Podcasts about in moses

In this episode we take a closer look at Exodus 2. In Moses we see a man that is conflicted and attempts to take a stand but his decision, for better or worse, leads him to flee to the wilderness where years later he comes face to face with God. Check it out and share it with others!DM us through:⁠⁠⁠⁠Trending Up Instagram page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trending Up Facebook page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edgar IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sebastian IG

The Tabernacle didn't just happen. God gave Moses explicit instructions down to the last detail, and these details matter to God. Every part and piece of the Tabernacle had a specific purpose, use, and meaning. God designed it to serve His purpose and was a copy of the Tabernacle in heaven. Upon entering the Tabernacle, you would first come to the altar of sacrifice. Here, the sinner would offer a live sacrifice to atone for his sins. This altar was the only place to erase the sins of the past. Solomon's temple was different. It had three entrances, and one could get into it without passing the altar of sacrifice. In Moses' Tabernacle, you could not get to the second altar (in the holy of holies) without atoning for sins at the first altar. The second altar is where worship takes place. It is not possible to worship when burdened by sin. We must keep our altar in place to have a proper relationship with God through worship.

The Tabernacle didn't just happen. God gave Moses explicit instructions down to the last detail, and these details matter to God. Every part and piece of the Tabernacle had a specific purpose, use, and meaning. God designed it to serve His purpose and was a copy of the Tabernacle in heaven. Upon entering the Tabernacle, you would first come to the altar of sacrifice. Here, the sinner would offer a live sacrifice to atone for his sins. This altar was the only place to erase the sins of the past. Solomon's temple was different. It had three entrances, and one could get into it without passing the altar of sacrifice. In Moses' Tabernacle, you could not get to the second altar (in the holy of holies) without atoning for sins at the first altar. The second altar is where worship takes place. It is not possible to worship when burdened by sin. We must keep our altar in place to have a proper relationship with God through worship.

In Exodus 33, In Moses's conversation with God he gets the revelation that the presence of God is what sets them apart from all other people on the earth. Then Moses asks God, “Show me Your Glory?” Glory- weightiness, splendor, magnificent, power, excellence, and wealth

Not only did the nation of Israel get a new leader but they were given a new land! The is land is often called their inheritance because it was a land promised to their forefathers!  This is a great picture of the fact that as believers we have a new inheritance in Christ. Our Christian experience on earth should be by faith claiming the reality of our inheritance in Christ and living in victory every day!   In Ephesians 1:11-14, Paul talked about our inheritance: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”   The word "land" is found eighty-seven times in the Book of Joshua because this book is the record of Israel's entering, conquering, and claiming the Promised Land. God promised to give the land to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-7; 13:15-17; 15:7,18; 17:8; 24:7), and He reaffirmed the promise to Isaac (26:1-5), Jacob (28:4, 13, 15; 35:12), and their descendants (50:24). The Exodus narrative gives many reaffirmations of the promise (Exodus 3:8,17; 6:4, 8; 12:25; 13:5,11;16:35; 23:20-33; 33:1-3; 34:10-16), and these are repeated in Leviticus (14:34; 18:3; 19:23; 20:22-24; 23:10; 25:2, 38) and Numbers (11:12; 15:2, 18; 16:13-14; 20:12, 24; 27:12; 33:53; 34:2, 12).   In Moses' "farewell speech" in the Book of Deuteronomy, he frequently mentioned the land and the nation's responsibility to possess it. The word "land" is found nearly 200 times in Deuteronomy and the word "possess" over 50 times. Israel owned the land because of God's gracious covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-5), but their enjoyment of the land depended on their faithful obedience to God. (See Lev. 26 and Deut. 28-30.) As long as the Jews obeyed God's law, He blessed them, and they prospered in the land.   God called the Promised Land "a good land" (Deut. 8:7-10) and contrasted it with the monotony and barrenness of Egypt (Deut. 11:8-14). It was to be Israel's place of rest, her inheritance, and the dwelling place of God (Deut. 12:9,11). After enduring slavery in Egypt and misery in the wilderness, the Jews would finally find rest in their Promised Land (Josh. 1:13, 15; 11:23; 21:44; 22:4; 23:1). This concept of "rest" will show up again in Psalm 95:11 and Hebrews 4 as an illustration of the victory Christians can have if they give their all to the Lord.   We have a promised inheritance in Christ which is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit in us. Today, are you enjoying and experiencing rest and victory in Jesus?   God bless!

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. . . . — Deuteronomy 30:19 In Deuteronomy, Moses is giving his farewell speech to God's people Israel. So he tells the Israelites straight up: “You can go one of two ways—the way of blessings and life, or the way of curses and death. Choose life!” The choice seems rather simple and obvious, right? I can't imagine people saying, “Well, I'll choose curses and death.” But some do. Some people reject or ignore the choice that God gives them. The same thing happens today. People reject or ignore the choice to follow Christ. In Moses' day, God laid the choice in front of Israel in terms of a “covenant.” That was a pact between God and his people—a pledge of fidelity on both sides. God promised to be faithful to his people, and the people were called to reciprocate. They needed to be faithful to God. They needed to keep the terms of the covenant. Those terms made up the law, summarized in the Ten Commandments: do not worship or serve other gods; do not harm your neighbor; and so on. Yet no human could keep the terms of that covenant perfectly—till Jesus came. Jesus is the only human who kept every stipulation of the covenant. And he not only chose life for himself but also made it available to all who choose life in him. Thanks to Jesus, we have blessings and life! Jesus, you have blessed us in every way. You give us life now and forever. Help us share this good news everywhere. Amen.

Moses And Christ Part 4 You know that the church is mostly made up of Gentile believers at this time. In Moses story, just like Joseph's story you see the rejection by their own, then you see Gentile brides in both stories. But that is not the end of the story. Later, in both stories, they save all of Israel. This should wake you up as a Gentile believer and follower of Jesus. You may have been taught that the Church has superseded or replaced Israel, but that is not what you see if you understand the whole Bible. That is why it is so important for you to understand the whole council of God, the whole Bible, so that false doctrine can be seen clearly. The word of God is what has authority, not human teaching. The doctrine of Replacement Theology emerged from men, not from God or His Word. You will see a fresh new Video, every Friday, 9:30 AM, Pacific Time. #TheWholeBible #GeorgeCrabb #MosesGentileBride You will learn to use the Whole Bible to Understand the Bible. You will see how the Old Testament is key to understanding New Testament books like Revelation. You will gain the knowledge of typology and how it works to deepen your understanding of Jesus Christ. You will go deeper into the scriptures and be blessed because your heart will be ablaze with the love of God. When you Subscribe, you will also see random videos on Marriage, Faith, Biblical topics, Prophecy, Israel and Current Events uploaded periodically. All of my content is free, so Subscribe and click on the Alert Bell to get these videos. When you watch these videos, you will be discovering the Jewish Jesus. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/george-crabb7/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/george-crabb7/support

God sends some someones.In Moses' story, he asks God to send someone to help him in his weakness. Someone to speak wisdom and blessing, someone to share the load, someone that is with, someone that strengthens faith, and someone to speak truth. From Moses' story, we see God's desire to send someone to help us in our loneliness, weakness, and for all of life. May we become people who see who God has placed in our lives, and faithfully lean on the gift of community.Check out the links below for ways to get connected and give to SLO City: (https://slocity.church/im-new) - Click here to fill out a connect card if you're new (https://slocity.church/this-week) - Click here to jump into community (https://subsplash.com/slocitychurch/app) - Click here to download the app and stay connected (https://slocity.church/give) - We dream of being a generous church that trusts God fully and makes a difference. If God has put it on your heart to give, click the link above.

2024 is here and this Sunday is VISION SUNDAY!!In a moment of great, purposeful clarity in 3 of the 4 gospels Jesus journeys with Peter, James, and John, to go and STAND on the MOUNTAIN. In this fascinating passage the disciples behold the brilliance of the glory of God as Jesus reveals His deity, and then out of nowhere, Elijah and Moses appear and speak to Jesus. In Moses's and Elijah's lifetime God revealed His glory and spoke on the mountain. Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John met with God on the mountain! In '24, CCW Let's STAND on the MOUNTAIN!

2024 is here and this Sunday is VISION SUNDAY!!In a moment of great, purposeful clarity in 3 of the 4 gospels Jesus journeys with Peter, James, and John, to go and STAND on the MOUNTAIN. In this fascinating passage the disciples behold the brilliance of the glory of God as Jesus reveals His deity, and then out of nowhere, Elijah and Moses appear and speak to Jesus. In Moses's and Elijah's lifetime God revealed His glory and spoke on the mountain. Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John met with God on the mountain! In '24, CCW Let's STAND on the MOUNTAIN!

God's gift of abundant life is still out there on the table for everyone who wants to be a guest at god's table. As Matthew put it, good or bad. God's world is a world of abundance. In Moses time, God gave to the Israelites the promise of abundance against the nightmare of Pharaoh's world of scarcity. The people wandered for 40 years following that promise of abundance. Today, in many ways, we still live in Pharaoh's nightmare of scarcity. We live our lives on the assumption that there's not enough to go around, not enough time, not enough jobs, not enough respect, not enough land. It's a zero sum world. I win, you lose. You win, I lose. On the one hand. For some people, the prospect of losing, of being disrespected, of losing their status in society is unbearably threatening to their very being. On the other hand, for those who have already lost, who are oppressed, who are dispossessed, they can't see the way to abundance except by fighting for it. People who are threatened feel like they need to defend themselves against their own extinction. So, there's fear. There's anger, there's resentment, hatred, and violence. Jesus knew about violence. Of course, the prince of peace lived and preached his lessons in a violent world in many ways, a lot like ours today.

Revealed the Miracles of Jesus Pt. 8 When Is a Tax Not a Tax? By Louie Marsh, 10-1-2023   Pictures & video from Turkey Trip   1) Jesus shows me to LOOK beneath the surface.   “24When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25He said, “Yes.”  (Matthew 17:24–25a, ESV)   In Moses' time, each person over the age of 20 was to give a half-shekel offering (the equivalent of two Roman drachmas) for the support of the tabernacle (see Ex. 30:11–16). This practice was still being observed some 1,500 years later, in Jesus' day, to maintain the temple.   2) The Temple Tax shows me my need…   ·       To be RANSOMED   “11The Lord said to Moses, 12“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.” (Exodus 30:11–12, ESV)   “43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Mark 10:43–45, ESV)   ·       For ATONEMENT   “15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”” (Exodus 30:15–16, ESV)   “22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”” (Luke 9:22, ESV)   Jesus paid the ransom for many. His blood is our atonement for sin. That precious blood was of far greater value than a silver shekel. We owe God a debt we cannot pay. Jesus canceled out our debt of sin (Col 2:14). He is able, and He makes grace abound toward us. Exodus 30 teaches us what to look for in Matthew 17. It is not a moral or ethical lesson on paying taxes. It is not some disconnected fish tale.   3) We have been SET FREE in Christ.    And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.  (Matthew 17:25b-26, ESV)   “13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13–15, ESV)   4) Jesus gives us freedom to SERVE.    27However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”” (Matthew 17:24–27, ESV)   “42And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” (Mark 10:42–44, ESV)  

In Moses’ only Psalm, we learn that our days are short but can be full of joy and spiritual value if we count them the way God does. Psalm 90:1-17 Series: Psalm Sundays Gene Pensiero Jr. Find audio, video, and text of this whole series in the Old Testament book of Psalms at https://calvaryhanford.com/psalmsundays

In Moses’ only Psalm, we learn that our days are short but can be full of joy and spiritual value if we count them the way God does. Psalm 90:1-17 Series: Psalm Sundays Gene Pensiero Jr. Find audio, video, and text of this whole series in the Old Testament book of Psalms at https://calvaryhanford.com/psalmsundays

"In moeilike tye soek jy ‘n ware vriend. ‘n Konneksie dieper as kennis. Jesus vra sy dissipels om naby hom te wees aan die einde van sy lewe. Moeilike tye wys die Judasse in ons lewe uit, maar ook ware vriende wat ons lewe gee. In Moses se woestyntyd kom sy skoonpa tot sy redding. Die onmiddelike vraag is: Hoe is dit moontlik dat so 'n hartspasie tussen Moses en Jetro kan plaasvind?"

In this episode, Jori discusses with her listeners what happened when Moses noticed the burning bush. ERROR NOTE:  I misspoke when talking about the events surrounding the birth of Moses. I mistakenly said that Pharoah had all the males under age 2 killed. This is what happened at the time Jesus was born.  In Moses's case, Pharoah had asked the midwives to kill the Hebrew males as soon as they were born and for them to throw all male newborns into the Nile.  NEW!!!!  MARCH 2023 VERSE CALENDARThis calendar has the schedule of the daily podcast focus verses for March 2023.  Click on the link below for a  PDF File that you may print or keep on your computer, tablet or phone.  I hope to add a video in a couple days to show you how I have used this in a personal devotional/prayer journal.  Final March 2023 Verse Calendar.pdf - Google Drive NEW!!! BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals. You will be able to see in a YouTube video soon.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive  CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://a.co/d/9B5krQlhttps://a.co/d/iycFlnNHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds Scripture translation used is the English Standard Version.Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture References:1 Thessalonians 5:17Exodus 3:4Genesis 3:15Exodus 24:4John 5:45-47Genesis 50:22-26Genesis 15:12-15Exodus 1:8-10Exodus 1-2Exodus 3:1-9Isaiah 6:1-8Acts 9:1-19Isaiah 55:8-9John 14:61 Corinthians 15:58  Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.comSupport the show

The Apostle Jon will explain to the children how Moses was always his greatest hero...until he met Jesus. In Moses' day, God lived in a tent. At Christmas, God became a man. I will explain how Jesus causes us to experience grace and truth like no other.

1) What season are we celebrating?a. Advent.2) What is Advent?a. Advent is the season before Christmas.3) What kind of season is Advent?a. Advent is a season of waiting.4) Where are we waiting?a. In a land of deep darkness.5) What are we waiting for?a. The Light to shine on us.6) What do we do during Advent?a. Prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus.7) What do we confess during Advent?a. Christ has come; Christ will come again.Early in each of the gospels, the biblical authors seek to link the story of Jesus with what has come before. Mark opens by referring to “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” and linking the story of Jesus to the prophecies of Isaiah. Matthew opens with his genealogy, which runs from Jesus back through the exile, through David, to father Abraham. Luke goes a step farther, with his genealogy reaching all the way back to Adam, the son of God. We might think that's about as far back as we can go. If you ask someone, tell me about your ancestry, and they say, “Well, there was a guy named Adam and a girl named Eve and they lived in a garden…”, that's about as far back as you can go. But not for John. John reaches farther back than Isaiah, Abraham, and Adam. His gospel will begin as far back as possible, to the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” These words obviously remind us of Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” But John's words are even more fundamental than Moses. In Moses's beginning, he immediately speaks of creation, of divine action. “God created the heavens and the earth.” John reaches behind creation to that which was before creation. In fact, we see this clearly in the verbs that John uses. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The verb in each of these is “to be.” It refers to basic existence. Then in verse 3, John begins to speak of things that “were made,” or literally, things that “become.” “All things became through him, and without him did not anything become that has become.” Our translations rightly connect this “becoming” to “being made” or “being created.”This is the fundamental contrast in reality: Being and Becoming. Things that just are; and things that come-to-be. Eternal and unchanging things and temporal and changing things. In the Old Testament, this contrast is always between the God Who Is and the World that Becomes. What's more, the Old Testament is adamant that there is only one God Who Is. “I am who I am.” There is none like me. I am God and there is no other. As the Westminster Catechism says, “Are there more gods than one? There is but one only, the living and true God.” In contrast to God, there is the world of becoming, the world that comes-to-be, that was created in the beginning, full of change. What's striking about John's gospel, especially for his early Jewish monotheistic audience is that he places the Word right in the middle of Being. The Word did not come into being. He did not have a beginning, but he was in the beginning. And the Word from the beginning has two paradoxical features: he was with God and he was God. He was God's Fellow and God's Own Self. And notice that I'm saying “He.” The opening verse refers to the Word, the Logos. Verse 2 summarizes verse 1 and accents that this Word is not a thing, but a He. “He–the Word who was and is God–was in the beginning with God.”Word as MessageWhen we hear the word “Word,” we often think of an individual word, a single word. But the Greek word “logos” means something more like speech, or discourse, or message. In the earliest Latin translations of the New Testament, it was translated as sermo, from which we get the word “sermon.” In the beginning was the Sermon and the Sermon was with God and the Sermon was God. And we ought to pay attention to the prepositions. The Word was in the beginning. He was with God. And all things were made through him. These three give three windows on the Word. Because he was in the beginning, he was God. He didn't come into being. He just is. But he's not just God; he's also with God. Are there more gods than one? There is but one only, the living and true God. But the next question says, “How many persons are there in the Godhead? There are three persons in the Godhead–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one God.” And third, the Word is the agent of creation. Creation is from the Father, and through the Son (and in the Spirit). God creates through speech. “He spoke, and it came to be.” And that speech is the Son. As one commentator put it, “Jesus is what God says whenever God speaks.” Notice how John emphasizes this point. “Without him was not anything made that was made.” If there's a made thing in the universe, it was made through the Word. If there is something that came to be in reality, it came to be through the Word. That's why the gospel of John ends with the statement that, if every one of Jesus's deeds was written, the whole world could not contain the books. That's because the world itself is the Word's words. So then, we have the Eternal Word and the Creating Word. In verse 4, we see the Living Word. “In him was life, and the life [that was in him] was the light of men.” The Word's life is man's light. The LightWith the introduction of the term “light” in verse 4, we see a shift. From this point on, until John 1:14, the Word is referred to as the Light. He's the Word–Eternal Word, Creating Word, Living Word. And now he's the Light. The Light shines in the darkness (1:5); John bears witness about the Light (1:7-8); The true Light was coming into the world (1:9), and was rejected by some and received by others (1:10-13). So what does it mean that he's the Light of men? This statement is made in the midst of multiple references to creation, to Genesis 1: In the beginning; all things were made through him; the light shines in the darkness (recalling Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light, and there was light”). So in the first place the Word is the natural Light of men. He is the ultimate, unavoidable foundation for all knowledge and understanding.With the help of C.S. Lewis, let's dwell on the meaning of the Word as the natural Light of men. In his apologetic work, Lewis was especially known for his clear and compelling use of the arguments from Reason, Morality, and Desire. He deployed these arguments primarily as a way of refuting naturalism or materialism, the view that nature or matter is all that there is. Nothing supernatural, or spiritual, or beyond what can be measured and quantified.Naturalism is reductionistic. The naturalist says that human reasoning, whether about truth or morality, is simply the excess fluff of chemical and electrical reactions in the brain. Our reasoning doesn't actually give us access to truth or goodness outside of us; it's simply a brain secretion. You may think that your mind has access to reality, to truth, but it doesn't; that's an illusion produced by millions of years of evolution. Likewise, your moral standards are merely evolved social preferences that you mistakenly think transcend human thought. They are simply irrational projections of human values and emotions onto an indifferent cosmos. There is no standard of good and evil, independent of human actions, by which we can be judged. That's naturalism. The argument from Reason runs something like this: human thought cannot merely be a fact about ourselves, but must instead be capable of giving us real insight into reality. Lewis frequently quoted Professor J.D.S. Haldane to the effect that, “If my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain, I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true . . . and hence I have no reason for supposing my brain to be composed of atoms.” One absolutely central inconsistency ruins [the naturalistic worldview]…. The whole picture professes to depend on inferences from observed facts. Unless inference is valid, the whole picture disappears…. Unless Reason is an absolute – all is in ruins. Yet those who ask me to believe this world picture also ask me to believe that Reason is simply the unforeseen and unintended by–product of mindless matter at one stage of its endless and aimless becoming. Here is flat contradiction. They ask me at the same moment to accept a conclusion and to discredit the only testimony on which that conclusion can be based. In other words, all knowledge depends on the validity of inference, of logic, and therefore inference must in principle be more than a brain secretion but instead a “real insight into the way in which real things have to exist” (63). If this is so, then human thinking testifies to the existence of Reason in which the universe is saturated. Human logic bears witness to the eternal Logos. While this argument doesn't get you the whole way to Christian theism, it does seem to be an effective refutation of strict materialism.The argument from Morality is similar: Human beings make moral judgments. We call certain things good and certain things evil, certain things right and certain things wrong. In doing so, we are appealing to an objective standard of behavior that is outside of us. Whether we are judging our neighbor or Nazis, the very fact of our judgment testifies to our belief in a real objective Good that stands over us and to which we ought to conform. There is a real moral law which is constantly pressing upon us. Again, this argument doesn't get us the whole way to Christianity, but the existence of a universal moral law does seem to imply a Lawgiver, and thus open the way for further discussion of what this Lawgiver might be like.Finally, I'll let Lewis express the argument from Desire in his own words: The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 2001), 136–137.) Now there are at least two common threads that run within each of these arguments. The first is that the existence of the defect testifies to the existence of the perfection. A belief in the existence of error entails belief in the existence of Truth. A belief in the existence of evil entails belief in the existence of Good. A belief in the existence of emptiness entails belief in the existence of Fullness. Thus, instead of the argument from Reason, we might equally speak of the Argument from Error. Instead of the argument from Morality, we might speak of the argument from Evil. Instead of the argument from Desire, we might speak of the argument from Emptiness. The second common thread is that such beliefs are, outside of insane asylums, indelible and ineradicable. We can't get away from them. Whatever theories people may have, whatever philosophies people may invent, we are all going to go on identifying errors, making moral judgments, and pursuing satisfaction in something. And significantly, such indelible phenomena cry out for an explanation. And John 1 gives us that explanation.When we recognize the implications of our indelible belief in error and truth, in evil and good, in desire and fullness, in futility and purpose, we can see in such simple everyday phenomena a witness to God's reality. As Paul says, “He is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27) In a sense, we might say that God is as near to you as your thinking, your judging, and your desiring. Because the life of his Word is the light of men.No matter what we think, in thinking we evidence a belief in inference, in logic, in error, and therefore in truth. And he is the Truth. In evaluating and judging, in condemning and approving, in accusing and commending, we evidence our belief in morality, in standards, in evil, and therefore in the good. And he is the Good. In desiring and pursuing satisfaction, in longing and in aching, in hoping and in feeling futility, we evidence our belief in meaning, in purpose, in fullness and in life. And he is the Life. And his life is the light of men.Of course, we can, if we choose, suppress these truths. We can invent philosophies that deny (however incoherently) the reality of truth, goodness, and beauty. We can try to overcome that light. But reality is a stubborn thing. Or better, God is a relentless hunter. To use Psalm 139, he really does search and know us. He really does hem us in, behind and before (Psalm 139:5). We cannot successfully flee from him. If we ascend to the heavens, he is there. If we descend to the depths, he is there. If we travel across the sea, or to the farthest reaches of the galaxies, even there he is present and active and pursuing.Or to bring this back to John 1, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The natural light of reason can be suppressed, but not obliterated. Every time we think, we reassert the inescapable reality of the Word as the natural light of men.Coming into the WorldBut John's gospel doesn't stop with natural light. This true light which enlightens every man was coming into the world. This “coming into the world” is something different than being the natural light of men from creation. This is what we are marking here in Advent as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. When the true light came into the world, he shed a new kind of light, and this light enlightened men by dividing men. He came to his own – and since he made everything, everything is his own. Every person belongs to the Light. More specifically, he came to his own household, his people, to Israel. And they did not receive him. They rejected him. But not everyone. Some did receive him. Some believed in his name. To understand this division that the light brings, we can consider John's words later in his gospel, in chapter 3. "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (3:19-21) Why did some who dwelt in darkness reject the light? Because they loved the darkness because their deeds were evil. They hated the light because they hated exposure. They wrapped themselves in darkness and tried to make it their covering. So then, we have the Word, God's Eternal Message, who was with God and is God, and through him God made everything. The life of the Word is the natural light of men, shining into the darkness with inescapable and unavoidable brightness. And this light, the true light, comes into the world and enlightens men by dividing men into those who recognize and love him, and those who do not. ApplicationSo here we are, in the season of Advent, in a land of deep darkness. What should we do with what we've just seen in John 1? First, we ought to be encouraged by our awareness of darkness. Just as the existence of error points to the reality of truth, just as the existence of evil points to the reality of goodness, just as the fact of emptiness and desire points to the reality of fullness and satisfaction, so also the fact that we have a name for darkness means that we were made for the Light. In the land of the blind, they have no word for darkness or for light. And so if you feel the weight of darkness upon you this Advent, take heart. That weight is testifying to your soul that you were made for light. Second, I want to exhort all of us: Let's be like John. John was not the Light. Throughout this gospel, John will say things like, “I'm not the Christ; I'm just the voice of one crying in the wilderness. I'm not the bridegroom; I'm just his friend, and he must increase and I must decrease.” In John's gospel, Jesus says, “I am.” John says, “I am not.” And so let's be like John. And in this passage, what does John do? He's not the light. He bears witness about the Light. He points to the Light. And he does so that all might believe in the true Light that is coming into the world. John is the apostle of Advent. And so let's press this into the corners a bit. In your homes this Advent, are you bearing witness to the Light? Parents, are you pointing your kids to the Light? Or are you driving them into the darkness? In our Advent catechism, we ask, “What do we do during Advent? Prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus.” Are you preparing your kids to welcome Jesus, or to avoid you? In all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, are you keeping your eye on the ball? Are you communicating the brightness of God's smile to your kids, or the darkness of his exasperated and frustrated frown?It's a great tragedy when, in our efforts to do good things for our people, we torch our relationships with our people. Dad, you can do it by working your job to provide, while forgetting that the first way that you bear witness to the light is by your glad time and attention for your family. Mom, you can torch the relationship by forgetting that decorations are made for people, not people for the decorations. Your vision for your holiday home, shaped by Instagram and other people's expectations, can be a burden to your family that keeps them from seeing the light. John isn't the Light; he's the voice. And so if you're a voice, like John, what does your voice say? What does your tone of voice say? Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends and roommates: how's that tone of voice? Is it making straight the way of the Lord so your spouse or sibling or friend can see the Light? Or is it throwing up roadblocks? Kids, do you speak respectfully and clearly and honorably to your parents?Husbands, do you speak to your wife with exasperation and harshness?Wives, do you speak to your husband with disrespect and condescension? Roommates and friends, do you speak to each other with frustration and dismissal?For all of us, can we point people to the Light by our manner of speech – kind, patient, thoughtful, strong, clear, and full of delight and joy in the Light and in our people?Keep pressing in here. John's aim is to “make straight the way of the Lord” (v. 23) To lay low the mountains and to raise up the valleys. It's clear from John's ministry that this fundamentally means calling people to repentance and restored relationships, first with God and then with each other. And so for husbands and wives, for parents and kids, for brothers and sisters, for friends and roommates – how are those relationships? When I ask that question, does a name or a face or a conflict pop into your head? If so, that's great news. The Light is shining in the darkness. Don't try to overcome it. When the Light comes into the world, come to the Light. Don't love the darkness and reject the light. Don't keep your evil deeds hidden. Repent of them. And then bear fruit in keeping with that repentance. One way that we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus is by doing what is true and so showing that our deeds have been carried out in God. As John says, those who receive the Light and believe in his name are given an amazing privilege – the right to become children of God, born not of human will or decision, not of blood and natural procreation. If you receive the Light, it's because you've been born of God, and your works are done in him. Finally, what does it mean to receive him? Receive him as what? In this passage, it means receiving him as the Word, as the Speech and Message of God to us. It means receiving him as Light and Life. And it means receiving him as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. Which brings us to the Table.The TableThe Word who was in the beginning, the Word who was with God and is God, the Eternal, Creating Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The True Light came into the world, and is still coming into the world. At this table, we see the True Light in the simple bread and wine. And in seeing the True Light, in believing in his name, we receive him as the True Bread. So come and welcome Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit inspired preaching from Peninsula Revival. Could it be that God would dwell with man on earth? The answer is a resounding yes, as presented by Pastor Mervyn Sunderland in this talk from the archives. In Moses' tabernacle, in Solomon's temple, and now in the hearts of those annointed by the Holy Spirit, God dwells in all His richness and glory. If this message resonates with you, check us out further at revivalcentres.org. If you'd like to talk to someone, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter, drop us a line at pensinsula@revivalcentres.org. God is offering you THE salvation experience - you can receive the Holy Spirit just as the disciples did on the Day of Pentecost. It is the same today as it ever was - don't settle for less!

Exodus 19:4 The Lord said, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” The eagle is a huge bird with a wingspan of more than two metres. It was an impressive sight for the Israelites as they walked through the desert and it is easy to understand how it was often seen as a symbol of God's loving provision. In Moses' final speech before the people entered the promised land, he described God in this beautifully tender way: “He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes. Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions” (Deuteronomy 32:10-11). God perfectly understood and provided for the needs of his people. We all know times when we are totally out of our depth. We can't cope and we need God's peace and strength. When an eaglet is learning to fly, the mother eagle flies under them with her wings spread out to catch them. She doesn't actually carry them because they would then never learn to fly, but she gives them total security by being there underneath them. Isn't that a wonderful picture of the way in which God cares for us? He wants us to grow in strength and to be able to serve him effectively, but he also knows that we need the security of his continual presence. I wonder what challenges you are facing at the moment? God wants you to give him the best of your intellect, determination, gifts and strength but, as you do so, you need to keep reminding yourself that you are not alone. His wings will always be beneath you, giving you continual security. He is able to catch you when you fall. Question: In what way does the security that God gives you affect your daily life? Prayer: Loving Father, thank you for the complete security that you give me as I live for you today. Amen

Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse on October 6th 2022. In Moses' parting song to the Jewish people he mentions Faith (emuna) in two different ways, both of which don't refer to man's faith in God. We take the opportunity to explore the meaning of Faith in the Torah and latter Rabbinic thought. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/436267 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2022/10/05/god-believes/  

God's word reflects the beauty, the holiness, and the perfection of his own character. In Moses' introduction to the law, he directs his listeners to the true purpose of the law: to direct us in the light of God and to live and thrive with God. In this sermon, Pastor Philip walks us through the 3 effects of God's commands.

God's word reflects the beauty, the holiness, and the perfection of his own character. In Moses' introduction to the law, he directs his listeners to the true purpose of the law: to direct us in the light of God and to live and thrive with God. In this sermon, Pastor Philip walks us through the 3 effects of God's commands.

In Moses' final discourses, he makes it clear that entering the land God has chosen, by crossing over from Moab, is equated with entering into our covenant with God. We can't fully grasp our purpose as a people unless we understand the decisive connection between God, the people of Israel and the Land of Israel.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.John 6 takes place after John 5, but the writer does not tell us whether the gap is days, weeks, months, or years.That he identifies the Sea of Galilee as the Sea of Tiberias suggests that his readers are not familiar with the places and events of which he writes. This body of fresh water is also called the Sea of Kinnereth (Heb. kinnor = harp -- as the lake is shaped like a harp). A large crowd is following Jesus (v.1). Their motivation is their interest in the sensational aspects of Jesus' ministry.Jesus sits down -- his usual posture when teaching his disciples, like that of the rabbis of that period.4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”Another Passover is near (v.4), and Jesus takes advantage of this time to teach his disciples.Jesus tests Philip (v.5), asking him how the apostolic band might feed such a large crowd. Thanks to a small boy (v.9), the pump is primed, and the miracle begins.The presence of grass (green grass, as in Mark 6) suggests he is teaching in the springtime, before the dry season (when it does not rain for many months).The Feeding of the 5000 is recounted in all four gospels (Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6).Matthew 14:21 tells us that this approximation includes men only, not women and children. Counting males only was the custom of the Jews in O.T. times as well as that of the early church.Was the total crowd 6000 persons? 10,000? This is difficult to determine. Six (or possibly eight) months' wages is how the Greek "two hundred denarii" has been rendered. Since a denarius was a day's wage, the equivalent is accurate.The crowd is amazed (v.14). And yet their motives are far from pure.15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.Theirs is a political agenda, and they have high hopes for Jesus to replace the Romans as a new king (v.15). He refuses their offer -- just as he refused Satan's offer of dominion (see Matthew 4). Nor does he propose that one of his disciples serve as king.What a contrast to modern interpretations of Christianity! Faith is equated with one or another political party. Such linkage of religion and politics was something Jesus wholly avoided.Bottom line, politics involves force. Those who refuse to submit to the will of the state will be compelled to submit -- "at gunpoint," so to speak. Those who do not put the state first may be imprisoned or even executed. This is wholly contrary to the Spirit of Christ.Jesus, resisting their overtures, withdraws, presumably to pray (v.15). Meanwhile, his disciples set out across the lake.16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.Jesus walks on the water. After initially shocking the apostles, he joins them (v.21). It is then recorded that they immediately reached the shore! Is there a lesson here -- that when Jesus is on board, we reach our destination sooner?As we will see tomorrow, the crowds will eventually catch up with Jesus.For more on the O.T. background to Jesus' walking on water, see Job 9:8; Psalm 77:16,19.When we are fatigued, rowing hard in rough seas, and tempted to be frightened, how quickly do we invite Jesus into our boat?22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."Why are most people attracted to Christianity and to church? Are motives in the 21st century more or less the same as those in the 1st century?Earlier in the chapter Jesus has fed the 5000, greatly arousing their curiosity. And yet something is wrong. Their motives are not right (vv.26-27).27 "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”Notice that faith (believing) is the work God wants us to do. Beware the artificial separation of faith and works, a common error of Protestantism.Not pleased with Jesus' challenge, they ask him to prove his point by performing a miracle (v.30).They are asking him to work the miracle again! This reminds us of Pharaoh's stubborn refusal to believe, despite seeing several miracles. It also reminds us of the faithlessness of the desert generation.In Moses' day, the Israelites ate bread (Exodus 16); can Jesus do more? This question is a propos, since he has just given a large crowd plenty of bread.As Jesus correctly points out, it was not Moses who gave bread to the Israelites in the desert, but God the Father (v.32).There is a midrash on Exodus 16: "As the first Redeemer brought down the manna... so will also the last Redeemer cause manna to come down" (Midr. Qoh. 1:9).For reference, compare Jesus' miracle to Elisha's in 2 Kings 4:42-44.35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.Ultimately, Jesus offers himself as the miracle, the "bread of life" (v.35).Compare the apocryphal Sirach 24:21: "Whoever feeds on me will be hungry for more, and whoever drinks from me will thirst for more."If we are to follow Jesus, he must be our source of sustenance, nothing else (whether health, the approval of others, recreation, professional success, sensual experience, drugs, etc).In v.35 is the first of the seven "I am" statements in John.Each points to Jesus' divinity, since in the O.T. "I am" is the name of Yahweh, God. Thus each statement tells us something different about how Jesus is God.Interestingly, the early church may not have made this point, particularly in their outreach to the Jews. (At least no record survives of this point being made.) The 7 "I Am" sayings"I am the bread of life" (6:35)."I am the light of the world" (8:12)."I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7)."I am the good shepherd" (10:11)."I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25)."I am the way and the truth and the life" (14:6)."I am the the true vine" (15:1).While John, making use of the "perfect" number 7, gives us only seven "I am" statements, there are at least 7 more:"I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting..." (Mark 14:62)."I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5; 22:8)."I am the alpha and the omega..." (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13)."I am the root and the offspring of David" (Revelation 22:16).Can you find more?Is Jesus truly the bread of life to me?What is my "bread"?As I read Deuteronomy 8:3, Jeremiah 15:16, and other passages, can I honestly say that I thrive on the word of God?

In Moses' plea to God in this week's Torah portion, there's an element of desperate and panic. We, also, tend to panic when we think we must have or do something, and we may silently ask, please, please, please, make it so.” But do we always have such clarity that we know for sure what's right, or is it sometimes in retrospect that we realize we weren't praying for the best thing after all.

In Moses 3:5 we read,   “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.”   This is a profound and beautiful truth we hold in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We know God knew us and created us spiritually before we were created physically. And yet, even knowing that truth we can find it hard to tap into the wisdom already within us through our spiritual DNA.   Coach Hyo North is on the podcast talking about how learning the way Buddhism accesses this spiritual being within our physical body has helped her draw closer to God and her Savior Jesus Christ.    This is a beautiful episode on how when we as members of the Church gather divine truth from sources outside the Church and bring it in, we strengthen and grow the truths we already have.   For more information about Hyo and for links to access all she has to offer, please click HERE! To watch this interview on YouTube, go HERE. For more information and available downloads, go to: https://ldslifecoaches.com/ All content is copyrighted to Heather Rackham and featured coaches. Do not use without permission.

Exodus 2:1-10 –  In Moses, we are given a picture of what God is trying to do in each of our lives. We are either children of wrath or children of God. And for those children of God, we are created on purpose for a purpose. The post Exodus 2:1-10 – I am God’s Workmanship appeared first on Seneca Baptist.

Sunday, 8 May 2022   saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. Acts 7:32    In the previous verse, Moses had approached the burning bush. As he drew near, “the voice of the Lord came to him.” With that stated, it now says, “saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers.'” This would bring to remembrance the promises passed down among the Hebrew people that God had promised to deliver them.   Despite being raised among the Egyptians, it is likely that Moses was not only aware of his heritage, but also of what that heritage meant according to the stories kept in the collective mind of the people. Of note, the Hebrew text says, “I am the God of your father.”   The singular is taken by some to be a collective designation. However, it could just as likely mean that the Lord is referring to Amram, the father of Moses, ensuring that it is understood that the same God of his own father is the one who was also there all along with each generation that had passed. Stephen, however, focuses on the collective line by saying “fathers.”   With His words now introduced, the Lord continues, saying, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” The words speak of the Lord's transcendence over time. He is the God of Moses' father and the same God who was worshipped by his ancestors, even 400 years earlier. Jesus uses this exact passage to make a theological point concerning the resurrection –   “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Matthew 22:31-33   Stephen's inclusion of these words, which would have been remembered by those who heard Jesus speak, provides suitable evidence that Jesus' resurrection was not a mere fantasy, but something that has a precedent right from the words of Moses as recorded in Exodus. The Lord is the God of things that actually exist. If these fathers were alive to Him, even though they were dead to Moses, it means that the Lord is outside of time as we understand it, and He is in control of the state of His people in a way that we do not fully understand.   In Moses hearing these words issue from the burning bush that is not consumed, Stephen next says, “And Moses trembled and dared not look.”   The verb is an aorist participle, and it is united with an adjective. As such, it should read, “And Moses, having become terrified, dared not look.” The immensity of what he had seen and heard was beyond his ability to grasp. He was overwhelmed to the point that he could not raise his eyes to behold the sight before him.   Life application: The hope of the resurrection is no more impossible than the fact that there are fish in the ocean. God is not limited in what He can do, and He is fully capable of keeping every promise He has spoken forth.   If trials or loss have arisen in your life and you are wondering how God will work it all out, just remember the words of Jesus concerning the fathers. God has everything perfectly under control. We can, and should, absolutely trust that this is so. Demonstrate faith and be pleasing to God as you do.   Lord God Almighty, surely You are faithful to Your word. We can trust that Your plan will unfold exactly as You have stated. No fear here! We trust You to carry us through to the good land which You have promised to Your people. And may that day be soon, Lord! Amen.

God is patient again with Moses. In Moses' doubts God does not appeal to Moses' abilities but rather to His own power.

Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, The rightness of God's choice God's right to choose the objects of His mercy and His wrath (19-23) Paul replies with a parable about the potter, borrowed from Jer. 18:1–6. God is the Potter, and the nations of the world (and their leaders) are the vessels. Some are vessels of wrath that God patiently endures until their time of destruction. Ge 15:15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."). Others are vessels of mercy that reveal His glory. Paul then quotes Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 to show that God promised to call a “people” from among the Gentiles, a people to be called “children of the living God.” This is the church (see 1 Peter 2:9–10). He also quotes Isa. 10:22–23, showing that a remnant of Jews would also be saved (see Isa. 1:9). In other words, God's purpose in election makes it possible for both Jews and Gentiles to be saved by grace. Neither Jew nor Gentile could be saved any way other than by the grace of God.[1] 19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" Paul posed the question in this verse and then answered it in the verses that follow. John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" In other words, it is blasphemous even to question, not to mention deny, God's right to hold men accountable when they are captives of His sovereign will.[1] In the first place, it is presumptuous for human beings, the objects of divine judgment, to sit in judgment on their Judge. Judging is God's prerogative, not ours. Creatures have no right to complain about their Creator's behavior. It is obvious from Paul's wording that the ones who might be asking such questions would not be seeking God's truth but rather self- justification. Attempting to excuse their own unbelief, sinfulness, ignorance, and spiritual rebellion, they would be apt to accuse God of injustice. But because human understanding is so limited, even sincere questions about God's sovereign election and predestination ultimately must go unanswered. As already noted, it is one of the many truths about God that we must accept by faith, simply because He has revealed it in His Word.[1] Man and God. The first contrast is more apparent in the Greek text than in English, for the verse begins with the words “O man” and ends with the words “the God.” Yet it is apparent enough in English. You and I are mere men and women set over against the God who made not only us but all things. It is ludicrous for creatures as small, ignorant, impotent, and sinful as we are to question the propriety of God's moral acts. We may not understand what God is doing in any particular case. In fact, most of the time we will not, because ‘my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord” (Isa. 55:8). We can ask God to explain what He is doing, if He will. But for us to suggest that he is wrong in what he does is patently absurd. What is formed and he who formed it. The contrast between man and God, the first, stresses the insignificance of one and the greatness of the other. This second contrast brings in another matter, namely, that we are mere creatures—God is the Creator—and therefore everything we are and have comes from him, including even our ability to ask such questions. Robert Haldane is particularly wise in the way he deals with this matter. “Any wisdom the creature possesses must have been received from the Creator; and if the Creator has the power of forming rational beings, must he not himself be infinite in wisdom? And does it not insult the Creator to pretend to find imperfection in his proceedings? … The reason and discernment between right and wrong which he [man] possesses is the gift of God; it must, then, be the greatest abuse of these faculties to employ them to question the conduct of him who gave them.” Once again, we must stress that “Paul does not here speak of the right of God over his creatures as creatures, but as sinful creatures, as he himself clearly intimates in the next verses.”[1] Men are not lost because they are hardened; they are hardened because they are lost; they are lost because they are sinners. 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Who are we to argue with God? This is a logical argument. God is the Potter and we are the clay. God is wiser than we are and we are foolish to question His will or to resist it. (The reference here is to Isa. 45:9.) To be sure, the clay has no life and is passive in the potter's hand. We have feelings, intellect, and willpower, and we can resist Him if we choose. (See Jer. 18 where this thought is developed.) But it is God who determines whether a man will be a Moses or a Pharaoh. Neither Moses, nor Pharaoh, nor anyone else, could choose his parents, his genetic structure, or his time and place of birth. We have to believe that these matters are in the hands of God. However, this does not excuse us from responsibility. Pharaoh had great opportunities to learn about the true God and trust Him, and yet he chose to rebel. Paul did not develop this aspect of truth because his theme was divine sovereignty, not human responsibility. The one does not deny the other, even though our finite minds may not fully grasp them both. The illustration in this verse clarifies the inappropriateness of this critical attitude. Clearly Israel is in view as the vessel in the illustration (cf. Isa. 29:16; Jer. 18:6). Israel had no right to criticize God for shaping her for a particular purpose of His own choosing. Really, Israel had nothing to complain about since God had formed her for an honorable use. Obviously, the same is true of individuals. The Reason for God's choice  22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, God has every right to act gloriously in such judgment, but He has, by His mercy, endured with much patience a world of sinners. He has endured their unbelief, rejection, hatred, blasphemy, and iniquity, while patiently allowing time for repentance (cf. Ps 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. Ex 34:6-7; Nu 14:18; De 5:10; Ne 9:17; Ps 86:15; Jer 32:18; 2 Pet. 3:9).[1] Ezekiel 18:1-6 deal with the nation Israel as do all the other passages related to this verse Isa 29:16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? Isa 45:9 "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'? Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 9 Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look-we all are Your people! Eze 18:23 "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? People prepare themselves for destruction by pursuing sin (ch. 1; cf. Matt. 7:13; 1 Thess. 2:15-16; 2 Thess. 2:3; Php 3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things.). Passive verb in 22 and active in verse 23 which means God does the action on salvation but not the lostness in verse 22 Paul had in mind those in Israel who had opposed the gospel in his day. God was patient and merciful with them (cf. 2:3-4; Acts 2:38; 3:19-20; 2 Pet. 3:9). God has His purposes (vv. 22–24). We must never think that God enjoyed watching a tyrant like Pharaoh. He endured it. God said to Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people … and have heard their cry … for I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7). The fact that God was long-suffering indicates that He gave Pharaoh opportunities to be saved. The word “fitted” in Romans 9:22 does not suggest that God made Pharaoh a “vessel of wrath.” So, it should read: “fitted himself for destruction.” God prepares men for glory (Rom. 9:23), but sinners prepare themselves for judgment. In Moses and Israel God revealed the riches of His mercy; in Pharaoh and Egypt He revealed His power and wrath. Since neither deserved any mercy, God cannot be charged with injustice. Ultimately, of course, God's purpose was to form His church from both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 9:24). Believers today are, by God's grace, “vessels of mercy” which He is preparing for glory, a truth that reminds us of Romans 8:29–30.[1] The Results from God's Sovereign choice 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, Ex 14:31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Those who believe the gospel are those in whom God will display the riches of His glory, not His wrath. These vessels include both Jews and Gentiles (cf. 1:16; 2:10-11; 3:22). God allowed sin to enter the world not only to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known but also to demonstrate the riches of His glory by bestowing His grace upon vessels of mercy (cf.  Eph 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,). These are people, which He prepared beforehand for glory. In this instance, the Greek verb rendered prepared is in the active voice, and the subject doing the action is specifically God (He). The great work God did in saving us puts His glory on display before all angels and all men (cf. Rev. 5:9–14).[1] Believers are saved without any merit or work of their own, in order that God may have a means of displaying His glory, which is seen in the grace, the mercy, the compassion, and the forgiveness that He alone grants to those who come to Christ.[1] Men fit themselves for hell; but it is God that fits men for heaven."       2 Pet. 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.[1] Lessons Do we have a right to question God's ways?              a. Habakkuk is the doubting Thomas of the OT and asks God so many questions              b. Is the question sincere or insincere? Insincere questions are sin 2.  Is man truly free if God still sovereign? 3. What is the process whereby someone develops a hard heart? Sin is the reason we harden our hearts Rule and reign of Christ in 1Th 2:10-12 God sends a deluding influence

In Moses days he would come back from an encounter with God glowing from his presence. Now that we have the Holy Spirit, the presence of God burns inside of us. Unlocking it is easier than we think. Pastor Bryan Neisteter talks about the burning fire of the Lords presence. The post Burning appeared first on Gospel Mission Church.

A lot of time passes in Genesis 5. We see fathers and sons' names and their ages when sons were sired. They lived a lot longer than we do now! In Moses 5 we receive far more detail about post-Eden life but without the connections to genealogy beyond Adam, Abel, Cain, and Lamech.  What are we to understand from these genealogies? What happens when we zoom way out, like in Genesis 5, or we zoom in and receive more detail, like in Moses 6? We'll discuss that and more in this week's episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.” The post Abide: Genesis 5; Moses 6 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In Moses 6 we learn the important principles that Adam taught to his children, and many generations to follow. Those principles are the same things we are taught today! Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If you'd like to leave us a comment find us on Facebook: Come Follow Me for Kids, by Doodle Bay. Share with your friends or primary kids! We're blown away each week with how many people listen, so THANK YOU for listening!

A lot of time passes in Genesis 5. We see fathers and sons' names and their ages when sons were sired. They lived a lot longer than we do now! In Moses 5 we receive far more detail about post-Eden life but without the connections to genealogy beyond Adam, Abel, Cain, and Lamech.  What are […] The post Abide: Genesis 5; Moses 6 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Come Follow Me 2022 January 24-30 Moses 7 Jan 24-30 Old Testament There are few chapters in the canonized scriptures that portray a more "human" Christ than Moses 7. In Moses 7, we see a conversation between the Savior and Enoch. We see one characteristic that we don't often talk about: vulnerability. How can our Savior be both vulnerable and all-powerful? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/autumndickson/support

Should the leading of a nation be left to professionals only, where mature but unpaid leaders need not prioritize the development of culture? We all know the answer to this. …In Moses, in Jesus, and in Paul the priority of developing the Word of God remain the top priority.

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Encounters with God: Moses, pt 1 — In Moses' classic encounter with God in the burning bush, we clearly see that God is faithful to save. But will we trust in God's plan AND his timing? Recorded on Nov 7, 2021, on Exodus 3:1-15, by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript All year, we're focusing on The Greatness of God. And today, we're continuing a sermon series we started last week called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it's known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, again and again, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Today, we'll consider Moses' encounter with God in Exodus 3. Last week we saw God's heart to do whatever it takes to have a relationship with people, starting with the family of Abraham and Sarah. Today, we'll see God's faithfulness to keep his promises to Abraham in his commitment to rescue and redeem his people from Egypt. God is faithful to save. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 3:1. Exodus 3:1-6 (NIV), “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” Let's pause here. So first, a little context. Last week, we looked at the passage where God promised to give a people and a place to Abraham and Sarah. But God had promised that it would be long after Abraham had passed away. Now here, Moses was an Israelite, a member of Abraham and Sarah's family, who was born in Egypt when the Israelites were slaves there. And in Moses' day, they were being harshly oppressed and abused. But in the providence of God, Moses wasn't raised as a slave, but by Pharaoh's daughter, in Pharaoh's household, with all the wealth and prosperity that would bring. So if there was anyone who had the education and the political relationships to lead God's people out of captivity in Egypt, it would've been Moses. But it didn't seem to work out initially. When Moses was 40 years old, he was pulled into a dispute between an Israelite and an Egyptian and wound up killing the Egyptian. So afterward, Moses was forced to flee from Egypt to Midian (Saudi Arabia). And Moses was accepted as a refugee there. He got married, started a family, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. Now here, some 40 years later, at what Moses was likely believing to be the end of his career as a shepherd, he was on a journey several weeks from his home in Midian. And he found himself on Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, which was also known as Mount Sinai, when all of a sudden, he has this theophany, this encounter with God.  So first observation: God's appearance is different. Last week, we saw that God's word appeared to Abraham in a vision and then as a smoking firepot with a blazing torch. Here, God appears to Moses in a burning bush. This is one thing we'll see again and again in this series. Every time God shows up,

God's names represent His being, reveal His nature and character, and rescue His people.In Moses's encounter with God in Exodus 3, the Lord reveals His covenant name, Yahweh, the self-existent, unchanging, and faithful God. 

It was because of the promise made to the fathers that God's grace was given to their future generations. In Moses' dealing with the people to whom the covenantal promises were given as a whole, he often referred back to the covenantal promises made to the patriarchs.

After 40 years of leading Israel through the Wilderness, Moses is now dead. A new generation of Israelites stands at the edge of the Promise Land as they face an unknown future filled with all sorts of new challenges. In Moses' place, God appoints a new leader - Joshua - to lead the people into the land. In this passage, we see how we can faithfully lead the next generation to pursue the purposes of God by receiving training through God's preparation, taking courage through meditation on God's Word, and rallying people around God's vision. And in all this, we see that God is ultimately the true leader who faithfully leads his people.

After 40 years of leading Israel through the Wilderness, Moses is now dead. A new generation of Israelites stands at the edge of the Promise Land as they face an unknown future filled with all sorts of new challenges. In Moses' place, God appoints a new leader - Joshua - to lead the people into the land. In this passage, we see how we can faithfully lead the next generation to pursue the purposes of God by receiving training through God's preparation, taking courage through meditation on God's Word, and rallying people around God's vision. And in all this, we see that God is ultimately the true leader who faithfully leads his people.

After 40 years of leading Israel through the Wilderness, Moses is now dead. A new generation of Israelites stands at the edge of the Promise Land as they face an unknown future filled with all sorts of new challenges. In Moses' place, God appoints a new leader - Joshua - to lead the people into the land. In this passage, we see how we can faithfully lead the next generation to pursue the purposes of God by receiving training through God's preparation, taking courage through meditation on God's Word, and rallying people around God's vision. And in all this, we see that God is ultimately the true leader who faithfully leads his people.

After 40 years of leading Israel through the Wilderness, Moses is now dead. A new generation of Israelites stands at the edge of the Promise Land as they face an unknown future filled with all sorts of new challenges. In Moses' place, God appoints a new leader - Joshua - to lead the people into the land. In this passage, we see how we can faithfully lead the next generation to pursue the purposes of God by receiving training through God's preparation, taking courage through meditation on God's Word, and rallying people around God's vision. And in all this, we see that God is ultimately the true leader who faithfully leads his people.

Episode 127 – But What About … the Angel of the Lord Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: [Moses] led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. … When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” Exodus, chapter 3, verses 1 through 4, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K and today on Anchored by Truth we are continuing our latest study series brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’ve labeled this series “But what about” because a lot of time you hear questions like “but what about angels and demons” or “what about heaven and hell?” A lot of questions that people have about the Christian faith occur because Christianity has a supernatural dimension as well as a natural one. This can be confusing to people who have not studied Christianity carefully. Some people believe in what they can see and hear but they discount the supernatural entirely. Others embrace the supernatural so completely they lose sight of the proper relationship between the natural and supernatural. We wanted to do episodes on several of these subjects to see what the Bible actually has to say about them. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, last time we took a look at what the Bible has to say about demons and Satan. But today you want to take a look at a term that can often be confusing to people – the Angel of the Lord. Right? RD: Right. But before we get started I want to say a word of greetings to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. Thank you for joining us here today. For people who are serious students of the Bible the Angel of the Lord is one of the most interesting, and perhaps enigmatic, figures that we encounter in the Bible. There aren’t a lot of references in the Bible to the Angel of the Lord but I think we can learn a lot by looking at them. What we see when we do so really opens the door to an increased understanding of the overall picture of redemption. VK: How so? RD: Well, many, although not all, commentators see the various references in the Bible to the Angel of the Lord as referring to a pre-incarnate appearance of the 2nd person of the Trinity – in other words Jesus. For instance, the New Geneva Study Bible says this: “In certain instances at least, [the Angel of the Lord] is in some sense God acting as His own messenger, and is commonly seen as a preincarnate appearance of God the son.” If this view is true, and I believe that it is, then God the son, early in the Bible, at times takes on the role of an angel. Naturally, after the incarnation, Jesus’ birth, the son of God takes on a human nature. So, this is a fascinating picture. God the son at times appears an angel. After the incarnation He adopts a human nature so He is seen as a human being. But at all times God the son is fully divine. VK: Wow. That’s enough to start to give you a brain freeze. This means that studying the Angel of the Lord is sort of a mini-course in all kinds of major Biblical doctrines and themes. There’s a lot there to unpack so where do you want to started? RD: Well, let’s start with just a brief review of some basic Biblical doctrines. Christians believe that there is one God who exists eternally as three distinct Persons. In other words, God is one What but three Who. The 2nd Person of the Trinity is a single person but (mysteriously) had two natures. He is both fully human and fully divine. In the famous words of the Chalcedonian Creed (paraphrasing) Jesus is both fully human and fully divine with “mixture or confusion, separation oo division” and each nature retains its own attributes. This would be hard enough but now we have to throw angels into the mix. VK: Angels are the second type of intelligent, personal beings that God created. There are some similarities between men and angels. Angels each have their own personality and are able to exercise freedom of will. Angels experience intellectual emotion and curiosity and they are able to comprehend the difference between good and evil and interact with each other and with human beings. Angels differ from people though. Angels normally inhabit the spiritual realm, although apparently they can cross the boundary between the physical and spiritual when necessary. Angels were created fully formed. They do not age or die and there are no gender distinctions between angels, though there are distinctions of hierarchy and type. RD: Yes. So, the first thing to note about the Angel of the Lord is that the only appearances of the Angel of the Lord are in the Old Testament. There are no appearances of the Angel of the Lord in the New Testament. VK: Or – just to be thoroughly clear – the Angel of the Lord does not appear in scripture after the incarnation, after Jesus’ birth. Right? RD: Right. And most of the references to the Angel of the Lord appear fairly early in the Old Testament – somewhere in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) or the books of Joshua or Judges. There is only one reference to the Angel of Lord later in the Old Testament and that is Zechariah, chapter 1, verse 12. And in Zechariah’s case the Angel of the Lord makes an appearance in a vision. This is quite different from most of the earlier appearances of the Angel of the Lord where the Angel is actually reported as being in contact with a human being in an earthly setting. VK: So, let’s look at that distinction a little more. The first reported appearance of the Angel of the Lord in scripture is in Genesis, chapter 16, verses 7 through 9. “The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” That’s from the New Living Translation. RD: Yes. Hagar was the servant of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Sarah hadn’t had any children at that point so she had encouraged Abraham to have a child with Hagar. According to the custom of the day that child would have been reckoned as Sarah’s child. But once Hagar got pregnant, Hagar began to show contempt for Sarah. Sarah retaliated with harsh treatment so Hagar ran away. None of this was consistent with God’s will so God interceded to begin to restore some justice. One well known Bible commentator Albert Barnes puts it this way: “The angel of the Lord either represents the Lord, or presents the Lord in angelic form. The Lord manifests himself to Hagar seemingly on account of her relationship to Abram, but in the more distant form of angelic visitation.” VK: So, in the first encounter we have with the Angel of the Lord in scripture the Angel of the Lord appears to a distraught servant to bring to remedy an entire series of bad choices. Sarah shouldn’t have encouraged Abraham to have relations with her servant girl. Hagar shouldn’t have begun to despise her mistress and Sarah shouldn’t have retaliated when she had created the problem to begin with. So, to begin restoration the Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar as she is fleeing. And note the Angel ended His intercession by promising something that only God can promise. The Angel says, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” RD: Exactly. And the same kind of pattern is repeated in one of the next encounters we see in scripture – in this case in Genesis, chapter 22, verses 15 through 18. VK: Those verses say “Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven. “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. … And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” RD: This is the famous episode where Abraham had been told to sacrifice his only son by Sarah, Isaac, and he was about to do so. But the Lord stopped Abraham at the last second. Notice that the Angel of Lord is said to call to Abraham from heaven but Abraham and Isaac are very much on earth. And notice that again the Angel is conveying promises that only God can make. The Bible tells us that only God can provide children in families. VK: And we should also notice that God prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac, but later God would carry through with sacrificing His only son, Jesus. RD: Exactly right. So, again we see the Angel of the Lord acting on earth to further God’s plan – in this case to keep the promised line of descent for the Messiah alive. And we continue to see this same pattern repeated as there are other appearances of the Angel of the Lord. Certainly, one of the most famous appearances of the Angel of the Lord was Moses encounter with God at the burning bush. VK: We heard a portion of that encounter in our opening scripture but let’s just repeat that here as a refresher. [Moses] … came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. ... Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. … When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” RD: Notice the scripture says it was the Angel of the Lord appearing to Moses in the blazing fire but then it says that it was God who called out to Moses. Later in this encounter Moses will ask God what God’s name is? VK: That’s Exodus, chapter 3, verses 13 through 15. Again, in the New Living Translation those verses say, “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ … God replied to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you … Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.’ ” RD: So, just to reinforce the point we have been making. We are first told that the Angel of the Lord was the One appearing in the blazing fire, but then we immediately find out that it is God who is doing the talking. And this is one of the most important sections in all of scripture because in these verses God reveals His personal name to Moses. In ancient Hebrew the name would have been written Y-H-W-H because ancient Hebrews only used consonants and not vowels. Those characters are most frequently translated as Yahweh in Hebrew or Jehovah in Latin. VK: And this is a very important revelation because with it God identifies Himself by the attribute of His self-existence. The ATS Bible Dictionary puts it this way: “…it denotes the self-existence, independence, immutability, and infinite fullness of the divine Being ...” RD: Right. So, it is very significant that in this one portion of scripture we see the Angel of the Lord being identified immediately afterward as God Himself. So, the question becomes how we can understand this juxtaposition. One clear possibility is to recognize that in delivering this very important message to Moses, God chose to eliminate all intermediaries and do it directly from a Member of the Triune Godhead. The most likely Member who would have done that is the 2nd Person who would later come to earth physically as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Jesus. VK: Well, let’s be sure that everybody is aware of what we’re talking about. In the earliest parts of scripture – Genesis and Exodus – God found it necessary to occasionally intervene directly in the affairs of one of His servants to ensure that His plans either stayed on track or were put back on track. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar because Hagar was significant in the life of Abraham. Obviously, keeping Isaac alive was significant to the plan of salvation. In Moses’ case God was going to use Moses to free His chosen people from bondage in Egypt. This was both necessary physically to return the Jews to their promised land but also as a forerunner of what would happen in Jesus’ life. So, the Angel of the Lord is essentially acting as an instrument of the Lord’s plans to ensure they stay on track. RD: Exactly. So, let’s skip forward a little. After Moses led the Hebrews through the desert he died. Then, Joshua actually led them into the land they would occupy. To strengthen Joshua for the tasks that lay ahead of him, a slightly mysterious figure appears to Joshua as the Hebrews are beginning to drive the pagan nations out. Scripture describes as “the commander of the LORD’s army.” Most commentators identify this figure as a “Christophany.” It was this figure who gave Joshua the specific instructions for how to defeat the city of Jericho. VK: A “theophany” [THE-OFF-O-KNEE] is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. A Christophany is a manifestation of Christ to human senses other than when Jesus was physically on the earth. Many commentators will use the term “Christophany” to refer to a visible appearance of Christ in the Old Testament because obviously, at that time, Jesus was not yet born. RD: Yes. So, if this is a Christophany, then this is also a pre-incarnate appearance of the 2nd Person of the Trinity on the earth. This, by the way, is the only time in scripture that this specific title is used for Jesus. VK: But the term “Angel of the Lord” will be used a few more times in the book of Judges and a couple of times in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Just as a refresher the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are called the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is immediately followed by the book of Joshua and Joshua is immediately followed by Judges. So, as we mentioned earlier, most of these references occur very early in the scriptures. RD: Yes. So, all of these references to either the Angel of the Lord or the Commander of the Lord’s armies tell us something very important. VK: Which is? RD: Jesus was very active in the plan of salvation long before He adopted a human nature and was born as a baby in Bethlehem. This is important to understand for a couple of reasons. First, it reinforces the eternality of Jesus. Scripture makes reference to this but it can tend to slip our minds. VK: We see Christ’s eternality as part of the Triune Godhead in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” That’s the New International Version. RD: Right. And there are other places in scripture such as Colossians 1:16 that make the same point. But while we may intellectually know that the 2nd Person of the Trinity is eternal, we may not always think that He has always been active in directing the progress of the plan of salvation. But, of course, He was. Certainly, Jesus’ most visible role in the Bible is in the Gospels which record His life on this earth and his life, ministry, death, and resurrection. But it would be an error to think that Jesus’ role in our salvation did not start until He was born. It began long before – even before, as the Bible puts it, “the foundation of the world.” VK: Well, this observation points out the need for us to read and become familiar with the entire Bible. There are no appearances of the Angel of the Lord or the Commander of the Lord’s armies in the New Testament. There are some Christians who think that you can gain all you need to know about the Christian faith from the New Testament. But this study on the Angel of the Lord points out the fallacy in that view. We cannot have a truly comprehensive view of the role Jesus played in our salvation if we don’t go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. Again, these appearances of the Angel of the Lord are in the very first books of the Bible. RD: That’s a great observation. So, another point we need to keep in mind is that Christ acting as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, but not doing so in the New, helps us see the unity of scripture and the coherence of the Christian faith. Of course all the Members of the Trinity have always been active in creation and redemption. But each has their own role they play in the grand, cosmic drama. And, in their actions, they complement one another to achieve a single purpose, but they don’t step on each other. They act in perfect harmony. Each Person performs their own duties, if you will, but they are perfect in complementing each other and in keeping the plan moving toward the goal of saving the elect. VK: I see what you’re saying. Christ, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, was chosen to be the Person who would assume a human nature. Then, because He retained His divine nature, Christ was perfectly suited to be a mediator between God and man as the books of 1 (first) Timothy and Hebrews put it. But even before that time arrived in the history of salvation Christ was appearing at certain times and places to keep the plan on track. RD: Right. The Angel of the Lord appeared to some of the most important people in the Bible such as Abraham, Moses, and David. But He also appeared to ordinary people - a servant girl and to Samson’s parents to tell them of Samson’s upcoming birth. In the book of Numbers the Angel of the Lord appears to a wicked prophet named Balaam when Balaam is about to make a very bad mistake and He appeared to King David after David had committed one of his more egregious sins. In those appearances the Angel of the Lord has a drawn sword in his hand – a suitable accompaniment for preventing or correcting sin. All of this reminds us that God and Christ are concerned with the affairs of both the high and the low. And they are as able to influence the history of the biggest plan in all of history – the redemption of God’s elect – all the while acting in seemingly the most simple of ways such as helping a distressed servant girl. VK: So, part of what you’re saying is that scripture is very consistent as it reports the actions of God and even of the individual members of the Trinity. After God the Son assumed His human nature in Jesus He never again appeared as the Angel of the Lord. This doesn’t mean He couldn’t. Only that He didn’t. The most prominent appearance of a Christophany after Jesus ascended was to the Apostle Paul on the Road to Damascus. And when Paul asked, who was the one appearing to him in the blinding heavenly light, Jesus plainly stated “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” That’s Acts, chapter 9, verse 5. The fact that the appearances of the Angel of the Lord are all in the Old Testament seems to be significant. God is a God of order. Before Jesus adopted His human nature the Angel of the Lord was an appropriate way for Jesus to reveal himself at selected times and places. After Jesus assumed His human nature He will now possess that nature for all time. And it is Jesus with His human nature who is said to be seated in the place of honor – at the right hand of God in heaven. RD: Right. The Angel of the Lord is slightly enigmatic, but a very significant figure in the Bible. The appearances of the Angel of the Lord as pre-incarnate appearances of God the Son make perfect sense in the overall plan of redemption and salvation. Christ used the role as the Angel of the Lord to help direct the plan of salvation before He took on His human nature. And as the Angel of the Lord Christ used whatever appearance made sense for the situation. When He wanted to get the attention of a sinner, even David, He appeared with a sword. But in the appearance to Hagar or to Samson’s parents there was no need for a sword. On those occasions He was there to provide counseling or encouragement. And when Joshua was embarking on a military quest to conquer Canaan Christ appears as the Commander of the Lord’s Armies. The appearance is always suitable for the person and the occasion – just what you expect from a God who both superintends the ends but never loses sight of the means and always expresses love for His children. VK: Well, next time we’ll turn our attention to another subject that can cause some confusion in the minds of believers as well as unbelievers – the Holy Spirit and the role this 3rd Person of the Trinity plays in the plan of salvation and the life of Christians. This sounds like a good time for a prayer. Since there is a desperate need in our nation for the wisdom of God to light a path to truth and freedom, today let’s pray a prayer for the restoration of the worship of the One True God. ---- PRAYER FOR RESTORATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE ONE TRUE GOD (MARCUS). We hope you’ll be with us next time and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New Living Translation) Revelation, chapter 14, verses 17 and 18, New International Version Topical Bible: Angel (biblehub.com) Topical Bible: Satan (biblehub.com) Topical Bible: Lucifer (biblehub.com) Joshua 5:14 Commentaries: He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" (biblehub.com) How Jesus is Both God and Man: The Chalcedonian Creed & The Two Natures of Christ — SOLA What is a theophany? What is a Christophany? | GotQuestions.org Expositions Of Holy Scripture, Alexander MacLaren You will observe that there run throughout the whole of the Old Testament notices of the occasional manifestation of a mysterious person who is named ‘the Angel,’ ‘the Angel of the Lord.’ For instance, in the great scene in the wilderness, where the bush burned and was not consumed, he who appeared is named ‘the Angel of the Lord’; and his lips declare ‘I am that I am.’ In like manner, soon after, the divine voice speaks to Moses of ‘the Angel in whom is My name.’ When Balaam had his path blocked amongst the vineyards, it was a replica of the figure of my text that stayed his way, a man with a drawn sword in his hand, who spoke in autocratic and divine fashion. When the parents of Samson were apprised of the coming birth of the hero, it was ‘the Angel of the Lord’ that appeared to them, accepted their sacrifice, declared the divine will, and disappeared in a flame of fire from the altar. A psalm speaks of ‘the Angel of the Lord’ as encamping round about them that fear him, and delivering them. Isaiah tells us of the ‘Angel of his face,’ who was ‘afflicted in all Israel’s afflictions, and saved them.’ And the last prophetic utterance of the Old Testament is most distinct and remarkable in its strange identification and separation of Jehovah and the Angel, when it says, ‘the Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple, even the Angel of the Covenant.’ Now, if we put all these passages-and they are but select instances-if we put all these passages together, I think we cannot help seeing that there runs, as I said, throughout the whole of the Old Testament a singular strain of revelation in regard to a Person who, in a remarkable manner, is distinguished from the created hosts of angel beings, and also is distinguished from, and yet in name, attributes, and worship all but identified with, the Lord Himself.

Most of us have heard the stories of Exodus at some point. Moses, the plagues, parting of the Red Sea--all familiar images, but do we know how they fit into the over-arching story of God's redeeming work?

In Moses' final address to the nation of Israel, he leaves them with important truths to live by. How do these truths apply to us? What do they look like in our ministry today?

As quoted by “Fountain of Life” Ministries, Jesus said in Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.”Satan has always been bent on deceiving humanity, and he has used false religion for millennia in order to do so. In Moses' day in Egypt, Pharaoh's magicians demonstrated supernatural power. According to Scripture we will see a resurgence of supernatural power being evidence in false signs and wonders in the occult and false religions of the world.While many false prophets have risen and are still active in the earth, the Bible speaks of a “beast out of the earth,” a “false prophet” who will empower the Antichrist and his agenda.  He will be the spokesperson for a “One World Religion, and will assist the Antichrist even creating an image that is able to speak and will cause many in the earth in that day to worship the Antichrist.  He will also be the one who will promote the world economic system and the taking of the Mark of the Beast.  “One World Religion” news should be a topic that we all understand. Join us as we look to the Holy Spirit to glean that understanding in wisdom and in power.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/agapelightministries)

In Moses’ day, idols were carved from stone or made of metal. But today’s idols are more subtle, and they often go undetected. Even good things like work, family, or patriotism can take God’s place in our hearts. In God’s view, every idol must go. There’s no room for anything that takes the rightful place of God, not even the flag of our country. In this message we’ll find out why.  Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)

The binding of Issac is a bible story that demonstrates God's name Jahovah Jireh—God will provide. In Moses' day, a sacrifice was an instruction for obedience and a provision for showing responsive faith. God provides in all circumstances...especially when the going is tough and we can't see the way. #GodProvides #JirehSeesToIt #messiahyl

In Moses, we see one whose desire was for the honor, ways, presence, and glory of God. In Christ, we see all those desires being fulfilled to the greatest degree. Will God’s people desire the Giver more than the gifts? Will we long for him more than we long for ourselves? Speaker: Richard Meservey Scripture: … Continue reading The Person, the Presence, and the Glory of God →

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 11 This chapter begins with the Israelites complaining and arousing God's anger against them, which resulted in some of the people being consumed by the fire of God.  They also complained to Moses about how they craved the leeks, cucumbers, fish, and meat back in Egypt.  God told Moses he would give the people meat, but Moses' response was a bit confusing.  He said, “The people among whom I am   number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!'  Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them and be enough for them?  Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them and be enough for them?” (Numbers 11:21-22, ESV). A woman in our study said that Moses' response was baffling.  God had led the Israelites out of Egypt with many signs and wonders.  Why would he doubt God's ability and power to provide meat for the people? It didn't seem to make sense. Moses even begged God to kill him because he was so overwhelmed by the demands of such a great number of people and didn't want God to see his wretchedness.  God told Moses to appoint seventy elders to help him.  He took the spirit of Moses and put it upon the elders.  The woman asking the original question also asked if the Spirit of God on Moses would be lessened if it was put on the seventy elders or would Moses possibly be estranged from God. After the Spirit of God was put on these elders, the Bible states that "As soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it." Why did they begin to prophesy, but then they didn't do so anymore afterward? Later in the chapter, a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua, Moses' assistant, wanted Moses to stop them. Why? Moses' response was very positive. He said: "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (ESV, Numbers 11:29). In the end, God's judgment came upon those who craved meat in the form of a plague. This raises another question. Since God proposed to give meat to the Israelites, why would He kill them? Isn't this entrapment? These are the questions that came up at the beginning of our Bible study. One more question was asked regarding verses 1-3. God's anger was kindled when he heard the people's complaints. He "burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp" (Recovery Version).  A woman noted that the translation of the Chinese Union Version reads, “When God heard them, his anger was aroused. Then fire burned among them until it reached the outskirts of the camp." The question is, did the fire burn some people at the outskirts of the camp or only the tents at the outskirts?” She thought this was a warning from God. We have no way of knowing, but we know the history of the Israelites. When the Israelites later rebelled against God even more, especially when they worshipped the golden calf, God's anger was kindled toward them. The Lord let Moses go out to the tent of the meeting, which was outside the camp (Exodus 33:7). Then the pillar of cloud would fill the tent of the meeting. The pillar of cloud was with the Israelites whenever they camped (Exodus 13:21).  But here in Exodus 33, the pillar of cloud only filled Moses' tent outside the camp. It meant that the Lord's presence was mainly with Moses now. It may indicate that God's presence was temporarily withdrawn from the majority of His people. Of course, we know that God's presence was always with the Israelites during their journey to the Promised Land.  However, it doesn't mean that God can't remove His presence temporarily or chastise His people.  It is also true in the New Testament sense. Sometimes we may sin and feel the loss of God's presence.  But once we confess our sins, we can regain the presence of God.  We know Jesus will be with us always until the end of the world, but sometimes we may not feel His presence (Matthew 28:20).  Why? God wants to be present with us, but He will also chastise us by removing His presence if necessary. Whether it burned the tents on the outskirts or some of the people, it indicates that God's presence has not left the main areas of the tabernacle where the Israelites are. Later the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down (ESV, Numbers 11:2).  So this was indeed a warning.Verse 4 (ESV) says, “The rabble that was among them had a strong craving.  And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “oh that we had meat to eat!”  The question was asked, who is the rabble?  The note beside the word rabble refers to Exodus 12:38 (ESV), which says, “A mixed multitude also went up with them and very much livestock, both flocks, and herds.”  At that time, the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they let them have what they asked (Exodus 12:36, ESV).  It could be that the “rabble” were those didn't trust in God but were caught up in the Israelites favor and enjoying plundering the Egyptians.  They probably didn't understand what it would cost them to follow the Israelites into the wilderness.  The same can be said when Jesus came to Earth.  Many of His disciples, including Judas, expected Him to be King over Israel, which would undoubtedly bring glory and wealth to them.  However, they soon discovered that Jesus was taking the path to the cross, leaving them at a total loss.  In the end, Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.  Jokingly, I said that if Judas looked at following Jesus as a gamble or some sort of investment, when he saw Him about to be crucified, he thought that he made the wrong choice and sold Jesus at a meager price.The “rabble” in verse 4 represents our flesh.  They came out of Egypt, which represents the world.  There were still parts of Egypt in them. As the Israelites were going through God's trials in the wilderness, it can be likened to the transformation of the soul.  Moses represents the human spirit.  His job was to draw near to God, yet when he faced pressure in the flesh, his human spirit was suppressed and weakened.  This is a good spiritual picture of what Paul was talking about in Romans 8:6 when he said that setting the mind on the flesh is death, but setting the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Verse 4 says that the “rabble” were the first ones to complain about their cravings.  Then the Israelites also wept and complained about who was going to give them food.  It definitely looks like the Israelites were influenced by the rabble.  God's purpose for providing heavenly manna, which represented His Spirit, to the Israelites, was to help them break away from the influence of Egypt and taste of his heavenly food, which would change them from the inside out (Jesus refers to Himself as the food from Heaven).  Unfortunately, even though they left Egypt, they were still under its influence, craving fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, and garlic. Watchman Nee said that Satan is a deposed king who can only use his power through our flesh.  He attacks us from the outside to influence and control our mind, will, and emotions known as our soul, and attempts to suppress our spirit.  God works from the inside out, giving us life through the Holy Spirit represented by the manna, to change our soulish nature and body to glorify him. I was discipling a fellow believer for several years, hoping to help him grow spiritually.  He loved the Lord and was faithful to attend meetings, and enjoyed fellowship with other believers.  I was encouraging him to go deeper in his prayer life and Bible study.  Unfortunately, he was so busy with school that experiments and thesis dominated his mind.  He wasn't committed to prayer wholeheartedly.  I suggested that he take time to pray as he was walking to school from his dormitory, and I tried to train him to pray-read scripture, calling on the name of the Lord and singing praises while he was walking home from school.  He never did apply these things.  Later, I told him that it wasn't because he didn't have time to practice; He just wasn't motivated.  His mind was too occupied with school, and his spirit was suppressed, keeping him from prayer and praise.  He has since moved on from our fellowship, but I hope he has made progress and had some breakthroughs. Many Christians experience the same thing as the man in the story above.  It's not that we don't have time to pray but that we get easily distracted, or our minds are too occupied with other things.  Often our spirit is too suppressed to overcome the domination of the mind and flesh.  We should take time to eat a little manna every day like the Israelites.  Read God's word, pray and slowly allow our spiritual life to grow to a place where it will overcome the suppression of our soul and the control of the flesh. When Moses realized how angry God was about the Israelites complaints, he got mad too and complained to God how overwhelmed he was with the job he was expected to do.  A man in our study noted that Moses's complaining was different than the Israelites.  Their complaints were against God, but Moses just wanted God to kill him, relieving him of the burden of his job. At this time, God's response was to take His spirit that was on Moses and put it on the 70 elders. What was His intention? Remember what I said earlier about Satan stirring the intense craving of the "rabble"? Rabble represents our flesh which prompted the Israelites to complain, representing our flesh stirring our soul.   Together they suppressed Moses, who represents our spirit, making Moses feel weak and overwhelmed. What was God's solution at this time? It was to increase Moses' spiritual power. There is a teaching in the Local Church Movement that there should be more Christians during evangelistic meetings than unbelievers so that there is an atmosphere of faith and evangelism can be effective. If the unbelievers outweigh the believers during meetings, the spiritual air is thinner, making evangelism difficult. This is a true statement. It can also be applied to Moses' experience in Numbers 11. Many of the Israelites lived in the flesh and in the soul, while only Moses had the spirit of God, which made him feel lonely and weak. When the spirit of God was put on the 70 elders, Moses' "spiritual environment" changed. Like the example I gave earlier, when there are more believers in the meeting, the spiritual air is thick, making the gospel easier to preach.  In Moses' situation, when the spirit of God was also put on the seventy elders, it changed the atmosphere and made things easier for Moses, releasing him from suppression and making him happy. Verse 25 specifically mentions that as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. A question was raised as to why they did not continue doing it. My guess is that the moment the Holy Spirit was being poured upon them, they prophesied under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but they may not have received the gift of prophecy. Verses 27-28 specifically mention that Joshua asked Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying in the camp when the spirit rested on them. It could be that they received the gifts or calling to be a prophet when the Holy Spirit filled them.  None of this occurred to Joshua, and he asked Moses to stop them.  Moses wasn't about to stop them.  He realized that if more people were filled with the spirit, his job would be much easier.  Moses represents the life of God in our spirit.  If our soul gives Him a chance, He will become greater within us. Moses didn't stop them because the Lord had helped him change the spiritual atmosphere. Instead, he said he wished that all of the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit on them (Numbers 11: 29). This prophecy is also confirmed in Joel 2:28, which says: One day God will pour His Spirit on all flesh. Joshua didn't realize how Moses felt or God's will for the situation. At the end of the chapter, God killed some of the people who craved other food. This is about dealing with the flesh. God put his spirit on Moses and strengthened him in the spirit.  He also dealt with the outward behaviors of the flesh.  We experience this in our lives today.  God fills us with the Holy Spirit, but he also uses our circumstances to discipline us.  Numbers 11 is a good picture of how Christians experience dealing with the flesh, changing the soul, and growing spiritually. Every Christian should also pursue the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I was saved in an evangelical church and had some knowledge about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but that wasn't enough.  I eventually left the Local Church Movement to pursue the baptism of the Holy Spirit and learn more truths in the Pentecostal Movement.  When God filled me with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I fell and could not stand for quite some time.  I'm not saying this happens to everyone, but it is a manifestation of His power.  After the initial baptism, I experienced several other manifestations.  I would sometimes feel like electricity was running through my head, leading me to be more courageous.  I also received wisdom and gifts of the Spirit as well as healing in my body.  I have experienced demons being cast out of me. There are many believers in evangelical churches that have varied views and prejudices about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Through my own experience with the power of the baptism, I realized that my efforts alone to grow spiritually and learn His truths were not enough.  Although we tried our best in the Local Church Movement to exercise the spirit and deal with the flesh, it came up short. The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to stand against the attacks of the flesh and Satan. This is what Moses experienced in this chapter.  If we look at the Israelites as one collective person and Moses' life as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we can see that the spirit expanded to the seventy elders, which equates to our soul being expanded by the spirit, increasing our power and ability to withstand attacks from the enemy on our flesh. This point is crucial. I know that many people long for spiritual growth. They work hard to exercise their spirit, but we need God's strength. This is what the baptism of the Holy Spirit can do.  Sadly, many have misunderstandings about the Pentecostal Movement and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, leading them to miss out on God's blessings. When Moses was experiencing this, he was baptized by the Holy Spirit once again. After this baptism, not only did he gain strength, but it also spread among the Israelites. In our spiritual experiences today, we can also receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at different times and in other ways as well. In the Local Church movement, we work hard practicing the process of entering the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies from the outer courtyard by dealing with the sins of the flesh and the impurity of the soul and slowly coming near to God in the spirit. This method is from the outside to the inside. But the filling of the Holy Spirit is to allow the Holy Spirit to come out from the Holy of Holies to pass through the sanctuary and the outer courtyard. This method is from the inside to the outside. The two should complement each other to make us more spiritually mature. I know that many people in the Charismatic Church have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but they are not necessarily spiritually mature. Why? They pay too much attention to the gifts of the spirit flowing from them and lack the discipline of dealing with the sins of the flesh on the outside.  There must be a balance of allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through you as well as you taking the time and discipline to read, study, and meditate on His Word.   When John the Baptist announced Jesus, he mentioned two things.  Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29) which represents the work of the cross.  We can apply the work on the cross to deal with our flesh and soulish sins so we can come near to the Holy of Holies to fellowship with God.  The second message John the Baptist mentioned about Jesus is that He will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. This represents the work of the Holy Spirit. These two different works complement each other.  You cannot ignore either one of them. The work of the cross was a one act event for Jesus, and he accomplished it on the cross. But for us, it is a continual act.  When we first believed Jesus, we received the work of the cross by faith. But it should not stop there.  Many believers have stopped there.  We should continually apply the work of the cross to deal with our flesh and soulish sins so we can become the same image as our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is also not only one act or event. We must continually receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwelling in us as the life of God described in John 20:22 is one level of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 brings us to another level of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The first case is the Holy Spirit as life in us and the second case is the Holy Spirit as power on us.  Many people have stopped with the first level. However, we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many people think the baptism of the Holy Spirit only gives us power and gifts outside. No.  Not only does it bring power and gifts outside, it also gives us power within to overcome the weakness in our soul or the strongholds in our flesh (2 Corinthians 10:4).  Once I read a parable about prayer.  Many people thought their prayers didn't work and God didn't hear them.  This parable says our prayer is like the worker digging a tunnel under a rocky mountain.  If you dig one foot on one side, then God will dig another food on the other side.  Eventually, if you keep digging, you will meet God in the middle.  But if you give up, God won't do your part, so you will not meet Him.  It wasn't God who wouldn't answer your prayer; it was you who stopped praying. This parable is a good illustration of the relationship between the work of the cross and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  We need them both.  Jesus did His part on the cross, and we need to apply His work in our experience by faith.  When we apply the work of the cross to deal with our flesh and sins in our souls, the Holy Spirit who lives in us will work on the other end to help us.  He helps us by strengthening us with more power through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  If we deny the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are basically refusing the help from the Holy Spirit.  I understand the Holy Spirit has other ways to help us, like groaning and interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:26) or convicting our sins (John 16:8), or reminding us what Jesus has said (John 14:26).  However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a very powerful way for the Holy Spirit to help us. Unfortunately, some camps or denominations of the body of Christ do not pay attention to the continual work of the cross.  They only take this as one act or event when they received Jesus as savior.  The result of doing this is to remain fleshy or soulish in our spiritual lives.  Although all of our flesh was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), Paul charges us to “by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body” (Romans 8:13).  Then we will live. Other camps or denominations only pay attention to apply the cross but deny the fact of the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  They claim that all believers are baptized once and for all when the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2.  Or they argue over the manifestations of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, especially the validity of speaking tongues but avoid pursuing the baptism of the Holy Spirit itself. They also often use the immaturity of believers who were baptized in the Holy Spirit to argue the validity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are two sides to one coin.  We need both.   If you were baptized with the Holy Spirit but lack holiness in your life, begin to apply more of the cross.  If you have weaknesses and strongholds that you can't seem to overcome by applying the work of the cross, seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit.   The Holy Spirit will help you.  This was the case for Moses in this chapter.  When the rabbles (flesh) aroused the Israelites (soul), it eventually brought harm to Moses (spirit).  But when God baptized 70 elders with the same Holy Spirit Moses had, it relieved Moses's pressure. This is why Moses wouldn't stop those who were prophesying.   He even went so far as to say that he wished God would put His Spirit on all the prophets (Numbers 11:29)!  We all face strongholds as Moses did here, and we need the Holy Spirit's help to deliver us.  Take time to pray and ask God for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.   You may be surprised that this experience may not be what you were thinking or were taught.   I pursued this truth when I was involved in the Local Church Movement but didn't receive it to the level I experienced in the Pentecostal movement.   There are many books and teaching on this subject.  I challenge you to look deeper so that you can experience what I and many others have.

I did an episode on abortion - it was an introduction of my story, as well as, some Bible verses. It certainly wasn't all the Bible verses – I just touched on what verses were out there that dealt with killing babies and killing pregnant women. In addition to that, there's so many other stories of killings in the Bible. I ended the last episode saying, “If God really opposes abortion, why didn't God say so?” What's interesting is if you go through the Bible, you'll see that the death penalty has been handed down for all these different missteps and awful crimes, but there's a death penalty for little “wrongs”. So…working on the Sabbath day - death penalty. Collecting sticks on the Sabbath day - death penalty. People who act as mediums or consult spirits - death penalty. Rebellious children - death penalty. Homosexuality (let's not forget how much God hates the gays) - death penalty. Blaspheme the name of the Lord. I don't think I even know what that means. I had to look it up and it said the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. Um, I'm confident that I have engaged in profane talk and anybody who knows me and listens to this podcast - if they really know me, they know I am capable of profane talk. The thing is, if there is a God, I think the only proof of a God is that I am not swearing like there's no-tomorrow. So, maybe there is a God. "Maybe there is a God. Gaia isn't swearing like a lunatic." Speaking sacrilegiously about God… I just don't even know what that means. I think that the goalpost moves a great deal depending on who you're talking to. I'm not sure that it's ever understood what blaspheming the Lord would mean or blaspheming the name of the Lord means. I don't even know. It goes on to list some other misdeeds, which is idolatry. At first I thought idolatry was like worshiping the golden calf, right? In Moses when… Mel Brooks did a really funny movie on Moses. Moses comes down from the mountain and he's carrying three tablets and he says, I have 15 commandments and “doosh”, one of the tablets falls and he says 10 commandments. When that movie from Mel Brooks and then a number of other movies with Charlton Heston and a few others, when they do this whole thing in the desert, they're worshiping a golden calf. So, I always thought idolatry meant worshiping a golden calf or worshiping really anything else, like money and this and that and the other. But I guess in the Bible, it specifically was talking about sacrificing your children to a God. There's also the list of other sins or wrongdoings to get put to death. Adultery is on that list. Murder is on the list as well. You know what's not on the list? Abortion. So, killing your rebellious child and picking up sticks on the Sabbath and being gay – those things… you're gone. “We're just going to have to kill you. We're just going to start hurling rocks.” If you sleep with someone who's married, “I'm sorry. We're going to have to end you right here and now.”                   None of the reasons to put someone to death are for abortion.  Out of all the criminal offenses and out of all the criminal violations and the supposedly criminal violations, abortion is not one of them, not one in the entire Bible. And that's not because there's no such thing as abortion. The Bible talks about forcing the death of a fetus and there's no condemnation. Anti-abortion individuals will assert that human life begins at conception and therefore the fertilized egg possesses all the constitutional rights of a living person. It would follow that the destruction of a conceived embryo is murder and, this is the basis for the personhood argument. If the fertilized egg is a person as pro-abortion extremists would claim then God is the greatest murderer of unborn children, because most fertilized eggs either failed to implant in the uterine wall and pass out of the body, or they implant and begin to develop and they're spontaneously aborted. I didn't know this until I researched and prepared for this podcast - Less than one third of fertilized eggs survive and become living human beings. So why to fundamentalist pursue a political agenda that is thoroughly refuted by the Bible? I think what I'm going to do is I'm going to break this up. I think I'm going to break it up into another podcast because honestly, I don't think I can take it I don't think I can take the pain of this anymore. There are so many contradictions that make you want to bang your head against a wall that make you want to scream out. Like, don't you care? There are so many heartbreaks here. So, I'm going to end here. I'm going to end here, and I want to thank you so much for listening, because I don't know how you can put up with me sometimes, but I really want to thank you for being willing to listen. I know this is not an easy topic. I think these are the topics that we can build off of into a relationship and that we can somehow figure things out. If you have any questions or comments, if you have any thoughts, you can share them with me at FaceTheSun2020@gmail.com Before I sign off, just really want to remind you and hope that you will face the sun.

The faith of Moses parents would mean life or death for their newborn son. In Moses' parents we see a faith that meant life for their son. Parents can do two things right now that carry spiritual weight with kids. Listen.

Exodus 14:19-25 - Moses parts the Red Sea. As we begin to explore moments of change in the Bible, we start way back in Exodus, with Moses trapped by the Red Sea. In Moses’ moment of crisis, it is there where he discovers his faith. When Moses steps into the water and obeys the orders that God has given him, he realizes that God has provided a way. When we find ourselves in the same spot, when we step forward in faith, God provides. If we learn anything from this 2020 experience, learn that God is always with us. fmhouston.com

In Moses 1:21 we read the dramatic culmination of Moses’ confrontation with Satan: “And Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.” The post Essay #36: Moses 1 in Its Ancient Context: Moses Defeats Satan (Moses 1:12–23) first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In Moses 1:21 we read the dramatic culmination of Moses’ confrontation with Satan: “And Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.” The post Essay #36: Moses 1 in Its Ancient Context: Moses Defeats Satan (Moses 1:12–23) first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

So this is a three part and week long look at goals and how to create ones that will get you towards creating your Amazing Life. Because so many people will be setting goals because of new years. I wanted to give you some tools to hack having a jaw dropping year. Make sure you listen to these 3 podcasts in order as they do build on each other. As a reminder yesterday we spoke about having clarity on what feelings you have right now, what you feel after last year and what you learned. Then we also went over developing a vision which is the map of your goals, then we talked about your mission which is the compass to keep you in line with your map. These are very important to be sure to spend sufficient time on these. You need to be very clear on these. Now let's move on to the next parts of heart goals. The next step is to dream big and breakthrough in quantum leaps in your life! Because you want juicy and intoxicating goals this year You need to think bigger than you have in the past! As you think about these amazing goals keep them in line with the feelings you want to create and the person that you are! By Dreaming big you can create more choices in your processes giving you additional ways of viewing you and your life. Then after having those new views you can see new ways to jump to places you have not before been. The only things that limit us is what we can see and what we believe. Most of our beliefs are based on the things we see. So opening up our vision or viewing points will create huge differences in our lives. We have to be able to imagine something before we can ever create it. In Moses 3: 5 God said “For I the Lord God created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually before they were made Naturally upon the face of the earth.” Once in our minds' eyes we can create something then it can be created in our life. So here is an exercise to do your goals. In a journal or notebook on the left hand side write down all the words that you want for your “Core Desired Feelings.” Now make two columns after those feelings. Then in the first column write some normal goals that are about 10% above where you are today. This is what we usually think of as achievable and is our usual approach to goal setting. Now use the second column to brainstorm some brazen and captivating dreams. Ones that require you to stretch and cultivate your imagination to come up with some exciting goals. Please subscribe to this podcast and leave a rating and review, to help others find this podcast. Also join the Facebook group. Here is the spot to click and set up a time so we can discuss how you can use these tools and others to get your amazing life! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/youramazinglife/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/youramazinglife/support

This week, we begin our brand new sermon series on the Spiritual Gifts, in the unlikely place of Exodus 4. In Moses's story, we see how God called him and had already equipped him with a tool for glorifying God through miraculous signs and wonders. We are left to consider the ordinary tools, resources, and abilities with which God has already equipped us and how He may be empowering us with His Holy Spirit to do the extraordinary, all for His glory.

This week, we begin our brand new sermon series on the Spiritual Gifts, in the unlikely place of Exodus 4. In Moses’s story, we see how God called him and had already equipped him with a tool for glorifying God through miraculous signs and wonders. We are left to consider the ordinary tools, resources, and abilities with which God has already equipped us and how He may be empowering us with His Holy Spirit to do the extraordinary, all for His glory.

Standing and Being require us to understand for what we stand for and who we are to be. In Moses final words we see how being part of the covenant helps us to navigate life.

There’s a lot of people out there today who are seeing all the weird things going on in the world and they are asking the question, “What’s next?” In Moses’ final days in Egypt, after all the plagues, the Egyptians as well as the Israelites had to be asking that same question, “What’s next?” Well, the answer to that question was “the Exodus,” and as we will see today, that very well might be the answer to that question in […]

In this episode, we look into the comparison of Jesus with Moses. In Moses' faithfulness as a servant, we gain unexpected insights into God's opinion of racism as well as the prophetic implications of the signs the Lord gave him in their encounter at the burning bush. Moses was a type of Christ. As I wrote in my book Love Everlasting: A Practical Theology of Time, "Moses will walk through the sea on dry ground. Jesus walked on the waves. Moses takes his sandals off at the foot of the bush. Jesus had his feet nailed to the tree. Moses will turn his hand leprous. Jesus will grab the leper and make him clean. Moses will bring deliverance in his time, pointing to the deliverance of all time, Jesus the Lamb of God."

In Exodus 2 verses 11-15 Moses has grown up. At this time, God turned the heart of Moses to have concern for his brethren, the Hebrews. As Dr. Mitchell states, it is at this point that Moses had to make a choice. The choice was between the reproach of Christ or the treasures of Egypt. Moses was a leader raised in the wisdom and learning of the Egyptians, but this was not God's calling. In Moses' first attempt to free his brethren, he tried to do so without God's power or in God's timing. Moses spent 40 years being filled with the world. He then spent the next 40 years being emptied of the world and himself. Moses then spent his last 40 years being filled with God and His Word. Here in Exodus 2 verse 11 is Dr. Mitchell on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unchanging-word/message

In Moses' veiled but glowing face, we are given an intimation that his administration of the covenant of grace was fading, an anticipation of the greater glory Christ would bring, and a vivid picture that we are transformed by seeing the glory of Christ.

In Moses 6:60, Enoch declares the word of the Lord about the essential place of baptism in the suite of saving ordinances. In v. 64, he illustrates his point by describing the baptism of Adam. In this article, we will discuss the antiquity of water symbolism in rituals of rebirth, showing that in many ancient traditions, as in the Book of Moses, they are believed to go back to Adam. The post Insight #017: “By the Water Ye Keep the Commandment” (Moses 6:60, 64) first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In Moses 6:60, Enoch declares the word of the Lord about the essential place of baptism in the suite of saving ordinances. In v. 64, he illustrates his point by describing the baptism of Adam. In this article, we will discuss the antiquity of water symbolism in rituals of rebirth, showing that in many ancient traditions, as in the Book of Moses, they are believed to go back to Adam. The post Insight #017: “By the Water Ye Keep the Commandment” (Moses 6:60, 64) first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In Moses' personal exodus from Egypt to the land of Midian, he gains valuable experiences that shape him and further developed his sense of identity and character. God's preparation of Moses reveals his grace and faithfulness, and Moses' choice to identify with the people of God offers a model of a faith that counts the cost.

In our current season of great uncertainty, the Bible gives us a guideline on how to move forward. In Moses's day, there was also great unrest and turbulance - the Egyptians have enslaved the Jews and declared that all new born boys will be killed. In the midst of fear and chaos, God's blessings emerged through the courage of 3 women, and their courage still speaks today to us as we seek to move forward. "It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command." Hebrews 11:23 NLT

DEUTERONOMY 33-34:In yesterday's reading, Moses showed Israel that the leadership was given to Joshua, and he gave the command that this book of Deuteronomy is kept near the Arc of the Covenant. Then God gave Moses a long song to teach people, to help them remember. In this song, God described some future events as happening in the past tense. This is a feature of many prophetic writings. Here is one detail you might want to notice today in chapter 33: In Moses’ blessings for the tribes of Israel, only 11 are listed. So I’m giving a digging deeper challenge: Which tribe is left out, and what theory do you propose for that one being left out? PSALM 67:The theme of this beautiful psalm is that the salvation that God gives is to be made known to people everywhere, to every ethnic group. ACTS 19a:Yesterday in Acts 18, Paul met and began working with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. When put on trial before Gallio, God defended him so that he didn't even need to speak. Then that night Jesus strengthened him to keep on speaking boldly. GNT Translation notes:Deut. 33:11 Lord, help their tribe to grow strong; Be pleased with what they do. Crush all their enemies; [May their enemies//Let them] never rise again.”==== Ps. 67:6 The land has produced its harvest; [You, O God have//God, our God, has] blessed us.   7 [You have//God has] blessed us; may all people everywhere honor [You//him].

DEUTERONOMY 33-34: In yesterday's reading, Moses showed Israel that the leadership was given to Joshua, and he gave the command that this book of Deuteronomy be kept near the Arc of the Covenant. Then God gave Moses a long song to teach people, to help them remember. In this song, God described some future events as happening in the past tense. This is a feature many prophetic writings. Here is one detail you might want to notice today in chapter 33: In Moses’ blessings for the tribes of Israel, only 11 are listed. So I’m giving a digging deeper challenge: Which tribe is left out, and what theory do you propose for that one being left out? PSALM 67: The theme of this beautiful psalm is that the salvation that God gives is to be made known to people everywhere, to every ethnic group. ACTS 19a: Yesterday in Acts 18, Paul met and began working with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. When put on trial before Gallio, God defended him so that he didn't even need to speak. Then that night Jesus strengthened him to keep on speaking boldly. GNT Translation notes: Deut. 33:11 Lord, help their tribe to grow strong; Be pleased with what they do. Crush all their enemies; [May their enemies//Let them] never rise again.” ==== Ps. 67:6 The land has produced its harvest; [You, O God have//God, our God, has] blessed us.   7 [You have//God has] blessed us; may all people everywhere honor [You//him]. NLT Translation note: Ps. 67:7 Yes, [You, O ] God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear [You/him].

In Moses his journey of leading the people to the holy land it becomes derailed because of the scene he commits --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marvin-fant/support

Passage: Exodus 4:1-17. We all have obstacles to obedience so it's always nice to hear them said first by one of the greatest prophets ever. In Moses, we hear our own obstacles and God's patient responses as God calls us to step out to follow.

The story of Moses shows us so many aspects of God’s character. In Moses’s upbringing and journey into the wilderness, we see His sovereignty and planning for both Moses and the entire nation of Israel.

In Moses’ career as national liberator we might think that the account is all about the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh. The real conflict was between God and the deities of Egypt. Egypt thought their gods were more powerful than those of other nations. They had to be more powerful than the invisible God that the enslaved children of Israel worshiped. God sends Moses to emcee the 10 rounds of this classic match. Each round pits a god against God the Great I AM. He wins, even against Ra, the sun god. God is almighty, the God above all gods. That speaks volumes about what our God can do in our lives. He also wants to dethrone everything that takes His place in our lives. Anything that captures our affections above God Himself. And we all find ourselves in that spot – at least from time to time. That’s why we need Jesus!

Exodus 32:15-19 – Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Moses had been on top of Mount Sinai with God for nearly six weeks, and the people were growing restless. In Moses’ absence, they turned to his brother Aaron, and asked for gods to lead them. Aaron collected gold from the people, and melted it down to create an idol in the shape of a calf. By breaking the tablets in front of God’s people, Moses was demonstrating how violently the people had broken their covenant with God. This was a recurring problem since God’s people broke the covenant often, and had to renew it again and again.  Aaron’s failure reminds us of our need for a perfect high priest — Jesus Christ. Such a high priest truly meets our need for one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:27 says that, unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins.

  Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Bible verse for meditation: NIV 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me! NABRE 4 At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it. “See,” he said, “now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” What does this scripture mean to you? Has it had a different effect this reading as compared to times past? How does this scripture make you feel? Continue breathing deeply as you ponder this meaning. Meditation on scripture / bible verse meditation: Sometimes I find myself wishing I could understand God’s will for me better and clearer. According to the writings of many prophets God can speak clearly through messengers or any way he chooses. Sometimes we overlook the duty and responsibility that rests on these prophets. Most of them had very difficult lives where the people were not receptive to God’s will. Despite this, God asked the prophets to share the message. Many of them were persecuted and killed for fulfilling their duty to God. Each of us have a role to fill in our own lives. I am not Isaiah. Nor am I Moses. I am just me, but that is still something. I can imagine these prophets wondering why God would pick them. Isaiah is very disturbed to find what the Lord is asking of him. He feels unworthy. In Moses’ account he also states his inadequacies. Both of these accounts have an underlying theme of why me. As we go through our own rough periods, this question can easily come to the surface. The simple answer is, why not me. God does not seem to intend on saving us from hardship. Jesus didn’t choose someone else to save us all despite how much he feared drinking from the bitter cup of his duty. So it can be with each one of us. Our goal then of course is to navigate the challenges of life well. There is no problem to have a desire to avoid hardship and pain for ourselves and others. It is not reasonable to expect complete success in this goal though. What God does tell us though, is that he will walk with us in the most trying times and he will never stop loving us and he never wants us to give up trying to do his will. Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation: Meditate and Visualize Positive Change in Your Life: Details:   Final Question: What is a way that you can respond to the call of God? When challenges come our way, when we feel overwhelmed we can realize that with God’s help, we can do hard things. Instead of wondering why these things happen to us, we can ask ourselves what the next step forward is realizing that it won't defeat us. I pray that we can have the clarity and help Isaiah received and stand up and say. “Here am I. Send me.” FIND ME ON: iTunes Facebook ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Youtube Twitter Pintrist  

We see from scripture that God not only sees and hears the cry of His people, but his compassion leads him to action. In Moses, He uses the seemingly weak, to demonstrate his wonders tot he world. The great i am, the unchanging one who made a promise generations before has come to free His people.

Numbers 20 Watch Video Download Handout Download Manuscript Listen to MP3 → Click to view the Sermon Outline Luke 24:27 - …beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Philippians 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 3 principles to help us handle our anger well I. We Often Face the Temptation to Use Our Anger in Sinful Ways 1 Corinthians 10:11 - Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. A. In Moses’ case 1. What was happening historically 2. What was happening sociologically v. 2 – …they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron… v. 3 – …they contended with Moses… v. 3 – …if only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord… Numbers 16:31-33 - As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 3. What was happening theologically James 1:13 - Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. a. To exercise our faith in God even when it’s hard Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me…” Psalm 119:66 - Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. b. To glorify His holiness even when our emotions our raging in opposite directions Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel…” 4. What was happening internally Numbers 20:6 - Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them… v. 6 – …they fell on their faces… v. 9 – So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him… B. For you and me James 1:19-20 - This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. II. God Gives Clear Instructions about How to Handle Our Anger A. For Moses Numbers 20:8 - Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink. B. For you and me 1. Understand what anger is Ephesians 4:26-27 - Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. 2. Avoid the two sinful extremes a. Clamming up Ephesians 4:31 - Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. b. Blowing up Numbers 20:10-11 - …and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod… C. Illustrated perfectly in the life of Christ Hebrews 4:14-16 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. III. Sinful Anger Can Cause You to Miss the Mission Psalm 106:32-33 - They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, so that it went hard with Moses on their account; because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips. Romans 12:19 - Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Deuteronomy 32:48-52 - The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” 1 Peter 3:15 - …but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence… Outlined Manuscript - This is a Lamborghini Aventador LP 750… - nothing against the mini-van that you drove to church this morning…but I have to tell you – you would look really good in this car… - let’s just close our eyes for a moment and imagine you acquiring one of these this week… - we’ll start with the husbands and fathers who are here because, well, that’s what I am… - so guys, picture yourself texting your wife and saying – honey – how about I swing by and pick you up for lunch at Dog and Suds?... - and that’s kind of unusual for you – but she likes chili dogs – and she kind of likes you…so she agrees… - and then you swoop in to her office in this baby…can you imagine it?...all her co-workers are looking out the windows and admiring her good taste in selecting such a dashing husband… - and your hair is blowing in the wind…like that Flabio guy… - and you probably have colored sunglasses on and a colorful scarf around your neck like they wear in Italy… - and your wife is patting you on the shoulder as you pull into Dog and Suds…yea, my husband drives a Lamborghini…you would look really good in this car… - and then you tool around the countryside for a couple of hours and your wife says – honey, we should probably pick up the kids from school… - and so you buzz over to the school house in your new car… - your kids would think you were the coolest dad ever… - I’m not sure exactly where they would sit…but let’s not sweat the small stuff here… - your kids would love riding in this car… - in fact, if you’re sitting by your dad right now – feel free to over at him right now and say – dad, you should get one of these…I completely affirm what Pastor Viars is saying right now… - so here’s my question dads – what’s stopping you from going out early this week and getting yourself a new Lamborghini Aventador LP 750? - maybe it would be this thought…as the sun is going down so you figure it’s time to head on home and as you turn the corner your wife says – honey, why is there that for sale sign in our front yard? - and who are those new people carrying their things into our house?... - see, the base price for this particular car is $443,800…if it’s OK with you, I didn’t take the time to price the additional upgrades…although I think you should air conditioning and a year’s worth of Sirius satellite radio at that price point… - so the reason most of us won’t be driving one of these into the parking lot at the church house anytime soon is because of what we’d have to give up in order to buy one…like housing and eating and stuff… - it’s just too expensive… - whatever joy it brings isn’t worth what you have to sacrifice in order to have it… - So we would say that about luxury sports cars…but here’s a strange question… - would we ever say that about the way we use our anger?... - because this morning we’re going to look at a man in the Bible who expressed his anger in an incredibly sinful way…which is a bit surprising because the Bible also simultaneously says this was the meekest man who ever walked the earth other than the Lord Jesus Christ… - yet this man blew up in sinful anger…and what he had to sacrifice as a result was incredibly expensive…. - [do you want one more look at the Lamborghini before I advance the power-point?...because did I mention…you would really look good in this car…] - with that in mind, please open your Bible to Numbers 20…page 116 of the front section of the Bible under the chair in front of you… - while you’re turning there – let me explain where we are in our preaching schedule… - our church’s theme this year is – In Christ Alone – because this is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation… - in all sorts of ways – we’re trying to emphasize the five solas of reformation – that salvation is by grace lone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone… - so we started the year by doing a verse by verse exposition of the book of Colossians…because the thee of that book is the preeminence of Christ… - recently we’ve been looking at some of the Messianic Psalms…which are just breathtaking as we’ve considered the ways the Person and work of Christ was prophesied hundreds and hundreds of years before He was born in Bethlehem… - no wonder after His resurrection from the dead, he would meet with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus who were doubting His validity… Luke 24:27 - …beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. - we base our salvation on Christ alone for all sorts of reasons…including the ways He was spoken about prophetically in many places throughout the Scriptures including the messianic Psalms… - today we’re beginning a series that will take us through the months of June and July – called “Handling Problems in a Christ-Centered Way” - see, ultimately living “In Christ Alone” is not just a matter of salvation…but of sanctification… - in other words – it doesn’t just reconcile us to God when we admit our sin and place or faith and trust in Christ…it also sets us on a lifetime of change and growth…that’s why we have passages like… - 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. - Philippians 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. - the goal this summer is to think about some of the key struggles we all face in daily living and ask – how would living “in Christ Alone” impact that?... - and first up today – is the issue of anger… - Handling Anger in a Christ Centered Way - and here’s the point we’re trying to make…it’s possible to use our anger so sinfully that at the moment, it feels as enjoyable as driving a Lamborghini around town…but the message of the Scripture is – such behavior can be incredibly expensive…especially when you think about the aspect of participating in, or accomplishing God’s mission that will have to be forfeited… - with that in mind – let’s read our passage – read Numbers 20:1-13 - we’re talking this morning about Handling Anger in a Christ Centered Way, and in the time we have remaining, let’s look for 3 principles to help us handle our anger well. I. We Often Face the Temptation to Use Our Anger in Sinful Ways. - see, why do we have stories like this in the Bible?... - here’s one reason -- 1 Corinthians 10:11 - Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. - the Lord wants us to look for ourselves in these stories…and Moses was certainly not the last of God’s people to use his anger sinfully… - so let’s first think about it from his perspective… A. In Moses’ case 1. what was happening historically - verse 1 tells us that Moses and Aaron’s sister Miriam had just died…which in many ways is sad because it’s evidence that God’s command that everyone 18 years of age and older other than Joshua and Caleb would have to die in the wilderness because of their unbelief… - so Bible students believe that we’re now in the 40th year of the wanderings…they are just about over… - now you might say – hey, wasn’t there another time when the people complained about not having water and Moses actually struck the rock?...what’s the answer to that?...yes, that happened at the beginning of the wilderness wanderings…we read about that in Exodus chapter 17…now… 2. what was happening sociologically - Moses was facing yet another full-blown rebellion against his leadership… - and its amazing how often that happened during their time in the wilderness… - and are you picturing this in the text?... - v. 2 – they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron… - v. 3 – they contended with Moses… - they have this entire litany of complaints – - v. 3 – if only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord… - which probably refers back to chapter 16 – the sad occasion of Korah’s rebellion… - do you remember how that ended?... - Numbers 16:31–33 - As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. - and the principle there by the way is that just because you grump about something – does not mean that the content of your complaint is in any way connected to reality… - “this thirst is so bad that it would have been better if we had been swallowed up in the earth alive”…really doesn’t make a lot of sense…and they should have recognized that and Moses should have recognized it… - but you have to picture what it would be like to try to lead this group of people who were forever complaining about something… - we could also think about all of this from God’s perspective… 3. what was happening theologically - why had God brought this into the life of his servant who was undoubtedly weary at this point in his leadership assignment?... - well, we know why it wasn’t… - James 1:13 - Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. - so if it wasn’t to elicit Moses to sin – then why did God allow him to face this kind of treatment by the people he was called upon to lead?... - we have indications of that in the passage, don’t we?... a. to exercise our faith in God even when it’s hard - Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me…” - how do we know that Moses didn’t believe God in this situation?...because he didn’t obey Him… - Psalm 119:66 - Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. - the way we handle our anger is an indication of the genuineness of our faith… b. to glorify His holiness even when our emotions our raging in opposite directions - Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel…” - by time we get to this point in the Bible, we also have the book of Leviticus which emphasizes the holiness of God and His desire to call out a people unto Himself who are zealous of good works (as the NT would later affirm)… - so we should never treat the commands of God in a cavalier fashion even when we’re mad… - The Lord calls upon us to handle our anger in a way that is holy so that His glory can be put on display… - believe God in this trial…honor Him as holy…and respond in a way that the focus can be placed on His glory and power… 4. what was happening internally - the text says that Numbers 20:6 - Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them; - which was exactly what they should have done – but also raises a rather frightening lesson – it’s not good enough to handle your anger well up to a point… - v. 6 – they fell on their faces… - v. 9 - Numbers 20:9 - So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; - so far so good, right…I handled it well until he pushed me over the edge…no, that person didn’t push you over the edge… - but my kids just keeping pushing my buttons…maybe you shouldn’t have so many buttons… B. For you and me - one of the ways we can glorifying our Lord as individuals and a church family is handling our anger differently than those who don’t know the Lord… - if we’re really serious about living “In Christ Alone”…then that includes having and acting on a biblical theology of anger… - James 1:19–20 - This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. - and I would encourage all of us to evaluate ourselves in this area as we move into the summertime…and also use this as an opportunity to pray for one another… - here’s a random example – our college students who may be back home during the summertime…it’s wonderful that the Lord has placed us in a college town and we prayed long and hard for the provision of Faith West… - well, by God’s grace we’ve seen a number of college students come to Christ and others who have taken real steps of growth…but now they’re back home, in many cases trying to earn money to get back to school – in environments where some might try to ridicule or undermine their faith… - [cf. building pools where we just needed to owner to sell the pool and his staff to secure the building permit…]…cf. the woman who said – “we delayed the process just so we could see if we could make you cuss…” - [if time develop the idea of praying for our missionaries – how the recent trip to Brazil and talking to missionaries about all the challenges they face on the field of government corruption, and churches back home dropping your support for all sorts of reasons…easy to become angry in the midst of all of that]… II. God Gives Clear Instructions about How to Handle Our Anger A. For Moses - the direction could not have been clearer… - Numbers 20:8 - Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink. - now had you been Moses, you might have said – I don’t think that makes any sense…I want to do it the way I did nearly 40 years ago…I have a better plan… - do you think there is going to be a suggestion box in heaven? - do you think the Lord is particularly interested in our recommendations about how to improve upon His plan?... - no, what is the Lord interested in?...our faithful obedience… - “I know your emotions are raging right now – but please calmly follow my instructions and I will give you the power to obey…”and in the end I will be glorified and you will have the satisfaction of being used in the accomplishment of my plan…” B. For you and me 1. understand what anger is - the NT uses the words orgn and thumos when speaking of anger - it’s a God-given emotion which produces energy which helps us solve problems biblical and solve them today… - so we would read verses like…Ephesians 4:26–27 - Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. 2. avoid the two sinful extremes a. clamming up - internalizing anger… - which is why we’re commanded not to let the sun go down on our anger… - because when you do that…your anger will often ferment and turn into bitterness…which is why later in Ephesians 4 we read…Ephesians 4:31 - Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. - driving the Lamborghini of bitterness and gossip and internalized anger may feel really good…but that action of unbelief is terribly expensive because God is not glorified and the opportunity to participate in the accomplishment of His plan is lost… - the passage before us illustrates the other extreme… b. blowing up - Numbers 20:10–11 - and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod… - do you hear the self-righteousness in all of that?...calling them rebels at the very moment he is about to colossally rebel?... - and the pride – shall we bring forth water for you…[could develop – always surprised that God allowed the water to come out…]… - he struck the rock twice with his rod – that instrument that so often had represented God’s power and authority…to use it in such a cavalier fashion… - the principle is – when you’re using your anger sinfully – either by clamming up or blowing up – you’re wasting the energy God gave you… - you’re disobeying His commands… - you’re upstaging His glory… - and you’re forfeiting the opportunity to be used by Him… C. Illustrated perfectly in the life of Christ - Jesus avoided both clamming up and blowing up… - so when thieves are robbing people in the temple probably by charging exorbitant exchange rates…Jesus makes a scourge of cords and drives them from the temple… - now, as a caution – Jesus could go right up to the line of sin and never cross it because He was the God-man…you and I might want to stay back from that line quite a ways… - but on the other hand – at His trial, Jesus kept silent when He had every reason in the world to blow up… - which ought to give us great hope…Hebrews 4:14–16 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Can I ask you – how are doing in the way you handle your anger?... 1. It starts by having a personal relationship with Christ… - if you’ve just started attending…please don’t respond to this study with – yes, I need to clean up the way I handle my anger and then maybe I can earn my way to God… - the first purpose of a story like this is to help us realize that it’s impossible to handle our anger well because we’re living under the curse of sin… - so it took another rock that had to be smitten – the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross so that our sin could be forgiven…and that we could receive new life in Him…and we could begin changing in each and every area of practical daily life…even the way we handle our anger… 2. Christian friend – do you see yourself anywhere in this text?... - is this an area of life where you’re living “In Christ alone”…or is it really living…in you alone… - and I realize you might say – but driving that Lamborghini is so exhilarating… - I just love internally my anger and letting it ferment into bitterness…and that throwing another pity party with myself as the guest of honor… - or gossiping to my small groups of pals instead of really dealing with the problem biblically and with the right people - friend, how much is that ride costing you?.... - or are you the blower-upper?... - but I love the feeling of giving that person a piece of my mind… - or screaming my kids into submission… - or posting that rant on social media… - blowing up is like a drug I have to take about once a month… - but friend – at what expense?... - what’s that’s doing to your friendships?... - what’s it doing to your testimony?... - what’s it doing to your marriage?... - what’s it doing to your kids?... - what’s it doing to your neighborhood?... - what’s it doing to your co-workers?... - what’s it doing to your health?... - some rides really just aren’t worth the pricetag… III. Sinful Anger Can Cause You to Miss the Mission - it’s interesting to read the Psalmist’s recounting of this event… - Psalm 106:32–33 - They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, so that it went hard with Moses on their account; because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips. - the “Him” in that passage is not Moses – it’s the Lord… - which is why when you feel like you’re being mistreated – remember that ultimately that’s between the person and the Lord…not the person and you… - and the Lord is more than capable of taking care of that person and that situation in His way and in His time… - Romans 12:19 - Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. - can you imagine how much glory the Lord would have received on this day had Moses just spoken to the rock?...the rock whisperer… - and the people would have been amazed at this fresh and unique display of the power of God…and would have had all sorts of reasons to praise the Lord… - Moses upstaged all of that…and cheapened it… - and did you see what happened? – the Psalmist said – “it went hard with Moses on their account…” – that’s an understatement for sure… - Numbers 20:12 - But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” - please think about what that land meant to the covenant nation of Israel…and all that Moses had endured in order to get the people to the cusp of the promise being fulfilled…and now he won’t be part of the accomplishment of that mission… - whatever joy, or revenge, or thrill, or satisfaction he received from striking that rock…didn’t even begin to compare to what he had to give up… - and even at the end of the book of Deuteronomy…we read this tender moment…Deuteronomy 32:48–52 - The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. “Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. “For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” - friend – that sinful explosion of anger turned out to be one very expensive ride… - and we would all be very wise to be in the habit of asking – before saying that, before doing that, before thinking that – is it really worth the cost?...do I want to forfeit participation in the accomplishment of the mission for something as fleeting as that?... - now – what’s the other side of that?... - Peter, after discussing all sorts of practical Christian living said -- 1 Peter 3:15 - but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; - sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts – even in the way you handle your anger…and there will be all sorts of ways to participate in the accomplishment of the mission… 1. Serving in outreach ministries this summer… - perhaps your first serving opportunity will be working in VBS – we’ll probably disappoint you in some way…some child will be unruly…some parent will be irresponsible…we’ll mess up a detail…can I encourage you in this way…don’t strike the rock… 2. Summer mission trips - youth group top Albania - Steve and Newton to Haiti and DR 3. Summer time with family 4. NCC groundbreaking and ministry launch

Arenâ??t preachers who start talking in the first person as if they were Jesus doing the same thing biblical critics said early Christians did, resulting in the gospel sayings? As someone who has been involved in the Neo-Pagan movement for two decades, I used to encounter the idea that Jesus was a "Great White Witchâ?? the meaning that he was a healer and magic user. What do you think is the strongest argument for this? In Moses and Minimalism, are your mentions of dugong hides being used to decorate the Ark of the Covenant a joke I'm not getting? Doesnâ??t the similarity of Galatians with passages in the Dead Sea Scrolls imply Pauline authorship, not pseudepigraphy? Is it really possible that in John 19:26-27 Jesus means to say Mary is henceforth the Mother of all Christians? Does reciting the Rosary count as â??vain repetitionâ??? The newest edition of the English Standard Version of the Bible, in Genesis 3, changes â??your desire shall be for your husbandâ?? to something like â??your desire shall be contrary to your husbandâ??s.â?? Is this legit? What is the best argument for Jesus having been a magician? I'm curious as to your membership status with the Episcopalians. Jesus is often understood as a Sun God, but has there been any work done to align the character of Jesus with Water deities?

Legacy Church========== My ID: Where's My Identity Pastor Daniel McCabe ==========About Us. Thank you for joining us this midweek! For more information about Legacy Church please check out or website by clicking the link below. http://www.legacychurchnm.comHow do I find my identity?Where or from whom do I get my identity from?Acts 7:22-30, Acts 7:34-35 Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'W HO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? Y OU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE E GYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?' At this remark, M OSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF M IDIAN, where he became the father of two sons. "After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF M OUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH.I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF M Y PEOPLE IN E GYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO E GYPT.' "This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'W HO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.Exodus 3:1-8, Exodus 3:10, Exodus 3:14-15 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.Maybe God is preparing you for something great when you can't understand the why.How do we come before the LORD? Do we show up with familiarity or honor? Yes, God is our friend but He is also our sovereign Lord. Do you just approach him casually?Where do you try and get your identity? Popularity – you may have had it, but then it's gone. Possessions – “check out what I have” – but that gets old really quick. Position – you can lose that! Performance – You may think you are good, but what happens when you fail? Have you ever failed? Moses gives many excuses why his leadership would not be acceptable: (1) unworthy, (2) ignorant, (3) lacked eloquence, (4) others would not believe him. Stop hiding behind your inadequacies. Look beyond yourself to all that is available to us and we can allow God to use our unique contributions. When we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. God has a name – wants a relationship with you; See this in Genesis when dealing with AdamExodus 4:1-4 Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'" The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff." Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail"-so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand-Moses only thought about all that could go wrong. God doesn't ask us to go where He will not give us what we need! Will we give Him what we have? This staff represented his identity – who was and who he was not. For all Moses knew, God was telling him to get rid of his rod. Staff is his identity. He is a shepherd. Now he might never see it again. He is asked to give what is his to God. Moses must have remembered a time when his hands held a scepter instead.God knew what Moses had in his hand. God was not asking for information. God was asking for obedience. God was asking Moses to consider what he holds. In Moses' life, the thing he held onto had a hold on his identity! But when we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. This stick reminded Moses, “You are nothing but a shepherd keeping another man's flock!Staff was used by God in so many ways: God took that insignificant stick and worked wonders with it. It was used to confront the Egyptian magicians It was used to bring about many of the plagues: turn the waters of Egypt to blood plague of frogs plague of lice plague of thunder and hail call and east wind that blew in the plague of locusts It was used to part the Red Sea It was used to drowning Pharaoh and his army It was used to for victory against the AmalekitesExodus 4:17, Exodus 4:20 You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.When we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. How does He see you?Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Colossians 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.Give Online Thank you for joining us tonight. If you would like to give online please click on the link below. http://www.legacychurchnm.com/give

Legacy Church========== My ID: Where's My Identity Pastor Daniel McCabe ==========About Us. Thank you for joining us this midweek! For more information about Legacy Church please check out or website by clicking the link below. http://www.legacychurchnm.comHow do I find my identity?Where or from whom do I get my identity from?Acts 7:22-30, Acts 7:34-35 Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'W HO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? Y OU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE E GYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?' At this remark, M OSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF M IDIAN, where he became the father of two sons. "After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF M OUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH.I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF M Y PEOPLE IN E GYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO E GYPT.' "This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'W HO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.Exodus 3:1-8, Exodus 3:10, Exodus 3:14-15 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.Maybe God is preparing you for something great when you can't understand the why.How do we come before the LORD? Do we show up with familiarity or honor? Yes, God is our friend but He is also our sovereign Lord. Do you just approach him casually?Where do you try and get your identity? Popularity – you may have had it, but then it's gone. Possessions – “check out what I have” – but that gets old really quick. Position – you can lose that! Performance – You may think you are good, but what happens when you fail? Have you ever failed? Moses gives many excuses why his leadership would not be acceptable: (1) unworthy, (2) ignorant, (3) lacked eloquence, (4) others would not believe him. Stop hiding behind your inadequacies. Look beyond yourself to all that is available to us and we can allow God to use our unique contributions. When we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. God has a name – wants a relationship with you; See this in Genesis when dealing with AdamExodus 4:1-4 Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'" The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff." Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail"-so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand-Moses only thought about all that could go wrong. God doesn't ask us to go where He will not give us what we need! Will we give Him what we have? This staff represented his identity – who was and who he was not. For all Moses knew, God was telling him to get rid of his rod. Staff is his identity. He is a shepherd. Now he might never see it again. He is asked to give what is his to God. Moses must have remembered a time when his hands held a scepter instead.God knew what Moses had in his hand. God was not asking for information. God was asking for obedience. God was asking Moses to consider what he holds. In Moses' life, the thing he held onto had a hold on his identity! But when we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. This stick reminded Moses, “You are nothing but a shepherd keeping another man's flock!Staff was used by God in so many ways: God took that insignificant stick and worked wonders with it. It was used to confront the Egyptian magicians It was used to bring about many of the plagues: turn the waters of Egypt to blood plague of frogs plague of lice plague of thunder and hail call and east wind that blew in the plague of locusts It was used to part the Red Sea It was used to drowning Pharaoh and his army It was used to for victory against the AmalekitesExodus 4:17, Exodus 4:20 You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.When we know who God is then we can know how God sees us. How does He see you?Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Colossians 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.Give Online Thank you for joining us tonight. If you would like to give online please click on the link below. http://www.legacychurchnm.com/give

In Moses' time, there was a clear need for a deliverer. The Israelites were enslaved, trapped, without hope... So what did God do? He heard the cries of His people, the hurt and need in their heart... And He delivered them. What a great foreshadowing of God's desire to save us eternally! God works - He responds - and He rescues His people!

From day seven of the creation account, where God rested, the Bible displays a continuous theme of rest. Hebrews next moves to a comparison of Moses and Jesus, as well as the respective “rests” that each offered. In Moses’s case, rest looked like...

From day seven of the creation account, where God rested, the Bible displays a continuous theme of rest. Hebrews next moves to a comparison of Moses and Jesus, as well as the respective “rests” that each offered. In Moses’s case, rest looked like...

Exodus 3:1-4:31God is constantly at work in our lives, changing us into his likeness. In Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush, we see four distinct phases in the progress of a man changing his mind, as he comes into his part in God's plan.

In Moses, God finally brought covenant and kingdom back together, as they still are today.

In Moses' final charge to the people of Israel, he wanted to instill in them the importance of remaining true to the One True God. It is advice we would be well to follow today!

Shelia P. Moses appears at the 2011 National Book Festival. Speaker Biography: Poet, author, playwright and producer Shelia P. Moses was raised the ninth of 10 children. She is the co-author of Dick Gregory's memoir, "Callus on My Soul," as well as the award-winning author of several books for young readers: "The Legend of Buddy Bush," "The Return of Buddy Bush," "I, Dred Scott" and "The Baptism." In Moses' new book, "Joseph's Grace," the title character is about to begin his sophomore year when his father asks him to move in with his aunt to escape from his mother's drug problems and the dangerous people she associates with. The efforts to keep Joseph safe end in tragedy. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5367.

sermon transcript Jesus Spoke & Lived the OT Scriptures Speak in an interweaving way of the living word, the written word, and the Living Word Jesus Christ. This morning, we're going to look at perhaps one of the greatest and clearest prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament, Psalm 22. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, He cried out, "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani,” which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is a cry from the depths of one under the judgment of God, as we believe Jesus, bearing our sins, cried out of the forsakeness, the god-forsakenness of his status there on the cross. But I think he was doing more than just that. You see, Jesus lived a life totally dependent on and interwoven with the written word of God, His whole life had been laid out before He'd even been born, laid out in prophecies of scripture. His birthplace, for example, He was born in Bethlehem, according to Micah Chapter 5, Verse 2, his mother was to be a virgin, according to Isaiah 7:14, and she was. He was to grow up in Galilee according to Isaiah 9:1, He was to do miracles, according to Isaiah 35:4-6. He was to speak in parables according to Psalm 78:2. He was to be rejected by his own people, according to Psalm 118:22. He was even to be betrayed by one of his close friends who shared his own bread, for 30 pieces of silver, 30, not 29, not 31, but 30 pieces of silver, according to Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:13. But more than that, Jesus in his everyday life relied on the written word of God. When tempted by the devil, He answered three times with scripture, “It is written,” “It is written,” “It is written.” The first time He laid it all out for us plainly. When He said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” Jesus didn't just preach it, He lived it. Total dependence moment by moment on the written word of God. When some came to threaten his life in John chapter 10, they were ready to execute him for the things He had claimed. Jesus reached for Psalm 82:6, “I said, you are gods.” How many of us would have even known where Psalm 82 was, never mind what it said, never mind how it was applicable to this very situation? Jesus' mind was saturated with the Old Testament, for that's all that was available in his day, the written word of God. Now, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", there were some around the cross who heard Him cry. Franco Zeffirelli in his masterpiece, “Jesus of Nazareth” picks up on this, the pathos of that moment, Jesus' enemies around the cross, they're looking up at him, and Jesus cries out, "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani." People say, "Oh listen, He's calling for Elijah." They didn't hear it right or something, or their minds were dark and they didn't hear it properly. Zeffirelli has one of his bitterest foes looking up and just gets a wistful look on his face, kind of puzzled, almost. He said, "No. No, He's not calling Elijah, He's quoting the scripture." Even here, even now, hanging on the cross, He's quoting Scripture, and he just shook his head in amazement because he considered Jesus to be an imposter, and yet He wouldn't let it go. Even on the cross, He's quoting Scripture. I believe that Jesus was crying out from the depths of a spiritual separation between him and God because of his role as our substitute. But could it be that He was doing more than that, could it be that He was pointing our attention back to Psalm 22? I think perhaps so, for Psalm 22 gives perhaps the clearest depiction in all of the Old Testament about what was happening to Jesus right at that moment, namely crucifixion. Now, 100 years after Jesus, a Roman who came to personal faith in Christ, named Justin Martyr, started having dialogues with Jewish people and he wrote one of them down, it was entitled, “Dialogue with Trypho the Jew.” This is just 100 years after Christ, it’s four generations after Jesus. He points to Psalm 22, and specifically to Verse 16, which says, “They have pierced my hands and my feet.” What is this? This piercing of the hands and the feet. He said, "It was the prophetic spirit." That's what Justin Martyr called it, “the Holy Spirit.” The prophetic spirit in David, which was predicting Jesus' crucifixion, with these words, they have pierced my hands and my feet." Trypho the Jew wasn't buying it. He didn't believe in that. Justin Martyr turns up the heat a little bit in the dialogue, and he says, "You are indeed blind when you deny that the above mentioned psalm was spoken of Christ, for you fail to see that no one among your people who has ever been called King ever had his hands and his feet pierced while alive and died by this mystery that is the cross, except this Jesus only." A mere 100 years after Jesus, this clear testimony of the power of Psalm 22 to predict the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Centerpiece of apostolic evangelism is OT Scripture The centerpiece of apostolic evangelism, the evangelism of the apostles, was Old Testament scripture. They were constantly going from place to place, proving from the scriptures, the Old Testament, that Jesus was the Christ. This came, I believe, from Jesus' 40-day seminar that He had with them after his resurrection. He spent 40 days with His apostles and He taught them everything that was in the scriptures concerning him. In Moses and in the Psalms and Prophets, and then the Writings as well, in every aspect of Old Testament scripture. There was Christ, there was Christ, there was Christ, a clear testimony to his life. Peter picked up on it, and in his first sermon after Pentecost, he stands up, actually, on the day of Pentecost, and preaches boldly and powerfully, fearlessly. Power of the spirit has come on him, he's not afraid of death anymore, why? Because he's seen the risen Lord, there is nothing they can do to shut him up. But not only does the Holy Spirit gave him power and courage in the face of death, it also saturates his mind in Old Testament scripture. Peter quotes, Joel Chapter 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 1-10, and by my count, almost half of all the verses of that sermon were Old Testament quotations or allusions. Peter later wrote in 1 Peter 1, the Spirit of Christ was inside the prophets, like inside David, predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. The Holy Spirit laid it all ahead of time, and he worked in a man like David to let us know. The apostle Paul picked up on this. At the beginning of Paul's ministry, Saul of Tarsus is breathing out threats and murder. He's on his way to Damascus. A bright light flashes from the heaven, he falls to the ground, he is converted, he comes to faith in Christ, and not only did scales fall from his eyes when he was baptized, but also a veil from his heart. He refers to this veil in 2 Corinthians 3, when he says, "A veil covers their hearts." Whenever the Old Testament is read, the Jews he's referring to, but when anyone turns to Christ, the veil falls away, and suddenly the scriptures came alive, and he could see things he'd never seen before. It says that, once Saul began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, he grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. How do you think he did that? He said, “Let's open up and look. Let's look at the Torah. Let's look at the writings of Moses. Let's look at the writings of the wisdom literature, and let's look at Psalms, and you'll see it all there.” He baffled them, they'd never noticed these things before, and it was Saul, this convert, instantly showing them. At the end of his life, he did the same thing in Acts 28:23. From morning till evening, he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God, this was to the Jews, and tried to convince them about Jesus, from the law of Moses and from the prophets. He said, "Open your Bibles, let's look, let's read along, here it is." This was the centerpiece of apostolic evangelism —open your Bible and look. Many times in between the beginning of his Christian life on the road of Damascus and the end of his Christian life in Rome, he did the same thing. In Thessalonica, he did the same thing, in Acts 17: 2-3. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. When he had the Scriptures open, what do you think he went to, to talk about the sufferings of Christ? Could it be Psalm 22? I think so. Paul's own summary of his whole ministry comes in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried and that He was raised from the dead on the third day according to scriptures.” The death according to scripture, the resurrection according to scripture. That's the way he preached, and my question to us, as 21st century, Christians, can you do that? Could you evangelize just from the Old Testament, could you prove and explain from the Old Testament scriptures, how Jesus is the Christ and the fulfillment of all of them? Perhaps now you can do Psalm 2, and Psalm 69 and after today, Psalm 22. Just wait until we get to Psalm 16, the resurrection Psalm. It's so powerful, and it's all been laid out here, incredible detail in the prophecies. Just as Jesus was being arrested, Peter draws the sword, he's about to defend Jesus so that Jesus would not be arrested. Jesus says, "Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will also die by the sword." And then He said, "You know, if I wanted to get out of this, I would call on my Father, and He will at once put in my defense, more than 12 legions of angels." But listen, what He says next, "But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Not just that it must happen, but that it must happen this way. Everything had been laid out very carefully in advance, and this is going to become evident today as we look a little more carefully at Psalm 22. The prophecy of Psalm 22 Beginning at verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning, oh my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer by night, and I'm not silent. Yet, you are enthroned as a holy one. You are the praise of Israel, in you, our fathers put their trust, they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved. In you, they trusted, and were not disappointed, but I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people, all who see me, mock me, they hurl insults, shaking their heads, 'He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him, let Him deliver him, since he delights in Him.' Yet you, brought me out of the womb, you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast, from birth, I was cast upon you from my mother's womb, you have been my God, do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me, strong bulls of Bashan encircle me, roaring lions tearing their prey, open their mouths wide against me, I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax, it has melted away within me, my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones, people stare and gloat over me, they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. But you, O Lord, be not far off. O my strength come quickly to help me, deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs, rescue me from the mouth of the lions, save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my brothers, in the congregation, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. All you descendants of Jacob honor him. Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel, for he has not despised or disdained the sufferings of his afflicted one, he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly. Before those who fear you, will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied. They who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship, all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him, those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him. Future generations will be told about the Lord, they will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, for He has done it." Now, this is a Psalm of David, and David had his own context in writing it. The modern commentators have all different kinds of ideas about these kinds of psalms. I think it really depends on their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I really believe that, because if they don't know the Lord, they tend to try to create a separation between David and Christ, so they will say that David here is struggling with physical illness. He's sick, and as he's dealing with illness, he's using metaphorical language to talk about those struggles. Well, there is some evidence. He says, "I am a worm and not a man." Verse 14, “poured out like water, my bones are out of the joint, heart-melting like wax.” Verse 15, “strength dried up, tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay in the dust of death.” Could be, except for some other verses that are in there as well. I really think that the issue here is, like many of David's lament psalms, whenever he's struggling, it's almost always his own sin or attacks from political and personal enemies, that tends to be what he grieves over, and I think in this case, it's the latter he's dealing with, political and personal enemies. "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown," said Shakespeare, and as that crown is on your head, it weighs heavy, and there are people who want to take it from you and they're willing to plot against you. David lived a whole life with enemies wanting to take his life, and so in verses 12 and 13, you get the sense of being surrounded by enemies, “many bulls surround me, strong bulls of Bashan encircle me, roaring lions tearing their prey, open their mouths wide against me.” Then in verse 16, “dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me.” This doesn't line up too well with illness, really it's a personal attack from enemies, but the clincher is in verse 20, verse 19-21 says, "But you, O Lord, be not far off, O my strength come quickly to help me." Verse 20, “Deliver my life from the sword.” Well, there it is, he's threatened with the sword, his enemies are seeking to assassinate him, to kill him, and he's threatened by them. Verse 21, “Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, save me from the horns of wild oxen.” He's not suffering from physical illness, but he's afraid he's going to be killed by these adversaries. The psalm breaks up into two main sections, verse 1 through 21 is a cycle of lament and trust. Verse 22 through 31 is thanksgiving for deliverance, present and future. So there's the sad part and the happy part. Verse 1 through 21, the sad part, verse 22 through 31, the happy part, that's how it works. Now, in verse 1 through 21, the sad or difficult part, it's a cycle of lament and trust, he's going back and forth, he says, “I am this, but you are that, I am this, but you were that,” he's going back and forth. Any of you who have gone through afflictions, perhaps you've lost a loved one, perhaps you are ill, or perhaps there's some kind of persecutor, a difficulty in your life, you know how you move back and forth between the poles, don't you? Sometimes struggling and suffering with what's going on and other times, trusting in the Lord and praying for him to change the circumstances. Any of you who have suffered, you know what I'm talking about, and David does the same thing. First lament in verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Then in verse 3 through 5, he turns to the Lord, the national savior of Israel. He remembers that His forefathers trusted in God and were rescued. Then he goes back to a second lament in verse 6 through 8, "I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people." So in the first cycle of lament, he feels forsaken by God, in the second cycle of lament, verse 6 through 8, he feels forsaken by people and abandoned and rejected. Then he comes back to confidence in God, verse 9 through 11, where the first was a national confidence, now here's the personal confidence, as he said, I've trusted in you from my mother's breast, from when I was first, a little baby, I began to trust in you. So he's going over his own history, and sometimes that's helpful when you go through affliction, you forget who God is, your circumstances become so powerful that you forget that God never changes, and that the resources for facing your trial are unshakable, will never change, that's who God is. The final lament, verse 12 through 18 is so clearly depicting crucifixion, that it's hard for me to even imagine what David was talking about. As Justin Martyr put it, “How are David's hands and feet pierced? What's going on there?” I think there comes a point where the prophetic spirit, the Holy Spirit, just lifts David up above his immediate circumstances to speak words of prophecy about Christ. That's what's going on, I believe in 12 -18, he's encircled by attackers, and then he finishes up with a prayer for deliverance, 19 through 21. That's the sad part, a cycle of lament and trust back and forth, and then David moves to the happy part, just like that, from 21 to 22, there's no warning. All of a sudden, we're giving thanks and praise. It's almost like a resurrection. Could it be? Verse 22, he praises God. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers in the congregation, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him, all you descendants of Jacob, honor him." So he's praising God. In verses 22 through 26, he's praising God for his present deliverance from his immediate situation, and then again, he lifts his eyes, the vision to an eternal kingdom. 27 through 31, the end of the Psalm; some things that are so rich that I can't share them with you today. I'm going to do it another time, the power of the worldwide advance of the kingdom of Christ, based on what he accomplished in the first half of Psalm 22. That's David's situation. Let's be done with David now and move on to Christ because there are some aspects of David's life that do not line up with Christ, some aspects of his situation that are not Christ. We need to focus on Jesus Christ, and Psalm 22 depicts the sufferings and the resurrection of Jesus Christ in powerful ways. Look over in Matthew 27, and what we're going to do is we're going to compare the way that Matthew wrote the crucifixion account with Psalm 22, and you're going to see so clearly the fulfillments of Psalm 22 as to be beyond question. Matthew 27, 32- 50 but stay in Psalm 22, we're going to be moving back and forth so that you can see what it is. There's two real aspects here of the fulfillment. The first is that the whole scene and circumstances are set up by Psalm 22, and there's four different aspects of that. Then there's the crucifixion itself, the very mode and manner of Jesus' death focused in on Psalm 22 as well.Let's look at the first, the scene is set in the Gospels, right from Psalm 22, the first is in Matthew 27:35, look at it. Matthew 27:35 says, “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” What's so amazing about this, and this is the key to the whole thing of prophetic scripture: who was it that divided up Jesus' clothes by casting lots? It was the Roman soldiers. Wait a minute, that's a problem. Roman soldiers didn't know Psalm 22:18, how are they going to know to do this? They're probably born in some part of Italy, got on a boat and came to Palestine, the last place they wanted to be. There’s a centurion and a bunch of other soldiers, hot and bothered, another crucifixion to do, they don't want to be here. “This is the worst place, it's so hot, the food is terrible, and now we have to kill another one of these Jewish rebels. maybe I can get a garment out of it, maybe I can get a cloak or something for my trouble.” That's what he's thinking. But God's thoughts are so much higher above. The Roman doesn't know, Psalm 22:18, but God does, and this is the key to the whole thing, is that God is sovereign over human events. He saw over people who don't know him, even over the people who don't love him, God rules over all, so when they're rolling the dice and casting lots, they're fulfilling prophecy, even though they didn't know what they were doing, this is the key to it all. Our God is a sovereign God. Now look at Verse 39, it says, "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads." They're insulting Christ and they're shaking their heads. That's prophesied in Psalm 22:7. Look back. Keep your finger in both. "All who see me mock me, they hurl insults, shaking their heads." Do you see that? They're shaking their heads, even the head gestures of Jesus' enemies prophesied. What about the content of the mocking? Look at verse 41-43, "In the same way, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. He saved others, they said, but he can't save himself. He's the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross, and we'll believe in him." Here it is, Matthew 27:43, "He trusts in God, let God rescue him now, if he wants him, for He said, I am the Son of God." Of course, the Jews, the chief priests, teachers of the law, they knew Psalm 22, but they sure weren't trying to quote scripture here. They opened up their hateful mouths, and insulting Jesus, they fulfilled prophecy to the letter. Look back at Psalm 22:8, "He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him, let Him deliver him since He delights in him." Their lines in the play had been scripted a thousand years ahead of time. King David wrote this a thousand years before Jesus fulfilled it, and it wasn't just Jesus fulfilling it, it was the Roman soldiers casting lots, it was the Jewish enemies casting insults, fulfilling scripture to the letter. The whole scene is set in Psalm 22, but then comes the crucifixion itself. Now go back to Psalm 22, and let's look at verses 12-18. Crucifixion itself is depicted very plainly in verses 12-18, "Many bulls surround me, strong bulls of Bashan encircle me, roaring lions tearing their prey, open their mouths, wide against me, I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, my heart has turned to wax, it has melted away within me, my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death, dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet, I can count all my bones, people stare and gloat over me, they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." Can't you see Jesus' crucifixion, as you read those verses? Isn't it so plain? Let me pull out the elements for you, first, there's dehydration. It says in Psalm 22: 14-15, “the tongue cleaves to the roof of his mouth.” Do you remember one of the seven things that Jesus said from the cross was, “I thirst.” The thirst of Christ, that fulfilled Psalm 69, because they gave him vinegar to drink, you see, the whole thing had been worked out, but first comes the dehydration which comes from the crucifixion. What about exposure? Just the exposure of your whole body up there in the cross, couldn't be more exposed. Verse 17, it says, "I can count all my bones." So there is Jesus, and he can see his whole body, it's just exposed and out in the open, and then there's disfigurement, not only can he count all his bones, but his bones, according to verse 14 are out of joint, there's a kind of a twisting of the arms and of the legs, disfigurement. Then there's the encirclement, we've talked about it, but the bulls and the wolves and the dogs, just surrounding, a sense that He is in the center and everyone's looking and staring and gloating. There's a crowd yelling, there's a center, and the center is the cross of Jesus Christ. Isaiah, Zechariah, and Revelation speak of the Crucifixion Then there's the piercing. Now, I'll tell you something, I have wrestled with this, “They have pierced my hands and my feet.” Like any good pastor, you want to go back, not to the NIV or the NASB or the KJV or any of these, but you want to go back to the Hebrew, the original writings. If you were to look back in the Hebrew writings, we have the manuscripts, of course, we don't have Psalm 22, the original. God has seen fit that we don't have any original scriptures, we only have copies. Now, as you read the copy, it says something like this, "Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me, like a lion, my hands and feet." Does that make sense to you? Like a lion, my hands and feet, doesn't make sense to me either. Now, the Greek is a little bit more interesting, translated 200 or 300 years before Jesus, the Greek translation says, “they have dug my hands and feet,” so that's like a piercing or a tunneling, and that's where it comes from. That's why I believe Justin Martyr talks about the piercing. But what of the Hebrew? I've wrestled with this. It also bothered me in the New Testament that this is never directly quoted, but yet I will say this, the piercing is clearly predicted. Jesus would be pierced, not just from this Scripture, but also from two others, in Isaiah 53:5, it says, “He was pierced for our transgression.” No problem with the text. Jesus would be pierced for our transgression, He would be crushed for our iniquity. Isaiah 53:5, “the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed.” So even if Justin Martyr's friend, Trypho the Jews said,”’It’s not in Psalm 22, there it is in Isaiah 53, you can't get away from it. “They've pierced my hands and my feet.” Then in Zechariah 12:10, it says, "I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication." Zechariah 12:10, "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a first-born son." John uses that as a fulfillment for the thrust of the spear or lance into Jesus' side. There's no question that Jesus would be pierced. The Book of Revelation talks about it. Revelation 1:17 says, "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him, so shall it be, amen." What is so amazing about all this? That Jesus would die on a cross, pierced, crucified. Okay, so I'm convinced. Psalm 22 teaches crucifixion, so what? Well, crucifixion hadn't even been invented yet. It was invented about 500 years after David wrote this. There was nothing like this in Jewish culture. There was no piercing of hands and feet, they killed by stoning. What was David thinking? Well, I don't really care that much what David was thinking, I care what God was doing through David at that moment. I don't think David understood it. I think he wrote it and didn't fully understand what he was writing. But we understand because we're looking back at history now. In Psalm 22, Jesus while hanging on the cross, said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There it is. Well, what do we do with this information? What if David saw the crucifixion of Christ in advance? How does it affect my life? Number one, first of all, if you're a Christian, it is that you may know the certainty of the things you've been taught. It says in Luke 1:4, that's why he wrote Luke's Gospel, that you may know the certainty of the things you have taught. This is not something that God threw together at the last minute, the gospel, it's not something where he said, "Gee, I don't know what I'm going to do about sinners, I wouldn't mind having a few of them up here with me in Heaven. How are we going to get them up there. I don't know, well, why don't we kinda throw something together?" That is not God's way, but from eternity past, He has worked out this Gospel message. It says in Romans 1:2, that this is the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, it's been predicted, all of it, ahead of time. Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He died at the foundation of the world, not literally, but in the mind of God. He had it all worked out, and Jesus said that the scripture has said very plainly it would happen in this way, but there's a theological significance to it as well. It says in Galatians Chapter 3, that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us as it is written, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” He had to be crucified in order to be hung on a tree, that you may know the certainty of the things you've been taught. But the second and more plain, is that you know that Jesus suffered in your place. When Jesus cried out, He said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" There is a God-forsakenness that we face as sinners here in this life. We don't walk with God, we don't love him, we don't know him, we don't follow his ways. But how much worse is that god-forsakenness that's waiting everyone who dies in sin and goes to hell. Hell is a God-forsaken place. I have witnessed, and I tell you with tears and with grief at the jokes that non-Christians give over hell. “All my friends are going to be down there, and I'm going to be partying with them. No, you're not. It's a place of utter darkness. All the good things that God has lavished on you in this world, He will lavish none of them in hell. What good things? The sun comes up on the evil and the righteous, and He sends rain on the evil and the righteous, He gives you sunshine, He gives you rain, He gives you good food, He gives you good friends and clothes and comforts and entertainment and all kinds of things. None of that in hell. Now, for we, who are Christians, we know that, we don't want to go to hell. Jesus suffered hell for us. When He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Martin Luther looked at that and said, "You know, I feel forsaken because of my sins." But when he came to Psalm 22, he said, "Why did Jesus feel forsaken? What did he do? He was sinless and blameless, he was perfect in all his ways. Why did he feel forsaken?" It’s that exchange. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, including the god-forsakenness, so that we in Christ might become the righteousness of God. He suffered in our place, so that we don't have to suffer hell, we don't have to suffer forsakeness from God. Quite the opposite, Hebrews 13:5, “He has promised, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.” Never, he's going to be with you forever. Because of what Jesus accomplished, He says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Like Jesus, the Christian suffers We say, “You will never leave me, you'll never forsake me, because of what Jesus accomplished.” Does that mean, we don't need to suffer? No, we still have some suffering, we don't drink Jesus' cup, but we drink drops from his cup. Jesus said to James and John, "You will indeed drink from my cup." He said, "If anyone's not willing to pick up this cross daily and follow me, he's not worthy to be my disciple." We have to be willing to suffer with Christ. Hebrews 13:12-13, “Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood, let us then go to him, outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.” This is a problem for us, American Christians. We don't want to bear any disgrace, we want a comfortable easy life, and we don't want to bear any suffering because of the cross of Jesus Christ, but Hebrews says, “Go outside the camp, go and bear the insult and the disgrace that were poured on him because people hate God.” Go stand near the cross and you'll know what it's like, and the closer you get to the cross. The closer you get to Jesus, the more you'll know what this suffering is, and the more you will understand. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” If you want to share in Jesus' reward, you have to share in his suffering. “Now, if we are children, then we are heirs,” Romans 8:17, “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory.” That's how it works. Some of his followers would be crucified, literally, crucified. Peter, tradition has it, was crucified upside down, in Rome. He didn't want to be crucified right side up because he said that he didn't want to be like his savior. He wasn't worthy of it. So he was crucified upside down, and Jesus prophesied this whole thing in Matthew 23:34, he said to the enemies, the Jewish enemies that were opposing him, he said, "Therefore I'm sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town." They would be crucified. When God brings you to your time of suffering, look to Jesus and realize he's already suffered in your place, you're not suffering for your sins, but you're suffering that others may hear the Gospel, you're suffering that others may come to personal faith in Christ. Go outside the city gate and bear the reproach that He bore. Now, the last one is so rich that we don't have time for it today, so I've decided that I would do this again in another sermon. In verses 22-31, there is a whole worldwide feast of celebration that comes out of this, and it's remarkable because it's broken up into Jew first and then Gentile. It's too hard to explain right now, but I'll tell you very plainly, in verse 22, Jesus says, He will declare His name, God's name to his brothers. Hebrews picks up on this, and it's so beautiful, because right after Jesus rose from the dead, He sees Mary Magdalene, right outside the tomb, and she's weeping, she's crying, she's looking at Jesus, doesn't know it's him, finally she understands that it's him. Remember what Jesus said? "Go and tell my brothers, go and tell my brothers, I'm going to my God and their God, to my Father and your Father." He speaks that way after his crucifixion, He is our brother and as a result of that, there is an extension of worldwide kingdom that is coming. Verses 27 through 31 say, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations, all the rich of the earth will feast and worship, all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him, those who cannot keep themselves alive, posterity will serve him, future generations will be told about the Lord, they will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, for He has done this.” We see the worldwide scope of the kingdom, all the peoples in the ends of the earth, all the families of nations, we see the deep repentance of the gospel, they will remember and turn to the Lord. We see the humbling before the King, they're going to bow down before Him, and they're going to honor Him, we see joyful, feasting and worship, all the rich of the earth will feast and worship. We see total inability, any other way, those who cannot keep themselves alive, we see this Gospel being preached through all history, it says, posterity, future generations and a people yet unborn will hear this message. A Gospel will be preached, it will be told about the Lord, they will proclaim His righteousness, since it's the preaching of the Gospel. It is a God-centered gospel, for He and He alone has done it. Psalm 22 is a clear depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Jesus died in our place, He died the death we deserve under the wrath and curse of God. If you have never come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if there's never been a time that you knew that Jesus was standing in your place, to be your savior, your sin bearer, won't you come to Christ today? Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the beauty and the clarity of predictive prophecy, we thank you for Psalm 22, we thank you for how Jesus' crucifixion is laid out as plainly as ink on a page and we can read it. We thank you, O Lord, for the power that it has to give us certainty of the things we've been taught, and now I pray for those that have not yet given their lives to you, Lord, Father, that they would today be pierced in their heart, realize that they need a savior and come to personal faith in you, Father, and for the rest of us, that we might be willing to take up our cross daily and follow you, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.