An armed robber carried in his wallet a list of rules for his criminal trade: ‘I will not kill anyone unless I have to’, ‘I rob only seven months of the year’. There is always someone next to whom we look decent, but how do we live a life that is holy in the eyes of God Himself? This sermon takes us to the foot of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20), where the holy God invites the Israelites into a unique relationship and at the same time draws a boundary that must not be crossed, not to push people away, but to protect them. Listen to how the story leads from the smoking mountain to the day of Pentecost, when God’s law is written no longer on stone, but on human hearts.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Exodus 19 God says the Israelites will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. What might this promise have meant to people for whom priests were the only mediators between God and humanity?
- God invites the people to meet Him, yet tells Moses to set a boundary around Mount Sinai that no one may cross on pain of death. How do you understand this tension between invitation and boundary?
- The speaker compared God's repeated warnings to explaining to his little son that jumping from a wobbly coffee table is dangerous. What does this picture tell you about God's holiness and His care for people?
- The story of the two brothers' funeral shows there is always someone next to whom we look holy. Who or what do you tend to compare your life with, instead of seeing it through God's eyes?
- The law in Exodus 20 was meant to set Israel apart in work, rest, speech and relationships, yet no one could keep it. How do Jesus and the Holy Spirit change the way we become holy?
- In which specific area of daily life, such as work, rest, speech or relationships with loved ones, do you want to let the Holy Spirit transform you from the inside this week?
