Exodus: Preparing To Meet God

1/28/2018

Exodus 19:1-6

Read Exodus 19:1-14
As God called His people to prepare for Him to come down “in the sight of all the people” (verse 11), he told them they were to wash their garments. Have you ever had a time in your life when you weren’t able to dress yourself? If so, how did that make you feel?
God “dressing” His people is a theme that we see all through scripture. Take a look at the following passages and discuss their meaning in the original context and their meaning to us today. Genesis 3:7, 21. Isaiah 61:10, 64:6, Zechariah 3:1-5, Matthew 22:1-14 (if you have time), and Galatians 3:27
In what ways could we be tempted to “dress ourselves?”
One of the reasons that God was giving the Hebrews all of these laws and commands was so they could become a distinct people. You could say that the Israelites were God’s prototype, his working model, his proof of concept. Pastor Jeremy mentioned in the message that what will attract people to our message is not our similarities to the world but rather our distinctives. In what ways is this possible? What are our distinctives? Have you seen this work? See 1 Peter 2:9-12 for Peter’s call to the church in regards to this idea.
God affirms the Israelites in three ways so that they will be able to grab a hold of this idea of becoming a distinct people for His glory. Take a look at these three things and discuss their application to us today.
- God affirms that they are a treasured possession. This is a term used of the Kings royal treasury. Verses 4-5
- God affirms that they are a Kingdom of Priests. We represent God to the world through mission and we represent the world to God through prayer. Verse 6.
- God affirms that they are a Holy Nation. They were to be a distinct people group, not a people that simply blended in. Verse 6.
What is one way you could show your “kingdom distinctness” in the week ahead?