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's 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? Dave, it's not a matter of simply flouting the Ten Commandments, serious though that is.
It is really a nation that is turning away from God. If we don't recognize that God has spoken through the Scriptures, if we define God in accordance to the way in which we want Him to be, we end up with a man-made God. And you know, to your point, Dave, when you speak about the holiness of God at Sinai, let us remember that God is impeccably holy. That means that He hates sin, He has to deal with this, and that's why it is so important for us to emphasize grace. And we see that not only in the New Testament, but we also see it in the Old Testament. I've written a book entitled Getting Closer to God, its studies from the life of Moses, and of course, even as we think of Moses, yes, we do indeed think of the Ten Commandments. But at the same time, we think of Moses and his relationship with God, how he was able to speak with God, and you and I have the same privileges. Now, this is the last week we're making this resource available for you, so I'm going to be giving you some contact info, hope that you have a pen or pencil, go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Let us remember that God is holy, and yet, He seeks fellowship with us. But I want you to notice that the power is not merely physical, not just His ability to shake mountains. It is also moral and spiritual power because God begins now to lay down the law, and that's in the next chapter, chapter 20. 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. 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. And 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. Everyone 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 beg 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 still 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 site 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 Newton, the slave trader who went to Africa to send 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, 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, this is Pastor Lutzer.
I want to have a heart to heart with you. Where do you stand with God? Have you come to Mount Calvary for forgiveness, for grace?
Or are you still standing under judgment, the Ten Commandments as given in the Old Testament when God came to Sinai? Come to Christ now. When you do that, the Bible says that he saves us from the wrath to come. We need to recognize that God is a God of wrath.
He's not only a God of grace. I've written a book entitled Getting Closer to God. It's studies from the life of Moses, and this is the last week we are making this resource available for you.
It enables us to understand what Moses experienced, but best of all, it also helps us to understand how we, too, can have intimacy with God, and we can draw closer to him. For a gift of any amount, we're making this book available for you. Here's what you do. Hope that you have a pen or pencil handy.
Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now because, as I've already emphasized, this is indeed the last week we're making this book available for you, I'm going to be giving you that contact info again. Let me emphasize that you can use this book as a devotional. You can read it. Of course, you can pass it along to others. Here's what you do.
You go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Even as I'm speaking, I think of the ministry of running to win as belonging to all of you who are our listeners, prayer partners, supporters. This is your ministry. Thanks in advance for helping us and, if I might mention it one more time, the title of the book, Getting Closer to God, Studies from the Life of Moses.
You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life. 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, 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. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
