Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3916 Bakerstown Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044, 724.449.6363, www.gracerp.org, Pastor Jeffrey A. Stivason.

Scripture (NASB)

Exodus 19:1-25

"In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain." So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them." Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.'" Then the Lord said to him, "Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them." So Moses went down to the people and told them."

Hebrews 12:18-24

"For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, "I f even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned." And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I am full of fear and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel."

Bob’s thoughts:

We did not have much time before the service but a number of people welcomed us. I realized that some only smiled, but that spoke volumes in making us feel at home.

I thought it odd that I couldn’t find a cross, but I used the cross in the window frame for a focus.

When the children’s message was given, there were some questions for the parents to ask later…a good way to keep the children listening and get the parents involved.

I thought the premise for the sermon was a good one but I got confused with the restating; wish I could regain my focus.

I observed a healthy age mix with a lot of young people. Also got to meet some people after the service and noticed a good number came back to the sanctuary for Sunday School.

Jan’s thoughts:

It is so pleasant to be greeted upon entering the building and exchange smiles and “Good morning!” wishes as we located the sanctuary and found seats.

The sanctuary was plain except for several large plants toward the front. The music was produced entirely by human voices, and it was awesome to hear.

As the opening announcements ended and the service moved toward worship I was pleased to hear the worship leader express the wish “May God be blessed.” It’s all too easy to forget that is the purpose of our presence, not whatever we might get from our time spent in worship.

The sanctuary was nearly full and an impressive mix of ages was represented. The Children’s Message was an opportunity to introduce the youth to the sermon subject, which I found helpful.

The sermon was entitled “Sinai or Zion: To Which Have You Come?” Sinai and Zion represented the God of the Old and New Testaments, respectively. The pastor spoke of Marcion, who, around 144 A.D., taught that the God of the Old Testament could not be the same God about whom Jesus taught in the New Testament because Marcion believed Christianity was inconsistent with Judaism.

I want to be clear that the pastor was not advocating this heresy, but quite honestly, this sermon was a little out of my league.

After the service, as we went to leave the sanctuary via another door, I had a very enjoyable conversation with a former co-worker.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray You continue to guide this congregation and make them aware of where You are leading. Amen.