Get Ready for 2021
Exodus 19:1-25
Deuteronomy 4:10 (NIV)
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.” You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.
Deuteronomy 5:4 (NIV)
The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
1st We get ready be recognizing how much God loves us
Exodus 19:3-4 (NIV)
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: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT)
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
2nd We get ready by responding in obedience
Exodus 19:5 (NIV)
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…
Exodus 19:5 (NIV)
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…
Exodus 19:6 (NIV)
you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
3rd We get ready by setting aside special time with God
Exodus 19:10-11 (NIV)
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.
Luke 12:38 (NIV)
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready…
Luke 12:40a (NIV)
You also must be ready…
Exodus 19:10 (NIV)
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 the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
So we get ready by:
1. By recognizing how much God loves us
2. By responding in obedience
3. By setting aside special time with God
Exodus 19:16-19 (NIV)
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 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, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
Hebrews 12:18-21 (MSG)
Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai — all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble — to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words — “If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead” — they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (MSG)
No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s — a homicide that cried out for vengeance — became a proclamation of grace.
Hebrews 12:25 (MSG)
So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings?
