The Lord's Side

(#2, Imperial 1954; CE Sing, 1955)

 Read Exodus 32:15-26.

Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side -- come to me!"

The occasion for the call.

This call to separation is set in the wilderness, at Mt. Sinai.

ƒ   It is a testing time in Israel; their leader had disappeared (v1).

ƒ   They looked too much to man and forgot God (v1).

ƒ   They turned "quickly" from God's way (v8).

ƒ   They committed the sin of idolatry (v4).

Which is the Lord's side?

w     The Lord's side is the side of righteousness.  "What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?" (2 Cor. 6:14).  "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God..." (1 John 3:10).

w     The Lord's side is the side of freedom.  "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Rom 6:18).  "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

w     The Lord's side is the side of life.  "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life" (John 3:36).  "He who hears my word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (Jn 5:24).  "If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom 8:10).

To whom is this call given?

We must remember this is a call given to believers (2 Cor. 6:14) and to unbelievers alike.  At Mt. Sinai the Levites responded. Will you likewise respond?

A call for a clear decision.

No neutrality is permitted.  We cannot be on both sides (Matt. 6:24: no man can serve two masters).

Many lines divide the people of God (rich and poor, old and young). But one line will never be erased.  That is the one that divides the Lord's side from Satan's.