March 26, 2014 "We Will"

“We Will”

Exodus 24

EX 24:5-7 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”

WHAT would it take for a congregation at the end of a church service to respond to the preaching of God’s Word with, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”

      As one who preaches, I’m firmly convinced there is nothing any preacher can do to cause this kind of response. Yes, God has formed and created remarkably gifted preachers through the centuries, but none of them are able to create such response from a church. The only power that would move people to such a response to God’s Word is the power of God.

      Exodus 24 tells us the people saw God’s majesty and they heard his words. The glory of the Lord was visible to the entire “congregation” of Israel. They saw, and they trembled. “To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.” (Ex 24:17) and, “under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.” (Ex 24:10)

      In plain sight of his people, the Holy God proclaimed his glory. His people responded with an appropriate fear and a heart of worship to promise, “We will obey”.

      Yes, pray that God will come into our sanctuaries, into our homes and into our hearts that we will joyfully obey all he says.

LIFE Link: God’s glory commands obedience.