Well, actually, it's last November since we last looked at the progress through this book of Exodus. In January, it was good to have Mark Lacy here and hear of the work he's doing, not just in the Bahamas, but further afield. And then last month, it was great to hear from Mike about the work he's doing in the prisons for the Lord. And I trust we'll remember both of those people as they serve the Lord and remember Alistair as well as he's now with Mike going into the prisons. As Colin is going through the book of numbers, we need to rewind a bit. I don't know whether you're like this, but if you're watching a program on TV and you think, what did they say? And you go, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch which started in Exodus 13, right up to the rest of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, which Colin is looking through, till Moses' death is recorded in Deuteronomy 34. It covers 40 years. The scholars have estimated that's between 1446 BC and 1406. So the period Colin has covered so far in numbers isn't that far ahead of where we're at here. When we look through the pages of scripture, we probably think it's way ahead. It could be something like a year or thereabouts. However, because it's four months since we've looked at Exodus, let us just remember how far we've got. The children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt, how God prepared his chosen servant, Moses, to lead the people. We covered Moses' amazing deliverance as a child, his preparation for service, despite all of his excuses. Not me, Lord, nobody else. I can't do this, I can't speak, I can't do anything. Despite all that, Moses, was chosen by God. And we're now on their journey, being led by that man, under the deliverance, remember, of Jehovah, the one and only true God. It might be worth just mentioning as we consider Moses and the way that God is leading him with the people, actually in Deuteronomy it says this, since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt. to Pharaoh and all his officials, and to the whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the deeds that Moses did in the sight of Israel." That's what God's word says about this man, Moses. So far we have seen deliverance from oppression, from slavery to salvation, by following God's way. And I trust already we've seen and learned that the true and living God who desires and will deliver the sinner who repents and trusts in Christ from slavery of sin to salvation to one day be with the Lord. So far we've covered the many ups and downs of these people. One minute they're praising God and the next minute they're moaning like mad because things aren't going quite the way they thought they should. Does that echo our lives sometimes? Do sometimes we praise the Lord, and then when things get a bit tough, do we moan? It's a lesson. They certainly were learning the hard way about trusting God. And many a lesson so far is not just for the Israelites, but for the Christian today. Then last November, after covering chapter 19 and the importance of that chapter, we saw that God demanded from his people then a life of maturity, a life of dignity, a life of sanctity, and then remember, a life of responsibility. And then we came to chapter 20 and the first 17 verses where we read and covered the 10 commandments. And after teaching the people of their need to fully trust in God, he was now saying, you're going to have to obey. So the trust had got to be there, but now he was challenging them to a life of obedience. By the way, in one of the books you very kindly presented me with for finishing as church treasurer after so long, the pile of books you gave me, the one book was on Exodus, and actually about half the book we've already covered. And I thought, is Colin telling me I've got to go back and start again? We're not going to, don't worry. But in that book, it said this, and I quote this, and I found this interesting, about chapter 19 of Exodus. The author said, many people today would pick out either Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, or in Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, as the important parts of the Bible for the Christian today. But Stephen Dray, who wrote it, suggested that Exodus 19 may perhaps be the most important in the whole of scripture because it contains many of the most vital lessons that we all need to abide by. Just a thought to prove I've started looking at the books. The Ten Commandments are so well known that like the Lord's Prayer, we can be in danger of paying little attention to what they're actually saying. Last time I said we must remember that these words were given by Jehovah, the Covenant God. And as Colin endorsed that by continually reminding us over the past weeks in the Book of Numbers, This is Jehovah, the covenant God. I think I said last time, Moses didn't sit down and think, I gotta write something, what am I gonna do with these people? No, these were given by God. And these laws to the people of Israel. And he would have them recorded in his word for us today. We must also learn and remember that these are called the 10 commandments. They're not the 10 suggestions. As one commentator put it, although these commandments were given to the Israelites long ago for their benefit, they are still in force for us today, even if we're Gentiles. The gospel according to John says in verse 17, the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. That does not mean that these 10 commandments no longer apply. That's backed up by Jesus himself. What did Jesus say? Do not think I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. And also remember, which we may look at a bit later, Jesus put, if you like, another twist on these 10 commandments, because it wasn't just the outward action. It was actually the heart. So by having it recorded in God's word, God is giving it to us so we can be warned to turn away from sin. They are a permanent reminder to all mankind. We've seen the first four of the commandments were all Godward, how we relate to God. God first, neighbor second. And we must understand the importance of this order because it's how we relate in our lives to God. It will depend how we relate to each other and to other people around us. We are rightly reminded from this pulpit weekly that our relationship with God is between us and God. We cannot be saved by who are or who were our parents to anyone else. We can only be saved by repenting to Christ. Saving grace is individual and we need to repent and trust Christ. Remember God did not give the 10 commandments just to the children of Israel in Egypt. He saved them first. Then he said, walk this way. God's word is saying in his grace and mercy, get saved first. then walk right, not the other way around. That's legalism. God is not saying keep my commandments and then I'll save you. No. He says I will save you by repenting and trusting in my sinless son. Now keep my commandments. Make sure we get it the right way around. Now we know many of these commandments are laws that are fundamental to the laws of many countries still in the world today. Murder, stealing, which bring legal punishment. Sadly, many of the other commandments, and especially in this country, have been watered down or even ignored. But it's worth noting that the one commandment which has seldom ever appeared on the statue books of any country is the 10th commandment, you shall not covet. You see, if we covet something which belongs to another, it's a thought, it's a desire, it's inward. It means we desire to have it for ourselves and would almost do anything to get it, even if we don't carry that thought out. Whether it is desiring someone else's practical possessions, another person's wife, and remember in Hebrews 13, it clearly reminds us that God will judge the adulterer and the sexually immoral, notwithstanding the fact of carrying out any action that will come from the temptation. You see covetedness can't appear in the laws because no person or land or government can know the thoughts of another person. But God does. The human law can only deal with the outward action of it. And remember Jesus said about the heart. So human law can only deal with the outward actions, which is then too late because the desire has become an action and found out. Remember Jesus opened up the commandments beyond the physical action. He said in Matthew 5, you have heard that it is said you shall not commit adultery, but I say, that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully intent has already committed adultery with her. Does this not show that God's law here is concerned with the thoughts, with the attitudes, with the desires of the heart? Obeying these commandments must start in the heart. The New King James Version in Jeremiah reminds us, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And we've said before, haven't we, the heart of sin is the sin of the heart. So as we consider that and move from that last commandment and the others, I back it up with New Testament scripture. Hebrews 13 says, let your conduct be without covetedness. Be content with such things that you have. Contentment in God. So the commandments have come to the people to obey from almighty God himself. So how are they going to respond? to these laws because we've said these are commandments, they're not suggestions. How are they going to respond? Verses 18 to 20 of chapter 20, which we read earlier, we see that when the people saw the thunder and the lightning and they heard the trumpet and they saw the mountain in smoke, we're told they trembled with fear. Unlike so many people of today, these Israelites recognized God is holy. But they had God's messenger to speak for them. Moses said to them, don't be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. It appears their first thought was obey. Yes, Lord, we'll obey. Because they got fear in their hearts of an almighty God. We'll do what it says. but they'd responded like that before. And we know it often didn't last. What about us? What about us as Christians today? Are we like that? How do we respond to the law of the land, say? Are we sometimes the same with God's laws? See, we all have instructions and laws to follow, but do we always obey? Or sometimes do we ignore? thinking nobody else will notice. I want to give you an example. A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I went down to our daughters. She'd gone sunning in South Africa. And we went and stayed at a flat for two or three days, four days, I think. And on the Monday, when we come back, we have to travel along the M4. We travel along the M4, heading towards Bristol Way. But then we're near Swindon. We turn off onto the A417, I think it is. So we'd been on the M4, bombing away. And then we got onto the dual carriageway. And I was travelling in the outside lane at about 72 miles an hour, in a Panda, yes, it's possible. It's possible. And Chris said, oi, she said, remember what the speed limit is here? You're not on the motorway anymore, it's 60. You know what I said? I know. I know. You see, there was the law. I knew about it. and I was ignoring it. The fact everyone else was in that lane and I was being dragged along, did that make it right? Of course it didn't. What about God's laws and instructions? Are we a bit like that sometimes? And we forget that he knows all because he knows the heart. or we need daily to come before God to seek his face and guidance, that we don't fall into the way of the world and get dragged along by others in the way of the world regarding particularly those things of his commandments. In verse 21 of chapter 20, we read the people remained at a distance while Moses approached the thick dark cloud where God was. You see, although there was a barrier between God and the people, God had not forsaken them. He gave Moses the words for them. Moses, if you like, was the go-between between God and the people, and showing that God still loved them and cared for them. So often we see the works of God in the Old Testament pointing to the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus. And surely these verses teach us to recognize that God is holy, but he has provided a way that sinful man and woman can approach. him through the one he sent, Jesus, the sinless one, the one who paid that price on the cross so that those who repent of their sin and trust in his saving grace can have forgiveness. Christian, remember this morning, if you've repented and you trust Christ for your salvation, you are accepted in Christ. You do have union with Christ and you have access through Christ Almighty God. Be encouraged. In the final verses of Exodus 20, verses 22 to 26, we see the commencement of what can be called the Book of the Covenant. These verses, right up to the middle actually of chapter 24, include basic laws that deal with the protection of human life and property. Laws concerning worship and altars. Do not make any gods to be alongside me. Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gold, the word tells us. God tells Moses to say to the people that he has spoken from heaven. This makes it clear yet again that these commandments God spoke from heaven. It may have been happening on the mountain, but God spoke from heaven. That's what his word tells us. One could say these verses could be titled, God is unseen, but hear his word. Note that when God told the people what not to make, he told them what they should make. And that is often the the clarity that's in God's word. When you read in God's words, don't do this, it will tell you what you should be doing. And again, I remember when I was manager in the bank, and if I'd been away, and a member of staff had made the wrong decision, I wouldn't sort of discipline, and I said, that's what you did, but this is what we should have done. And that's what God's word tells us. He tells us what we should be doing. An altar, he said. Make an altar. And he gave them strict stipulation of how it was to be made. Note it was to be made with natural materials. Do not build it with dressed stones, as the NIV tells us. In other words, don't use any human tool that you have on the stone, showing them they could not contribute anything to this altar. Otherwise it would defile God's own workmanship. They were really being reminded that other nations, perhaps around them, were building all sorts of things with human hands. But this was to be natural. This was to be God, the way God wanted built. But they, God's chosen people, were called to be a people of obeying his word. The success of this nation was to depend on healing God's word, believing it and obeying it. And surely there's a lesson for us as well. They were even instructed to try not to climb it using steps that they'd made. Surely a lesson for us all today that man cannot climb to God by any steps. You cannot work your way to salvation. You cannot work your way to be accepted only by accepting Christ, by God's grace, repenting and accepting Jesus as Savior. So many people, sadly, think they can climb to God by their good works. So in closing, what can we learn from these final verses? What's God teaching us from this part of his word? We're seeing how the Israelites were to draw near to God all those years ago, but what about us today? Well, we know because we have God's word in full that the Israelites went on to break every one of the 10 commandments he gave them, sometimes more. And if we read that Jesus said, the God in these commandments, each one of us falls short, especially as he applies it to our thoughts and our feelings, our desires. The Israelites had to offer their sacrifices again and again and again to cover up their sin. But the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus made on the cross of Calvary to wash away the sins of the believer is a once and for all. He's done it, it is finished, he said. So the question comes to you this morning, To all of us, are we trusting in Jesus for eternal life? Are we trusting his precious blood? Because it still goes on and is able to save the dependent man and woman today. These 10 commandments are still important, but as one commentator said, we live by them, not under them. We should want to keep them because we love God. And the amazing thing is that the law that condemns us was fulfilled in Jesus perfectly as he took the curse into his own perfect body and suffered for us. He did that so sinful man and woman can be accepted by a most holy high God. Well, next time, God willing, we may cover the next section under the heading that God is just, obey His laws.