2013년 8월 18일 주일 영어예배 설교
출애굽기 20:1-2

(Exodus 20:1-2)
It can be said that the Bible is not interested in individuals’ experiences or changes. Rather, it is consistently saying and focusing on what God has been doing through Jesus Christ. Of course, we find many stories of individuals, families, tribes, and countries in the Bible, but they all, in fact, are indicating what and how God has been doing through Jesus Christ for His chosen people. The Bible says that even the laws act as a teacher who guides us to Jesus Christ. God’s existence itself is blessing for men, and the fact that God has been acting with His perfect plan and grace for incurable sinful men itself is the best news to men. To see, realize, and trust in what God has been doing through Jesus Christ for His people in history is our joy, comfort, and security assurance, and the first step to glorify God in all aspects of our life, which is the chief end of man. So God is saying this in today’s text, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Through today’s text, we are going to be learning about the crucial fact of Christian faith we must hold as our bottom ground.

In verse 1~2, “And God spoke all these things, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” The Israel people arrived in the Mount of Sinai. It is about three months since they have gone out of the land of Egypt. They departed from Raamses of Egypt, via Succoth, Etham, Elim, the wilderness of Sin, Rephidim, and just arrived here, the Mount of Sinai. They were slaves in Egypt. They stayed there, in Goshen of Egypt, around 430 years since their forefather Israel, Jacob, had left their homeland Canaan. The Exodus generation never experienced their God named Jehovah. Their own God’s name that was passed down generation through generation orally was just in their memory as the God of their ancestors. They were moaning in severe pain of slavery by the time of the Exodus. All of the processes of the events, however, were in the perfect scheme of their own God although they never understood what was going on just as a man. We need to recall God’s promise to Abraham hundreds of years ago in Genesis 15, “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” At the exact time of Him, God launched the exodus of the people from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land letting Moses at his 80 years old lead, who was very well educated as a prince of Egypt during the first 40 years of his life and very well trained as just an ordinary shepherd in the wilderness for another 40 years of his life. Regardless of man’s ignorance of and unconsciousness of God, God had ceaselessly been working hard only based on His own promise and grace. How trustful and graceful God is! Since God chose Moses as His mediator, the rescue operation of God had been developing with His sincerity and grace. Nobody was able to resist the decision of God that He set the people free from their terrible status. Irresistible! Both of them, Egyptians and Israelites, cannot resist God’s calling them into free. The people experienced God’s power and enthusiasm for His chosen people. They experienced the Pass Over, the parting of the ocean, the pillar of a cloud and fire, the falling of manna and quails, the water from the rock, and gaining the battle against Amalek and so on. Now, they have got a new identity and new life by God. They are free from their horrible slavery by God. The new identity, life, and freedom which they are never able to gain by themselves are given to them by God alone with His sincerity, grace, and power. So now, God is going to be giving the new rule and instruction, the Ten Commandments and laws that are well-matched with the new community as God’s people. Right before giving it through Moses, God reminds them of and emphasizes the significant fact, in today’s text, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

Here, God is saying two facts. First, they were in terrible slavery, in a total inability. But now they have been saved and free. Another fact is that the very one who planned and accomplished it is God himself. God is not just a manna giver in their daily lives. God is not just a tour conductor guiding them to their dream destination. God is not just a god that protects and fights for them. God is a cause and origin of their new identity and freedom. God is the reason and end itself of their new life. This world is not their world and God is not their god. This world is God’s world and they are God’s people. They had total inability concerning their painful slavery, and God is their savior and a new life giver. God works and they trust in God. This fact is their blessing, joy, comfort, and security assurance. This is very good news for them. This is the gospel of Christianity. So before giving very important instructions, the Ten Commandments, for the new community, in spite of showing them many miraculous powers of the absolute being, in spite of grumbling and disobedience of the people the last couple of months, God is mentioning the basic but crucial fact that “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This is thoroughly based on the grace of God.

Face where you were and how terribly incurable your sinfulness was before. See what God accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ. We should acknowledge what God alone has been doing through Jesus Christ for His people’s salvation from the slavery of sin which definitely brings death. We should acknowledge that we are totally depraved and unable to contribute to our salvation at all, a whit. God is not the partner your leader but the Lord your God. God is the reason of our existence. God is the end of our life. We are living here to believe in and glorify God. Listen to the declaration of God, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” And submit you to Him. Right after this declaration, God gave the Ten Commandments which can be summarized as follows; Love your God with all your heart and love your neighbors as yourself. It does not mean the universal values of humankind. Accomplishing and practicing of these laws only can be possible by relying on Jesus’ merit and for Jesus Christ. God means “you and I are not equal.” So God is saying this “I am the Lord your God, who saves you from your slavery of sin and sets you free.”

It is so natural and not only Christians’ privilege but also our duty to ask for well-being and try to keep the commandments. Before that, however, we should clarify who God is, who we are, and why we do. For Christians, the reason why they have to put these commandments into practice is the following; it is because God alone, first, saved them out of death, sinful status even though they were in total depravity and inability against sin. As a result of it, we became to have new identity, new life, new community, and “new appropriateness for practicing the commandments” in Jesus Christ. Therefore, putting the commandments, to love God and neighbors, into practice should be realized only by having faith in Jesus Christ and only for Jesus Christ in the name of Jesus Christ. Living according to this “restored order” is the best to humankind and a real blessing for humankind. When it comes to the comforting and blessing, it should be found in this order. Many organization and groups show dedication for the needy all over the world under the name of Christianity. They give to poor Africans clothes, medicine, food, and money under the name of Christianity. They spend their precious time building a school, water supply plant, and serving medical activities under the name of Christianity. It is very respectable and sometimes makes me take my hat off to them. But unfortunately, they never say Jesus Christ as the people’s Savior, Creator, and Sustainer. They never even try to introduce God’s amazingly graceful salvation and human’s terrible sinfulness. So these phenomena often have resulted in degrading Jesus Christ just as a good example of love and sacrifice toward humankind. These practices of Christian ethics must continue and be one of the most worthful things in the world. But it should be realized with the great premise, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” It is a matter of regret if a spirit of sacrifice and dignity of human are rampant, and God’s sovereignty, salvation, grace which enable men to do it are nowhere to be seen in these activities. Even though they daub their activities with the names of ‘practicing love of Christianity’, ‘God’s love’, and ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ and so on, it is nothing but nonsense. It would be much better to detach ‘the name of Christianity.’ If it is, there is, at least, beyond criticism because the activity itself is already fully worthy and respectable. Then God is saying this, before giving the laws of loving God and neighbors, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This is the very reason why God gave the commandment to His own people, especially in Christ.

Everyone, do you really want to put the laws of loving God and your neighbors into practice? Do you really want to have respect for the dignity of humans and contribute to the better life of men? Then cease to seek the value and possibility of human beings with vague concept of love, and seek the sovereignty and grace of God, suggest Jesus Christ as unique hope and way. I hope you know who God is, who you are, and why you do. In all aspects in your life, remember this declaration of God, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This fact is the one and only good news and hope for human beings.