Jesus is the Rock of Offense but people stumble at His command to obey.  Stumbling at the Word is disobedience.  It’s not disagreeing, doctrinally, it’s just choosing not to do it.  Now, who’s the servant?  The one that says, “Yes, Father, I’ll go” and doesn’t go, or the one that says, “No, I’m not going” and goes?  Who’s the obedient son?  We’ve a lot of people today saying, “Oh, amen, I’ll do it!  Oh, yes, preach it!  That’s the Word of God!”  And they don’t do it.  Other people saying, “That’s hard, I don’t know if I can do it.  I don’t even know if I agree with that,” and see it and repent and do it.  Praise God!  The first shall be last, and the last shall be first, that principle the Jews didn’t like.  We see in the next verse, it says, “But you are not offended.  Those of you who are doers of the Word, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  Hallelujah!

Aren’t you thankful that there is a priesthood of the believer?  It belongs to those who are doing the Word, a people who realize there isn’t a liberty to walk outside those boundaries that God has set on holiness, on divine order, whatever it might be, that peculiar people, that set apart people, those that have been set in these boundaries.  Back to Exodus 19, you’re a kingdom of priests, verse 6.  Moses calls the elders of the people together.  Now, you’ll see, and we’ll go through some other Scriptures, you’ll see that guidance will always start with His set gifts or the established eldership.  We know that from the council of Jerusalem that was so vital in setting the course of the church, the distinction being made, measured in different layers, of representation of authority, of responsibility, etc.  You’ll notice, verse 7 says, “the elders.”  Verse 8 says “all the people.”  Now, the elders brought the message, and all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  Boy, we’ve seen that time and again in the Scriptures; amen?  What was their batting average?  It’s like the devil’s throwing a no-hitter against them, and it’s just, “We’ll do that”, and Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.  The Lord speaks to him, and He says, “I’m going to come to you in a thick cloud, and the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever.”  God is so optimistic.  Hallelujah!  They’ll see this mountain.  We see that they’re going to be fearful in just a moment.  Can you imagine, just try to, for just a second, this black smoke, I mean, it’s just completely blocking the sun out.  If you’ve ever been in an earthquake, it’s very unsettling.

Can you imagine these people?  The ground is shaking, and all of a sudden, this trumpet. We believe it’s the Word of God, the voice of God, the trumpet of God, that will say, “Come up hither.”  Amen?  It says a trumpet began to blast and it gets louder and louder.  That should make an impression on you; amen?  Here’s God, “I’m here, and this is my man.”  So, don’t worry, Moses, forever and ever, these people got it; amen?  This will never be another issue you have to deal with.  They’ve heard the teaching on divine order, and they got it.  Nothing to worry about.  Then He tells Moses to sanctify the people.  “On the third day, the Lord will come down from that mountain, and you’ll be able to observe the glory.  But set bounds unto the people round about.  Listen!  Take heed!  Don’t try to go up and see God from any place other than where I have you standing right now, or you’ll die.  Don’t go up into the mount or touch the border of it.  Whoever touches this mountain will surely be put to death.  Anybody who touches it will surely be stoned or shot through, beast or man.”  God’s trying to make a point, don’t you think?