On November 8th, 2009, at Texico Assembly of God in Texico, NM, I heard one of the most powerful sermons ever preached. The sermon was given by an evangelist named Glenn Meldrum and his message was so impactful that it left an indelible impression on my mind throughout all these years. The sermon was about one of the most famous stories in the bible. This biblical story has been told countless times in children’s church and is so famous that even Hollywood has taken several cracks at telling this story on the big screen. When we think of this story, many of us recall images of Charlton Heston saying the famous words, ‘behold His mighty hand’ as the Red Sea parts in an amazing cinematographic spectacle. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the sermon that was preached was on the story of the Exodus. But this sermon wasn’t about the plagues of Egypt nor about the ten commandments. It was about the mountain of God – Mount Sinai.
In the next few moments, I will poorly attempt to briefly write about the contents of this amazing sermon and tie it all together with something I feel God is speaking to me concerning the Christians of America. Ready? Let’s begin!
After God had brought the children out Israel out of Egypt and the Israelites camped near Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses in Exodus 19:4-6 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if 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. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
For 400 years, the Israelites were slaves of Egypt. Four generations have passed and now God finally answered their prayers and brought them out of bondage with a mighty hand. But God had a plan for this! His plan was to make the children of Israel a kingdom of priest and a holy nation. They would have served as a balm for the pagan nations around them; leading them to the one true God. The Israelites lived in a pagan nation for 400 years surrounded by idol worship and hedonism, so they undoubtedly pick up a lot of these bad habits from Egypt. This is evident when they later created the golden calf while God was giving Moses the ten commandments (Exodus 32). The Israelites clearly had a lot of baggage that needed attention before they could become the kingdom of priests and a holy nation that God wanted them to be. So in Exodus 19:10-13, God spoke again with a solution.
“And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
God wanted the Israelites to consecrate themselves. Consecrate is defined as to make or declare something as sacred or holy. The Israelites were unholy people and needed to be cleansed. Their sin separated them from God and sin was the reason boundaries were placed at the foot of the mountain where God was. A consecration needed to take place before they could approach the mountain where God was. They needed to make themselves holy before they could come before God and God gave them two days to do so.
“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.” Exodus 19:16-19 NKJV
I wish I could visualize what that third day must’ve been like. I truly believe Moses’ words describing what happened are limited and no amount of words in any human language or tongue can adequately describe the power and the manifestation of God that was displayed that day. I wish I could image how it must have felt seeing this with my own eyes. I image myself feeling lower than the dirt beneath my feet and falling on my knees and face before this amazing display of God. I image that I would be terrified to gaze upon this display of power and the inadequacy of my righteousness would become so profound and real before this holy God. But a part of me imagines that the beauty and the wonder of this display would make it hard for me to resist gazing upon it. It’s hard to say how I would respond to it but scripture tells us how the Israelites reacted.
“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:18-21 NKJV
The Israelites were afraid. They trembled in fear. But sadly they stayed at a distance. God wanted them to meet Him at the mountain but they resisted because they were afraid. God wanted to turn them into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation but the Israelites were content with staying at a distance. They were content with not knowing God for themselves and having Moses as their middle man. They were content with their idol worship. They were content with mediocrity. I often wonder what would have happened if they had gone up to the mountain to meet God. There is no doubt in my mind that it would have rewritten the history that we know today. But how sad it is that they were content in not knowing the living true God.
Sadly, Christians today are making similar choices. I can’t help but see Christians in North America who are serving God from a distance. They are content with mediocrity. They are content with prayer-less lives. They are content with one service a week and warming a pew. Friends, I am telling you today that there is so much more for us. There is power and nearness with God waiting for us at the mountain. All we have to do is let go of our garbage, consecrate ourselves, and approach the mountain with holy fear. God has so much more for us in store but we have to break free from mediocrity and hunger for more of Him! I can boldly say that I do not want to be content with knowing God from a distance. I don’t want to just meet God at the foot of the mountain. I also don’t want to meet Him halfway on the mountain. But I want to run to the top of the mountain and into the thick cloud where God is. It is time to say goodbye to mediocrity and jump into the realm of nearness with our Father.
Joshua Hawk 