it is not a sin for God. The reason that jealousy is a sin for us is because jealousy implies that I have something coming to me that is my inherent right. And all of our rights that we hear so much about today are not inherent. They are rights that are conferred upon us by God. We have value by virtue of our creation because God has conferred value upon us as human beings.

But the value is derived. It does not arise from ourselves because we are caused beings. But God is the being that is uncaused. And therefore, all the glory of the universe, all the honor, all of the adoration belongs to him. And when it comes to him, there is nowhere else that it must be passed on to.

And so God lays down the law and he gives in chapter 20 what is generally known as the Ten Commandments. I told you that when God comes, there is power, physical power and moral power. And what we must recognize is that this means in practical terms that when God speaks, all arguments end.

You see, that's where our society is. The reason that you have so many different views about so many different things given on so many different talk shows is the fact that nobody thinks God has spoken. So everybody gives his or her own opinion because they do not believe that there is a God in the universe who has actually affirmed certain things. And that's why society is where it's at today because nobody believes that God speaks or has spoken. David Hume, whom I referred to earlier, said that it would be absolutely immoral and wrong of God to limit salvation through one person like Jesus Christ.

Well, that's an interesting comment, but it's totally irrelevant. When God decided to set up his universe, he didn't say, now, before I figure out a way of salvation, I should at least run it past David Hume just to see what he thinks of it. God doesn't run it by anybody. He doesn't run it by me.

He doesn't even run it by Daryl. God just does it. And when God speaks, that's the end of the discussion, period. And so God speaks. There's another thing that you and I must remember, and that is that we are ultimately accountable only to him.

And that has awesome consequences. John Calvin, the great reformer, said that the only way in which people can get through life, because do you realize today that you live with a sinner? You say, well, that wasn't a very nice compliment to make about my wife. I'm not talking about your wife.

I'm talking about you, you sinner. How in the world do we manage to live with ourselves? The only way we do it is by always trying to find somebody else who's worse than we are, and if you live in Chicago, that's no great search, right? We find somebody who is worse than we are, and that makes us feel pretty good, like a man told me. He says, as far as heaven is concerned, I think I have as good a shot at it as anybody else. See, that's the way he survives. And then if we find something good within ourselves, some act of charity, why we magnify it and we think that it is awesome that you and I should actually do such wondrous things, then that's how we survive, comparing ourselves with ourselves and with others to somehow manage. Everyone awake at this juncture, I want you to know today that when God comes, all that nonsense ends.

It ends. In Canada, there was a man who was called a pastor friend of mine. He was sobbing so violently that the pastor thought for sure that this man must have experienced a death in the family. He hurried though over to the man's office where the call came from, discovered this businessman flopped over his desk, sobbing so hysterically that the pastor had to calm him down and say, just calm down and tell me what your problem is. And when the man gained his composure, what he said was, he said, for a brief moment, he says, God showed me what is in my heart. And he said, when I looked into my heart, it was as if I was looking into the pit of hell. And the pastor said, well, what are some of your sins? And he says, finally, he said, I saw something. He said, I'm a businessman and I've been padding my expense accounts. And he said, I began to realize that this is dishonest. And he said, I know that everybody does it and you compare yourself with yourself and with others and you find out that this is commonly done.

But he said, I saw God and suddenly that little excusable sin that is really no big deal in American culture became as hideous as looking into the pit of hell because a man saw a glimpse of God. Here's a man who is attending a university. He's a student. And the instructor said to him, I want you to do a paper and I want you to make sure that it is original research. And so the man is busy. It's near the end of the term.

You know how it is during those periods of time. And he decides to do his paper and he uses research that he did on another project, turns it in, gets an A and graduates with high honors and at graduation ceremony is honored. And then suddenly one day he began to realize that God was God. And instead of saying, well, you know, things like this are commonly done among students, you must remember, he saw God. I don't mean that he saw God physically with his eyes, but suddenly he became aware of the presence of God.

And this small sin that is so easily overlooked became so important that he went back to the university years later to make it right so that he could live with himself. You see, that's what happens when people see God. I invested about $10 in the book entitled The Day Americans Told the Truth. You know what I read in there the other day?

Great tidbit of information. 91% of Americans say that they lie regularly. Now if you have a logical mind like mine, of course you begin to think about all these little logical niceties and you begin to ask yourself, if 91% of Americans lie regularly, how do you know that they were telling the truth when the poll was told?

You know, that's just these logical Germans that always ask those kinds of questions. But if it is true that they were telling the truth, after all, everybody lies. In fact, they had one of the categories that said, can you make it through a day without lying? X number of people said no.

Can you make it through a week? X number of people said no. Everybody lies.

No big deal. Until you see God. Do you know that during the Great Awakening here in the United States of America, when in Northampton, Massachusetts, Jonathan Edwards was preaching his sermons and Whitfield was preaching during great days of revival, it is said that people who actually came into the geographical area of where God was working were already smitten with conviction before they could get any farther. In fact, there was a boat coming from England with something like 40 sailors and before the boat docked, 30 of them were on their knees repenting and getting right with God because God had come. And all the sins that are excused and all the sins that are hidden and all the sins for which we make so much allowance suddenly become important because God is holy and God is powerful and when he comes, you and I tremble. There's a third thing that happens when God comes and it is most important. There's a revelation of his holiness always.

There's a revelation of his power and moral authority always. But thankfully, God does not leave us in despair. Wouldn't it be awful if I ended the message here and said, folks, have a good afternoon? Wouldn't that be mean of me?

It would also be not only mean but unfortunate because there's another side to the story. When God comes, there is grace. Take your Bibles now and turn to the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 12 refers to this story from the 19th chapter of Exodus. Hebrews chapter 12 refers to the quaking of the mountain in the book of Exodus. Verse 18, for you have not come to a mountain that could be touched, he's talking about Sinai, and to a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and the whirlwind and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. In the Exodus passage, they said, God, if that's what it is like for you to reveal yourself, don't show us yourself anymore.

We can't take it. The author is saying, what I'm telling you is not like that. For they could not bear the command if even a beast touches the mountain it will be stoned. Not only human beings, you get an animal wandering loose, going over the boundary and touching the mountain.

It had to be put to death. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling. Now notice what he says. He says, thanks to Christ for us it is different. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect. And here's the key, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better things than the blood of Abel. Just that far. Old Testament Sinai, God is saying, stay away.

Why? Because Christ had not yet come to mediate man's relationship with God. Back up! Holiness! Judgment! And then Jesus comes to die on the cross and Jesus takes all the wrath of God directed there at Sinai and Jesus absorbs it when he hangs there. And he becomes a sinner for us. And he opens his arms wide and he says, God let me take the full blast of your holy anger against sin and let me absorb it so that it might fall on me. Death and the curse were in our couple. Christ was full for thee but thou has drained the last dark drop.

Tis empty now for me. And now that Jesus has died and his blood has been shed and God has been appeased, we read in the book of Hebrews, now draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Come through that freshly slaughtered way, which is what the Greek text says, come through that new and that living way which has been consecrated through the blood and come, draw near to God. Old Testament, only the priest entering into the Holy of Holies on one day a year performing rituals in the tabernacle in the Holy of Holies. Now Jesus dies on the cross and the Bible says that the veil was split in two and God says, enter in, come into the Holy of Holies and let us have fellowship one with another. Knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanses us from all sins and God says to you and to me today, draw near, come, come because Jesus has died. Some of you say, well Pastor Lutzer if you could look into my heart the things that you would see would be like looking into the pit of hell.

Deceit, dishonesty, lies, not just padded expense accounts, lying to your mate, moral impurity. Oh if you could see it, it's awful. Yes it's awful, but I want you to see today that Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new covenant and God says come to him, flee to him, depend upon him, not only be saved and some of you need to be saved, but others of you who have believed in Christ, Christ died for your sins too may I say to you Mr. and Mrs. Christian, Christ has come, come. We've all heard the story of Isaac Newton, the slave trader who went to Africa to sin to his fill and actually was willing to give people money if they could think of some new way of sinning that he had not experimented with. And then on the way to England in that boat, I said Isaac Newton, I meant to say John Newton by the way, on the way to England in that boat when that storm came up he remembered what he learned in Sunday school and he cried up to God and was converted and he gave us a song that we sing so glibly because we like its music and I want you to know today I love its music, but I also love its words. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found.

I was blind, but now I see. I want you to know today that within me there is nothing good. I cling to Christ and to Christ alone.

I have received him. My faith is in him and were it not for his grace I would be banished from his presence forever. You see, you can't understand the hill of Calvary until you understand the mountain of Sinai.

Sinai shows us how great the sinners we are and the mountain of Calvary shows us how great God's grace really is. I want you to come to Christ today. Some of you aren't sure whether you're saved, you doubt your salvation, you don't know where you're at.

We're here to help you. We're here because we want you to know where you stand today in the blood of the new covenant and God says come. Let's pray. Our Father we do thank you that whenever God comes there is holiness, there is power, and there is grace. Now Lord we are needy sinners and you need to do a mighty work in our hearts, many discouraged, many hurting, many given up, but draw us to yourself today. And we pray especially for those whose needs are great and overwhelming that they may see that your grace is greater still. Thank you Father, help us. And before I close this prayer, whoever you may be, wherever you may be listening, would you at this moment say Jesus be my Savior, save me, because I'll tell you something, to stand before God on your own merit you will be blown away.

Bango, it's over. Would you at this moment believe? Tell Christ that you're believing. Hear us Father for your name's sake.

Amen. My friend I just want to share my heart with you for a moment and let you know that one of the problems that we have here in America even when the gospel is preached is that people come to Calvary but they have never come to Sinai. They think to themselves that God's grace is wonderful if they need it and they might need some of it. It is only when we are aware of the fact that we are deeply flawed that we have greatly sinned, then we begin to understand the wonder and the greatness of God's grace. And that's why we need the law before we need grace. I've written a book entitled Getting Closer to God.

It's actually based on this series of messages that you've just been listening to, Lessons from the Life of Moses. This is the last week we are making this resource available to you and you can have it either in book form or if you prefer you can have the audio, the sermons. For a gift of any amount these resources can be yours. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com.

That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Let me thank you in advance for your continued prayers and support of this ministry. We appreciate you more than we can tell because you are really a part of the family, the running to win family. And because of you this ministry continues to expand.

I like to emphasize the fact that recently we have begun in the country of Nigeria. Thanks for helping us. For a gift of any amount you can receive the series Getting Closer to God in message form or as a book.

Simply go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. In a day when we have an emphasis on grace without law, we need to be balanced as we preach the good news of the gospel of Christ to needy sinners. Running to Win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life.

You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60614. The blazing light of a holy God brings every sin into razor sharp focus. How we need the blood of Christ to shield us from God's rightful judgment. Today Dr. Erwin Lutzer concluded When God Comes, the ninth in a series of 12 messages about the life and times of Moses, a man getting closer to God. Next time, a warning to be vigilant right after a great victory. Don't miss Targeting Idolatry. For Dr. Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.