He Will Be Our God (Matthew 22:1-14)
When we think about fellowship, what is the first thing we think about? Don't we typically think about each other? Some of us think about sharing a meal. Others think about what we are doing right now. To have fellowship is to have a relationship. It means that we have a friendly association with one another. We like the idea of having a church family because we need a group of people we see every day who are building us up. We all need encouragement and fellowship with those who share our faith.
Today, I want us to examine God's promise for us to have fellowship with him. Do you feel as though you have a relationship with God? Last week, we were heading home from services, and Joseph told me that he wished God was real. I said, "God is real. A lot of things in this world are not real, but God is absolutely real." He said, "I mean, I wish I could talk to him and hear his voice." I then knew what he meant, and I said, "One day, we will be given that opportunity if we love him." Do you believe that? That is a part of God's promise for you and me. One day, we will see God and feast together with him in his house. Do you know how I know? God says so. That's what we are going to look at today.
God's promise to have fellowship with us is extraordinary. We could go all over the place to see it, but today, I want us to focus our efforts on one picture, two prophecies, and one parable.
The Picture of Promise
To begin, I want us to go back to the book of Exodus. This week, we will be studying a good bit out of Exodus, but today I want us to look at one specific event in Exodus 24.
Exodus 24:1--11 (ESV) --- 1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
Notice in this story that God calls for Moses to invite Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel up on the mountain for a feast, and they "saw the God of Israel. It also says, "They beheld God, and ate and drank." This is fascinating because, back in Genesis, man and woman had been kicked out of the presence of God. Their sin made them unworthy of entering into God's presence. If we go back and look at Chapter 19, we would see that God told the people three times not to go close to the mountain lest they die. He even had them barrier off in front of the mountain to prevent any animals from touching the mountain. The impression that we get is that God is too holy and we too unholy for fellowship. Do you feel like God is that way? I'm afraid that many people have lost the sense of God's holiness and purity. God cannot be around unholy and unclean people. We must never lose sight of that. Our God is completely holy and righteous, and failing to recognize that is dangerous!
Yet, here we have seventy-four people going up on the mountain and enjoying a feast with God. How is that possible? The answer is found in these verses.
Exodus 24:3 (ESV) --- 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”
The people agreed to do all the words God has spoken.
Exodus 24:7 (ESV) --- 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
Moses read the book, and they agreed to do it again!
Exodus 24:8 (ESV) --- 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Finally, notice that the people were sanctified, which means they were made holy by the "blood of the covenant." Moses took the blood of the peace offering, threw it on the altar, and threw it on the people to consecrate them and make them holy. Then, they could go up the mountain, draw near to God, and eat and drink. They had fellowship with God.
The Prophecies of Promise
This is amazing, but what does this have to do with us? This kind of close relationship is what God wants to have with his people all the time. He created man and woman so that they could be with him in the garden. Everything he does throughout the Bible is to bring that fellowship back.
He had Israel construct the Tabernacle so they could do this wherever they were. Then, he had Israel construct a temple to remind the people that God is with them. With the construction of this temple, he promised to make his name dwell in Jerusalem and keep his presence with them so long as they humbly submit to God's laws.
But in Isaiah, we find out that God will destroy Jerusalem for their unholiness and rebellion. It seems like God's plan for fellowship with man is ruined. The blood of the covenant in the Old Testament failed to keep the people obediently following God's word. But God has a plan to fix what is wrong.
Isaiah 25:6--9 (ESV) --- 6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Do you see it? God wants to have a feast with all people enjoying the rich food and well-aged wine. He wants to provide the people with complete protection and wipe away all of their tears. In the end, did you hear what the people say? They say, "This is our God, we have waited for him, that he might save us." That's what we are supposed to say and think. He is "OUR" God. We are "HIS" people. That is the promise that we repeatedly find in the Bible, and here we see it as a promised reality. God wants people to wait on him to save them. He wants them to trust that he is good and that he will deliver on his promises. God wants us to know him, believe that he has the power to save, and believe that he wants to do it. Then, he will come in, save us, and bring us to the mountain for a time of great feasting and rejoicing!
One other passage that I love for the promise of fellowship is Zephaniah 3. We are going to break this up to make it easier to digest.
Zephaniah 3:9--13 (ESV) --- 9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. 11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, 13 those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
In this section, do you see the purification of a people? God is purifying their speech and removing all those who are proud from the midst of his people. Notice that this is including all the peoples of the earth. All of them will come together to call upon the name of the Lord. That is a reference to worship and salvation. God wants all people to be holy so they can come to his holy mountain to worship him and find refuge.
Zephaniah 3:14--20 (ESV) --- 14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20 At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
The words of this text are inspiring. God wants to take away all the judgments against us, dwell in our midst, and show us a love we have never experienced from God before. He will bring us in, gather us together, sing over us, and make us renowned and praiseworthy as he blesses us.
Do you see the fellowship God wants to have with you? He promises that he will one day make that available. He will dwell with us and be our God. We will be his people. How amazing is that?!?!
What About The Feast?
Next week we will learn about the wedding feast in Matthew 22. It is a great parable that refers to the fellowship feast that is coming. In this parable, God clarifies that he has prepared a feast for us to enjoy, but we have to come and wear the appropriate attire. We have to come with obedient hearts. Then, we can draw near to God and enjoy the feast he has prepared with joy over all that he has done for us.
The Fulfillment of Promise
Has that promise been fulfilled? It has been fulfilled. We can and do have fellowship with God like never before through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
John 1:9--14 (ESV) --- 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This text tells us that Jesus is God and that he came to earth to show us God's glory. He came to shine a light for all to see how amazing, gracious, and truthful our God is.
If you think that the God of the Old Testament was evil, consider that Jesus is the exact image of the God of the Old Testament. Everywhere you get the impression that the God of the Old Testament is evil, you are misreading the situation. Jesus would never do evil because God would never do evil. He is full of love and compassion toward the innocent and patience toward the guilty. But he will not clear the stubborn and rebellious who refuse to turn from evil.
But beyond showing us how wonderful God is and making us want to be with him, Jesus also makes it possible for us to have fellowship with God through his teaching and his sacrifice.
In John 10, we learn that he leads us like a good shepherd so that we will know the way of holiness and righteousness. But 1 Peter 1 tells us even more about the work of Christ.
1 Peter 1:17--19 (ESV) --- 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
He offers his blood to cleanse us and make us holy, but we strive for obedience and holiness with humble submission.
Hebrews 12:9--11 (ESV) --- 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We also have discipline from our Heavenly Father to keep us in fellowship with him. He is working to bring us to greater holiness and make us like him.
The Hebrew letter is full of this idea. God wants us to draw near to Him in worship and fellowship. The blood of our covenant makes it possible for us to draw closer than ever before with faith, hope, and love.
Hebrews 10:19--25 (ESV) --- 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
We can enter the holy places by the blood of Christ and draw near with a true heart, knowing that God wants us there. When he says, "Through the curtain," he is speaking about the Most Holy place in the temple, the place only the High Priest could go once a year. We have complete access to God. What a fantastic blessing that we enjoy in Christ. God has done what he promised. He has opened a way for us to be his people and for him to be our God.
What Does This Mean?
This all sounds kind of vague and hard to wrap my head around. But, what is the practical application of this? If we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ with true hearts and total faith, we can know that our prayer enters into God's throne room. He hears every prayer we make like a good Father taking the time to listen to his son or daughter. We have that kind of relationship through the blood of Christ.
God wants to be with us! The tabernacle and temple indicate this, but in the New Testament, Paul plainly says so. He says we are the temple of God. God is with us.
1 Corinthians 6:18--20 (ESV) --- 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
In Revelation, we see that a day is coming when we will feast with God for all eternity and receive every blessing promised in the fullest sense.
Conclusion
God wants to have fellowship with you. He has done everything to make that possible. All you have to do today is step into the light, confess your need for forgiveness, commit to love and serve him all your life, and let Him wash away your sin in baptism. He will be your God, and you will be his child.
1 John 1:5--7 (ESV) --- 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Why not begin your walk with God? He wants you.