(Exodus 19:1-3) In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt-- on the very day-- they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: (NIV)

Lesson # 1

I. Remember God's faithfulness

(Exodus 19:4) 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. (NIV)

As we think about where we are headed in the next 40 days I would encourage you to just stop for a moment and remember what God has already done in your life and in our lives corporately….

Remember… “You yourselves have seen what I did……”

(Exodus 19:4) 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. (NIV)

When a young eagle learns to fly the mother eagle often flies just underneath the baby eagle with her wings spread out to support and catch if needed. What a great picture of God's faithfulness. Always ready in our time of need to support us when we are in trouble.

When Jeremiah talks about God in Lamentations 3:23 he says:

(Lamentations 3:22-23) Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They (His compassions) are new every morning;….. Great is your faithfulness! (NIV)

God is completely reliable. He is totally trustworthy. His word can be depended on.

When you wake up and the sun rises in the east and, in the evening, sets in the west it is evidence of God's faithfulness. Every 24 hours the earth revolves around its axis and tilts at a 23 degree angle and creates the right atmosphere and conditions so you can live on this planet… That’s evidence of God's faithfulness! When each day the sun hangs in the sky for another day and you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin it should be further proof that your God is faithful.

(Colossians 1:16-17) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the glue of the universe and were it not for his faithfulness the world in which we live would come unraveled at the seams. God is not only faithful in running and controlling the universe, but I think about his faithfulness to our church and how_______

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and many people's lives have been changed as they have met Christ here, as they learn God’s truth and their purpose in this life and now to see a church that's not only starting to have a greater and greater impact here at home; but who’s influence is starting to reach to many other places on this earth. You and I are a part of something increasingly unique and God has been faithful to this church from the first day to this very Sunday

Let’s do something right now. Think of one area where you have personally seen God’s faithfulness. Take a moment right now to, quietly, praise God for His faithfulness in your own life. (pause)

(Deuteronomy 7:9) Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. (NIV)

I pray when you look back over your life journey that you see God's faithfulness and that your heart fills with gratitude. As we think about what God has in store for us in the next 40 days, I want us to remember how faithful he has been in the past and the same God who is faithful in the past will be faithful in the future.

Point # 2

II. Look ahead and celebrate God’s future for you

Exodus 19.:

(Exodus 19:5) Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, (NIV)

Remember who God is talking to…. This was a vagabond group of nomads. Sixty days before they were slaves. They were poor.. they had no influence….they had no political clout and now 2-3 million strong; God looks at them and says, “You are my special treasure.”

Here's a truth we need to learn about them…. and about us: they/we are God’s cherished possession. Some of us in the room really have a hard time believing that God thinks that about us. You might look around and feel that way about some people….. You can understand why God would feel that way about them….. They are gifted, they are talented, they have it all together. Some even look like a special treasure. God certainly couldn't feel that way about me. If he really evaluates what's in my past and what's in my present there's no way he could feel that way about me.

He does. You are valuable to him. You matter to him just as much as anybody else in this room and he's just as crazy about you as he is about anybody else.

God pursued us. Even though our lives might be surrounded by garbage and trash, when God looks at you, you are a cherished possession. Because God thinks so highly of you, over the next 40 days he wants to do something wonderful in your life. He wants to continue to work in your life to make you like his son Jesus. You are a cherished possession.

But God doesn't stop there. He also goes on to say that they are His chosen priests.

(Exodus 19:6) you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV)

Stay with me here…He says that not just to the clergy, he says it, literally, to the entire nation. Some of you are thinking.. Okay… I have sort of been hanging with you up to you at this point but you just crossed the line. There is no way that I am a priest. The priesthood is reserved for people who are a lot more holy than me. Look with me if you would at these words from 1 Peter 2, and they are written to average Christians just like you and me.

(1 Peter 2:9-10) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (NIV)

…..You have been called by God to be a priest.

1) Priests have direct access to God. You don't have to go through any one else in order to get to God. You have a direct connection. You can go directly to God and your Heavenly Father is waiting and welcoming you to come to him.

(Ephesians 3:12) In him (Jesus) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (NIV

2) Priests represent God to people. A priest speaks on behalf of God, he represents God. Priests don't just live to do what they want…. live on their own agenda; they have an assignment from God, a sacred responsibility. Do you realize this morning if you are a Christ follower you carry the reputation of God around with you. What some people think about God is directly shaped by how you live as God’s representative. So if you are angry and mean spirited, harsh and legalistic,… some people are going to conclude that must be what God is like. But if you are kind, compassionate and patient and forgiving and loving, then people are going to think that's what God is like.

You see 40 Days of Community is not going to be just us getting together as a church family; it's alsp going to be about us serving in our local community. And you and I have the wonderful privilege and responsibility out there to represent God. To our neighbors and co-workers to people in need, to be a priest that speaks on God's behalf. So as a priest you have direct access… as a priest you represent God….

3) As a priest you have dedicated yourself to a life of serving God. Your strongest devotion in life is not to be to your career but rather to your calling. Your highest calling in life is not to your profession it's to your priesthood. And your job is to stay faithful and serve God as a priest all the days of your life. And sometimes it will be the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you will ever do and sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's lonely and sometimes you are misunderstood. But there's no retirement. You have been called to give a lifetime of serving God as one who represents him.

(Ephesians 4:1) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (NIV)

So we look back at God's faithfulness and remember all that he's done in the past. We look ahead and realize we are his cherished possession that we are called upon to be priests on his behalf.

Point # 3

III. Live in Unity with your community.

Let me explain…. After God challenges the nation to obey him completely and follow him wholeheartedly the people respond back to God. Their words are recorded in Ex. 19: 8

(Exodus 19:8) The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD. (NIV)

The word I want you to focus on is the word together. As a community of God followers, they unanimously responded to God and said, “We will obey, we will follow.”

Please understand this…. We are more than just a collection of individual Christians who happen together for worship at the same time on the same day. We are a community. We are a family. We are a church. We are the body of Christ. And Paul says in Romans 12; each part of us belongs to the other. You and I are connected.

And during this 40 Days of Community we are asking for the same kind of corporate commitment. We are all going to be in this together. We are going to be doing some things “together”. It is not an exaggeration to say we hope every single person who considers GRACE their family will say, “I am in.”

And I pray there is something inside of you, in your heart, that when you hear what our church family is doing, that your response is, “I will do my part.” Because I am a part of a community. It's not just about me and my things. I am a part of a family. If the family is doing it, then I want to be a part of it, because I belong here.

Point # 4

IV. Look inward and prepare yourself spiritually

As we think about starting this 40 days tomorrow….. what does it mean to get ready spiritually? Listen to the words of God again in Exodus 19:

(Exodus 19:9-11) The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. 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. (NIV)

Tucked in these verses are three very practical steps you, and I, can take to get ready, spiritually, for what God wants to do in these next few weeks.

1) Set aside time. God says “over the next three days I want you to get ready to meet with me”. Remember, these people are just like us. They have responsibilities and they have families to take care of, they are tasks that are on their list. And yet God says, this is important enough. I want you to carve out time to be involved with meeting me. So again just to be very up front if you are going to get the most out of 40 Days of Community it's going to happen partly because you set aside time.

Some of the things we are asking, of you, are very simple. A few are a little more time consuming.

a) Read a daily devotion each day for 40 days. Each daily devotion is going to be about very short. You can read it in about 3 or 4 minutes. What a great way for you to start off your day in God's Word.

b) Memorize a verse/s each week. You are going to get a set of memory verse tags that you can put on your key chain and on each tag is a different verse. We are going to ask you to memorize a short passage each week because we know the power of ingesting God's word in your life.

c) 40 days of prayer booklet. This is an awesome little book put out by the EFCA that guides you daily prayer time for 40 days.

2) The second thing you can do to spiritually prepare is take inventory. You know when a business does an inventory in a way it's a reality check it's saying here's what we have and here's what we don't have. I want to ask you to do the same thing spiritually… to take a spiritual inventory… an honest assessment right now and just answer the hard question, “Where am I with the Lord right now in my own relationship?” If I want to be in the right place in my heart to let God to a great work in my life I need to have an honest assessment about my relationship with God.

I hope your heart’s cry is the cry of David in Psalm 51

(Psalms 51:9-13) Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. (NIV)

Take inventory, set aside time.

3) The third ingredient, is to pray diligently. Nothing will draw our heart to God's heart like prayer. Nothing will remove the spiritual obstacles and roadblocks like prayer. Nothing will re-ignite our love relationship with God like time alone just talking with him. Nothing will invite the presence of God into 40 Days of Community like a congregation who is committed to praying, and nothing will set the table for a God visit like prayer

(Deuteronomy 4:7) What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? (NIV)

Introduce:

Point # 5

V. Look up and get ready for a God encounter.

(Deuteronomy 4:7) What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Often the most life altering encounters with God require us to leave the routine, the comfortable and the familiar. Imagine this scene, standing in front of Mount Sinai 2 million people men and women, children alike and the Bible says that God came down.

(Exodus 19:18) 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, the whole mountain trembled violently, (NIV)

(Exodus 20:18) 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 (NIV)

When God comes down it seems like the only real appropriate response is humble reverence because in those moments we are reminded of how small we are and how big and powerful and glorious he is. Sort of reminds us of some of the awe Peter felt in our last series when he came into the presence of the holy God of the universe.

I wonder that day when 2 million people left Mount Sinai after hearing the thunder and the mountains shaking and the fire and the smoke if that day when they went home… they didn't go home with the smell of smoke on them…. They went home with the “smell of God on them.” The presence of God had marked them…..

Wouldn't it be great if during 40 Days of Community that people would say about us when they watch us, they smell like God. Maybe they don't own a Bible, maybe they don't go to church, maybe they don't claim the name of Christ but when they look at what we do and how we live and what we are like, that they say that must be what God is like.

Conclusion:

I want to fast forward you to a day 40 years later when Moses is challenging the people as they are about to enter the Promise Land. Moses is not going to accompany them but he begins to warn them and gives them instruction and he says when they cross the Jordan, get on the other side and life gets good and easy and comfortable and prosperous…. he said…. don't forget God. Don't forget everything he has done for you and be sure and pass on to your kids and your grandkids all that God has done, the stories of faith and the very first example that Moses uses is Exodus 19.

(Deuteronomy 4:10) Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." (NIV)

Forty years later Moses points back to Exodus 19 as the defining moment in the history of the nation of Israel. Forty years later he points back and he says, don't forget to tell your kids and your grandkids about the day when God came down.

40 years from now; wouldn't it be great if we could sit with our kids and our grandkids and say, let me tell you about one of the most incredible experiences I ever got to be a part of…. I was a part of GRACE Emmanuel Church at a time when God did some things that only God could take credit for, and we were a part of a wonderful journey with God where he showed up and people's lives got changed and our community got touched and we were forever different because of that day.

I hope that over the next few days you will be praying that there will be that kind of God visit with us as we started 40 Days of Community.