Exodus 19:1-23, Revelation 5:11-14: Jesus, sat upon His throne.

Jesus lived amongst us, died for us, rose on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the father, and now sits in glory. We behold our God, sat upon His throne. The first commandment is, ‘You shall have other gods before me.’ Moses is trying to show us how the whole universe fits together. God is. In Exodus chapter 20 we see how God, the world, Jesus Christ, and the universe all fit together. What is the universe made of? It is all physical stuff, matter, forces, organised into systems, galaxies and so on. Everything spins properly. Yes, that is true – but what about the stuff that is not seen but equally matters – of heart, soul, beauty, joy, justice, love. How do those things make sense?

What is the centre of the universe, both visible and invisible? You are a body and soul, visible and invisible. What is the centre of reality that makes sense of everything, a focal point we should centre around? Day by day we search for this meaning of life, but don’t seem to find it. We ask, ‘What is the meaning of all this?’ As we scramble around in the dark God, in His mercy, speaks and shows us that’s at the centre of reality is Jesus Christ, sat on the throne. Everything is under His rule. Everything makes sense when Jesus Christ is sat on the throne. That is what God told His people as they gathered at the bottom of Mount Sinai. It is the same today. Everything only makes sense when Jesus is centre and focus, when Jesus is looked to.

We see in Exodus the Lord sits enthroned in glory. The Israelites life makes sense when they look up to Him. Exodus speaks to the people, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2) LORD in capital letters, is the original name of God, Yahweh, Jehovah. God is telling them His name, introducing Himself personally. ‘Your’ God. There is something very precious about that. The people of God can say ‘He’ is my God. He is the one who saves them out of Egypt (v.2).

He is the LORD, the sovereign One, the covenant-keeping God, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (v.3). He is bundling everything together in this vast universe and placing it all before His people – but none of it compares to Him. Egypt was full of gods for everything – rivers, crops, sun, health and well-being. Central in the worship of Egypt were man-made gods which had human features. All man-made systems of worship always end up being man-centred.

Far too often, the people of Israel looked far too ‘Egyptian.’ God is calling them to a greater experience of worship. God tells them they were made for more than crops, health – they were made for God, to look upwards. What about you? What have you dedicated your life to? You are made for God. The Lord deliverers His people from those gods. The plagues were specifically shown to humiliate these gods. God uses these to deliver people to Himself. God reigns and no one can take His throne. What are your gods compared to the God? They are nothing. The universe, and how we work and function properly, works when we are turned towards Him. God is to be central in our hearts.

God is to be central in all the universe. He is to be central in our hearts. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (v.3). ‘Before me – ahead of me, greater than me. He has the only right to the throne of the universe. ‘Before me’ can also mean in front of me, in my presence. From the throne, as God looks out, He sees everything. He alone is God. Isaiah tells us repeatedly there is no one like the Lord; He alone created everything from nothing and sustains everything (Isaiah 45).

He is the righteous, just God, the only God who saves sinners. We are sinners. No one can take our sins away but the Lord (v.20). No one else has the right, the authority to do so. We are called to turn to Him and be saved. We are called to have our lives re-ordered around His throne. Our hearts are only ordered properly when He is centred, when He is our desire. We are to love Him with all our heart, but that is not our natural inclination. Our lives are disordered, a mess, because God is not central in it. We need our hearts to be turned to Him.

If your life is a mess and troubles you, the God who commands is the God who redeems. He rescued the Israelites out of Egypt tyranny. He can redeem you and bring you out of your other gods. He will keep you and change you. Take comfort in knowing though your life hasn’t been what it’s meant to be, there is a man whose life is exactly how it was meant to be. In all His life the centrality of God is everything. His life is a well-ordered life; everything is right about him.

How many times a day are you reminded of the sovereignty of God sat on his throne? For Jesus, it is constant. Jesus laid down His life so we can be forgiven of our sin, for failing to recognise the Lordship of God. Jesus is constantly reminded of the father’s glory. He died for sin. Then, by the power of H risen life, He can change our heart so we can love God. Putting your trust in Jesus means your life will be put right. Our hearts are to be centred on Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is not just to be centred in our hearts, but in the whole universe. God is present everywhere. He sees everything. Everything is before him, everything is in His sight. The whole universe combined cannot be compared to God. He tells us that we can now have Him. What a great, generous God. He will even give himself to us. No one else made everything and owns everything. No one else will or can give you His grace. No one else can treat you as fairly as God. No one else saves like Jesus saves. All of the universe declares that.

The destiny of the whole universe will be revealed; around His throne angels and every living thing and being will gather. He will reign forever and ever. And on that throne is Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain for sinners like us, so we can come to the throne, be washed and join in the praise of the whole universe. There, everything makes sense and fits together.