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4 episodes with even moses
3 episodes with even moses
3 episodes with even moses
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2 episodes with even moses
2 episodes with even moses
2 episodes with even moses
2 episodes with even moses
4 episodes with even moses
Deuteronomy 1 serves as the opening chapter of Moses' final address to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. This chapter is both a historical recounting and a spiritual reminder. Moses looks back over the journey from Mount Sinai (Horeb) to Kadesh Barnea and the critical moment when Israel refused to enter the land due to fear and disobedience. It's a call to remember God's faithfulness, learn from past mistakes, and trust Him for the future. ⸻ Verses 1–5: Setting the Stage “These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan…” — Deuteronomy 1:1 Moses begins his speech in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt. The Israelites are now on the edge of the Promised Land, and Moses, knowing he won't enter it, prepares the people to walk in obedience and courage. The book of Deuteronomy literally means “second law” or “repetition of the law.” It's not a new law, but a reaffirmation of God's covenant and instructions before entering a new chapter. ⸻ Verses 6–8: God's Command to Advance “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance…” — Deuteronomy 1:6–7 God told the Israelites it was time to move forward from Mount Horeb. They had received the law, built the tabernacle, and camped, but now the call was to possess the land. This verse is powerful today. Many people camp in comfort zones, fear, or spiritual stagnation. But God says, “You've stayed here long enough. Move forward!” ⸻ Verses 9–18: Leadership Appointed “I cannot bear your troubles alone… Choose wise, understanding and respected men…” — Deuteronomy 1:9–13 Moses recalls how leadership was shared among the tribes. God values wise, just, and humble leaders who judge fairly, without partiality. This principle of shared leadership emphasizes community responsibility and integrity. ⸻ Verses 19–33: The Great Failure at Kadesh “But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God.” — Deuteronomy 1:26 Moses reminds them of how they reached the edge of Canaan but refused to enter because of fear. Though God promised victory, the people believed the report of the ten fearful spies rather than the Lord. “In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God.” — Deuteronomy 1:32 This is a warning: unbelief robs you of promises. The Israelites saw God's miracles—cloud by day, fire by night, manna from heaven—and still doubted. ⸻ Verses 34–40: The Judgment “Not one of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give…” — Deuteronomy 1:35 Because of disobedience, an entire generation was barred from entering the land, except for Caleb and Joshua, men of faith. Even Moses would not enter because of disobedience at Meribah (Numbers 20). This shows that leadership is held to a high standard, and God's discipline is not favoritism—it's righteous. ⸻ Verses 41–46: Presumption After Rebellion “Then you replied, ‘We have sinned… we will go up and fight'… But the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them not to go… I will not be with you.'” — Deuteronomy 1:41–42 After being told they would not enter, the people tried to go up without God's presence—and were defeated. This section shows the danger of presumptuous faith. Obedience is not just doing something religious—it's doing what God says, when He says, how He says. ⸻ Themes and Lessons from Deuteronomy 1 1. Remember God's Faithfulness Deuteronomy is filled with calls to remember. We are prone to forget God's works and promises when facing trials. Faith grows when we look back at His track record. 2. Move When God Says Move Stagnation can be disguised as spiritual patience. Don't camp out where God once was. Advance when He commands. 3. Obedience Is Greater Than Ambition The Israelites tried to correct their mistake with human effort, but it was too late. Delayed obedience is disobedience. 4. Trust Over Fear Fear caused a whole generation to miss their destiny. Faith is not the absence of fear—it's choosing to move forward in trust anyway. 5. God Shows No Favoritism Even Moses faced judgment. As Acts 10:34 says, “God is no respecter of persons.” We are all accountable to Him. ⸻ Reflection Questions •Am I lingering too long in a place God has told me to move on from? •Have I allowed fear to block me from obeying God's call? •Do I trust God's promises more than my perception of the situation? •Am I walking in obedience or presumption?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.
In Exodus 4:1–17, we see Moses wrestling with doubt and insecurity, questioning whether he is truly capable of fulfilling God's call. God meets Moses in his hesitation, patiently reminding him that it's not about Moses' ability, but God's power at work through him. Even Moses' weaknesses become opportunities for God's strength to be displayed.This sermon invites us to reflect on the moments we feel inadequate or unqualified. Like Moses, we may question our calling — but God equips, empowers, and walks with us. Our limitations are not obstacles, but invitations for God to show His glory through us.We hope and pray that this service is a blessing to you. If you're joining us live on YouTube or Facebook, head over to https://church.nu/live to join us in community!We pray this message encourages you as we apprentice to become more like Jesus. We'd love to hear from you!hello@church.nuwww.facebook.com/newlifegoldcoastwww.instagram.com/@newlifegoldcoast ★ Support this podcast ★
"Ideas are easy. Execution is everything."— John Doerr -----------------------------------------------Beyond Sinai: Why Vision Alone Isn't Enough | Coaching the Bible (Ep. 231, S5E18)Having a vision is great—but how do you turn it into reality? That's the real challenge of leadership. Even Moses had to figure out how to move from inspiration to execution after Sinai.Welcome to Beyond Sinai—our new series on what happens after the revelation, after the commandments, after the big moment. Because leadership isn't just about having a vision. It's about building something that lasts.Why listen?If you've ever struggled to turn ideas into action, this episode is for you.Learn how Moses transitioned from charismatic leader to structured leadership.Discover why delegation is strength—and how letting go creates real impact.See how the Tabernacle's construction is a blueprint for sustainable leadership.This isn't just history—it's a masterclass in leadership for anyone building something bigger than themselves.
Sometimes God works even through the trials of a bankruptcy or failed marriage. Even Moses was sent into the wilderness for forty years as a shepherd. In this message from Exodus 2, Pastor Lutzer reveals two characteristics of Moses' servanthood that he only could have learned in the desert. What if the desert brings us closer to God? This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001.
Sometimes God works even through the trials of a bankruptcy or failed marriage. Even Moses was sent into the wilderness for forty years as a shepherd. In this message from Exodus 2, Pastor Lutzer reveals two characteristics of Moses' servanthood that he only could have learned in the desert. What if the desert brings us closer to God? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1407/29
2/5/25 - Not Even Moses and Samuel
Exodus 33: An Overview and Reflection Exodus 33 is a powerful and pivotal chapter in the story of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. It emphasizes God's presence, Moses' intercession, and the profound relationship between God and His chosen people. Below is a breakdown of the key themes and reflections: 1. God's Command to Depart (Verses 1–6) After the Israelites' sin with the golden calf in Exodus 32, God commands them to leave Mount Sinai and continue toward the Promised Land. He assures them of His promise to send an angel ahead to drive out their enemies (the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites). However, God declares He will not go with them directly, warning that their stubbornness might lead to their destruction. Reflection: This section shows God's holiness and justice. Despite their sin, God remains faithful to His promises but highlights the consequences of disobedience. It challenges readers to consider the importance of repentance and God's mercy even when discipline is required. 2. The Israelites' Mourning (Verses 7–11) When the people hear that God will not go with them, they mourn deeply. Moses sets up a tent outside the camp called the “tent of meeting,” where he meets with God. This tent becomes a symbol of God's presence and guidance, with the pillar of cloud signifying God's glory. The text highlights the unique relationship between Moses and God, describing it as a face-to-face friendship. Reflection: The Israelites' mourning demonstrates the deep desire for God's presence, reminding us that material blessings (like the Promised Land) are meaningless without the spiritual blessing of God's closeness. Moses' relationship with God encourages us to pursue intimacy with Him through prayer and trust. 3. Moses' Intercession (Verses 12–17) Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites, pleading with God to accompany them on their journey. He argues that it is only God's presence that sets Israel apart from other nations. In response to Moses' faith and persistence, God relents, promising that His presence will go with them and give them rest. Reflection: This dialogue highlights the power of intercessory prayer. Moses' boldness in asking God to remain with His people is an example of deep faith and leadership. It also underscores God's compassion and willingness to listen to His people. 4. Moses' Request to See God's Glory (Verses 18–23) Moses makes an extraordinary request: to see God's glory. God agrees to reveal His goodness and proclaim His name but explains that no one can see His face and live. Instead, God places Moses in a cleft of the rock, covering him with His hand as His glory passes by. Moses is allowed to see God's back, a partial but profound revelation of His majesty. Reflection: This section reminds us of God's transcendence and holiness. Even Moses, who had a unique relationship with God, could not fully behold His glory. At the same time, it reveals God's graciousness in allowing humans to experience His presence in ways they can handle. It invites us to seek God's glory in our lives while respecting His awe-inspiring holiness. Key Lessons from Exodus 33 1.The Value of God's Presence: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that God's presence is more important than any physical blessing or achievement. Like Moses, we should desire God above all else. 2.The Power of Intercession: Moses' role as an intercessor foreshadows Christ's role as our mediator. It teaches us the importance of praying for others and standing in the gap for those in need. 3.God's Faithfulness and Holiness: Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God remains true to His promises. Yet His holiness demands respect and repentance, reminding us of the balance between God's love and justice. 4.The Pursuit of God's Glory: Moses' bold request to see God's glory challenges us to seek a deeper relationship with Him. While we cannot fully comprehend His majesty, we can experience His presence through worship, prayer, and His Word. Final Reflection Exodus 33 invites us into a deeper understanding of God's character—His holiness, faithfulness, and relational nature. It encourages us to prioritize God's presence in our lives, seek intimacy with Him, and intercede for others. Like Moses, we can boldly approach God, trusting in His grace and goodness as we navigate our own spiritual journeys.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.
The final moments in the life of Moses were on a mountain with God. There we see Gods judgment and grace all at once. Even Moses had fallen short, but the greater Moses would not.
Send us a textSubscribe here to receive my new church history podcast every few weeks at.https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comFor an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessEPISODE NOTES:Introduction to DeuteronomyBook Overview: Deuteronomy is traditionally seen as a series of sermons delivered by Moses to the Israelites before his death. These sermons reflect on the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land, emphasizing obedience to God's law as they prepare to enter the land.Structure: The book can be divided into three primary sermons. Chapter 1 begins with the historical context, setting the stage for the first sermon.Setting the Scene (Deuteronomy 1:1-5)Book Overview:Structure: God's Faithfulness at Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:6-18)Command to Move Forward: Fulfillment of God's Promise:Establishment of Judges: Leadership Lessons:Failure at Kadesh Barnea (Deuteronomy 1:19-46)Reaching the Promised Land: The Spies' Report: Consequences of Disobedience:Key Lessons and Theological ThemesTrust in God's Promises: The Israelites' failure at Kadesh Barnea serves as a warning against allowing fear and doubt to override faith in God's promises.God's Justice and Discipline: God's response to the Israelites' rebellion illustrates His justice. Even Moses is not exempt from the consequences of disobedience.The Age of Accountability: The passage hints at the concept of the "age of accountability" through the promise that the children, who were too young to understand good and evil, would inherit the land.Application for TodayFaith vs. Fear: The account of Israel at Kadesh Barnea challenges believers to trust God's promises, even when circumstances seem overwhelming.Importance of Obedience: Disobedience, especially when rooted in fear, can lead to missed opportunities and the loss of God's blessings.Leadership and Delegation: Effective leadership involves recognizing one's limits and wisely delegating responsibilities to others, just as Moses did.ConclusionGod's Unwavering Faithfulness: Despite Israel's repeated failures, God's faithfulness remains evident. He continues to guide, discipline, and ultimately fulfill His promises to His people.Reflection: This passage from Deuteronomy is not just historical; it serves as a timeless reminder of the importance of trusting in God, obeying His commands, and recognizing His faithfulness, even when we fall short.Support the showJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
This is a new season as we come into Autumn, but also spiritually where God is at work amongst us in new ways. So we are going to start a two-part preparation based on Joshua chapter 1. This story is very relevant to us. It came at a time when a whole generation who left Egypt with great promise for the promised land - but they never made it. A whole generation fell by the wayside because of unbelief, because they had a culture of constant criticism against Moses and their leaders, and because of their immoral behaviour. Even Moses himself didn't make it into the promised land, but Joshua and Caleb did. Joshua became the leader who succeeded Moses, and as he stepped out into this new time, God gave him this word: “you and all these people get ready". The word says ‘get ready' but first it was ‘get ready Joshua', then it was ‘get ready people'. You personally can get ready for a new time for God to work in your life. Joshua himself had to be ready to lead the people and go to a new level. And if you want to go to a new level, if you want to lead others, first it begins with your personal preparation and your heart. Ask yourself, are you prepared for what is coming and for new challenges? Are you prepared to move to a new level of faith? To prepare for a new level of conquest, you have to: 1. Accept the baton of leadership (Joshua 1:2; John 15:16) 2. Visualise what you can conquer (Joshua 1:4; Proverbs 29:18) 3. Be ready to take steps of faith (Joshua 1:3; Judges 6-7gi) 4. Recognise the authority that God has given you (Joshua 1:5; Acts 1:8) 5. Know that your commitment to the word of God is key to your success (Joshua 1:8; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Isaiah 61:1) Apply 1. Accept the baton of leadership. Moses had led things for a long time, but his time had gone, and the baton now passed to Joshua (Joshua 1:2). Joshua had always looked up to Moses and supported him as his aide, but God had now called him to lead. He had to think of himself differently and personally accept the baton of leadership. There comes a time when those we have previously looked to for direction or seen as leaders may now have gotten older or gone to heaven, and it's now your time to step up. To move to another level of leadership, whether you're younger or older, you must prepare yourself (John 15:16). God chose Joshua and used him to transform a generation. And God has chosen us. Young people, God is with you and will help you in this next stage of your life as you go back to school or college or move to university, but you cannot see yourselves like your friends. He has called you and has set you apart so that you can lead them to Him. Today is a new day and we are not part of the Moses generation. We are to see the promises of God in our lives as we vow to go deeper and accept His call. So shake off negativity, shake off the past, get ready for God to do a new thing. 2. Visualise what you can conquer (Joshua 1:4). God gave Joshua a clear vision of where he was going. We must be able to see what we can conquer in order to make it happen. When we visualise what can be conquered, we can see incredible results (Proverbs 29:18). Vision brings direction and faith. Moses' generation cried out for their basic needs to be met and God provided bread and water, but they didn't have faith and vision of where God could take them. Focus on where you're going, where God can take you. Visualise what God wants to do in your life, how you can make a difference in your community. Visualise your family being saved and praying together. Visualise yourself leading people to Jesus in this new season, your towns looking to Jesus for hope as you grasp hold of God's vision. When we seek God's vision and follow His direction He will guide us to save many from perishing. 3. Be ready to take steps of faith (Joshua 1:3). The Lord didn't tell Joshua to sit down and the conquest would come to him; God said He would give him every place that he set his foot. Up to this point, the Israelites had been roaming for decades and had yet to arrive to where they expected. Joshua had been along in this journey, but he took heart not to stagnate or let up. This was a new time to go forth in full confidence. When you take action with direction from the Lord, things that felt impossible before, things that haven't worked, and strategies that failed can be conquered. Because it is not you that is working, it is God working through you (see Gideon in Judges 6-7). To get ready for new conquest you must have faith, but remember faith without works is dead, so you also need to get moving. Ask God today in prayer for new strategies and declare that every place you go He will equip you, use you and be glorified. 4. Recognise the authority that God has given you (Joshua 1:5). God gives you authority when you walk in His purposes. He told Joshua although there had been battles before and ahead, Joshua had His authority, and nothing would overcome him. God didn't say there would be no opposition, but He said to be bold and strong to go forward because God would never leave him. You may be facing challenges at this moment, but you can know the Lord's presence with you. We need to ask for the authority of Holy Spirit, the presence of God upon us as we go out into the culture of the world. It was this authority that brought rapid growth for the disciples and the early church after Pentecost (Acts 1:8). To get ready for new conquest we need more of the Holy Spirit, and to desire the presence of God every day. His Spirit gives us the authority to stand strong and take new ground. 5. Know that your commitment to the word of God is key to your success (Joshua 1:8). Joshua needed to understand that God's words were what would give him the strength to go on and the courage to lead the people. If we want to see this generation saved we must come to a new level in our devotional time. Become resilient in your knowledge of the Bible. It will protect you and bless you. We must be bold to declare the word of God. We must meditate on it, pursue it, and live by it. The Bible teaches that the power of the tongue brings life and death. What you speak out is important. Keep words of faith and life on your lips at all times. Look at situations through the living word of God. When you are declaring the promises of God, you are speaking faith into action (2 Corinthians 9:8; Isaiah 61:1). You can see a great move of God in your life. Maybe you have allowed thoughts to come in and tell you that your dreams will always only be a dream, other people in your family have tried to make things happen but never succeeded. But you are of the Joshua generation. We can see a great move of God in this nation with many people saved and families restored. It is time to throw off negativity and failures of the past. Rise up to the position that God has for you, visualise what you can conquer, take steps of faith and stand upon the word, for as we read in Joshua 1, the Lord is going to help take possession of the land He has for us.
This is a new season as we come into Autumn, but also spiritually where God is at work amongst us in new ways. So we are going to start a two-part preparation based on Joshua chapter 1. This story is very relevant to us. It came at a time when a whole generation who left Egypt with great promise for the promised land - but they never made it. A whole generation fell by the wayside because of unbelief, because they had a culture of constant criticism against Moses and their leaders, and because of their immoral behaviour. Even Moses himself didn't make it into the promised land, but Joshua and Caleb did. Joshua became the leader who succeeded Moses, and as he stepped out into this new time, God gave him this word: “you and all these people get ready". The word says ‘get ready' but first it was ‘get ready Joshua', then it was ‘get ready people'. You personally can get ready for a new time for God to work in your life. Joshua himself had to be ready to lead the people and go to a new level. And if you want to go to a new level, if you want to lead others, first it begins with your personal preparation and your heart. Ask yourself, are you prepared for what is coming and for new challenges? Are you prepared to move to a new level of faith? To prepare for a new level of conquest, you have to: 1. Accept the baton of leadership (Joshua 1:2; John 15:16) 2. Visualise what you can conquer (Joshua 1:4; Proverbs 29:18) 3. Be ready to take steps of faith (Joshua 1:3; Judges 6-7gi) 4. Recognise the authority that God has given you (Joshua 1:5; Acts 1:8) 5. Know that your commitment to the word of God is key to your success (Joshua 1:8; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Isaiah 61:1) Apply 1. Accept the baton of leadership. Moses had led things for a long time, but his time had gone, and the baton now passed to Joshua (Joshua 1:2). Joshua had always looked up to Moses and supported him as his aide, but God had now called him to lead. He had to think of himself differently and personally accept the baton of leadership. There comes a time when those we have previously looked to for direction or seen as leaders may now have gotten older or gone to heaven, and it's now your time to step up. To move to another level of leadership, whether you're younger or older, you must prepare yourself (John 15:16). God chose Joshua and used him to transform a generation. And God has chosen us. Young people, God is with you and will help you in this next stage of your life as you go back to school or college or move to university, but you cannot see yourselves like your friends. He has called you and has set you apart so that you can lead them to Him. Today is a new day and we are not part of the Moses generation. We are to see the promises of God in our lives as we vow to go deeper and accept His call. So shake off negativity, shake off the past, get ready for God to do a new thing. 2. Visualise what you can conquer (Joshua 1:4). God gave Joshua a clear vision of where he was going. We must be able to see what we can conquer in order to make it happen. When we visualise what can be conquered, we can see incredible results (Proverbs 29:18). Vision brings direction and faith. Moses' generation cried out for their basic needs to be met and God provided bread and water, but they didn't have faith and vision of where God could take them. Focus on where you're going, where God can take you. Visualise what God wants to do in your life, how you can make a difference in your community. Visualise your family being saved and praying together. Visualise yourself leading people to Jesus in this new season, your towns looking to Jesus for hope as you grasp hold of God's vision. When we seek God's vision and follow His direction He will guide us to save many from perishing. 3. Be ready to take steps of faith (Joshua 1:3). The Lord didn't tell Joshua to sit down and the conquest would come to him; God said He would give him every place that he set his foot. Up to this point, the Israelites had been roaming for decades and had yet to arrive to where they expected. Joshua had been along in this journey, but he took heart not to stagnate or let up. This was a new time to go forth in full confidence. When you take action with direction from the Lord, things that felt impossible before, things that haven't worked, and strategies that failed can be conquered. Because it is not you that is working, it is God working through you (see Gideon in Judges 6-7). To get ready for new conquest you must have faith, but remember faith without works is dead, so you also need to get moving. Ask God today in prayer for new strategies and declare that every place you go He will equip you, use you and be glorified. 4. Recognise the authority that God has given you (Joshua 1:5). God gives you authority when you walk in His purposes. He told Joshua although there had been battles before and ahead, Joshua had His authority, and nothing would overcome him. God didn't say there would be no opposition, but He said to be bold and strong to go forward because God would never leave him. You may be facing challenges at this moment, but you can know the Lord's presence with you. We need to ask for the authority of Holy Spirit, the presence of God upon us as we go out into the culture of the world. It was this authority that brought rapid growth for the disciples and the early church after Pentecost (Acts 1:8). To get ready for new conquest we need more of the Holy Spirit, and to desire the presence of God every day. His Spirit gives us the authority to stand strong and take new ground. 5. Know that your commitment to the word of God is key to your success (Joshua 1:8). Joshua needed to understand that God's words were what would give him the strength to go on and the courage to lead the people. If we want to see this generation saved we must come to a new level in our devotional time. Become resilient in your knowledge of the Bible. It will protect you and bless you. We must be bold to declare the word of God. We must meditate on it, pursue it, and live by it. The Bible teaches that the power of the tongue brings life and death. What you speak out is important. Keep words of faith and life on your lips at all times. Look at situations through the living word of God. When you are declaring the promises of God, you are speaking faith into action (2 Corinthians 9:8; Isaiah 61:1). You can see a great move of God in your life. Maybe you have allowed thoughts to come in and tell you that your dreams will always only be a dream, other people in your family have tried to make things happen but never succeeded. But you are of the Joshua generation. We can see a great move of God in this nation with many people saved and families restored. It is time to throw off negativity and failures of the past. Rise up to the position that God has for you, visualise what you can conquer, take steps of faith and stand upon the word, for as we read in Joshua 1, the Lord is going to help take possession of the land He has for us.
It???s easy to think that the men of the Bible must have been paragons of virtue and perfection, but when we read the Bible we quickly discover that nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the men God used for His purposes were terrible???and yet God used them in spite of them. Even Moses had a skeleton in his family closet. That???s out topic today on Foundations.Your support sends the gospel to every corner of Australia through broadcast, online and print media: https://www.vision.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Sh'lakh, sometimes referred to as Sh'lakh L'kha [Numbers 13-15], is taken up mostly with the story of the Spies [Numbers 13-14], whose account to Moses and the people led to the adults of the generation of the Exodus dying in the wilderness. The only two adults who left Egypt and entered the land of Canaan are Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who saw the land for themselves and were prepared to conquer it. Even Moses and Aaron, both of whom survive into the fortieth year of wandering, die just short of entrance into the land. Each time one reads the story one finds it perplexing. What exactly did the spies do wrong? Was it really such a catastrophic sin? worse even than the Golden Calf? We spent our entire time discussing this enigmatic story, and still felt as if we had barely penetrated its surface. We are ever mindful of the hostages and their families, and the men and women who defend Israel as soldiers in the Israel Defense Force. May the hostages be speedily returned to their homes; may the soldiers be removed from harm's way. Shabbat Shalom.
When you're in the thick of it, it may seem impossible to see the forest for the trees. That's where we are in Exodus today, when Moses and the people are being even more oppressed by Pharaoh. It feels like there's no way out. Even Moses will begin to waver, wondering why all this is happening. But God is great even when we're wondering about the next chapter in our story. We may feel stuck on a particular page but He has already written a happy ending for us.
God uses everyday, on-the-street people, and He's intentionally inviting us to participate in His work in the world. Even Moses felt unqualified when God first called him, but God worked through his weakness to bring freedom to Israel. In this episode, Pastor Andrea and Pastor Peter discuss what it means to cultivate a willing heart and offer the ordinary in our lives to God. What's God prompting you to offer up or do today to participate in His work?
March 6, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 10:1-12Daily Lectionary: Genesis 37:1-36, Mark 10:1-12And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” (Mark 10:2-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is one of those hard passages of Scripture that makes people cringe at how out of date Jesus is. Surely Jesus isn't telling us that divorce is unlawful, because Jesus understands that we all live in the real world. Even Moses and the Pharisees understood this reality, so surely Jesus would provide a little more leeway. But Jesus claps back, informing them that the only reason Moses allowed for the “certificate of divorce” loophole was because of their hardness of heart. Jesus doesn't take the easy way out and try to untangle the legal mess, instead He points out that the primary issue here is the hardness of heart in regard to the will of God. Hard hearts are not receptive to the will of God, which means they cause us to sin, cause others to sin against us, and cause us to compound each other's sins. Hard hearts are not hearts softened by the Word of God, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. Instead of treating each other according to the fruit of the Spirit, even in our marriages, hard hearts have marriages shaped by the works of the flesh marked by such things as idolatry, sexual immorality, jealousy, enmity, anger, etc. It's easy to see why marriages formed this way would lead to divorce. Yet, it's also clear that this supposed loophole isn't really a loophole at all. This is because the answer to the fruits of our hard hearts and prevalent sin is not a loophole in the Law that we can claim to avoid accountability. In the face of God's Law the answer is not a good lawyer to argue our case, pull some fancy legal maneuver, and get us acquitted on a technicality. No. The answer to the Law's condemnation, to the hardness of all of our hearts, is to plead our guilt, and beg the mercy of our judge. But thanks be to God it is His joy to have mercy on His beloved in the name of Jesus, His only begotten Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.On my heart imprint Your image Blessed Jesus, King of grace,That life's riches, cares, and pleasures Never may Your work erase;Let the clear inscription be: Jesus crucified for me,Is my life, my hope's foundation, and my glory and salvation (LSB 422)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.
Sometimes God directs His people in a desert to teach them a lesson. Even Moses was sent into the wilderness for forty years. In this message, Pastor Lutzer describes Moses' life in obscurity, preparing him for leadership. Our deserts test the depths of our yieldedness to God. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001.
Sometimes God directs His people in a desert to teach them a lesson. Even Moses was sent into the wilderness for forty years. In this message, Pastor Lutzer describes Moses' life in obscurity, preparing him for leadership. Our deserts test the depths of our yieldedness to God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1407/29
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11/16/2023 ☆"At This Moment"☆ If Eve had consulted with her Husband and if Adam had Consulted with God his Creator, the WORLD would not be in the shape it's in, "At This Moment" "At This Moment", because Adam Loved Eve so much he couldn't Think straight! He deliberately partook of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil with the intent to protect and save Eve, little did he realize the the Word of God is Etched in Stone and being a man who cultivated the garden did not realize that what we sow we also will reap! [ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' ” And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.” So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. Exodus 32:7-9, 15-20 ] Even Moses on top of Mount Sinai after receiving Commandments from God Most High, before he could even get down from the Mountain and Share the WORD with the children of Israel after coming out of slavery for 400 years were already Breaking the Commandments and when you Break One you've Broken Then All! Hear Me Now! [ Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder. Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgement. James 2:10-13 ] In His Care, L. R.
Hear a passage, understand the passage, apply it to your life, all in about 10 minutes a day with ADDBIBLE®, Audio Daily Devotions from The Ezra Project.
If we want to know that we can trust God, all we need to do is look to the cross. In this episode, Dot and Cara continue their series on faith by looking at a time when Moses struggled to believe God. They explain why we're not supposed to test God's word and remind us that even when our faith feels small, our God is big. Grab your Bible and join us! Episode RecapStart by writing down Numbers 13:17-20 (0:12)Today we're continuing our series on faith with a conversation about Moses (2:00)Even Moses had a breach of faith (5:27)We're not supposed to test God's word (10:47)If God is good and powerful, then we can trust what He says (17:31)It's not about the size of our faith, it's about the size of our God (26:14)We don't always know how God will use our heartache (33:32)The cross is the ultimate proof that God is trustworthy (39:25)Resources:Send us an email to let us know what you're learning - hello@dotbowen.comLearn more about the 2024 Breathe Retreat
Deuteronomy 1:30-31 In the opening chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of their history. The journey from the Nile river to the promised land of Canaan took less than two weeks. When they arrived in Kadesh-barnea, just south of the border with Canaan, Moses encouraged them to enter the land that God had promised to give them. But the people were cautious. They suggested spies should be sent in, to find out whether it was safe to proceed. When the 12 spies returned, most focused on the problems. They reported that the inhabitants of the promised land were taller and more powerful than they were, and their towns and walls were enormous. They even said they had seen giants. This was enough to scare the Israelites, who suggested it would be better to head back to slavery in Egypt. The fact that two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, gave a very positive report did nothing to calm their nerves. God responded angrily. The spies' report was based on 40 days in the promised land, and so God punished them with 40 years in the wilderness. They had to wait for a new generation to arise, and only Joshua and Caleb were permitted to enter into Canaan. Even Moses himself was not allowed to enter it. The message of Moses' sermon is that God can be trusted completely. He goes in front of us, preparing the way and, so, there is no need to be anxious. He cares for us in just the same way as a father cares for his children. We don't need to investigate every aspect of the future. We can simply trust ourselves to him. QUESTION As you think of your own future are you convinced that God can be trusted to lead you in the right way? PRAYER Loving God, thank you that you promise to be with me every moment, whatever the future holds. Help me to place my complete confidence in you. Amen
The Israelites spoke truth to the situation they were now encountering. Do you blame them for calling out Moses and Aaron? What would you have done? Even Moses turned to the Lord and questioned why he had been sent before Pharaoh only for the Israelites to endure more evil and punishment. Thankfully Moses turned to God first even if it was in a questioning manner. How often I try to resolve a problem, situation or a simple issue on my own without seeking guidance from God. Sometimes we suffer retaliation or persecution. Where do we go first? Ask God to help you seek Him and His guidance in all situations. The answer may not be immediate but remember that He's in the midst of the storm with you as you practice faith, trust and obedience. You're never alone. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whengodwhispers/message
Even Moses didn't believe he was above prejudice.Support the show
Being selected to follow an outstanding leader can be difficult, if not downright impossible. How do you prevent comparisons? The book of Joshua begins with news that would have made headlines for weeks: “Moses my servant is dead” (v. 2). Without a doubt, it was the topic of conversation at every dinner table. But while Moses’ life may have been over, God’s commitment to the Israelites was not. Joshua most likely had a hunch that he would take up the mantle of leadership. But that did not mean he felt confident. Even Moses’ second- in-command suffered from impostor syndrome and wondered if he was the right person for the job. God continually reminded Joshua that he would not be alone (v. 5). Notice in Joshua 1, that three times God commands Joshua to be “strong and courageous” (vv. 6, 7, 9). God also assures victory: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life” (v. 5). The Lord reminded Joshua that he should follow Moses’ example in trusting and obeying the Book of the Law (vv. 7–8). God commanded Joshua to meditate on the Torah day and night. Having God’s Word continually on his mind and lips would not guarantee that his life and leadership would be without struggle. But knowing God’s Word would give him strength and courage, helping Joshua overcome significant challenges. Leaders who replace legends sometimes fall into the trap of trying to prove themselves. But the answer doesn’t lie within us. Instead, God wants His appointed leaders to trust that if they are faithful to Him, He will continue to be faithful to them. He gives them courage to lead. >> One way to be a godly leader is to keep God’s Word always on your lips and your mind. Consider some of the daily verses from this month’s study to memorize. Commit to memorizing them so you can recall them when you face difficult moments.
Many movies have been made about Moses. We can see that even since birth, his life has been protected and led by God. God had huge plans for him. Sometimes, we argue with God or doubt His power in us. Even Moses, who had the privilege of hearing God's voice, struggled with that. We are reading Exodus 1 through 4. If you have been blessed by this podcast and would like to show your support with a $1 donation, please go to paypal.me/hcharltoncrespin. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bedtimebiblestoriesadults/support
Israel rejected God's plan for taking the land of Canaan which resulted in their 40-year wilderness wandering. Even Moses was denied access to the promised land. Joshua replaced Moses as Israel's leader and finally led a successful campaign into that bountiful place of rest promised to Abraham so long ago.----------------------------Please follow us on these platforms:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JointhesearchTimTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jointhesearchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointhesearchtodayFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jointhesearchtodayYou can email us at thesearchwithclintandshahe@gmail.com
The Israelite faith in God is getting weaker as they are hungry, afraid, and desire what little they had as slaves in Egypt. Even Moses is struggling to understand how God will be able to take care of everyone. God responds to these doubts by sending an incredible amount of quail to feed everyone and the Israelites begin to lust over it. God responds to this with a plague for they continued to reject Him even though He provided for their needs. So remember to look to God for your daily needs and be thankful for what He provides.TBC Lead Pastor Connor Kraus fills us in on more of the details from chapter 11 of Numbers. Oh, and, Connie Hall returns once again to talk with Jason about food they have indulged in too much.If you would like to watch the video podcast, find us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMhDfGn0zfzi6XjcKkSVcFAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/discovertbcInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/topekabiblechurchWebsite: https://www.discovertbc.com/
Life Group Leaders' NotesSeries: Living God's Way Key Text: Exodus 20:16Britain's Prince Harry has written a new memoir called ‘Spare' which will likely rank among the bestselling memoirs of all time. One of the reasons for this is that he spills the dirt, as they say, on Britain's royal family. He makes many accusations that may or may not be true since, as the late Queen said, ‘recollections may vary.' Consequently, and unsurprisingly, his negative words have caused great hurt and division and may have damaged family relationships beyond repair. Words matter and they have great power to build or destroy, whether they come from the lips of a prince or from our own mouths. For we too each have to choose whether we will speak in a way that builds up or tears down. The Bible has a great deal to say about guarding our mouths and telling the truth (Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 21:23).As we continue our series on the Ten Commandments, we come to the ninth commandment which focusses on how we speak. We read in Exodus 20:16 that God commands that ‘you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.' This is often shortened to, ‘You shall not lie.' While this is true, it does not give the full picture of what this commandment is saying. For it covers a wider application of not speaking falsely about anyone. Not speaking falsely means that you must not give a false account. You must not lie about another person, you must not speak in such a way that you that gives an incorrect and damaging picture of another person, you must not gossip about another person, you must tell the truth (Exodus 23:1-3). The Bible contains several warnings against false witnesses who lie and spread false reports. Speaking in an untrue way against someone is a big deal.1. God Hates Lying And False Testimony (John 8:44; Revelation 10:12; Proverbs 12:22; Proverbs 6:16-19)2. Lying And False Testimony Are Very Destructive (Psalm 101:7; Psalm 24:2-3; Exodus 16:2-3)3. Lying And False Testimony Will Be Judged By God (1 Kings 21; Acts 5; Proverbs 19:9; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:14-15; Colossians 3:9-10; Matthew 18:15-16; 1 Timothy 5:19; Ephesians 4:25,29; 1 Peter 3:10; Psalm 19:14)Apply1) God Hates Lying And False TestimonyGod is a holy God. He is a God of truth and justice. It is impossible for Him to lie. There is nothing devious, dark or underhanded about Him. Satan, however, is the complete opposite (John 8:44; Revelation 10:12 AMP). Lying therefore is a work of the Devil. So, if you lie or speak falsely about someone you are actually doing the Devil's work. When you unjustly accuse someone and damage their good name, you have become a spokesman or woman for the kingdom of darkness. Some religious people may think that to badmouth someone really isn't so important when compared with other sins. But you would be very wrong. For God is not indifferent to any of this. In fact, He hates it (Proverbs 12:22; Proverbs 6:16-19 MSG). So if you have lied or gossiped about anyone or listened to negative talk behind people's back, you need to understand just how displeasing this is to the Lord. 2) Lying And False Testimony Are Very Destructive- It's destructive to individuals: starting with you personally. For lying and false testimony will erode your conscience since the more you do it the less you will worry about it. Lying and false testimony will ruin your character since you will become a more unfaithful person who doesn't care about doing right. Not least lying and false testimony will block your relationship with God (Psalm 101:7; Psalm 24:2-3). Not only is false speech damaging to the person who gossips, it also poisons those who listen to it which is why you should distance yourself from those who are full of accusation and criticism. And it is destructive to the one on the receiving end of the negative words. Sadly, significant numbers of people have suffered depression or taken their lives because they could not take any more verbal assaults.- It's destructive to leaders: The kingdom of darkness does not want any kind of authority so that there can be disorder and chaos. Criticism and negative speech is one of the most commonly used weapons in Satan's armoury against leaders. So many leaders, both political and spiritual, have suffered because of non-stop criticism (e.g. Margaret Thatcher). Moses, one of the greatest figures of history who led Israel from the slavery of Egypt, conquered the plagues of Egypt, but had a very tough job trying to overcome the plague of constant gossip against him (Exodus 16:2-3). Even Moses's family, in particular his brother and sister, were criticising him. They knew that Moses was called and anointed by God, but they also felt that they were qualified to criticise him. That became very destructive. - It's destructive to churches: A church remains strong when there is faithful speech towards the pastors, leaders and members. But it is weakened when a culture of criticism comes in. Sir Fred Catherwood wrote: ‘gossip is the curse of most churches.' Gossip about other people is aimed to reduce their reputation and raise our own. When Pastor Billy Richards started this church, he insisted from the beginning that one of the values would be to have no gossip. All these years later let's continue to be a church that always aims for the highest standards of speech and has zero tolerance for dishonouring words. - It's destructive to communities and nations: So many people throughout history have suffered violence and death because of people telling lies (e.g. Emmett Till; the division of India/Pakistan; 14th century European Jews during the Black death; Hitler's Holocaust; the whisper campaign towards the Arab's before Israel's War of Independence). Words matter, truth matters. Christians of all people should know just how important it is not to bear false witness. For it was because of false witnesses that the case was made to crucify Jesus. He who was the way, the truth and the life, was put to death on the basis of lies….lies that so called religious people were happy to spread.3. Lying And False Testimony Will Be Judged By GodWe see different examples of this in the Bible (1 Kings 21; Acts 5; Proverbs 19:9; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:14-15). All in pretty serious stuff showing us why we should be careful to obey the ninth commandment, for sooner or later God will judge those who lie and bear false witness. So if you are guilty of breaking this commandment you must:- Repent: Stop lying. Stop gossiping about people and painting them in a bad light. Apologise to the Lord and where possible to the people you have damaged. Turn your back on this sinful way of speaking (Colossians 3:9-10).- Resolve any issues in a godly way: If you have a problem with someone don't talk about them, go and talk to them with a good attitude (Matthew 18:15-16) If you have a problem with a leader, then go to the leadership group responsible for the spiritual oversight of the church (1 Timothy 5:19). - Decide to speak positively not negatively: (Ephesians 4:25,29). If we live and speak this way, for sure we will have a blessed life (1 Peter 3:10; Psalm 19:14).
Life Group Leaders' NotesSeries: Living God's Way Key Text: Exodus 20:16Britain's Prince Harry has written a new memoir called ‘Spare' which will likely rank among the bestselling memoirs of all time. One of the reasons for this is that he spills the dirt, as they say, on Britain's royal family. He makes many accusations that may or may not be true since, as the late Queen said, ‘recollections may vary.' Consequently, and unsurprisingly, his negative words have caused great hurt and division and may have damaged family relationships beyond repair. Words matter and they have great power to build or destroy, whether they come from the lips of a prince or from our own mouths. For we too each have to choose whether we will speak in a way that builds up or tears down. The Bible has a great deal to say about guarding our mouths and telling the truth (Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 21:23).As we continue our series on the Ten Commandments, we come to the ninth commandment which focusses on how we speak. We read in Exodus 20:16 that God commands that ‘you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.' This is often shortened to, ‘You shall not lie.' While this is true, it does not give the full picture of what this commandment is saying. For it covers a wider application of not speaking falsely about anyone. Not speaking falsely means that you must not give a false account. You must not lie about another person, you must not speak in such a way that you that gives an incorrect and damaging picture of another person, you must not gossip about another person, you must tell the truth (Exodus 23:1-3). The Bible contains several warnings against false witnesses who lie and spread false reports. Speaking in an untrue way against someone is a big deal.1. God Hates Lying And False Testimony (John 8:44; Revelation 10:12; Proverbs 12:22; Proverbs 6:16-19)2. Lying And False Testimony Are Very Destructive (Psalm 101:7; Psalm 24:2-3; Exodus 16:2-3)3. Lying And False Testimony Will Be Judged By God (1 Kings 21; Acts 5; Proverbs 19:9; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:14-15; Colossians 3:9-10; Matthew 18:15-16; 1 Timothy 5:19; Ephesians 4:25,29; 1 Peter 3:10; Psalm 19:14)Apply1) God Hates Lying And False TestimonyGod is a holy God. He is a God of truth and justice. It is impossible for Him to lie. There is nothing devious, dark or underhanded about Him. Satan, however, is the complete opposite (John 8:44; Revelation 10:12 AMP). Lying therefore is a work of the Devil. So, if you lie or speak falsely about someone you are actually doing the Devil's work. When you unjustly accuse someone and damage their good name, you have become a spokesman or woman for the kingdom of darkness. Some religious people may think that to badmouth someone really isn't so important when compared with other sins. But you would be very wrong. For God is not indifferent to any of this. In fact, He hates it (Proverbs 12:22; Proverbs 6:16-19 MSG). So if you have lied or gossiped about anyone or listened to negative talk behind people's back, you need to understand just how displeasing this is to the Lord. 2) Lying And False Testimony Are Very Destructive- It's destructive to individuals: starting with you personally. For lying and false testimony will erode your conscience since the more you do it the less you will worry about it. Lying and false testimony will ruin your character since you will become a more unfaithful person who doesn't care about doing right. Not least lying and false testimony will block your relationship with God (Psalm 101:7; Psalm 24:2-3). Not only is false speech damaging to the person who gossips, it also poisons those who listen to it which is why you should distance yourself from those who are full of accusation and criticism. And it is destructive to the one on the receiving end of the negative words. Sadly, significant numbers of people have suffered depression or taken their lives because they could not take any more verbal assaults.- It's destructive to leaders: The kingdom of darkness does not want any kind of authority so that there can be disorder and chaos. Criticism and negative speech is one of the most commonly used weapons in Satan's armoury against leaders. So many leaders, both political and spiritual, have suffered because of non-stop criticism (e.g. Margaret Thatcher). Moses, one of the greatest figures of history who led Israel from the slavery of Egypt, conquered the plagues of Egypt, but had a very tough job trying to overcome the plague of constant gossip against him (Exodus 16:2-3). Even Moses's family, in particular his brother and sister, were criticising him. They knew that Moses was called and anointed by God, but they also felt that they were qualified to criticise him. That became very destructive. - It's destructive to churches: A church remains strong when there is faithful speech towards the pastors, leaders and members. But it is weakened when a culture of criticism comes in. Sir Fred Catherwood wrote: ‘gossip is the curse of most churches.' Gossip about other people is aimed to reduce their reputation and raise our own. When Pastor Billy Richards started this church, he insisted from the beginning that one of the values would be to have no gossip. All these years later let's continue to be a church that always aims for the highest standards of speech and has zero tolerance for dishonouring words. - It's destructive to communities and nations: So many people throughout history have suffered violence and death because of people telling lies (e.g. Emmett Till; the division of India/Pakistan; 14th century European Jews during the Black death; Hitler's Holocaust; the whisper campaign towards the Arab's before Israel's War of Independence). Words matter, truth matters. Christians of all people should know just how important it is not to bear false witness. For it was because of false witnesses that the case was made to crucify Jesus. He who was the way, the truth and the life, was put to death on the basis of lies….lies that so called religious people were happy to spread.3. Lying And False Testimony Will Be Judged By GodWe see different examples of this in the Bible (1 Kings 21; Acts 5; Proverbs 19:9; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:14-15). All in pretty serious stuff showing us why we should be careful to obey the ninth commandment, for sooner or later God will judge those who lie and bear false witness. So if you are guilty of breaking this commandment you must:- Repent: Stop lying. Stop gossiping about people and painting them in a bad light. Apologise to the Lord and where possible to the people you have damaged. Turn your back on this sinful way of speaking (Colossians 3:9-10).- Resolve any issues in a godly way: If you have a problem with someone don't talk about them, go and talk to them with a good attitude (Matthew 18:15-16) If you have a problem with a leader, then go to the leadership group responsible for the spiritual oversight of the church (1 Timothy 5:19). - Decide to speak positively not negatively: (Ephesians 4:25,29). If we live and speak this way, for sure we will have a blessed life (1 Peter 3:10; Psalm 19:14).
Whether we've lost a job, a home, or any kind of hope, we know life is hard. Even Moses's life confirmed this while he was on the run, living in a desert. In this message, we walk through three deeper lessons from the wilderness: servanthood, trust, and obedience. What do we do when life is hard and our options are few? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/172/29
Whether we've lost a job, a home, or any kind of hope, we know life is hard. Even Moses's life confirmed this while he was on the run, living in a desert. In this message, we walk through three deeper lessons from the wilderness: servanthood, trust, and obedience. What do we do when life is hard and our options are few? This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337.
Looking into the Bible from Beginning to end everything and everyone was in the right place at the right time.Sometimes it was at the right time in the right place. Looking at Abraham and Sarah they were in the right place at the right time. All of the old Saints of God went through out what went on with them they were in places to blessed. Even Moses in his disobedience yet in the place at the right time. Did not go into the Promised Land but got to see it.
We were created to live in the presence of God. It's where we belong, yet holy encounters are often unexpected. Even Moses questioned God's direction for his life in Exodus 3:1-14 at the burning bush. Through worship, we can also encounter God in our daily lives, and like Moses leading a nation into freedom, obedience always leads to life change.
Why are we reluctant to obey some of the very basic commandments of God? It's easy to do. Even Moses struggled at times. Join us today as we continue our exciting series called Rescued.
In these two chapters, the author of Hebrews is encouraging Jewish believers to hold on to their confidence in Jesus by pointing out that he is the only one that can lead them to rest. Even Moses, who was faithful to his calling, couldn't succeed at leading the Israelites to rest, but we have access to God's rest in Jesus. We'll end by talking through some practical ways to "strive to enter that rest" (4:11).
Subject: Luke 20:27-40 Speaker or Performer: R.G. Murray Scripture Passage(s): Luke 20:27-40 Date of Delivery: May 1, 2022
Subject: Luke 20:27-40 Speaker or Performer: R.G. Murray Scripture Passage(s): Luke 20:27-40 Date of Delivery: May 1, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNtQRGAofus
James 4:1-3 4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Sometimes our desire to be right (self-rightness) can stand in the way of God's Righteousness. We can sustain arguments to no avail for the sake of being right, but fail to allow room for God, in all his splendor, to make things right, for his glory's sake. Our ability to suffer wrong or indignation, for the sake of peace, often springs forth a far greater good, which may not always be beneficial for us, but others. We all have an idea of what right looks like, but are we right? Literally and figuratively, I suppose. However, Marriam Webster does not have the final say, God does. So let us begin to remove ourselves from the equation, and patiently allow God to have his perfect work. A perfected will, in you and me, which saves us to the utmost. That is righteousness. Jesus was asked a multitude of questions when he stood before Pontus Pilate. He could have responded with great exception but did not for the greater good. His purpose was not for prolonged philosophical or theological debate, but rather suffering for our sake, without such there would be no redemption, no hope of salvation. David, knowing full well he was anointed king, raised not his hand towards Saul who grew envious and sought to kill him day after day. Even Moses despised and cursed among the press of a multitude, his authority, for 40-years, constantly in question, humbly made his plea before the Lord, that again reflects Righteousness. We ought to be people after God's heart, as the lyrics to the song suggest, as referenced in Psalm 42:10. As the deer panteth for the water So, my soul longeth after Thee You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship Thee. You alone are my strength, my shield To You alone may my spirit yield You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship Thee. How then do we know if our Righteousness is right and pleasing before God? How do we know if our offering is sufficient? Shall it reach the heavenly throne, or shall it return unto us empty as the heavens becomes as brass? There is no secret revelation reserved for private interpretation, God is always reaching out to us, striving to put us in a place where we can hear his voice. John 10:27-28 asserts, 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
A Daily Purpose Bible Study & Devotional a Podcast by Our Given Purpose
It's easy to think that the men of the Bible must have been paragons of virtue and perfection, but when we read the Bible we quickly discover that nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the men God used for His purposes were terrible?and yet God used them in spite of them. Even Moses had a skeleton in his family closet. That's out topic today on Foundations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If I asked everyone in here what is the Glory of God? I would get many diverse answers. I get a vision of a bright light with an image in it when I think about the Glory of God. We often say, "I want to see the Glory of God". Even Moses asked God to show him his Glory. Ex. 33:18-23. What exactly is the Glory of God? We really don't know but I think Pastor Tony Evans gave as good of an explanation as I have ever heard. He simply described it as "God on display". I begin to think about that and there are several areas in which God is on display but this morning we will look at three.
If I asked everyone in here what is the Glory of God? I would get many diverse answers. I get a vision of a bright light with an image in it when I think about the Glory of God. We often say, "I want to see the Glory of God". Even Moses asked God to show him his Glory. Ex. 33:18-23. What exactly is the Glory of God? We really don't know but I think Pastor Tony Evans gave as good of an explanation as I have ever heard. He simply described it as "God on display". I begin to think about that and there are several areas in which God is on display but this morning we will look at three.
As i have shared in past lessons because of Adams actions in the garden of Eden all humanity was burn a sinner needing to be saved . Even Moses who gave the ten commandments was born a sinner needing to be born again , because his nature was fallen as it is for all humanity . If a person could keep the Law perfectly with out sinning they would still go to hell when they died because sin was in the blood of humanity, only though the blood of someone perfect and sinless could introduce a brand new beginning for mankind in the sight of all mighty God. Jesus Christ provided this for the whole world, that's why John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son . Join me in this study of the word of God and see the difference between human performance trying to live the Godly life in contrast to grace and faith in what Jesus introduced to humanity concerning being acceptable to God . Jesus Christ offers everything that a sinner needs to be changed and transformed into a new creature according to 2 Corinthians 5:17 .
What's your favourite excuse to get out of doing something you don't like or don't want to do? No judgement here, cos we totally understand. Even Moses, one of the most pivotal leaders of Israel, gave God many excuses to escape His call. This weekend, we returned to Breaking the Circuit, our sermon series on the book of Exodus. Hear from SP Wilson on how we can rely on God as our Provider to meet the lacks we want to excuse away. Click here for different ways to connect with us. We are the youth and young adults ministry of Grace Assembly of God, Singapore. Follow us: YOUTH - @r_ageyouth, YA - @yayp.grace, CHURCH - @graceag1950
Title: The Breath of Life Text: II Timothy 3:10-17 Fallen Condition Focus: We often struggle being equipped or being ready to do what God would have us to, especially when faced with persecution. Prop: Because the scriptures will help us live godly lives amid great persecution, we must hold fast to what we have learned and believed. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy chapter 3. Last week Paul finished his reality check for Timothy, that although it is possible for the opponents of the truth to be granted the gift of repentance by God which leads to a knowledge of the truth, in the last days instances of fake Christians and false teachers will continue to rise up from within the church. Timothy must be vigilant and avoid and even excommunicate those who continue in unrepentant sin or outright opposition to the gospel. Paul does finish with a hopeful statement that those who are trying to oppose the gospel will not have success among God's true people. That their lies will be exposed and God's people will know them for what they are. I have stated more than once that this epistle flows in an almost stream of consciousness kind of way. But I don't want you to think that this means this letter is aimless or wandery. Quite the contrary. As Paul turns now to Timothy to contrast his faith and practice to the false teachers, he will bring themes back in from chapter 3, 2 and even from all the way back in chapter 1. It is clear that Paul, although not breaking his stride, is laser focused on the purpose of His letter. And although he just gave hope that the true church will not be duped by the false teachers… he wants Timothy to understand that that doesn't mean life will get any easier for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. In fact, it is just the opposite. But Paul gives Timothy the secret to persevere. It is the very breath of God. I am in II Timothy chapter 3. I will start reading in verse 10. I am reading from the CSB but you can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1343 or in whatever version you prefer. Transition: This little transition is the last thing I wrote before editing this sermon. And my word count at this moment was 7250. On average it takes me about a minute to say 100 words. For those, not so great at math, that means this was shaping up to be a 73 minute sermon. As I do every week I did go back through and pare things down. But it is still a long sermon. But it is a powerful one. I trust that you will prepare yourselves accordingly. I.) All who wish to live godly lives will be persecuted by a growing group of opponents, so we must hold fast to what we have learned and believed. (10-14a) a. [Slide 2] 10 – But you have followed i. Paul says YOU, however, YOU have followed. ii. We get the impression that Timothy in this passage stands in stark contrast to what came before. So, what came before? iii. Two groups of people. The nominal Christian, who are weak in faith and practice and are probably Christians in name only. This group is easily influenced by the other group, which are from among them. The opponents of the truth. Those who have slipped in to capture any who will listen to their twisted non-gospel message. iv. Compared to these two groups of people… Timothy is wholly, completely, distinct. He is the opposite. The contrast could not be greater. v. But how? vi. Timothy has followed. Now what he has followed we will save for a moment, first it is important to understand what this word means. vii. It means to know, conform to or to attend. It is a word associated with becoming a disciple. Not only to be intimately acquainted with, but even to practice and mimic or mirror. viii. Paul is probably using the tense of this word to emphasize the continued results of Timothy's following. ix. But what is he following? b. [Slide 3] My teaching i. The possessive “my” at the beginning should be applied to all the items in the list. ii. We may balk at Paul calling some of these things “my” and not Christ's or God's… but understanding the role of an apostle, for Paul to say “my” and connect it to some teaching without qualification… IS to say Christ's or God's. This is exactly what he means by saying “my.” A legitimate apostle is contrasted with those with a different teaching previously mentioned. iii. Interestingly enough, the last list Paul had was 19 characteristics of the visible church in the last days. And it was not a very fun list to study. iv. Here Paul begins a much more satisfying list of 9. And he begins with teaching. Doctrine. v. At the risk of repeating myself, let me reiterate the position of the apostles. Doctrine is not the enemy of the church… it is the very foundation of it. Without doctrine the church does not exist. Without doctrine no man or woman can hope to reach the fullest measure of salvation from sin and death. Indeed, a knowledge of the truth, a wisdom for salvation, is absolutely necessary to be a true believer, let alone living like one. vi. We face the dilemma of how much doctrine is required for this? But let me simply lean into the inner context of this book. What has Paul already taught as his doctrine? vii. Salvation is by grace alone apart from works, which has been given in Christ to God's elect before time began. God knows who are His and He keeps them. God has set apart His people for good works and a noble purpose. God's true children MUST turn from evil. viii. These truths are exactly what Paul means by my doctrine. And so, they are not debatable. They are not something we can agree to disagree on. These truths are what determine of you are a follower of Paul and thus a follower of Christ – or one of the two kinds of people mentioned previously. ix. In what else has Timothy continued to mimic Paul? c. [Slide 4] Conduct i. This means manner of life, or way of life. ii. In essence this is a broad term to refer to the way Paul lived. iii. As far as words go it does not carry the precision we might hope. Does he mean apostle, missionary, tentmaker, preacher, pastor? iv. But since we are in a disciple kind of context, it makes most sense for Paul to be referring to a lifestyle in obedience to God's commands. Those good works and noble purposes being fulfilled in his life as an example to his son in the faith. v. So, Timothy has followed Paul's way of life, his obedience to Christ. d. [Slide 5] Purpose i. Something that has been set forth or set before. A prize, a goal, or depending on the context, the shewbread in the temple. ii. Given the image placed here, and having no other context to really draw from, it seems that this is perhaps an allusion to Christ Himself. iii. Afterall, what greater purpose, goal, and prize could we hope for than Christ who stands at the end of our race? iv. Timothy has mimicked Paul's pursuit of Christ. e. [Slide 6] Faith i. Faith is a tricky word in scripture. ii. Based on its context it can mean the faith meaning the gospel itself. It can mean received faith meaning justification. Or it can mean faithfulness to a commitment or cause. iii. In our context it is difficult to know which to assign. However, since he has already mentioned doctrine and will mention patience, perhaps this is the word between those two. iv. A faithful allegiance to the Lord. v. And so, Timothy has mirrored Paul's allegiance to the Lord. f. [Slide 7] Patience i. The differences between the word for patience and endurance are negligible at best. ii. So we are left to wonder what exactly Paul's intention in mentioning two synonyms would be, and why he would separate them. iii. As I look at this list, it seems that doctrine, conduct, purpose and faith all have a Godward emphasis. Timothy is following the teachings about Christ, obeying Christ, the pursuit of Christ, and the allegiance to Christ. iv. And so, if we apply this patience in keeping with that paradigm, we see an endurance in that belief and practice. It endures. g. [Slide 8] Love i. Love then becomes the pivot point in this discussion. ii. Not only has Timothy mirrored Paul's love for Jesus but also his love for others. iii. A love that is selfless and without ulterior motive. h. [Slide 9] And endurance i. Finally, toward others Paul has been patient and kind. Enduring insults and injury by those who he at one time trusted. ii. People he thought were genuine converts of Christ but have fallen away. And are now opposing him and accusing him of being a false apostle because he was imprisoned for his message. iii. Paul has been patient and longsuffering toward these people. iv. Timothy has mirrored this from Paul. v. In this list we see the antitheses to the list of 19 earlier in the chapter. vi. But Paul is not done. Timothy has also followed Paul… i. [Slide 10] 11 – along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. i. The difficulty here is that while Timothy surely could have mimicked Paul in all he has said, he would not have mimicked Paul in these specific persecutions and sufferings in these three cities. ii. However, Timothy probably would have known about Paul's persecutions there, since he was from Lystra and probably came to Christ during the same mission trip in which these persecutions and sufferings occurred. iii. And it is not unreasonable to conclude that Timothy had, himself, endured a certain measure of persecution and sufferings for the name of Christ, up to an including his time in Ephesus. iv. And so, Timothy did mimic and mirror Paul's persecutions from other men for His faith and pursuit of Christ. v. But now Paul would like to speak of these specifically. j. [Slide 11] What persecutions I endured i. Paul endured these persecutions. Which may seem obvious since he is writing the letter here. ii. But I think probably more what Paul means is that his faith endured. He did not deny Christ through all this. Instead, he stayed on mission. Even in Lystra, where he was stoned outside the city and left for dead. What did he do next? He went right back in and kept preaching. iii. But what is Paul quick to point out about his enduring these persecutions? k. [Slide 12] – and yet the Lord rescued me from them all. i. It is the Lord who not only preserved his life through this, but his faith as well. ii. God knows and keeps His own. He had kept Paul – even through brutal beatings and losing everything for His name. iii. But lest someone assume that Paul and Timothy enduring these persecutions is a sign that they were doing something wrong… l. [Slide 13] 12 – In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted i. Ok so show of hands… who's life verse is this? Anybody? ii. I'm not a betting man. But If I were, I'd put a hefty sum down wagering that this is probably not included in any of the “promises of God” calendars you'd find in your average Christian bookstore. iii. So, what do we make of this verse? iv. If you want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus – you will be persecuted. v. This verse doesn't speak to degree, magnitude, or even martyrdom. Not all are blessed… that's right I said blessed… to die for the name of Christ. vi. But be sure… if you want to live a godly life yet not you but Christ in you… the world will hate you for it, just as they hated Christ. And you will be persecuted. vii. If you want to live a godly life in Christ and are not being persecuted… what does that mean? Prepare yourself… because it is probably coming. m. [Slide 14] 13 – Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. i. The last verse was the first half of the truth statement Paul gives in this section. ii. The follow up statement points to why the first is true. iii. Why will Christians be persecuted for living like Christ? Because evil people and imposters (opponents and nominal Christians) will become worse. iv. What does that mean? v. These evil people and imposters will succeed in their endeavors. Not ultimately of course and not against God's true church, but they will be more successful at… what? vi. Deceiving others and being themselves deceived. vii. Again, Paul brings us back to reality. viii. Yes we may be able to correct our opponents meekly and yes some may be gifted repentance. But the reality is that many won't. ix. Yes our opponents' lies will be discovered and all true believers will know them for what they are… but that doesn't mean their assault will fail to take many with them, nor does it mean they will soften in their conviction toward their own teaching. n. [Slide 15] 14 – But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. i. Timothy should continue to stand in contrast to these men. He should be different. How? ii. He should hold fast to what he has been taught and learned and firmly believed. iii. He ought not to cast aside the teachings he has heard. iv. Due to the context, the answer for what he has learned and believed is yet to be identified but because it is the most important concept to this entire sermon, I'll spoil it for you. It is the Word of God. o. [Slide 16] Passage Truth: Against what his opponents had been saying, Paul relays that he has suffered, indeed all who desire to live a godly life, will suffer persecution in this world, because evil people and imposters will continue to have influence and sway in an increasingly hostile world. p. Passage Application: In light of this, Timothy must continue steadfastly in his faith and practice. He must continue following the teaching and conduct of Paul. q. [Slide 17] Broader Biblical Truth: Looking throughout the whole of scripture we see this truth in the Old Testament as well as the new. Those who are God's true children will live as a peculiar and despised people in a world that continues to increase in its hostility toward the things of God. This often goes in cycles culminating in God's judgement or an outpouring of God's grace. In either case, we continue to look forward to the day that God will finally put the cycles to an end and establish truth forever. r. Broader Biblical Application: Until that day, like Timothy, we must stand firm in our faith and obedience. We must continue to believe what we have been handed down through the ages from Christ. We must continue to turn away from evil and pursue Christ. This world will crumble around us, and we will suffer in this life, but in the life to come, there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. He will wipe them all away. Transition: [Slide 18(blank)] So Paul reveals that living a godly life will lead to suffering because those who oppose God will increase in their deceiving and being deceived. This motivates us to hold fast to what we've believed and continue to obey. But there is another reason to hold fast to what we have firmly believed. It is because what we have received in true faith is able to equip us for the purpose to which God has set us apart. II.) The scriptures, which are profitable to equip us for godly life, have been taught to us by those we trust, so we must hold fast to what we have learned and believed. (14b-17) a. [Slide 19] You know those who taught you, i. And just like that we are back to chapter 1. ii. We've seen things from earlier in chapter 3, we've seen things from chapter 2, and now Paul goes all the way back to the very beginning of the letter. iii. Paul spoke of the heritage of faith that both he and Timothy shared. The Jewish and maternal heritage of Timothy is what Paul is referring to again here. iv. Why should Timothy hold fast to what he was taught? Because he loves and trusts all those who taught him those truths. v. We can contrast this maternal, familial teaching with the weak women letting men creep into their homes to teach them the scriptures. What a stark difference. vi. But their teaching did not rest on their laurels. They did not depend on their position to influence Timothy to receive what they taught. No. They relied on something far greater. b. [Slide 20] 15 - And you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, i. Paul, Timothy's mother and grandmother taught Timothy the scriptures. From infancy. ii. Why do we do catechism? Why do we do children's church and Jr. Church? Why do we do foundations? Why do we do Wednesday Night? iii. All of these ministries are designed from the ground up to equip… FATHERS and MOTHERS and GRANDFATHERS and GRANDMOTHERS to TEACH the BIBLE to our children! iv. I want to take a brief aside and talk a little mono a mono with the parents and grandparents present. v. We have a very simple church. We don't have a lot of programs and that is on purpose. We don't offer lots of “during the week” things. We don't have a normal VBS. And that is on purpose. That is a ministry decision we have made. Why? Because as the leaders of this church we know that what Paul is referencing - what is true of Timothy – is how it shakes out for most people. The primary revealer of God's truth to a young mind IS… not ought to be… but IS their parents and grandparents. vi. Parents and grandparents… these ministries are for you… we have led you to water. But we cannot make you drink. I want you to think about something. Are you teaching your child and grandchildren the Catechism? Does your family as a whole attend Foundations? If not, do you replace these things with regular/daily bible study and application with your children or grandchildren? Do you replace these prompts the leadership has given with memorization of doctrine and deep study and application of the texts of scripture? If the answer to all of this is no or kinda… Why not avail yourself of the opportunity your church is giving you every single week? vii. I know – there are no doubt many MANY reasons that you can list for not being able to do the Catechism. I'm sure there are many MANY reasons that you do not come to Foundations with your children or grandchildren. And I'm sure there are many MANY reasons that you cannot make a zoom call on Wednesday Nights. But, I can confidently say that all your reasons have solutions. Do not make the mistake of excusing yourself too quickly from these opportunities. Opportunities provided by the church leadership to equip yourself for a discussion of biblical truth and doctrinal memorization with your kids. viii. Did you know that Jr. Church lessons tie in with Foundations bible study? Most of the time they are ahead of foundations because we move a little slower in foundations. Do you realize that your children are being taught on their level the same things we are interacting with in Foundations. Fathers and Mothers, Grandfathers and Grandmothers – avail yourself of this opportunity. You have a chance to take the same lesson they learned last Sunday, heard again this Sunday, and apply it to their life every day this week! ix. I do not wish to boast… but in my opinion the leadership of this church have designed something that could revolutionize your family worship during the week. So here is the 10 billion dollar question… If you are doing nothing else, or have been thinking “man we really need to do some family worship and devotions together” why are you saying no to that opportunity? x. The very reason Timothy was strong in his faith… was because his mother and grandmother taught him the scriptures from INFANCY. xi. Parents… the time to teach your children the scriptures is not when they are able to sit through a lesson. It is now. xii. Why? c. [Slide 21] Which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. i. The scriptures have a huge role to play. ii. Paul gives a multi-pronged truth statement for why Timothy should hold fast to his heritage of faith rooted in scriptural teaching. iii. And these truth statements highlight the primacy of God's word. iv. There is nothing greater to teach, than the word of God. v. Why? vi. They are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. vii. This is a layered sentence that takes a little effort to unpack. viii. First, the scriptures are able to give wisdom for salvation. Two points here 1. The scriptures, taught, read, preached, heard – are the means God's uses to impart wisdom that leads to salvation. A good story is fine. Even your personal testimony is fine. But the words of God have power. They will not return to Him void. So as you give your testimony, if it does not include at least an allusion to scripture… add it. 2. The scriptures are not guaranteed to make someone wise. The scripture, taught, preached, read, heard – is not the magic pill or secret sauce of someone being given wisdom for salvation. What is responsible for this gifting of wisdom? God alone. He uses His word, yes. But He must open the minds and eyes of someone to see and receive that wisdom. ix. Second, it is through Christ. 1. This salvation that the scriptures can make us wise for, is through faith in Christ alone 2. It is not by our wisdom that we attain salvation. It is not our understanding or affirmation of certain things. 3. Rather the scriptures open our eyes to the desperate need we have for Christ. That if Christ's death was not given for us, that if we were not included in His sacrifice, then there is no hope for us. 4. That wisdom goes hand in hand with God's granting repentance. We reject all other ways of seeking salvation in our own devices and cry out to God in dependance on Christ alone, knowing that our crying out does not save us… only Christ does. x. But the profit of the scriptures for all who believe does not end at justification. d. [Slide 22] 16 – All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable i. First, the power of scripture is rooted in is nature. ii. It is because they are Inspired by God. Many times we see this verse and we think in one direction. All the books of the bible are inspired by God. Which is true. But we also need to think the other direction which is how our church father's received the text of our bible. All God-inspired or God's breathed words are scripture. The process for deciding whether or not they were God-breathed is well-documented and not steeped in nearly the controversy that the outside world would accuse it of having. iii. Our bible, the 66 preserved and canonized books, are God-breathed. They have testimony of God's thoughts. They have His fingerprints all over them. How do we know? iv. They are profitable. They give true Christians great benefit. Incidentally this is one of the standards accepted by the early church councils for what would be received as scripture. Has this text been profitable for God's people? v. But what profit are the scriptures beyond a wisdom for salvation? e. [Slide 23] For teaching i. By teaching, Paul means doctrine. ii. What is true about God. What is true about man. What is true about sin. What is true about the world. What is true about salvation. What is true about God's future Kingdom. All this is what the scriptures are profitable to teach. iii. True Christians, when interacting with the Word will walk away infused with new perspectives of themselves, God, and their every day lives. They will be given spiritual insights unattainable by those who do not have the Spirit. They will find threads and connections between books and testaments that other believers have also found through the ages. f. [Slide 24] For rebuking i. Inherent in discovering God's perspective on all things is an ongoing correction of our perspective. ii. We are being washed with the water of the word. We are being confronted with a mirror showing all our mind's flaws and failings. We are being taught to think like God. To have God's mind on all matters. iii. In these first two benefits of the Word God breaks through not only showing us truths we were unable to see before, but also showing us lies we've believed since birth. g. [Slide 25] For correcting i. The final two items in this verse come down to our actions. How we feel, speak and act. ii. First, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the scrpitures reveal to us our own sin. iii. The pages of scripture speak to the fallen condition of man. iv. Every passage of scripture highlights not only ways we think incorrectly but also ways we act incorrectly. Practices and actions we have always done are suddenly brought into the light of God's will and ways. v. We come to the mirror of the word and the Spirit of God uses its sharp edge to cut us to the quick. We are struck with conviction. We stand before God realizing we are wrong. Not in such a way that we are condemned, because in Christ there is no condemnation. Rather we stand before God as wayward sons and daughters seeking his forgiveness for disobedience. Forgiveness he joyously gives to all His dear children along with cleansing from that very kind of unrighteousness. vi. The scriptures are the snap of our loving Father's fingers to wake us to our wrongdoing. h. [Slide 26] For training in righteousness i. But they are not only used for undoing what wrong we are doing but also to instruct us on what right we have neglected to do. ii. We, by the God-breathed words of scripture, do find commands of God to perform. Kindnesses, mercies, and love we must impart to one another. Devotions, commitments, and sacrifices we must give for our God. iii. But like John said, in Christ, we find that all these commands, either to do or not to do, we do not find them burdensome. Rather, in Christ, in His strength, in trusting Him, He gives us grace to do or not do all that scripture shows us. iv. But what is the purpose for all these benefits of the Word? What is the result? i. [Slide 27] 17 – so that the man of God i. Man of God is a title that has a history of being given to prophets of God. ii. A prophet of God took His words and gave them to others. iii. And certainly the scriptures are profitable to the leaders of God's people. How could they not be? Indeed, this gives insight into what exactly the primary role of an Elder/Pastor is within the church. iv. If he does nothing else, he is wholly devoted to the personal study of and teaching of the scriptures. v. But what is good for an Elder is ultimately good for any follower of Christ. We all seek to attain the prize of Christ. We all are being conformed to Him. And so, if the word is profitable in this way, even for those who are church leaders… how much more so for those who are church members. vi. But why? What does the Word of God profit God's true children? So that they… j. [Slide 28] May be complete, equipped for every good work. i. The scriptures' profit to God's children is to complete the work of God in them. ii. They are molded and conformed to the image of Christ. iii. They are complete. They lack nothing. They are without need or want for anything and completely equipped and prepared to do ALL that God has called them to. iv. This is the doctrine of the sufficiency of the scriptures. And it is a BIG deal today. v. What does it teach? vi. If we wish to be complete, to be perfected, to be all that God has called us to be, we need only the Word to do this. Not the word plus psychology. Not the word plus biology. Not the word plus sociology. Not the word plus anything. The Word of God alone prepares us for good works and completes us in Christ. k. [Slide 29] Passage Truth: Paul gives us in these last few verses, a positive truth by which we can be ready for all God has asked of us. It is simply this – God has breathed out every scripture to be profitable in equipping His people to fulfill the purpose for which He set them apart. l. Passage Application: So, Timothy must hold fast to what he has been taught, namely the scriptures, and he must continue to grow by them so that He will be equipped to weather the storm of persecution and hold fast in his faith and obedience. m. [Slide 30] Broader Biblical Truth: Holistically, we know that the bible teaches this of itself. God-breathed words are not only able to bring people to Christ to find salvation, but they are guaranteed to complete and equip all God's people to do and be all that God has asked them to be. David speaks of this in the psalms. The prophets testify to this in their writings. Even Moses declares God's words to be necessary for the children of Israel. They are the words of life. They are bread. They are water. They are life. n. Broader Biblical Application: And so we must endure, we must hold fast to all we have been taught and mimic the examples given before us. But we do not do this simply to follow familial tradition or heritage. The lynchpin in all of this are the God-breathed words found in every single scripture in the text of the bible. Indeed, we are not able to be wise for salvation through faith in Christ, taught, rebuked, corrected, instructed, completed, or equipped for good works without it. Conclusion: [Slide 31(end)] So how do we apply this text to us today CBC? How then shall we live? My friends, the scriptures spoken by people we know, trust, and love. The scriptures taught by those who live it out before us. The scriptures studied and applied. They are a rich bounty to our souls. They are a feast upon which we draw life. They are able to enlighten us as to our sin. They are able to reveal to us our great need. And through the lens of faith in Christ, they can lead us to salvation. They can purify our darkest values. They can strip us bare of our haughtiest thoughts. They can cut away our deepest vices. They can create in us lifestyles of deep and rich significance for the kingdom of God. They can usher our thoughts to the throne room of God. They can press and mold us into Christ. They can fulfill whatever we have been lacking. And they can prepare us for whatever may come. And they can do all this in the midst of great persecution and suffering. Indeed, if anyone sets out to feast on the scriptures in this way, they will be hated for it. If we at CBC ever go away from a deep, extensive commitment to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. If we fall prey to quotes of wise men rather than the All-Wise God. If we concern ourselves with busyness, programs and productions and neglect an intentional and devoted study of God's Word. If we skim the surface of its pages to make it more accessible and palatable for non-believers. If we start paring down certain texts or reinterpreting them to fit our culture so that we may avoid criticism and hatred. My friends, even if I am still your pastor at that time… Leave. My friends, we must hold fast to what we have learned. Endure in what we have believed. We must cling to the scriptures and allow them to conform us to Christ, and equip us to live a godly life. But know this, if we desire this… the world will hate us for it. But dear Christian. My fellow children of God. The very thing the world hates us for will see to it that we endure through their attacks. The very thing they despise in us, God loves. The very thing they seek to destroy in us, God is perfecting. The very thing they consider worthless and wrong, God considers righteous and great treasure in His Kingdom. Are the scriptures a priority in your life, friend? Not theoretical… “Oh yes! Sola Scriptura! We need the bible! The Church should very much be about teaching the bible!” That's great. But that isn't what I am asking. Let me rephrase. Do you pant for it like water in a desert land? Are you planted next to it like a tree next to a stream thriving from its constant supply? As God breathed into the dust to bring life to Adam, does the God-breathed Words of scripture breathe life into you? Or are you satisfied on one meal a week? Can you hold God's breath in your spiritual lungs for 168 hours? Are you completed by a 5 minute story with a scripture verse to match it each day? When was the last time you encountered God's word in your personal study and received teaching, rebuke, correction, and instruction? When was the last time you came from the study of the Breath of God and knew you were equipped to do all that God has called you to? The church today is emaciated. They are starving. They gorge themselves on self-help, Christian problem-solving books, books about the bible, and quick life hacks for spiritual success, but they neglect doing the work of studying the Word of God. And they wonder why they feel ill equipped to be what God wants them to be. And you know what? A Christian who does not desperately need the Words of God, won't be calling himself a Christian for much longer. So, I'll ask one last time and I'll let you think about this question as we close. Are the scriptures a priority in your life?
In many ways, it was hard to avoid getting angry at something during the past year. With the elections, the heated political debates on social media, and all the issues that came up during the pandemic, you probably felt your buttons being pushed at some point. Truth is, we all get angry. But as we'll learn in this week's episode, there's a great cost to holding on to our anger. Even Moses grew angry when he thought the Israelites didn't follow the Word of God. But host Yael Eckstein explores ancient Jewish teachings about what holding onto anger can cost us. And more importantly, what we can gain by letting it go and giving it to God. If you think about it, staying angry only hurts us, but standing in prayer is probably the most constructive thing we can ever do. Listen now – you won't want to miss this episode! For more information on today's episode visit mybiblicalroots.org.
This week we dive into what the Bible has to say about dysfunctional families. What kind of expectations can we have when we live in a fallen world? Every family experiences some type of dysfunction. Even Moses came from a very dysfunctional family but God was able to use him to deliver His chosen people out of bondage and into the promise land.
When you're in the thick of it, it may seem impossible to see the forest for the trees. That's where we are in Exodus today, when Moses and the people are being even more oppressed by Pharaoh. It feels like there's no way out. Even Moses will begin to waver, wondering why all this is happening. But God is great even when we're wondering about the next chapter in our story. We may feel stuck on a particular page but He has already written a happy ending for us.
Dear God I'm Grateful For Order . Everything done in excellence is done so in order. Our God is a God of order and His Will requires us to surrender to his plan and the order of events that he has in store for our lives. He has shown this to be true in His word and he has used Biblical leaders as his examples. . When Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, he first had to leave the very home that enslaved his people. Before Moses could understand the assignment placed on his life, he had the have his “come to Jesus moment” at the burning bush! Once he returned to Egypt to deliver his people, he first had to navigate the hardened heart of Pharaoh, and once the Israelites were finally delivered into the promised land, they first had to endure trials in the wilderness to test their faith and belief in God. Even Moses had a specific order to obey God and trust Him, but ended up disobeying and could not enter into the Promised land with the rest of his people. . Everything was done in God's order and everything we do is called to be done in order. We can't rush the process and we can't undo the past. Everything is to be done in order and obedience to God, from how we worship and pray to how we live our day to day. . As 1 Corinthians 14:40 NLT says, “Be sure that everything is done properly and in order.” . #DearGodImGrateful #Linkinbio #IronWifey #DGIG #Gratitude #Order #GodisaGodofOrder #Ironwifeymagazine #ironwifeypodcastnetwork #christianpodcast #podcastersofinstagram #podcast . STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH ALL THINGS IRONWIFEY: Instagram: @deargodimgrateful | @ironwifey_ | @ironwifeymagazine Twitter: @ironwifey_ Facebook: IronWifey IronWifey Magazine & Podcasts: https://www.ironwifeymagazine.com ( https://www.ironwifeymagazine.com/ ) Please Rate & Review, Like , Comment, & Subscribe! FEATURED MUSIC: Track: SkyHigh — Enine [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: https://youtu.be/q-lf6x9cVXw Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/skyhigh
Parshat Mishpatim: Reincarnation Can Define Your Life’s Mission People are often quick to shrug off communal responsibility. Even Moses himself, when instructed to redeem the People of Israel, made every effort to avoid the mission. What does Jewish tradition say? Is communal work really for everyone? Does reincarnation make an impact? Click here for the class handout
This week we hear from a special guest speaker, Jacob Jester! Jacob teaches us how often people say "No" to God. Even Moses said no to God at first. We need to learn how to become people who says yes to God, then see how He provides the rest!
The main point of this pericope is Moses’ warning to Israel to watch themselves carefully and stay committed to the Lord, lest, through idolatry, they forfeit God’s blessing and experience His judgment. Moses opens this section with a warning for Israel to be very careful to maintain their relationship with the Lord, reminding them, “you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire” (Deut 4:15). Israel’s experience at Mount Sinai was to be instructive, for they had not seen God, and were told not to make an image of anything they thought represented Him, for this would be a false representation and would diminish His attribute of transcendence. The Bible is very clear that “God is Spirit” and does not have physical form (John 4:24). To reduce God to an idol would be to think like the pagans around them, who sought to encapsulate their deities in the form of a physical image. The danger for Israel was that they would adopt the pagan mindset and “act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure” (Deut 4:16a), whether that of a person (Deut 4:16b), or “the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, [or] the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth.” (Deut 4:17-18). There was also a danger they would lift up their eyes “to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven” (Deut 4:19). These were activities prevalent in the culture of Egypt, from which they’d come, as well as activities of the culture of Canaan, to which they were going. Moses reminded them the Lord had taken them “out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today” (Deut 4:20). As a means of inculcation, Moses mentions God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt at least seventeen times in his messages to Israel (Deut 1:27; 4:20, 37; 5:6; 6:12, 21; 7:8; 8:14; 9:12; 9:26; 13:5, 10; 15:15; 16:1; 20:1; 26:8; 29:25). This was to reinforce their prior liberation from slavery, suffering, and idolatry. Moses’ desire was to entrench God’s past deliverance from Egypt into their consciousness and firmly establish their new identity as His special people, who bear a special responsibility before Him and others to live holy lives consistent with His character. Sadly, the first generation of Israelites kept wanting to return to Egypt, and future generations persisted in forgetting God’s deliverance and pursuing idols to worship. Sharing from his personal experience, Moses mentions for the third time his failure to obey the Lord and the consequences that followed, which included God’s refusal to let him enter the land (Deut 4:21-22; cf. Deut 1:37; 3:26-27). "The inheritance could be obtained by faith plus obedience, but it could also be lost by disobedience. Even Moses was excluded from the land of Canaan (i.e., the inheritance) because of his disobedience (Deuteronomy 4:21-22). Clearly Moses will be in heaven, but he forfeited his earthly inheritance. Failure to enter Canaan did not necessarily equate with failure to have eternal life; if so, Canaan provides a poor type of heaven. Even though Israel had become God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22-23), the entire wilderness generation, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, forfeited the inheritance due to the firstborn. God disinherited them, and they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and most of them died there."[1] For a second time in this pericope, Moses cautions them, saying, “So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you” (Deut 4:23). The command for Israel to “watch yourselves” had to do with idolatry in both places (vs. 15 and 23), which Moses reveals is synonymous with forgetting the covenant. “This connection is almost self-evident, for the very essence of the covenant is the truth that there is only one God, the Lord, and the recognition and worship of any other is nothing other than high treason, covenant violation of the grossest kind (cf. Deut 6:4–5).”[2] Idolatry is a sin that degrades God by reducing Him to the form of a creature and brings His judgment upon those who practice it. The reason God judges is because He “is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deut 4:24), who does not share His glory with others (Deut 5:9; 32:16, 21; Isa 42:8; 48:11). “God’s jealousy is His zeal for righteousness that springs from His holiness. He would not tolerate Israel’s allegiance to any other god. The connotation of pettiness that is present in the English word ‘jealousy’ is totally absent from the Hebrew idea.”[3] Healthy jealousy seeks to protect what is properly loved, such as when a husband seeks to protect his wife from harm, or a mother to protect her children from what may injure them. God’s people can know His blessing and avoid His judgments if we live holy lives as He prescribes. "We’re called to be a separated people who are not conformed to this world (2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Rom 12:1–2), and yet the trend today is for churches to pattern ministry after what the world is doing. The philosophy is that the church will attract more people if the lost feel more comfortable with the services. The tragedy is that the sanctuary becomes a theater and “ministry” becomes entertainment. But Scripture and church history make it clear that what Campbell Morgan said is true: “The church did the most for the world when the church was the least like the world.” Jesus didn’t compromise with the world and yet He attracted sinners and ministered effectively to them (Luke 15:1–2). Unless we are a separated people, devoted wholly to the Lord, we can never follow His example."[4] [1] Joseph C. Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings, 4th Edition (Houston, TX: Grace Theology Press, 2018). [2] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 125. [3] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Dt 4:15. [4] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 32.
The efforts of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews to help his readers grasp the transcendent importance of Jesus and the new covenant, over against the old covenant given by God at Sinai, precipitate a new and interesting contrast in Hebrews 12:18–24.On the one hand, Christians “have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire” (12:18)—the reference is clearly to Mount Sinai when God came down upon it and met with Moses. The terror of that theophany is spelled out in graphic terms. God himself declared, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned” (12:20). Even Moses experienced deep fear (Deut. 9:19; Heb. 12:21). Christians have not drawn near to that particular mountain.On the other hand, Christians have come to another mountain. But here the author throws us a curve. At first it sounds as if he is saying that the mountain we approach is not Sinai, connected with the desert and the giving of the law, but Mount Zion, the place where the temple was built in Jerusalem, the seat of the Davidic dynasty. And then suddenly it becomes clear that the text is not focusing on the geographical and historical Zion, but on its antitype: “the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God” (12:22).There is a great deal that could be said about this typology, but I shall restrict myself to two observations.First, it extends to other biblical books. The typology itself is grounded in the return from exile. The hope of the exiles was that they return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem became the symbol of all that was restorative. Already in the literature of second-temple Judaism, Jews sometimes speak of “the new Jerusalem” or the like, which is heavenly, perfect. Similarly in the New Testament. Paul can speak of “the Jerusalem that is above” (Gal. 4:26). The last book of the Bible envisages the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven (Rev. 21).Second, if Christians have “come” to this “heavenly Jerusalem,” what does this in fact mean? It means that by becoming Christians we have joined the assembly of those “gathered” before the presence of the living God. Our citizenship is in heaven; our names are inscribed in heaven. We join the joyful assembly of countless thousands of angels around the throne. In short, we have “come to God, the judge of all men”; we have joined “the spirits of righteous men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). Above all, we have come “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (12:24). Here is the ultimate vision of what it means to be the gathered “church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23). This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.
God declares that even if the great Moses and Samuel were praying for the people, they could not avert the decree of destruction. God then laments the destruction, He must do it, but it is oh so painful.
I Will Show Mercy on Whom I Will Show Mercy Exodus 33:1-18 by William Klock Last Sunday, as we came to the end of Exodus 32, we left Israel and Moses in a very discouraging spot. Yes, on one hand, Israel had been spared destruction, but in exchange, the Lord has all but said that he’s ditching the people. He won’t even refer to them as his people anymore. No, now they’re the Moses’ people, the people that Moses led out of Egypt. The Lord had just established a covenant with the people. “I will be your God and you will by my people,” he had said. He’d given them his law—their end of the covenant—and they’d loudly proclaimed, “All of this we will do!” But all it took was thinking that Moses had been lost on the mountain and they’ve fallen into idolatry. Remember from last week, it wasn’t that they had abandoned the Lord and gone after a different God. It was that they abandoned Moses. Moses was their mediator with the Lord. And now, so they thought, he was gone. So they made the golden calf as a mount—basically a throne—for the Lord. It was their way to summon him back down the mountain. Instead of Moses as mediator, it was no going to be some combination of Aaron and the golden calf. And in that, the calf becomes a parody of the tabernacle, the place where the Lord intended to dwell with and meet with his people—on his terms, not theirs. It’s an awful scene. Here are the people, basically on their honeymoon with the Lord and they’re caught in adultery. First the Lord was furious. He told Moses to get out of the way so that he could destroy the people, but that’s when Moses stepped fully into his role as mediator and pleaded with the Lord. And, notice, he didn’t plead with the Lord that the Israelites really weren’t so bad. You know, sure, they’re having an orgy around a golden idol, but otherwise they’re pretty good people—they tithe, they go to church most of the time, they pack a shoebox every year at Christmas and give their change to poor people. No, Moses doesn’t plead anything like that. He knows the people deserve destruction. They’re a grumbling, unfaithful, adulterous lot. No, Moses pleads the only thing he can: the faithfulness of God. He pleads for mercy based on the Lord’s covenant with Abraham. Brothers and Sisters, that’s the nature of grace. You can’t earn it. It’s totally undeserved. That’s what makes it grace. And so we read in 32:14 that “the Lord relented from the disaster he had spoken of bringing on his people”. “The Lord relented.” Think about that phrase as we move into Chapter 33. The Lord relented. The Lord chose not to destroy the people, but that doesn’t mean everything’s fine. The Lord also announced to Moses that the people would be going on to the promised land without him. The covenant was broken—visibly represented by the smashed stone tablets. He’d make good on his promise and send an angel to lead the people there, but he would not be going himself. Israel would no longer be the people in whose midst he would dwell. That’s where Exodus 33 picks up. Look at verses 1-3: The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Again, notice that the ground for the Lord’s mercy isn’t that Israel isn’t as bad as they look or that they’ve done something else that merits overturning the death sentence. The ground for the Lord’s mercy is his covenant with Abraham and his own faithfulness. The Lord will do what he has promised and he promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the promised land. But he will not be going with them. The covenant with Abraham stands, but Israel has broken their covenant of this new covenant with him. An angel will, instead, lead the way and the Lord commands them to leave. They can no longer camp at the base of his mountain. Notice, though, that even as harsh as this sounds, it’s really a mercy. It can’t be said often enough that the unholy cannot live in the presence of the holy. This isn’t the first time Israel has sinned against the Lord—it’s the worst—but it isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last and without the covenant, which, critically, provided a means of atonement for the sins of the people—without that they would be in danger in the Lord’s presence. So this isn’t the Lord being temperamental. It’s the Lord being merciful and sparing Israel a just punishment. But that doesn’t mean the people aren’t disappointed. Look at verses 4-6: When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. The positive thing here is that Israel obviously takes the Lord’s rebuke to heart. They longed for the Lord’s presence. Again, remember that the whole point of the golden calf was to summon the Lord into their presence when they thought that Moses was gone. Moses had been their mediator and they made the calf to fill that role. They want the Lord. The problem was that they tried to approach him on their terms instead of his—always a dangerous thing to do. So they mourn the news that they will be going on without the Lord. But Moses isn’t done in his role as mediator. He’s not done wrestling with the Lord, so to speak. Look at verses 7-11: Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Moses moves off some good distance from the main camp and pitches a tent, which we’re told, will be the place where he will meet with the Lord. It’s far off. Think again of the adultery imagery of the prophets. Israel has committed adultery and the Lord will no longer enter her presence, but he’s willing to continue to meet Moses at some distance from the camp. This “tent of meeting” is basically a substitute for the tabernacle. The tabernacle was supposed to be the place where the Lord would meet with his people, but since that’s not going to be built—at least for now—Moses pitches a tent where at least he can meet with the Lord. The writer stresses the nature of Moses relationship with the Lord. They meet together face to face. In a similar way, Numbers 12:6-8 says they spoke with each other “mouth to mouth”. The point is to highlight the uniqueness of Moses as a prophet. God speaks to him directly. There’s nothing cryptic or questionable about it. It’s not a dream or a vision. Moses never woke up in the morning and had to wonder if the weird dream he’d had was the Lord or too much pizza the night before. His experience with the Lord was personal and direct. So the Lord descends to the tent in a pillar of cloud as the people anxiously watch from a distance. And Israel, like the bride trying to get a glimpse of her estranged husband, watches from a distance, no doubt anxious, but I think, still with a measure of hope. Moses the mediator is back, he’s meeting with the Lord, maybe he can do something to bring restoration between the Lord and his people. And that’s just what Moses does. Moses speaks to the Lord: Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:12-16) “If you’re not going to go with us, Lord, who will you send?” The Lord had said he would send an angel to guide the people, but Moses wants to know who this angel will be, how’s it going to work. He appeals to the Lord. Back when the Lord first met him and called him, he’d said that he knew Moses by name and that he was favoured in his sight. It’s worth noting that the only other person in the Old Testament of whom the same is said is Noah. It highlights the uniquely close relationship Moses had with the Lord and on this basis Moses asks the Lord, “Show me your ways.” Things have gone horribly wrong. It’s not the Lord’s fault. It’s Israel’s fault. But, still, Moses wants to understand. I think there are probably two main things Moses wants to grasp better. First, he wants to understand what the Lord is about. Why did he choose this fickle and stiff-necked people Israel? Moses understands why the Lord is angry, but he wants to better understand it all. But, second, Moses wants to understand—or maybe we should say to know—the Lord: his ways, his attributes, what guides his actions and dealings with human beings. Moses knows that the Lord is sovereign, but how does he govern? Abraham asked the same sort of question back in Genesis when the Lord announced he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asked, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25) Both men knew that the Lord is not like the gods of the pagans. He’s not capricious or temperamental. Just the opposite, they knew that the Lord acts justly and that, if we can only know him, we might be able to understand—not fully, of course, but at least in part. Psalm 103:7-8 is our oldest commentary on this scene between Moses and the Lord. The Psalmist writes: He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It’s telling in its simplicity. Brothers and Sisters, do you want to understand the ways of the Lord? Know that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is holy and he is just. He punishes sin and he cannot tolerate the unholy in his presence, but he is at the same time profoundly merciful and gracious with sinners. He loves his people, he will set us and the rest of creation to rights. We sometimes get angry and frustrated with God when we see evil in the world or when we’re dealing with our own pain and misery. Why doesn’t he end all the evil in the world? Why doesn’t he punish the bad people. And we forget that we’re part of the problem ourselves. The Lord has a better plan than ours. In his mercy and love he’s sent his Son to forgive and to begin the work of new creation and in his patience he has spared us and continues to spare us that the good news about Jesus, the royal summons to the world’s true Lord, will go out to the nations—so that sinners will know mercy rather than destruction. This is the kind of thing Moses wants to understand, but—specifically—he wants to know what will happen to Israel. He stresses that they are the Lord’s people. That’s what makes Israel different from the other nations. If the Lord has disowned them, if he will not go up with them to the promised land, what is to happen to them. Their fate is bound up with being the Lord’s people. This mixed multitude that went up from Egypt, what is to bind them together, what is to define them if not the Lord? And the Lord responds in verse 18: And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” The Lord responds to Moses, he assents to his request, based on his appeal. The Lord is nothing if not faithful. If he said that Moses had found favour in his sight, Moses has, indeed, found favour in his sight. Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” It’s fascinating to me that Moses has asked the Lord to show him his ways—Moses wants to understand him—and the Lord has agreed, and what does Moses now ask? “Please show me your glory.” He doesn’t ask for theology. He doesn’t ask for philosophy. He doesn’t ask for ethics. He asks to see the Lord’s glory. You see, Moses understood that the Lord’s ways are bound up with his glory. The Lord does what he does because he is glorious and what the Lord does always bring him glory. He shows grace to whom he chooses to show grace and he shows mercy to whom he chooses to show mercy and if you want to understand the who and the why of it, you’ve got to understand the glory of the Lord. I don’t think there’s any easy exposition of this. Like the cross of Jesus, this is something to meditate on, something to let sink in, and something that we’ll never truly plumb the depths of until, like Moses, we’ve seen the glory of the Lord for ourselves. Brothers and Sisters, the glory of the Lord, we see here, is something none of us can bear. I think we see here just why the Lord had to give all those rules to the Israelites. The Lord isn’t out to get Moses here, he wants to show Moses his glory, but even Moses could never bear to see it head-on. Even Moses has to hide in the cleft of a rock with his face covered by his hands. The glory of the Lord is a fearful and dreadful thing to behold—and at the same time something that somehow reveals his profound mercy and love. Now, that’s the end of Chapter 33. As I said last week, we’d ideally look at Chapters 32-34 all at once, but it’s too long to do that, so we’re looking at one chapter a week. And I also said that I want to focus on three themes here. Last week I focused on the nature of the Lord’s covenant with Israel. Next week we’ll look at Moses’ role as mediator between the Lord and his people. We’ve already seen him taking up that role in these last two chapters and we’ll see more of it next week. But today I want to look at this question that arises out of Chapters 32 and 33: Does God change his mind? Again, we read last week that the Lord said he was going to destroy the people. Moses interceded on their behalf and, the text says, “the Lord relented”. And, looking forward to what’s going to happen, we see that despite his announcement that he will not be dwelling in Israel’s midst, the Lord will do just that. Next week we’ll read about the renewal of the covenant. So what’s going on here? Did the Lord change his mind? When Moses appeals to him, reminding him of the covenant with Abraham, was Lord like, “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Or, “Oh, you’re right Moses, I should always count to ten before striking down my people.” Did Moses show the Lord a better way? It raises the question: Is the Lord truly sovereign or not? Our first problem is that the phrase used in Hebrew isn’t easy to translate. “to relent” or “to repent”, as some translations put it, don’t carry the full meaning. The Hebrew word also carries the meaning of consolation. Some have said that the best way to translate it is to say that the Lord had compassion. That’s not exactly right either, but I think it’s closer. But if we look at all the instances of this phrase in the Bible (2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21, Psalm 106, Jeremiah 18, Jeremiah 26, Jonah 3 and 4, Amos 7, Numbers 23, 1 Samuel 15, Malachi 3, Romans 11, Hebrews 6, James 1), they all describe a situation in which the Lord has announced a certain course of action and has announced he is reversing it. But this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t know what he’s doing or that he’s not sovereign. First, these instances highlight the importance of prayer and repentance. Prayer and, most of all, repentance matter. The issue in each case isn’t that God changed. It’s that the people involved changed. They repented and came to the Lord in faith to express that repentance. The Lord punishes sin and rebellion; he blesses repentance and belief. Now, as we saw in our look at Job, it’s more complicated than that, but this is the general trend. But as the Lord said to Moses, he is slow to anger and steadfast in his love. He delights to show mercy and, when he does this, it brings him glory. Israel sinned greatly, but Israel also repented of her sin and the Lord had compassion in response. This is what he said to the people through the prophet Jeremiah: If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. (Jeremiah 18:7-10) This is God’s character, to destroy evil and to bless repentance. You see, the Lord must announce his wrath and judgement or a people will never know that they need to change course, that they need to repent and turn to the Lord. So, no, the Lord isn’t changing his mind. He’s doing what he does and what brings him glory. He’s showing mercy to those who repent and believe. We see this character, this pattern come to full fruit in Jesus. The Lord will set his creation to rights. The Lord will, one day, wipe every last bit of evil, wickedness, rebellion, and corruption from his creation. But he so delights to show grace and mercy, his steadfast love is so deep, that he humbled himself to be born as one of us and ultimately to die for the sake of his enemies, in order to provide a means of deliverance from that coming destruction. Think of Jesus and his ministry. Jesus’ message was both an announcement of God’s coming judgement, but also a call to repentance and faith. In Jesus we see the living embodiment of God’s delight in showing mercy. And in that we see the constancy and faithfulness of God, who never changes, of God who keeps his promises, of God who is faithful to the covenant he has established with his people—and in our case, through the perfect work of Jesus his son. Think on that as you come to the Table this morning. Reflect on the way in which the cross of Jesus reminds us of the absolute faithfulness of God to his promises and to his unchanging character. And, Brothers and Sisters, consider that here as we share the bread and wine, as we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we, like Moses, are given a glimpse of the glory of God. Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for revealing to us both your wrath and your compassion. Without knowing the first, we’d never fully grasp the depth of the second. You hate sin. You hate that we have corrupted your cosmos. You have every right to wipe every last one of us from the face of the earth. But you also delight, you glory, in showing mercy. Teach us to reflect on your love, your mercy, and your grace in light of our sinfulness and the punishment we deserve, a punishment for which only your own Son could pay the price, that we might grasp in some greater way each day the depths of your love for us. Through our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
Rev. George Murdaugh, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Douglasville, Georgia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 15. “Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” Chapter 15 pulls no punches. Saul truly was a good king who was filled with God’s Spirit, obeying in piety and humility. But towards the end of his reign, Saul became increasingly insecure about his power and status, and he eventually “feared the people” more than God. Even Moses pridefully struck the rock after 40 years in defense of his own authority—at the expense of God’s name. But God “is not a man, that he should have regret.” He ousts the kings we have asked for, who always disappoint even despite their faith, in order to establish His Christ, who listens to God and gives us more than we ever dared to ask.
Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Sometimes miracles come when we help each other. Even Moses needed help from those around him. No one makes it alone in this life. John Legend's video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BEGEmSsgs
Sometimes miracles come when we help each other. Even Moses needed help from those around him. No one makes it alone in this life. John Legend's video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BEGEmSsgs
What is all this Shaking About? What is all This Shaking About? What questions are you asking in this season for your own heart? In the middle of pandemics and protests, Earthquakes and famines, God is speaking. Are we listening to what He wants to speak and do in us? Scripture: “Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—“If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified. No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace. So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered. Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” Hebrews 12:18-29 MSG
Hear a passage, understand the passage, apply it to your life, all in about 10 minutes a day with ADDBIBLE®, Audio Daily Devotions from The Ezra Project.
In Exodus 17 we ind out a fundamental truth of our lives...we need help! Even Moses needed help and his father-in-law Jethro had some important considerations for Moses! This sermon looks at the people who help us as we work and love and go about our lives of service to God.
Name The Surah takes its name from verse 25 in which the word Al-Qasas occurs. Lexically, qasas means to relate events in their proper sequence. Thus, from the viewpoint of the meaning too, this word can be a suitable title for this Surah, for in it the detailed story of the Prophet Moses has been related. Period of Revelation As already mentioned in the introduction to Surah An Naml, according to Ibn Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid, Surahs Ash-Shu`araa', An-Naml and Al- Qasas were sent down one after the other. The language, the style and the theme also show that the period of the revelation of these three Surahs is nearly the same. Another reason for their lose resemblance is that the different parts of the Prophet Moses story as mentioned in these surahs together make up a complete story. In Surah Ash Shu`araa', excusing himself for not accepting the office of Prophethood the Prophet Moses submits, "The people of Pharaoh have the charge of a crime against me; therefore, I fear that they will put me to death." Then, when lie goes before Pharaoh, the latter says, "Did we not bring you up as a child in our house? You lived quite a few years of your life among us, and then you did what you did." Nothing more of this has been mentioned there, but in this Surah the other details have been supplied. Similarly, in Surah An-Naml the story starts abruptly from the time when the Prophet Moses was journeying with his family and suddenly saw a fire at a distance. In that Surah nothing has been said about the nature of his journey, or the place he was coming from, or his destination, but this Surah supplies all the necessary details. Thus, the three Surahs read together complete the story of the Prophet Moses (Allah's peace be upon him). Theme and Topics The main theme is to remove the doubts and objections that were being raised against the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and to invalidate the excuses which were being offered for not believing in him. For this purpose, first the story of the Prophet Moses has been related, which, by analogy with the period of revelation, impresses the following points in the listeners mind automatically: First, Allah provides the means and motives of whatever He wills to do, in imperceptible ways. Thus, Allah so arranged things that the child through whom Pharaoh had to be removed from power, was bred and brought up in his own house, and he could not know whom he was fostering. Who can then fight God and frustrate Him by his machinations. Secondly, Prophethood is not granted to a person amid festivities by issuing a proclamation from the earth and heavens. You wonder how Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) has been blessed with Prophethood unexpectedly, all of a sudden, but Moses whom you yourselves acknowledge as a Prophet (v. 48) had also become a Prophet unexpectedly, while on a journey, and nobody had known what event had occurred in the desolation at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Even Moses himself did not know a moment before what he was going to be blessed with. He, in fact, had gone to bring a piece of the fire but had returned with the gift of Prophethood. Thirdly, the person from whom Allah wants to take some service comes out without any army and armor and without an apparent helper or force at his back, yet he puts to rout much stronger and better equipped opponents. The contrast that existed between the strengths of Moses (peace be upon him) and Pharaoh was much more prominent and glaring than that which existed between Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the quraish; yet the world knows who had come out victorious in the end and who had been routed. Fourthly, you refer to Moses again and again and say, "Why has Muhammad not been given the same which was given to Moses? i. e. miracles of the staff, the shining hand, etc. as if to suggest that you would readily believe only if you were shown the kind of the miracles that were shown ...
NUMBERS 12-13:In Numbers 10 we heard about the signals given to the people using two silver trumpets, and about the first journey leaving Mount Sinai. Then we heard of the start of the grumbling against Moses and God. Moses appointed 70 leaders, and God sent quail in response to the people's complaints. Even Moses said some things that sound like complaining to me. But remember the name Kibroth Hattaavah. We have strong evidence that God doesn’t like complainers. PSALM 33:This psalm is full of important wisdom for us! This is the 4th Psalm without a title given by the rabbis. LUKE 21b:Chapter 21 starts with the short account about the widow's offering exceeding (according to heavenly reckoning) the large gifts of the rich. Most of the chapter is Jesus' important prophecies about signs that will occur before he returns. GNT Translation notes:Luk. 21:22 For those will be [the prophecied ‘/‘The] Days of Punishment,’ to make come true all that the Scriptures say. 27 Then [I,] the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. 35 like a trap. For it will [suddenly] come upon all people everywhere on earth.36 Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before [Me,] the Son of Man.” NLT Translation notes:27 Then everyone will see [Me,/0] the Son of Man, coming on a cloud with power and great glory.36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before [me when I come as//0] the Son of Man.”
NUMBERS 12-13:In Numbers 10 yesterday we heard about the signals given to the people using two silver trumpets, and about the first journey leaving Mount Sinai. Then we heard of the start of the grumbling against Moses and God. Moses appointed 70 leaders, and God sent quail in response to the people's complaints. Even Moses said some things that sound like complaining to me. But remember the name Kibroth Hattaavah and what the name means. We have strong evidence that God doesn’t like complainers. PSALM 33:Psalm 33 is full of important wisdom for us! This is the 4th Psalm without a title given by the rabbis. LUKE 21b:As we heard yesterday, Chapter 21 of Luke starts with the short account about the widow's offering exceeding (according to heavenly reckoning) the large gifts of the rich. Most of the chapter is Jesus' important prophecies about signs that will occur before he returns.
Luke 20:27-40 27 Some of the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him. 28 They asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother.[c]29 So there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. 30 The second took her as a wife,[d]31 and so did the third, and in the same way the seven died and left no children. 32 Finally the woman died too. 33 So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.” 34 Jesus said to them, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy to experience that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 In fact, they cannot die any more, for they are like the angels. They are sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection. 37 “Even Moses showed in the account about the burning bush that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord: ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[e]38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.” 39 Some of the experts in the law answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 Then they no longer dared to ask him anything. Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Show Notes Click here to find a nearby congregation or church home. yearbook.wels.net Red Cross Blood Drive, 2-7 PM on November 22. Register at www.redcrossblood.org & use sponsor code RESURRECTION. Resurrection - Maumee: Worship on Wednesdays at 7 PM & Sundays at 9:00 AM. Bible class & Sunday School follow at 10:20 AM. 2250 S. Holland Sylvania Rd - Maumee, OH (419) 262-8280 Zion - Toledo: 3360 Nebraska Ave Worship on Sunday mornings at 10 AM, followed by 11:15 AM Bible Class Interested in having your kids attend Zion School? Contact Principal Scherschel: (509) 847-3148 Hosanna - Monclova: Sunday morning 9 AM Bible class, 10:15 AM Worship 8353 Monclova Rd +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Do you have questions, or want more discussion on a topic? Text Pastor Hagen: (419) 262-8280 Or email: pastorhagen@icloud.com Monday-Friday: Bible reading with brief commentary Saturday Study Podcast: Longer audio from an outside source Sunday Sunday Preview: Preview of the day’s worship service, focusing on the gospel lesson & its theme. All rights reserved. Produced 2019 by Pastor Hagen Many thanks to Koine for the free usage of their music. Support them here: www.koinemusic.com All outside audio sources have been listed, and are believed to be used properly under standard academic usage. Please let Pastor Hagen know if an error or omission has been made in that regard. Find us online: www.resurrectionmaumee.com www.raisedwithjesus.com Facebook: Resurrection Maumee www.facebook.com/resurrectionmaumee Instagram: @raisedwithjesus http://instagram.com/raisedwithjesus/ Twitter: @raisedwithjesus http://twitter.com/raisedwithjesus Youtube: Search for “Resurrection Maumee” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPssBIBdaISa_slxz2Knozw Image used with permission from http://jtbarts.com/gallery/the-word-of-god-series/psalm-119-105-lamp-to-my-feet-light-to-my-path/ EHV - Evangelical Heritage Version (New Testament & Psalms) copyright 2017. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The World English Bible The World English Bible is in the Public Domain. That means that it is not copyrighted. However, "World English Bible" is a Trademark of eBible.org. Bible History Commentary, Werner H. Franzmann. Copyright © 1980 by WELS Board for Parish Education. 2929 North Mayfair Road Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53222 All rights reserved. Published 1980
When the Lord calls us to any ministry, we know we are ready, when we question ourselves and listen to God. Even Moses knew he was not ready for the job the Lord gave him. Moses succeeded so will we, as long as we know we can't do it. For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.com. Thank you.
God wants your life to be filled with love. A life of love is one of peace even in the middle of a storm. Continuously allowing love to be your posture. No matter what the situation you fall back to the posture of love, before you react. In the Old Testament we read about how you could not simply approach God. You had to be a priest and go behind a veil. Even Moses had to wear a veil that covered his whole face when he met with God on the mountain. If you and I wanted to talk to God, we had to petition the priest with livestock and birds. Maybe you wanted to cry to God about a situation, but you first needed to atone for your sins. Maybe 5 birds for telling all the lies, and another 3 goats for looking at your neighbor's wife in lust. Lol. You could not just go to talk to God. Aren't you so pleased that we can now go to God face-to-face? We can talk to Him, at all times and in all places without fear of not having the exact change in livestock. I count that as part of the Good News made available from Jesus. 2 Cornithians 3:17 MSG The 2 Minute Word is made possible by donations from our listerners and from our sponsor Lit-Tickets. Lit-Tickets allow your guest to take home a piece of the Party. Order for your event today www.Lit-Bit.com. Be sure and subscribe to The 2 Minute Word at www.TrisNoH.com.
Hear a passage, understand the passage, apply it to your life, all in about 10 minutes a day with ADDBIBLE®, Audio Daily Devotions from The Ezra Project.
Matt. 28:1-3,5-6Early Sunday morning, as a new day was dawning, suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow! Then the angel spoke to the women, “Don't be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.” The Easter story is surrounded with looking. Soldiers looked at God's Son hanging on the cross; Mary looked at an empty tomb with holy awe; forty days later, the disciples looked up into the sky watching Jesus ascend to Heaven.The Christian faith has always been a “looking” faith. We look at our past long enough to be thankful for what has been done for us; we look at our present with hope and the experience of God's love cascading over our lives; and we look to the future with expectation and urgency. It seems like I've seen ducks all over the place lately, and they are looking for a place to nest and lay eggs. When mowing my lawn years ago, all of a sudden from behind a bush came a duck. I looked, and sure enough there were eggs. When the mother didn't come back, I tried to talk Renee into sitting on those eggs. :)People today are looking, hoping that something good will be birthed into their lives. The resurrection of Jesus gave birth to hope! The disciples went from fear to faith, from despair to delight, from crying to laughing. They were transformed!Martin Luther said of Romans 5 – “In the whole Bible, there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text.” Romans 4:24-25...God will count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.There is a change in the tone of this text from the prior verses. Paul has shifted from they, to you, to we… and joy is leaping off the page as he writes:Romans 5:1-2 NLTTherefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.With awe and wonder, let's peek into the empty tomb and discover what the resurrection of Jesus has purchased for you...We have been made right with God. | PastA look into the past shows Jesus climbed a hill that He formed and was nailed to a tree that He created. He wasn't just nailed to the cross… He took our place! It's there we see a great and shocking exchange. We see extravagant, head-turning love. We were guilty. Sin locked us up and put a death sentence on our lives, but we were legally declared NOT GUILTY! When you look in the past you have to see more than what has been done to you or what you've done to others. You have to see what has been done for you! WE HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHT. Look what we were before faith in Christ: utterly helpless (v.6); still sinners (v.8); still God's enemies (v.10).Before faith in Christ, we set ourselves as enemies of God, and sin made a hostile relationship. We tried to be king of our own lives. Where there are two kings, both laying claim to a certain area or people – there is a war. Humanity is in rebellion to the rightful king—The King of Kings—Jesus.But look how Jesus treats His enemies: In the garden, He heals them; on the cross He prays for them and dies for them. But it's not just them! Do you see what He did for you? HE TOOK YOUR PLACE.Romans 5:6, 8When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. “For us” means “on behalf of.” Jesus took our place.He just didn't die for you, He died in place of you!Col. 2:14 NLTHe canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In Christ we have been redeemed, reconciled… we are purchased by the blood of Jesus! We were made something entirely that we were not. I was the one under a death sentence. I had no way out. But, God didn't come to scare the soldiers away from Jesus. No, God came and out of love, took the place of judgment that was mine so that I could be free! Every day I walk, I'm a free man! And, God doesn't stop with letting us free… He brings us to a place of relationship.We have peace with God. | PresentRomans 5:1-2 NLTTherefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. Undeserved privilege NOW… receiving what you can't earn. My dad when to Heaven in October of last year. Just a few days ago, I was praying in this room, thanking God. A surprising burst of emotions came over me as I thanked the Lord for the way my dad gave me pictures of what God looks like. He would come with his tools, with knowledge that I did not have, skills I did not have. He taught me that the Lord looks like this: He is the Lord your helper! I never had to earn his help! I was brought into his family… and that gave me access. So it is when we are brought into God's family!Isaiah 41:10Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. He will help you today – right now! Romans 5:3-4We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. We rejoice in suffering in the present. Why? My trouble is my transportation system to the next level God has for me!The trouble that you face is not meant to destroy you… it's meant to develop you! The Greek word for endurance is a compound of “under” and “remain;” it's having staying power. I'm going to remain under what feels uncomfortable… Romans 5:5And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. We get to experience God's love in the present – it's love that FILLS our hearts. It fills every hole that was created by hurt; it fills every place that has been broken. It fills everything that is lacking. On a 12-hour trip from Detroit to Cairo, Egypt, a guy on the plane was hacking up a lung. He just happened to lay down on three open seats right across the aisle from me. With every cough I wondered what he was carrying that was flying through the air. This I know – he was carrying something bad. Today, so many are carrying guilt and shame. You spend your life trying to delete the messes you have made, the places you have gone. When you get what has been done for you, you can start to carry hope… right now in the present!We look forward with hope. | FutureRomans 5:1-2 NLTTherefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We are a looking people… how? Confidently and joyfully, I look forward! The empty tomb promises a blessed hope beyond the moment. Easter reminds me that I was made for more than this world; this too will pass. I'm eating on the run… I'm heading to a destination – the marriage supper of the Lamb! Because I look forward, I know that my present reality is not my future reality! Jesus is coming again! His feet are going to touch the ground again, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! Rom 5:9-10 NLTAnd since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.“We have been” – it's a finished work that guarantees we will be saved. Only one thing is required… faith! Jesus, right now, stands at the door of your heart and knocks (Rev. 3:20). The Savior that was knocked around, beat, spat on, whipped, killed… who victoriously walked out of that tomb, is knocking at the door of your heart today. He is the King who knocks! As we celebrate this Easter, will you open the door of your heart to Him? Will you give God your YES?{A spoken narrative}In the beginning, I was there. I put the trees on the Earth, the fish in the sea, and the birds in the air. All for you, I made all this for you. To be with you. But then I had to dismiss you—from the garden, that is—but never from Me. You see, I had a plan to not just correct the past. But you change all of history.A plan that would reveal the mystery... of what it would look like to have a relationship between you and Me. This... was My promise. Yet not everyone I promised it to saw it completed, though they still said yes to it. Why, you may ask?It was because they had trust that was so robust, they gave their lives to follow My instruction. Now none of them were perfect but they were worth it.Worth the blood.The tears. And all the years it took to complete the plan. The first to play a part was Noah, yes My faithful servant that built the ark. But his story is so much more.Every time his hammer struck a nail to solidify the shape of the boat, He was also solidifying his relationship with Me.Every time his neighbors mocked and picked at him, he still chose to work.He still chose to stay committed to Me and My promise.And every day and every night he sailed on that boat, He was also sailing into a lifelong journey with Me.He said yes to the task, to the promise... that is now upon us.And that made all the difference between his life being saved or his body ending up in a watery grave. Then there was Abraham and Sarah, who both said yes and their lives were forever changed and forever blessed.You see, I put them to the test and Sarah responded with laughter as if My promise was a joke.But hey, if I told you a 90-year-old barren woman was going to have a child, you too would probably choke. They stumbled but their faith did not crumble...Isaac was born.And their descendants outnumber all the tiny pebbles on a beach full of sand. Even Moses said yes. Who would have guessed that a man with a stutter would not just utter... but proclaim the words of God.He sacrificed his life to shepherd my people through the wilderness,through the complaints, through all the pains and aches.He persevered. They all said yes. They all... said... yes. And not just them.Century after century, many men and women heard My call and said yes to me. Now not every battle was won. Not every stone was overturned. But as My servants continued to march down the path of righteousness, they realized that My promise was not going to be completed in their lifetime. They realized that My promise may not be completed in a 100 lifetimes.But they still had faith and their faith set the pace for the race they ran. Their yes to Me was stronger - stronger than the storms of life. Their yes to Me was fiercer than any beast that stood in their path. Their yes to Me paved the wayto this very daywhere you would get the chance to say... Yes. Say yes to the truth that will set you free because that truth is Me - I am the light that will guide your life and that will cut through your darkest nights like a knife. I will be with you when you are diagnosed with cancer and when you walk out of the hospital healed. I will be with you when you are told that you will never have kids, and when you defy the odds and raise your own bundle of joy. I will be with you today and tomorrow through the pain and the sorrow.On the days the sun shines bright and on the darkest of nights. I will be there with love, with strength, with patience, with grace. I will be there through it all. So what do you say?Let today be the day.Say yes to the promise that is Me and be free. My arms are stretched wide, you have nothing to hide. Just say yes. Yes to love.Yes to truth. Yes to healing. Yes to blessings. Yes to grace. Yes to family. Yes To Me. Romans 5:11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Hey. Happy Easter. Today’s lesson: Even Moses Had an Aaron. Moses led the Israelites to the promise land, but couldn’t do it without his older brother Aaron. Psst. If you’re the boss of your company, this is for you. There is a lesson you can learn from the Foxx Boxx she is in: sometimes, your employees know MORE than you. Humble yourself and listen. Case in point, I submit to you to listen to this short lesson. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Been there. Done that. Sometimes, the Christian life can feel a bit repetitive, as if you’re going through the same lessons over and over again. It can begin to appear as if you’re in some kind of remedial school for slow learners, repeating the same lessons, all in hopes that you might one day learn whatever it is that God is trying to teach you. And in Numbers 20-21, the people of Israel were going to revisit a lesson they should have learned years earlier, at a place called Meribah. For the Israelites, their recurring lesson had to do with God’s provision and their tendency to complain. In spite of all that God had done for them, they found it easy to fall back into a pattern of ungratefulness and discontentment. And it usually stemmed from their unwillingness to trust God. Even Moses would find himself doubting the word of God and reacting in anger at the circumstances of life. And he would pay dearly for it. When we choose to disbelieve God, we tend to disobey God. And the results can be deadly serious.
The following quotation from Jacob 2:23-24 in the Book of Mormon has often been quoted by anti-Mormons, semiapostate Mormons, Reorganites, and other offshoots against plural marriage: But the word of God burthens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solormon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. (Jacob 2:23-24) Plural marriage was being lived by many of the Biblical prophets, priests, kings, and patriarchs during the same time period that this scripture was written. The Old Testament is a continuous record of men who lived polygamy during those 4000 years. Even Moses received laws pertaining to the way this marriage style should be lived. For many others it was not intended because they were not sufficiently qualified. Thus this passage in Jacob refers to them. Since the scripture in Jacob has been seldom properly explained, this pamphlet is intended to help clarify it and explain the apparent contradictions surrounding the polygamy of David and Solomon. [2] A Few Verses the Majority From priest to politician, we hear the cry of “sin,” “outlawed,” “immoral,” and other epithets depicting plural marriage. Many people believe that it is an “evil,” “adulterous;” and ‘wicked” practice. Most of these objections, however, originate from those who have not sufficiently read or studied the reasons men and women have practiced this unpopular marriage lifestyle.
FOUNDATIONAL FRAMEWORK. PART 44 Foundational Truths: The Bible is God’s self-revelation. God is the Eternal, Sovereign Creator; all that He creates is good. Man is a responsible agent, held to a moral standard. Sin originates within a person, separating us from God. God declares one righteous by faith alone, apart from works. The glory of God is the centerpiece and goal of all existence. God’s glory is maximally realized in the promised, coming Kingdom. The Word, the Life, and the Light are all used to capture the essence and significance of God’s reintroduction into the world in a manifested form. “The Word” speaks to both Jews and Greeks and their philosophical understandings regarding life, existence, order, and rational thought. “The Life” is eternal life, always existing within the Trinity before time began. “The Light” brings attention to Truth in a world that is saturated with darkness. It is the Source to which John the Baptist testified about in his ministry. The purpose of his testimony is “that all might believe through him” (John 1:7). Not only is the Life the Light of men (John 1:4) thus enlightening men, but the word spoken by John was to point men to the Light (See also Acts 19:1-4). Borchert writes, “the point is that the testimony and the enlightenment were intended for all.” John 1:10-13. John 1:10 is a startling truth. Notice that there are three uses of the word “world” but two meanings are meant among the three uses. The first two uses speak of the created existence of Earth while the third usage points to the people of the Earth. The Word/Light was in the world, and even made the world, and yet the world (the people) did not know (receive) Him. Hart provides clarity writing, “The ‘world’ is in need of forgiveness (1:29), a Savior (4:42), and eternal life (6:33; 8:12). It hates God (17:25) and Jesus (7:7) as well as believers (15:18, 19), and is ruled by Satan (14:30; 16:11). While believers are in the physical world (13:1; 17:11), they are separated out of the evil world system by their faith in Christ (17:6, 17).” We understand this as the world not wanting God but desperately needing God. Whereas, ironically, God does not need the world, but He wants the world, and so much so that the Word was sent to give Life to the world, to all who would “receive” Him (John 1:11b). The statement of John 1:11 is an extension of the remark made in 1:10 and a heartbreaking summary of the Jewish response to their long-awaited and divinely-promised Messiah. The Jews “did not receive Him” as the One that was promised to deliver them, though they were chosen by Him as His people and given maximum revelation in order to recognize Him (Rom 9:1-5). It has been noted in various lectures by Earl Radmacher that Matthew 1-4 and 8-12 expound in detail upon what is stated in this one verse in John, namely the Jews’ rejection of Jesus. However, verse 12 gives hope. Not everyone rejected Christ. The fact of the Jews’ rejection of Him is tragic because of the heightened degree of revelation that YHWH had given to them as seen in the Old Testament. The use of the word “receive” in 1:11b and 1:12a are explained by John’s comments as “believe on His name” (John 1:12b). From the very beginning, John is clear: to receive Jesus is to believe in Jesus. Nothing else is added or required. The use of “believe” in 1:12 should draw our attention back to John’s purpose in testifying about the Light in John 1:7. The noted benefit of “receiving/believing” in Jesus is the “right to become children of God” (1:12b). The word for “right” is exousia which means “power, authority,” and is understood by Louw & Nida as “the power to do something, with or without an added implication of authority.” This is a blessed and privileged position given by the gracious provision of God. Those who believe are considered God’s children, fully accepted and cared for just as any child on Earth should be accepted and cared for, having full rights in their earthly family. The concept of “adoption” for YHWH is not one that accepts those who believe as second-class offspring, or as illegitimate mouths to feed, but as fully embraced and validated kids, legitimate in every way, lacking no privilege or blessing. This is our first exposure to the majesty of the riches that are found “in Christ,” that are distributed freely based on no merit required of the person believing. It is the first of many blessings already blessed to us (Eph 1:3-14). With John 1:13 we see the first notion that the “receiving/believing” concept in 1:11-12 results in something else, namely that the person believing is “born” in some way, with this being the first of six uses referring to the spiritual birth of a person who believes in Christ (John 3:3, 5, 6 [x2], 7, 8, all being used in the conversation that Jesus has with Nicodemus). The order of the events involved is clear from the text. When one believes/receives Christ, they are then “born” (which we later understand as being “born from above/ born again”) and become children of God. This is an order that is consistent with what is seen in Ephesians 1:13 as well. This “birth” is from God (John 1:13d), as it should be, for He is the only One that can impart Life. However, John clarifies for us three means by which this “birth” do not take place. First, one is not born again by “blood,” meaning that it is not a matter of human decent or heritage. Just because your mother is born again does not mean that you are born again. Secondly, this “birth” is not of the will of the flesh, which is not of human desire or effort, and when compared with Jesus’ comments about being “born again” in John 3:6, we would also conclude that this “birth” is not the result of copulation. Finally, this “birth” is not “of the will of man,” which seems to have aroused various viewpoints from many commentators. The most plausible understanding is that this “birth” is not of the husband’s will, seeing that it was the husband who made the decision about having children in the first century. Such a decision to set the course for the family has no bearing on how one is born again regarding God. One birth is of the flesh, but the birth from God is of the Spirit (John 3:6) John 1:14-18. The incarnation of the Word finds God stepping into a particular point in history to accomplish a divine purpose. Truth takes on skin and “tabernacles” among us. The idea of God taking on flesh finds its roots in the very creation of the first man and woman, being design in the image and likeness of God, designing them as He saw fit (Gen 1:26-28). This decision in time carried great implications knowing that one day the Lord Jesus Christ would inhabit an encasement of the same. Jesus does not “just appear” on the scene of the first century but chooses to be born and raised among a culture of Jewish makings, learning, growing, and lives among the people (Heb 5:8). The idea that God could take on flesh and not have His “Godhood” diminished has been a debate among theological minds for centuries. This is what is known as the Hypostatic Union of Christ where Jesus stands as 100% Deity and 100% Humanity without one compromising the other, nor eclipsing the other. Jesus is both fully God and fully man in one entity. Such a pairing is essential for the sake of accomplishing a complete redemption. Enns notes this necessity stating, “As a man, Christ could represent man and die as a man; as God the death of Christ could have infinite value ‘sufficient to provide redemption for the sins of the world.’” The “glory” spoken of in 1:14 has been expounded upon previously and should not be considered anything other than the same type of glory that has been revealed in the Old Testament in the presence of the Shekinah Glory of YHWH on numerous occasions. However, the point here is that John writes of being an eyewitness to this glory, being the glory “as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14b). This is a statement referring to the event known as the Transfiguration found in Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; and Luke 9:28-36, of which Peter seems to relate the same event in 2 Peter 1:17-18. The use of the phrase “only begotten” does not imply that Jesus was born in some way previous to the incarnation but deals with the uniqueness of Jesus. The Greek word used is monogenous and means “that Jesus is the Son of God in a sense totally different from a human who believes and becomes a child of God. Jesus’ sonship is unique for He is eternal and is of the same essence as the Father.” What makes Jesus so unique for John (or at least he felt that this elaboration needed to be mentioned within the same immediate context as His glory being reveled), was the fact that He is also full of grace and truth. Jesus perfectly represents the Father, showing His “hesed,” lovingkindness and compassion to the undeserving while also holding perfectly to the standard of righteousness being completely consistent with God’s revelation. The Word does not just encompass Life and Light, but Grace and Truth, and does so perfectly! John the Apostle states that John the Baptist testified of Jesus regarding His superiority and His eternality (John 1:15). Whatever large crowds or ranking officials that attended Jesus’ meetings, and however grand John’s meetings in the desert were considered among the people, Jesus was greater; far greater than any could imagine, and of a greatness that John struggled to communicate to those who came to hear him and be baptized by him (Matt 3:5-7; Mark 1:5; Luke 3:7; John 1:19). John the Baptist also understood something about the eternality of Jesus, but it must be admitted by any credible student of the Scriptures that this is not something that is easily understood. John the Baptist was unique, seeing that he was “filled with the Holy Spirit” while in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). This could be speaking of John’s response to Mary’s arrival in visiting his mother Elizabeth (Luke 1:41), but the text specifies that it was Elizabeth who was filled with the Holy Spirit, with the text also specifying that John, being in Elizabeth’s womb, leaped for joy (Luke 1:44), and did not leap from the filling of the Holy Spirit. It would seem that the Holy Spirit filled John while in the womb and imparted to him the revelation necessary to serve as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:17). John 1:16 seems to be a commentary provided by the Apostle John and not a continuation of the statement made by John the Baptist, which is something that is characteristic of John’s writing throughout his Gospel (John 2:17; 4:9b; 5:18; 7:39; 8:6, 27; 9:22; 10:6; 11:13, 18, 51, 52; 12:6, 16, 33, 41; 13:11). The word “fullness” in 1:16 is the word plerōma which is only used by John this one time in his Gospel and carries the meaning of being filled up or having an abundance. The use of the word “all” in this verse serves as a qualifier for how it should be interpreted. In stating that “all have received His fullness,” we are sure that this does not include those who rejected Him, who did not receive/believe in Him (John 1:11), but of those who “believe in His name” (John 1:12b). Every believer in Christ has Him fully (Col 3:3). Not one Christian lacks in their union with Christ. We have “every spiritual blessing” simply by being “in Christ” (Eph 1:3). The use of “grace upon grace” in 1:16b is the continual heaping of grace upon the already complete blessings of the believer. It is not just that the believer in Christ is given an initial and unwavering dose of grace in the blessings that come with being in Christ, but grace continues to be poured upon the believer for his or her continual receiving. Hart describes it as “maximized grace, or one gracious gift upon another.” There is nothing lacking for those who believe, who are in the Lord Jesus! In John 1:17, the contrast between Moses and the Law and Jesus and grace and truth should not be seen as being in competition with one another, nor should one be seen as superior to the other. Such conclusions overlook the fact that the Law is the written perfection of YHWH which clearly taught the nation of Israel how to have fellowship with their Creator and Redeemer. The Law is equally the Word of God, so how could it not be truth? If we simply take Exodus 20:1-20 alone, we could not conclude that it was less than truth, for it was audibly spoken by YHWH for the hearing of the people of Israel. Exodus 20 should also not be deemed as irrelevant truth, for truth is always relevant because it is true, and the Law is still useful in dealing with those who are in sinful situations because its truth serves to establish a standard of morality and ethics (1 Tim 1:8-11). The Law has sometimes been portrayed as having no grace, when in fact the Law demonstrates grace in very practical ways. For instance, Exodus 21:2 shows remarkable grace for those who find themselves in slavery. It reads, “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.” Slavery in the Old Testament is drastically different than what American history records as “slavery” in the 1700-1800s. For one to buy a slave was for one to purchase a person for manual labor. The fact that this slave was a “Hebrew” is an intentional mention to denote kinship and to foster compassion from the one who purchased the slave. There were some Hebrews who came upon hard times and had no other way to feed themselves or to support their families than by hiring themselves (and their families) out for work under another. The conditions surrounding such situations could not have been as harsh as what has been learned about the slave trade in America seeing that the one purchased could actually come to the conclusion that he loved his master (Exod 21:5) at which point the slave would then be tagged on his ear to denote permanent servitude to his master (Exod 21:6). The grace is found in the fact that a purchased person for manual labor was to only be held for six years and then the slave was to be released, being set free without any restitution due to the one who bought him (Exod 21:2b). There was no concern with making back whatever money was lost, nor is there any mention of the slave earning their way to freedom. At the seven-year mark, freedom was guaranteed! This is a command in the Law of YHWH demonstrating grace to the one who has found themselves in a difficult situation. So, what does John mean in stating that the Law came through Moses but that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ? John is simply stating a progression in the revelation of truth as dispensed by YHWH and through whom He desires to dispense it. The Law is truth and it serves as one revelation of YHWH, while Jesus Christ exemplifies the grace and truth of YHWH in a second, equally-inspired revelation as played out in the life of Christ on Earth. Stanley writes, “Whatever Jesus did, He did with grace. Whatever He said, He said in truth. He was not gracious some of the time and less gracious other times, any more than He varied in the amount of truth He spoke.” At no time was the grace and truth as given through Jesus of greater value than the Law as given through Moses. One is a progression in the revelation of the other that had been previously established on Mt. Sanai. If there is any aversion to embracing the Law of YHWH as equally-inspired truth as that of the words of the Lord Jesus, it is our lack of personal righteousness and the conviction which the Law brings against our sin that arouses such emotions. But, with a joyful heart we can say “Thanks be to God that ‘Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes’” (Rom 10:4). With John 1:18, we have a strict observation, and one that corresponds perfectly with the apostle’s statement in 4:12 of his first epistle. “No one has seen God at any time,” despite what some health and wealth prosperity preachers may have claimed. An immediate mental objection might be: “Well, isn’t Jesus Christ God in the flesh, and there were plenty of people who saw Him, right?” To this we would agree, as would the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:4-8). So, what is meant by this statement if many people had seen Jesus during His time on earth in the flesh? “God is Spirit (4:24) and is invisible (Col. 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) unless God chooses to reveal Himself. Humans cannot look at God and live (Ex. 33:20). Abraham, the friend of God, did not see God. Even Moses, the lawgiver, could not look at God’s face (Ex. 33:22, 23).” It is this last point that aids us in making the connection that John may have been looking for. As stated above, no one can look at God and live (Exod 33:20) and what many have seen when encountered with YHWH was not looking at His face, seeing Him in the full exposure of His glory (remember the themes that John is using in this prologue). But as we read the remainder of the verse, we find that one of the highly-unique aspects of Jesus Christ is that He explains the Father in a way that He has never been explained before. In Jesus, we are seeing something that was not completely understood through previous revelation. By stating that Jesus is “in the bosom of the Father,” John is drawing our attention to His constant, abiding relationship with the Father, experiencing maximum fellowship, intimacy, etc. We are then told that Jesus is the One who has “explained” Him (“made Him known”- ESV, NIV, RSV; “declared Him”- KJV, NKJV; “has revealed Him”- HCSB). The word used is exēgeomai which means, “to relate in detail, expound, interpret.” Thayer understands the word to mean, “to lead out, to unfold, declare.” This Greek word is where the English word “exegesis” comes from, which means “to pull the meaning out of the text of Scripture.” The meaning is “drawn out” for the sake of a better understanding. This is exactly what Jesus Christ has done through His life, words, acts, interactions, healings, and miracles. He has made the Creator more-fully known! This is the essence of progressive revelation, perfect in keeping with what the Scriptures have initially established about themselves and something that has been clearly observed from the Scriptures as part of this Foundational Framework series. The Bible, God’s Word, is God’s self-revelation. God desires to be known by His creation and the unfolding of the life of Jesus Christ brings crystalizing clarity to this goal, displaying YHWH for a better understanding among the world, so that they would respond to Him in faith. Again, Jesus Christ is everything that YHWH has ever wanted to say to the world because Jesus represents Him faithfully and completely.
SHOWNOTES Advice for those struggling in this Christmas season? [01:55] • If this season is not the best time of year for you and if its one of those years where you’re like, I absolutely hate the holiday season. You should get someone around you that can keep you going and also help you refocus. Even Moses needed help to stay strong when he was guiding the children of Israel. [02:12] • Just as Moses needed physical help to hold up is hands when leading the children of Israel. We ourselves need help from different persons at times when we feel low in spirit. Frightening statistics about the Christmas season. [03:18] • Statistics show that the most suicide occur during the Christmas season. Second advice to keep you through the Christmas holiday. [03:36] • Keep your mind on things that will keep you uplifted. Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn
Scripture Passage Exodus 17:1-7 {Transcript} Sermon Text Dealing With Fear God gave the Israelites the wilderness experience and in the wilderness they confronted. They had to confront their own fear. There was no water. They were helpless. They’re about to perish and nobody could help them. Even Moses could not help them. As a matter […] The post Through It All appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.
Scripture Passage Exodus 17:1-7 {Transcript} Sermon Text Dealing With Fear God gave the Israelites the wilderness experience and in the wilderness they confronted. They had to confront their own fear. There was no water. They were helpless. They’re about to perish and nobody could help them. Even Moses could not help them. As a matter […] The post Through It All appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.
Name The Surah takes its name from verse 25 in which the word Al-Qasas occurs. Lexically, qasas means to relate events in their proper sequence. Thus, from the viewpoint of the meaning too, this word can be a suitable title for this Surah, for in it the detailed story of the Prophet Moses has been related. Period of Revelation As already mentioned in the introduction to Surah An Naml, according to Ibn Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid, Surahs Ash-Shu`araa', An-Naml and Al- Qasas were sent down one after the other. The language, the style and the theme also show that the period of the revelation of these three Surahs is nearly the same. Another reason for their lose resemblance is that the different parts of the Prophet Moses story as mentioned in these surahs together make up a complete story. In Surah Ash Shu`araa', excusing himself for not accepting the office of Prophethood the Prophet Moses submits, "The people of Pharaoh have the charge of a crime against me; therefore, I fear that they will put me to death." Then, when lie goes before Pharaoh, the latter says, "Did we not bring you up as a child in our house? You lived quite a few years of your life among us, and then you did what you did." Nothing more of this has been mentioned there, but in this Surah the other details have been supplied. Similarly, in Surah An-Naml the story starts abruptly from the time when the Prophet Moses was journeying with his family and suddenly saw a fire at a distance. In that Surah nothing has been said about the nature of his journey, or the place he was coming from, or his destination, but this Surah supplies all the necessary details. Thus, the three Surahs read together complete the story of the Prophet Moses (Allah's peace be upon him). Theme and Topics The main theme is to remove the doubts and objections that were being raised against the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and to invalidate the excuses which were being offered for not believing in him. For this purpose, first the story of the Prophet Moses has been related, which, by analogy with the period of revelation, impresses the following points in the listeners mind automatically: First, Allah provides the means and motives of whatever He wills to do, in imperceptible ways. Thus, Allah so arranged things that the child through whom Pharaoh had to be removed from power, was bred and brought up in his own house, and he could not know whom he was fostering. Who can then fight God and frustrate Him by his machinations. Secondly, Prophethood is not granted to a person amid festivities by issuing a proclamation from the earth and heavens. You wonder how Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) has been blessed with Prophethood unexpectedly, all of a sudden, but Moses whom you yourselves acknowledge as a Prophet (v. 48) had also become a Prophet unexpectedly, while on a journey, and nobody had known what event had occurred in the desolation at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Even Moses himself did not know a moment before what he was going to be blessed with. He, in fact, had gone to bring a piece of the fire but had returned with the gift of Prophethood. Thirdly, the person from whom Allah wants to take some service comes out without any army and armor and without an apparent helper or force at his back, yet he puts to rout much stronger and better equipped opponents. The contrast that existed between the strengths of Moses (peace be upon him) and Pharaoh was much more prominent and glaring than that which existed between Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the quraish; yet the world knows who had come out victorious in the end and who had been routed. Fourthly, you refer to Moses again and again and say, "Why has Muhammad not been given the same which was given to Moses? i. e. miracles of the staff, the shining hand, etc. as if to suggest that you would readily believe only if you were shown the kind of the miracles that were shown by Moses to Pharaoh. But do you know what sort of response was made by those who were shown those miracles? They had not believed even after seeing the miracles, and had only said, "This is magic", for they were involved in stubbornness and hostility to the Truth. The same malady afflicts you today. Will you believe only when you are slowly the same kind of miracles?Then, do you know what fate the disbelievers had met even after seeing the miracles? They were annihilated by Allah. Do you now wish to meet the same doom by asking for the miracles in your obstinacy? These were the things which were automatically impressed in the mind of every listener who heard this story in the pagan environment of Makkah, for a similar conflict was going on at that time between the Holy Prophet and disbelievers of Makkah as had already taken place between the Prophet Moses and Pharaoh before. This was the background against which the story of the Prophet Moses was narrated so that a perfect analogy was established automatically in every detail between the conditions prevailing then in Makkah and those existing in the time of the Prophet Moses. Then, from verse 43 onward the discourse turns to the real theme. In the first place, the narration of a two thousand year old historical event by the Holy Prophet with such accuracy and detail, is presented as a proof of his Prophethood although he was un-lettered and the people of his city and clan knew full well that he had no access to any source of such information as they could point out. Then the disbelievers of Makkah have been warned and put to shame for an event that occurred in those very days. Some Christians had come to Makkah and embraced Islam when they heard the Qur'an from the Holy Prophet. Instead of learning any lesson from this the Makkans were so upset at this that their leader, Abu Jahl, disgraced those people publicly. In conclusion, the excuse that the disbelievers put forward for not believing in the Holy Prophet has been dealt with. What they feared was this:"If we give up the polytheistic creed of the Arabs and accept the doctrine of Tauhid instead, this will put an end to our supremacy in the religious, political and economic fields, which, in turn, will destroy our position of the most influential tribe of Arabia and we shall be left with no refuge anywhere in the land." As this was the real motive of the chiefs of the Quraish for their antagonism towards the Truth, and their doubts and objections were only the pretenses, which they invented to deceive the common people, Allah has dealt with these fully till the end of the Surah, considered each aspect of these in a wise manner and offered the remedy for their basic ailment due to which those people judged the Truth and falsehood only from the viewpoint of their worldly interests. Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran
Keep your candle trimmed and burning so the world can see the light. The light of this candle shines to show the right path to Jesus. No one light a candle to hide it but to shine light so all can see their way. The Believer is a candle that set on a hill that can't be hid be our light shines so bright and no one can put it out. Even Moses as God passed by he lit up like the brightest light ever just with God passing by. There are many different kinds of candles scented, colorful, large and small. But the candle we are sharing is spiritual and it saves man. This light from the spiritual candle show the dirt and where it is located.
Explore the meaning of grace. It is remarkable that the notion of grace has survived. Grace is still a concept we deal with today. Consider the means of grace as being how the grace or gift of God in Jesus Christ comes to us. How are the means of grace defined? In modern times, the concept of grace has been tied to covenant. Reflect that the term "election" means "choice". Election is the choice which God has made of a people to serve Him in a special way. Consider that the Bible affirms the unity of mankind. The Gospel is meant to be preached to all people. Explore that within the human race, God chose a particular person - Abraham. In Genesis 18: 17-18 we read, "The LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?'" The history of Israel and the way election works out has a number of lessons for us. God's choice of Israel has nothing to do with Israel itself. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 tells us, “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers . . ." Consider the history of Israel in the Old Testament is a history of rebellion and failure. Just as God set Israel free from Egypt, God sets us free from the bondage of sin. Even Moses, the great hero, is a flawed character. Consider that despite their failings and limitations, they represent the leadership of the elect people. Reflect on the account of Jephthah and that he is mentioned in Hebrews 11:32, "And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah . . ." Ephesians 2:8 explains, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God . . ."
Relationships are essential to getting through life in this world. Even Moses could not make it on his own, he had help from friends. Thomas Cheong talks to us about the relations we have and how important they are.
God calls us to do great and small things but, often, we are reluctant. We don't believe we are the right person or capable of doing what he asks of us. Even Moses argued that he couldn't do what God asked of him. As with Moses, God will work through us and send us helpers along the way but we have to take the first step. We have to say yes.
The book of Deuteronomy represents the final instructions God passed through Moses to the people God has delivered from slavery in Egypt, sustained through 40 years in the wilderness and prepared to enter the promised land of Canaan. Nearly all of those who would enter the Promised Land were the children of the people who left Egypt. Even Moses who has led the people for 40 years will not set foot in Canaan. God’s timeless guidance regarding preparing our children’s children takes a special significance in that light.
The book of Deuteronomy represents the final instructions God passed through Moses to the people God has delivered from slavery in Egypt, sustained through 40 years in the wilderness and prepared to enter the promised land of Canaan. Nearly all of those who would enter the Promised Land were the children of the people who left Egypt. Even Moses who has led the people for 40 years will not set foot in Canaan. God’s timeless guidance regarding preparing our children’s children takes a special significance in that light.
The book of Deuteronomy represents the final instructions God passed through Moses to the people God has delivered from slavery in Egypt, sustained through 40 years in the wilderness and prepared to enter the promised land of Canaan. Nearly all of those who would enter the Promised Land were the children of the people who left Egypt. Even Moses who has led the people for 40 years will not set foot in Canaan. God’s timeless guidance regarding preparing our children’s children takes a special significance in that light.
Planetary Mortal Epochs (589.1) 52:0.1 FROM the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order: (589.2) 52:0.2 1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. (589.3) 52:0.3 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. (589.4) 52:0.4 3. Post-Adamic Man. (589.5) 52:0.5 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. (589.6) 52:0.6 5. Post-Bestowal Son Man. (589.7) 52:0.7 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. (589.8) 52:0.8 7. The Era of Light and Life. (589.9) 52:0.9 The worlds of space, as soon as they are physically suitable for life, are placed on the registry of the Life Carriers, and in due time these Sons are dispatched to such planets for the purpose of initiating life. The entire period from life initiation to the appearance of man is designated the prehuman era and precedes the successive mortal epochs considered in this narrative. 1. Primitive Man (589.10) 52:1.1 From the time of man’s emergence from the animal level — when he can choose to worship the Creator — to the arrival of the Planetary Prince, mortal will creatures are called primitive men. There are six basic types or races of primitive men, and these early peoples successively appear in the order of the spectrum colors, beginning with the red. The length of time consumed in this early life evolution varies greatly on the different worlds, ranging from one hundred and fifty thousand years to over one million years of Urantia time. (589.11) 52:1.2 The evolutionary races of color — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo — begin to appear about the time that primitive man is developing a simple language and is beginning to exercise the creative imagination. By this time man is well accustomed to standing erect. (589.12) 52:1.3 Primitive men are mighty hunters and fierce fighters. The law of this age is the physical survival of the fittest; the government of these times is wholly tribal. During the early racial struggles on many worlds some of the evolutionary races are obliterated, as occurred on Urantia. Those who survive are usually subsequently blended with the later imported violet race, the Adamic peoples. (589.13) 52:1.4 In the light of subsequent civilization, this era of primitive man is a long, dark, and bloody chapter. The ethics of the jungle and the morals of the primeval forests are not in keeping with the standards of later dispensations of revealed religion and higher spiritual development. On normal and nonexperimental worlds this epoch is very different from the prolonged and extraordinarily brutal struggles which characterized this age on Urantia. When you have emerged from your first world experience, you will begin to see why this long and painful struggle on the evolutionary worlds occurs, and as you go forward in the Paradise path, you will increasingly understand the wisdom of these apparently strange doings. But notwithstanding all the vicissitudes of the early ages of human emergence, the performances of primitive man represent a splendid, even a heroic, chapter in the annals of an evolutionary world of time and space. (590.1) 52:1.5 Early evolutionary man is not a colorful creature. In general, these primitive mortals are cave dwellers or cliff residents. They also build crude huts in the large trees. Before they acquire a high order of intelligence, the planets are sometimes overrun with the larger types of animals. But early in this era mortals learn to kindle and maintain fire, and with the increase of inventive imagination and the improvement in tools, evolving man soon vanquishes the larger and more unwieldy animals. The early races also make extensive use of the larger flying animals. These enormous birds are able to carry one or two average-sized men for a nonstop flight of over five hundred miles. On some planets these birds are of great service since they possess a high order of intelligence, often being able to speak many words of the languages of the realm. These birds are most intelligent, very obedient, and unbelievably affectionate. Such passenger birds have been long extinct on Urantia, but your early ancestors enjoyed their services. (590.2) 52:1.6 Man’s acquirement of ethical judgment, moral will, is usually coincident with the appearance of early language. Upon attaining the human level, after this emergence of mortal will, these beings become receptive to the temporary indwelling of the divine Adjusters, and upon death many are duly elected as survivors and sealed by the archangels for subsequent resurrection and Spirit fusion. The archangels always accompany the Planetary Princes, and a dispensational adjudication of the realm is simultaneous with the prince’s arrival. (590.3) 52:1.7 All mortals who are indwelt by Thought Adjusters are potential worshipers; they have been “lighted by the true light,” and they possess capacity for seeking reciprocal contact with divinity. Nevertheless, the early or biologic religion of primitive man is largely a persistence of animal fear coupled with ignorant awe and tribal superstition. The survival of superstition in the Urantia races is hardly complimentary to your evolutionary development nor compatible with your otherwise splendid achievements in material progress. But this early fear religion serves a very valuable purpose in subduing the fiery tempers of these primitive creatures. It is the forerunner of civilization and the soil for the subsequent planting of the seeds of revealed religion by the Planetary Prince and his ministers. (590.4) 52:1.8 Within one hundred thousand years from the time man acquires erect posture, the Planetary Prince usually arrives, having been dispatched by the System Sovereign upon the report of the Life Carriers that will is functioning, even though comparatively few individuals have thus developed. Primitive mortals usually welcome the Planetary Prince and his visible staff; in fact, they often look upon them with awe and reverence, almost with worshipfulness, if they are not restrained. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man (591.1) 52:2.1 With the arrival of the Planetary Prince a new dispensation begins. Government appears on earth, and the advanced tribal epoch is attained. Great social strides are made during a few thousand years of this regime. Under normal conditions mortals attain a high state of civilization during this age. They do not struggle so long in barbarism as did the Urantia races. But life on an inhabited world is so changed by rebellion that you can have little or no idea of such a regime on a normal planet. (591.2) 52:2.2 The average length of this dispensation is around five hundred thousand years, some longer, some shorter. During this era the planet is established in the circuits of the system, and a full quota of seraphic and other celestial helpers is assigned to its administration. The Thought Adjusters come in increasing numbers, and the seraphic guardians amplify their regime of mortal supervision. (591.3) 52:2.3 When the Planetary Prince arrives on a primitive world, the evolved religion of fear and ignorance prevails. The prince and his staff make the first revelations of higher truth and universe organization. These initial presentations of revealed religion are very simple, and they usually pertain to the affairs of the local system. Religion is wholly an evolutionary process prior to the arrival of the Planetary Prince. Subsequently, religion progresses by graduated revelation as well as by evolutionary growth. Each dispensation, each mortal epoch, receives an enlarged presentation of spiritual truth and religious ethics. The evolution of the religious capacity of receptivity in the inhabitants of a world largely determines their rate of spiritual advancement and the extent of religious revelation. (591.4) 52:2.4 This dispensation witnesses a spiritual dawn, and the different races and their various tribes tend to develop specialized systems of religious and philosophic thought. There uniformly run through all of these racial religions two strains: the early fears of primitive men and the later revelations of the Planetary Prince. In some respects Urantians do not seem to have wholly emerged from this stage of planetary evolution. As you pursue this study, you will the more clearly discern how far your world departs from the average course of evolutionary progress and development. (591.5) 52:2.5 But the Planetary Prince is not “the Prince of Peace.” Racial struggles and tribal wars continue over into this dispensation but with diminishing frequency and severity. This is the great age of racial dispersion, and it culminates in a period of intense nationalism. Color is the basis of tribal and national groupings, and the different races often develop separate languages. Each expanding group of mortals tends to seek isolation. This segregation is favored by the existence of many languages. Before the unification of the several races their relentless warfare sometimes results in the obliteration of whole peoples; the orange and green men are particularly subject to such extinction. (591.6) 52:2.6 On average worlds, during the latter part of the prince’s rule, national life begins to replace tribal organization or rather to be superimposed upon the existing tribal groupings. But the great social achievement of the prince’s epoch is the emergence of family life. Heretofore, human relationships have been chiefly tribal; now, the home begins to materialize. (591.7) 52:2.7 This is the dispensation of the realization of sex equality. On some planets the male may rule the female; on others the reverse prevails. During this age normal worlds establish full equality of the sexes, this being preliminary to the fuller realization of the ideals of home life. This is the dawn of the golden age of the home. The idea of tribal rule gradually gives way to the dual concept of national life and family life. (592.1) 52:2.8 During this age agriculture makes its appearance. The growth of the family idea is incompatible with the roving and unsettled life of the hunter. Gradually the practices of settled habitations and the cultivation of the soil become established. The domestication of animals and the development of home arts proceed apace. Upon reaching the apex of biologic evolution, a high level of civilization has been attained, but there is little development of a mechanical order; invention is the characteristic of the succeeding age. (592.2) 52:2.9 The races are purified and brought up to a high state of physical perfection and intellectual strength before the end of this era. The early development of a normal world is greatly helped by the plan of promoting the increase of the higher types of mortals with proportionate curtailment of the lower. And it is the failure of your early peoples to thus discriminate between these types that accounts for the presence of so many defective and degenerate individuals among the present-day Urantia races. (592.3) 52:2.10 One of the great achievements of the age of the prince is this restriction of the multiplication of mentally defective and socially unfit individuals. Long before the times of the arrival of the second Sons, the Adams, most worlds seriously address themselves to the tasks of race purification, something which the Urantia peoples have not even yet seriously undertaken. (592.4) 52:2.11 This problem of race improvement is not such an extensive undertaking when it is attacked at this early date in human evolution. The preceding period of tribal struggles and rugged competition in race survival has weeded out most of the abnormal and defective strains. An idiot does not have much chance of survival in a primitive and warring tribal social organization. It is the false sentiment of your partially perfected civilizations that fosters, protects, and perpetuates the hopelessly defective strains of evolutionary human stocks. (592.5) 52:2.12 It is neither tenderness nor altruism to bestow futile sympathy upon degenerated human beings, unsalvable abnormal and inferior mortals. There exist on even the most normal of the evolutionary worlds sufficient differences between individuals and between numerous social groups to provide for the full exercise of all those noble traits of altruistic sentiment and unselfish mortal ministry without perpetuating the socially unfit and the morally degenerate strains of evolving humanity. There is abundant opportunity for the exercise of tolerance and the function of altruism in behalf of those unfortunate and needy individuals who have not irretrievably lost their moral heritage and forever destroyed their spiritual birthright. 3. Post-Adamic Man (592.6) 52:3.1 When the original impetus of evolutionary life has run its biologic course, when man has reached the apex of animal development, there arrives the second order of sonship, and the second dispensation of grace and ministry is inaugurated. This is true on all evolutionary worlds. When the highest possible level of evolutionary life has been attained, when primitive man has ascended as far as possible in the biologic scale, a Material Son and Daughter always appear on the planet, having been dispatched by the System Sovereign. (593.1) 52:3.2 Thought Adjusters are increasingly bestowed upon the post-Adamic men, and in constantly augmented numbers these mortals attain capacity for subsequent Adjuster fusion. While functioning as descending Sons, the Adams do not possess Adjusters, but their planetary offspring — direct and mixed — become legitimate candidates for the reception, in due time, of the Mystery Monitors. By the termination of the post-Adamic age the planet is in possession of its full quota of celestial ministers; only the fusion Adjusters are not yet universally bestowed. (593.2) 52:3.3 It is the prime purpose of the Adamic regime to influence evolving man to complete the transit from the hunter and herder stage of civilization to that of the agriculturist and horticulturist, to be later supplemented by the appearance of the urban and industrial adjuncts to civilization. Ten thousand years of this dispensation of the biologic uplifters is sufficient to effect a marvelous transformation. Twenty-five thousand years of such an administration of the conjoint wisdom of the Planetary Prince and the Material Sons usually ripens the sphere for the advent of a Magisterial Son. (593.3) 52:3.4 This age usually witnesses the completion of the elimination of the unfit and the still further purification of the racial strains; on normal worlds the defective bestial tendencies are very nearly eliminated from the reproducing stocks of the realm. (593.4) 52:3.5 The Adamic progeny never amalgamate with the inferior strains of the evolutionary races. Neither is it the divine plan for the Planetary Adam or Eve to mate, personally, with the evolutionary peoples. This race-improvement project is the task of their progeny. But the offspring of the Material Son and Daughter are mobilized for generations before the racial-amalgamation ministry is inaugurated. (593.5) 52:3.6 The result of the gift of the Adamic life plasm to the mortal races is an immediate upstepping of intellectual capacity and an acceleration of spiritual progress. There is usually some physical improvement also. On an average world the post-Adamic dispensation is an age of great invention, energy control, and mechanical development. This is the era of the appearance of multiform manufacture and the control of natural forces; it is the golden age of exploration and the final subduing of the planet. Much of the material progress of a world occurs during this time of the inauguration of the development of the physical sciences, just such an epoch as Urantia is now experiencing. Your world is a full dispensation and more behind the average planetary schedule. (593.6) 52:3.7 By the end of the Adamic dispensation on a normal planet the races are practically blended, so that it can be truly proclaimed that “God has made of one blood all the nations,” and that his Son “has made of one color all peoples.” The color of such an amalgamated race is somewhat of an olive shade of the violet hue, the racial “white” of the spheres. (593.7) 52:3.8 Primitive man is for the most part carnivorous; the Material Sons and Daughters do not eat meat, but their offspring within a few generations usually gravitate to the omnivorous level, although whole groups of their descendants sometimes remain nonflesh eaters. This double origin of the post-Adamic races explains how such blended human stocks exhibit anatomic vestiges belonging to both the herbivorous and carnivorous animal groups. (593.8) 52:3.9 Within ten thousand years of racial amalgamation the resultant stocks show varying degrees of anatomic blend, some strains carrying more of the marks of the nonflesh-eating ancestry, others exhibiting more of the distinguishing traits and physical characteristics of their carnivorous evolutionary progenitors. The majority of these world races soon become omnivorous, subsisting upon a wide range of viands from both the animal and vegetable kingdoms. (594.1) 52:3.10 The post-Adamic epoch is the dispensation of internationalism. With the near completion of the task of race blending, nationalism wanes, and the brotherhood of man really begins to materialize. Representative government begins to take the place of the monarchial or paternal form of rulership. The educational system becomes world-wide, and gradually the languages of the races give way to the tongue of the violet people. Universal peace and co-operation are seldom attained until the races are fairly well blended, and until they speak a common language. (594.2) 52:3.11 During the closing centuries of the post-Adamic age there develops new interest in art, music, and literature, and this world-wide awakening is the signal for the appearance of a Magisterial Son. The crowning development of this era is the universal interest in intellectual realities, true philosophy. Religion becomes less nationalistic, becomes more and more a planetary affair. New revelations of truth characterize these ages, and the Most Highs of the constellations begin to rule in the affairs of men. Truth is revealed up to the administration of the constellations. (594.3) 52:3.12 Great ethical advancement characterizes this era; the brotherhood of man is the goal of its society. World-wide peace — the cessation of race conflict and national animosity — is the indicator of planetary ripeness for the advent of the third order of sonship, the Magisterial Son. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man (594.4) 52:4.1 On normal and loyal planets this age opens with the mortal races blended and biologically fit. There are no race or color problems; literally all nations and races are of one blood. The brotherhood of man flourishes, and the nations are learning to live on earth in peace and tranquillity. Such a world stands on the eve of a great and culminating intellectual development. (594.5) 52:4.2 When an evolutionary world becomes thus ripe for the magisterial age, one of the high order of Avonal Sons makes his appearance on a magisterial mission. The Planetary Prince and the Material Sons are of local universe origin; the Magisterial Son hails from Paradise. (594.6) 52:4.3 When the Paradise Avonals come to the mortal spheres on judicial actions, solely as dispensation adjudicators, they are never incarnated. But when they come on magisterial missions, at least the initial one, they are always incarnated, though they do not experience birth, neither do they die the death of the realm. They may live on for generations in those cases where they remain as rulers on certain planets. When their missions are concluded, they yield up their planetary lives and return to their former status of divine sonship. (594.7) 52:4.4 Each new dispensation extends the horizon of revealed religion, and the Magisterial Sons extend the revelation of truth to portray the affairs of the local universe and all its tributaries. (594.8) 52:4.5 After the initial visitation of a Magisterial Son the races soon effect their economic liberation. The daily work required to sustain one’s independence would be represented by two and one-half hours of your time. It is perfectly safe to liberate such ethical and intelligent mortals. Such refined peoples well know how to utilize leisure for self-improvement and planetary advancement. This age witnesses the further purification of the racial stocks by the restriction of reproduction among the less fit and poorly endowed individuals. (595.1) 52:4.6 The political government and social administration of the races continue to improve, self-government being fairly well established by the end of this age. By self-government we refer to the highest type of representative government. Such worlds advance and honor only those leaders and rulers who are most fit to bear social and political responsibilities. (595.2) 52:4.7 During this epoch the majority of the world mortals are Adjuster indwelt. But even yet the bestowal of divine Monitors is not always universal. The Adjusters of fusion destiny are not yet bestowed upon all planetary mortals; it is still necessary for the will creatures to choose the Mystery Monitors. (595.3) 52:4.8 During the closing ages of this dispensation, society begins to return to more simplified forms of living. The complex nature of an advancing civilization is running its course, and mortals are learning to live more naturally and effectively. And this trend increases with each succeeding epoch. This is the age of the flowering of art, music, and higher learning. The physical sciences have already reached their height of development. The termination of this age, on an ideal world, witnesses the fullness of a great religious awakening, a world-wide spiritual enlightenment. And this extensive arousal of the spiritual natures of the races is the signal for the arrival of the bestowal Son and for the inauguration of the fifth mortal epoch. (595.4) 52:4.9 On many worlds it develops that the planet is not made ready for a bestowal Son by one magisterial mission; in that event there will be a second, even a succession of Magisterial Sons, each of whom will advance the races from one dispensation to another until the planet is made ready for the gift of the bestowal Son. On the second and subsequent missions the Magisterial Sons may or may not be incarnated. But no matter how many Magisterial Sons may appear — and they may also come as such after the bestowal Son — the advent of each one marks the end of one dispensation and the beginning of another. (595.5) 52:4.10 These dispensations of the Magisterial Sons cover anywhere from twenty-five thousand to fifty thousand years of Urantia time. Sometimes such an epoch is much shorter and in rare instances even longer. But in the fullness of time one of these same Magisterial Sons will be born as the Paradise bestowal Son. 5. Post-Bestowal Son Man (595.6) 52:5.1 When a certain standard of intellectual and spiritual development is attained on an inhabited world, a Paradise bestowal Son always arrives. On normal worlds he does not appear in the flesh until the races have ascended to the highest levels of intellectual development and ethical attainment. But on Urantia the bestowal Son, even your own Creator Son, appeared at the close of the Adamic dispensation, but that is not the usual order of events on the worlds of space. (595.7) 52:5.2 When the worlds have become ripe for spiritualization, the bestowal Son arrives. These Sons always belong to the Magisterial or Avonal order except in that case, once in each local universe, when the Creator Son prepares for his terminal bestowal on some evolutionary world, as occurred when Michael of Nebadon appeared on Urantia to bestow himself upon your mortal races. Only one world in near ten million can enjoy such a gift; all other worlds are spiritually advanced by the bestowal of a Paradise Son of the Avonal order. (596.1) 52:5.3 The bestowal Son arrives on a world of high educational culture and encounters a race spiritually trained and prepared to assimilate advanced teachings and to appreciate the bestowal mission. This is an age characterized by the world-wide pursuit of moral culture and spiritual truth. The mortal passion of this dispensation is the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality. The revelations of truth are extended to include the superuniverse. Entirely new systems of education and government grow up to supplant the crude regimes of former times. The joy of living takes on new color, and the reactions of life are exalted to heavenly heights of tone and timbre. (596.2) 52:5.4 The bestowal Son lives and dies for the spiritual uplift of the mortal races of a world. He establishes the “new and living way”; his life is an incarnation of Paradise truth in mortal flesh, that very truth — even the Spirit of Truth — in the knowledge of which men shall be free. (596.3) 52:5.5 On Urantia the establishment of this “new and living way” was a matter of fact as well as of truth. The isolation of Urantia in the Lucifer rebellion had suspended the procedure whereby mortals can pass, upon death, directly to the shores of the mansion worlds. Before the days of Christ Michael on Urantia all souls slept on until the dispensational or special millennial resurrections. Even Moses was not permitted to go over to the other side until the occasion of a special resurrection, the fallen Planetary Prince, Caligastia, contesting such a deliverance. But ever since the day of Pentecost, Urantia mortals again may proceed directly to the morontia spheres. (596.4) 52:5.6 Upon the resurrection of a bestowal Son, on the third day after yielding up his incarnated life, he ascends to the right hand of the Universal Father, receives the assurance of the acceptance of the bestowal mission, and returns to the Creator Son at the headquarters of the local universe. Thereupon the bestowal Avonal and the Creator Michael send their joint spirit, the Spirit of Truth, into the bestowal world. This is the occasion when the “spirit of the triumphant Son is poured out upon all flesh.” The Universe Mother Spirit also participates in this bestowal of the Spirit of Truth, and concomitant therewith there issues the bestowal edict of the Thought Adjusters. Thereafter all normal-minded will creatures of that world will receive Adjusters as soon as they attain the age of moral responsibility, of spiritual choice. (596.5) 52:5.7 If such a bestowal Avonal should return to a world after the bestowal mission, he would not incarnate but would come “in glory with the seraphic hosts.” (596.6) 52:5.8 The postbestowal Son age may extend from ten thousand to a hundred thousand years. There is no arbitrary time allotted to any of these dispensational eras. This is a time of great ethical and spiritual progress. Under the spiritual influence of these ages, human character undergoes tremendous transformations and experiences phenomenal development. It becomes possible to put the golden rule into practical operation. The teachings of Jesus are really applicable to a mortal world which has had the preliminary training of the prebestowal Sons with their dispensations of character ennoblement and culture augmentation. (596.7) 52:5.9 During this era the problems of disease and delinquency are virtually solved. Degeneracy has already been largely eliminated by selective reproduction. Disease has been practically mastered through the high resistant qualities of the Adamic strains and by the intelligent and world-wide application of the discoveries of the physical sciences of preceding ages. The average length of life, during this period, climbs well above the equivalent of three hundred years of Urantia time. (597.1) 52:5.10 Throughout this epoch there is a gradual lessening of governmental supervision. True self-government is beginning to function; fewer and fewer restrictive laws are necessary. The military branches of national resistance are passing away; the era of international harmony is really arriving. There are many nations, mostly determined by land distribution, but only one race, one language, and one religion. Mortal affairs are almost, but not quite, utopian. This truly is a great and glorious age! 6. Urantia’s Post-Bestowal Age (597.2) 52:6.1 The bestowal Son is the Prince of Peace. He arrives with the message, “Peace on earth and good will among men.” On normal worlds this is a dispensation of world-wide peace; the nations no more learn war. But such salutary influences did not attend the coming of your bestowal Son, Christ Michael. Urantia is not proceeding in the normal order. Your world is out of step in the planetary procession. Your Master, when on earth, warned his disciples that his advent would not bring the usual reign of peace on Urantia. He distinctly told them that there would be “wars and rumors of wars,” and that nation would rise against nation. At another time he said, “Think not that I have come to bring peace upon earth.” (597.3) 52:6.2 Even on normal evolutionary worlds the realization of the world-wide brotherhood of man is not an easy accomplishment. On a confused and disordered planet like Urantia such an achievement requires a much longer time and necessitates far greater effort. Unaided social evolution can hardly achieve such happy results on a spiritually isolated sphere. Religious revelation is essential to the realization of brotherhood on Urantia. While Jesus has shown the way to the immediate attainment of spiritual brotherhood, the realization of social brotherhood on your world depends much on the achievement of the following personal transformations and planetary adjustments: (597.4) 52:6.3 1. Social fraternity. Multiplication of international and interracial social contacts and fraternal associations through travel, commerce, and competitive play. Development of a common language and the multiplication of multilinguists. The racial and national interchange of students, teachers, industrialists, and religious philosophers. (597.5) 52:6.4 2. Intellectual cross-fertilization. Brotherhood is impossible on a world whose inhabitants are so primitive that they fail to recognize the folly of unmitigated selfishness. There must occur an exchange of national and racial literature. Each race must become familiar with the thought of all races; each nation must know the feelings of all nations. Ignorance breeds suspicion, and suspicion is incompatible with the essential attitude of sympathy and love. (597.6) 52:6.5 3. Ethical awakening. Only ethical consciousness can unmask the immorality of human intolerance and the sinfulness of fratricidal strife. Only a moral conscience can condemn the evils of national envy and racial jealousy. Only moral beings will ever seek for that spiritual insight which is essential to living the golden rule. (598.1) 52:6.6 4. Political wisdom. Emotional maturity is essential to self-control. Only emotional maturity will insure the substitution of international techniques of civilized adjudication for the barbarous arbitrament of war. Wise statesmen will sometime work for the welfare of humanity even while they strive to promote the interest of their national or racial groups. Selfish political sagacity is ultimately suicidal — destructive of all those enduring qualities which insure planetary group survival. (598.2) 52:6.7 5. Spiritual insight. The brotherhood of man is, after all, predicated on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The quickest way to realize the brotherhood of man on Urantia is to effect the spiritual transformation of present-day humanity. The only technique for accelerating the natural trend of social evolution is that of applying spiritual pressure from above, thus augmenting moral insight while enhancing the soul capacity of every mortal to understand and love every other mortal. Mutual understanding and fraternal love are transcendent civilizers and mighty factors in the world-wide realization of the brotherhood of man. (598.3) 52:6.8 If you could be transplanted from your backward and confused world to some normal planet now in the postbestowal Son age, you
Pray for corn--and plant the seeds. This says it all. The quality of our lives is the result of a partnership between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. All of us need to do our part for our wishes to manifest in our physical lives. We need to be grateful for what we have, pray for help in receiving what we still want and do our work in the physical realm to make it happen. That partnership is powerful and can create everyday miracles in our lives, including emotional, mental and physical healing. There are numerous tools that we can use that add positive energy to help connect our prayers and the outcomes we desire. This includes, but is not limited to: candles, incense, gem stones, essential oils, pendulums, angel cards, crystal bowls, bach flower remedies and herbs. These are not new age ideas. Even Moses used Frankincense and Mother Mary used Myrrh. Join us Thursday to learn more about the power of these spiritual tools from someone who practices what she sells.
We are really good at giving reasons not to serve God. This is nothing new. Even Moses did it! In this message, we see how God showed him that they were not reasons, but excuses. If we want to be obedient to God, there can be "No More Excuses". The scripture for this sermon is Exodus 4:1-17.
All of us have occupations here on earth but that is not the fullness of our purpose. We are called to know God and to spread the good news He offers to the world.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent. Evangelization is not new. Even Moses was trying to get the Israelites to live their faith so that other people would take notice. St. Malachy's Church-The Actors' Chapel, Broadway and W. 49th St., New York City. 12:15 weekday day Mass (3-14-07).
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