A Great Teaching Tool

In the work of gospel ministry, churches and pastors use many teaching tools to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to those they reach. It is so encouraging to see all of the tools that have been given to us to proclaim the Gospel to people from literally every walk of life. Yesterday, I was reminded of one of these great tools that has been given to the local church for the proclamation of the Gospel: baptism.

Baptism takes many forms within churches today. I recognize there is even disagreement as to the role that baptism plays in the life of a person.^[1] Understanding Four Views on Baptism is a good resource I’ve found to share the prominent views of baptism. I hold to the view of baptism commonly known as “Believer’s Baptism” by immersion. This view sees baptism as an external symbol that points to an inward decision that has been made by a person.^[2] Acts 8:35-38; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:29-33

For the time I’ve been in ministry, I have viewed the act of baptism as a time of celebration (and it is!). Over the years, I’ve come to see that baptism is a great teaching tool to be used by the local church about some of our core beliefs as Christians.

Baptism teaches what we believe about Jesus

The act of baptism shows that a person has put their faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This picture is painted beautifully as the candidate comes into the water, is placed under the water, and is brought up out of the water. This is a great teaching point to show those gathered to witness that this person has placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Baptism teaches about what has happened within the person

The act of baptism also shows those witnessing the work the Holy Spirit has done within the person’s heart. As the person is placed under the water, they are acknowledging they were dead in their sins.^[3]Ephesians 2:1 As the person is brought forth from the water, they are showing they have been raised to walk a new life by faith in Jesus Christ.^[4]Romans 6:4

Baptism teaches about discipleship

The act of baptism also teaches about discipleship. This is the newest aspect of baptism that I’m seeing more clearly. Jesus commands His Church to go and make disciples.^[5]Matthew 28:18-20 This means that, as we introduce someone to faith in Christ, we also come alongside them and share with them what He has shown us. Making disciples is about helping others grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.

Our church had a great privilege this past Sunday to use baptism as a teaching tool about discipleship. I got to baptize a father in his 40s. After I baptized him, his two sons were baptized – by their father. To my knowledge, this had not been done before in our church. I took a quick moment to share that a part of baptism is the one doing the baptizing commits to the one being baptized to come alongside them and help them grow in their faith. I shared about how parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children. Because of this truth, we had the father do the baptizing of his children with me standing beside them to show that together, we will work to disciple these young men.

References[+]

References

↑1	Understanding Four Views on Baptism is a good resource I’ve found to share the prominent views of baptism.
↑2	Acts 8:35-38; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:29-33
↑3	Ephesians 2:1
↑4	Romans 6:4
↑5	Matthew 28:18-20

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Youth Evangelism Conference

This past weekend, middle school and high school students from our church joined together with others from across our state for a Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) in a nearby city. It was exciting to hear about what took place as over 460 people from 45 different churches gathered together for worship, encouragement, and training. This was the first year that two of my own sons would be a part of this.

As I thought about this weekend, I was taken back to the days when the Lord had me in student ministry. Those were some exciting times. You were always on your toes as changes came quickly. Trying to help teens grasp their faith and be used by the Lord for His glory… good times.

I can remember taking groups to Youth Evangelism Conferences as well. It was a good time to gather students together and have them hear the gospel clearly outside of the usual avenues that one usually had. I do remember feeling that there was always something missing to the YEC’s that we were involved with. The preaching was typically good. The musical worship was good. Yet there was still something that seemed to be missing from the whole deal.

I must commend the student ministry leadership at the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). I think they have found the missing piece I have been looking for all those years.

While the students and leaders that attended YEC in Jefferson City this year had the opportunity to hear some good preaching and musical worship, it didn’t stop there. They had breakout sessions and training where students learned more about sharing their faith with those they encounter on a daily basis. One of the things that had me most excited was that on Monday, those who had experienced all this goodness at YEC were given the opportunity to break into groups and put it into action. They would go out in the neighborhoods of the area they were in and do what they had been talking about.

Where is the time and place to train and
deploy the upcoming missionaries?

While I always seemed to have a good time taking students and other leaders to YEC in the past, the missing piece was that we never had the opportunity to put what we heard to work immediately. Those conferences were more like “Youth Evangelistic Crusades,” where the gospel was shared very clearly, and you brought as many people who did not follow Jesus to hear what was said from the stage. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a time and place for that, but where is the time and place to train and deploy the upcoming missionaries? I know that our student ministries within local churches should be doing that, but where is it written that we cannot do that on a bigger scale?

This past weekend, the MBC showed it could be done. I’m already hearing about conversations of students involved this weekend, pondering ways they can put into practice what they were doing at this event. PRAISE THE LORD!!! I am thankful for our Pastor of Student Ministries (Ben Clay) and the other adults who supported and walked alongside these students this past weekend. I am excited to see what spark just might have been lit within our students.

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Valleys and Peaks: Part 4

As we continue in this series, Valleys and Peaks, we are looking at ways to deal with the highs and lows of life. Good times and tough times are going to come in this life. There is no getting away from it. The key to victory in these times is knowing how to deal with them when they come.

Today, we will look at a guy named Joseph. Joseph is a fairly common name in the Bible, but the one we will discuss is found in the book of Genesis. As a matter of fact, 13 of the final 14 chapters of Genesis share Joseph’s story. Joseph’s story is one of many valleys and a few peaks.

As we look at Joseph’s story, we will pick up with the very end of it. I know some people like to read the end of a book before they jump in and read the entire story. I don’t get that, but some people like to do that.

We will pick up at the point where Joseph’s father had recently died. Joseph’s brothers were afraid of what was about to happen to them.

The Brothers’ Fear

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”

GENESIS 50:15 CSB

Why would Joseph hold a grudge against his brothers? If you had older siblings, you know there is reason to hold a grudge. I was the older sibling in my family, and I know there are things my younger sister could hold a grudge against me about from our childhood.

Joseph’s brothers were overcome by fear because they had treated Joseph wrong. We’re not talking about the usual picking that takes place in a house full of boys. These brothers did Joseph wrong in the past.

They sold Joseph into slavery because of their hatred toward him (Genesis 37:26-28). After Joseph was sold into slavery, he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife of trying to harm her (Genesis 39:16-18). This led to Joseph being thrown into prison for many years.

Joseph would spend what most scholars believe is close to a decade or more in prison for these charges. This serves as a reminder that though you are walking with the Lord, it does not mean that we will be immune from false accusations. Satan will do all he can to get us off-track from what the Lord is doing in our lives.

After close to a decade spent in prison, Joseph is released to help Pharaoh. While in prison, Joseph had interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer. The interpretations that Joseph gave happened just as he said that they would. When Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t understand, Joseph was remembered and brought in to help. Pharaoh thanked Joseph for his help by granting his release and setting Joseph up as second in command over all of Egypt.

This sounds good, but was it? If Joseph’s brothers had not sold him into slavery so many years earlier, none of the valleys he had to walk through would have happened. The brothers had reason to fear. In Genesis 50:15, we see that the brothers were worried about payback.

The Brothers’ Plan

So they sent thsi message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin – the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

GENESIS 50:16-18 CSB

The brothers come to Joseph with another lie that they have concocted. They tell Joseph that their late father wanted Joseph to forgive his brothers for the wrongs they did to him in the past. This was a lie because the Bible never tells us that the brothers confessed what they did to Joseph to their father. Therefore, Jacob had never told the brothers to relay a message to Joseph.

When we allow sin to reside in our hearts unchecked, it will mess with us in many ways. The brothers show here that they were in slavery as well. By not confessing their sin against Joseph, they put themselves in slavery to guilt. This guilt would cause them to pile on the sins to try to cover up what they had initially done. The problem with this thought is that no relief can come this way; the pit gets deeper.

The brothers are so committed to not dealing with their sin the way the Lord intends that they come and bring before Joseph with false humility. This is a reminder to us about the truth of confession. Confession is not being sorry for our sins. Confession is seeing our sins exactly how the Lord sees them. When we see our sin the way the Lord sees it, it will move us to the point of wanting to deal with it and get away from the sin. This is what the Bible refers to as repentance.

I am thankful that whenever true, Bible-defined confession happens, it is met by the grace of Jesus.

If we confess our sins, [Jesus] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 JOHN 1:9 CSB

Joseph’s Strength

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

GENESIS 50:19-21 CSB

Do you want to know if the Lord is working in someone’s life? You will see things like this when the Holy Spirit leads someone’s life. Instead of paying his brothers back for robbing him of years of freedom and time with his family, Joseph tells them not to be afraid. He shares with them that God had this.

Joseph could get through the valleys in his life because he realized the truth that the Lord is sovereign. God’s being sovereign means that He is in complete control. The Lord rules over the entirety of creation.

Joseph’s realization gave him the peace that the Lord would be in control of whatever may come his way. Paul also talks about this in the New Testament (Romans 8:28-30).

When we come to the same point that Joseph was at – resting in the sovereignty of God – then we will find peace and trust the Lord to work all things that come our way for our good and His glory.

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Valleys and Peaks Part 3

‌Who likes a good secret? I am of the belief that just about everyone likes a good secret. We see this in the way that people flock to news stories and social media. I’m not saying that is necessarily a good thing, but people are always looking for a good secret. Secrets aren’t necessarily bad things though. Some of you have a secret family recipe that has been sworn to secrecy. Those secrets can be – and usually are – really good things.

‌As we continue in our series called Valleys and Peaks, we are looking at people from the Bible who went through times of both low and high points in life. I am grateful that the Bible is a book of reality. The Bible doesn’t seek to make everyone look good all the time. It is quick to point out people’s faults and even struggles many times.

‌Today, we are going to look at one of the Bible’s most popular people: the apostle, Paul. Paul was a guy that was very passionate. He grew up in the Jewish faith and found himself moving up in the ranks of Judaism. He made his life mission to wipe the name of Jesus off the face of the earth. That is until he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. This meeting with Jesus changed Paul’s life forever.

‌Paul’s Peaks

Paul would have many mountaintop experiences in his life. He would take many missionary journeys where he would take the gospel to places that had not heard it before. Paul would help start churches where there were no churches. He would meet and share meals with people of great prestige. He watched God open prison doors for him to walk free.

‌Paul’s Valleys

Paul also was one who knew about valleys in life.

Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.

​1 Corinthians 4:11–13 CSB

‌

Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.

​2 Corinthians 11:24–27 CSB

We can see from these verses and others that Paul knew both great valleys and peaks. What is interesting to notice is that neither the high peaks nor the deep valleys completely broke him or caused him to get off track of what God wanted to do in his life. It is almost like he had a secret that kept him from getting a big head on the mountain top and throwing in the towel in the shadows of the valley.

Paul shares that the secret to his ability to go on is something called contentment.

‌Contentment

Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has observed that our society is marked by what he calls “inextinguishable discontent.” He has said that there is a quest for better and what’s next. We may want a better job… better relationships… He says that we have a propensity to live endlessly for the next thing – the next weekend, next vacation, next purchase, or next experience. Many are never satisfied, never content, and envious of those who have what we have not attained or accumulated.

If you were to look up the term ‘content’ or ‘contentment’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you would see that it is defined as being “satisfied” or “to appease the desires of.” This seems to be a simple enough definition.

The word that the Bible uses and is translated as ‘content’ or ‘contentment’ shows that this is not just an acceptance of the status quo, but the positive assurance that God has supplied one’s needs.

Contentment is not just blindly accepting what is, but it is actively living on the faith that God is in control and working for our good – even when present situations do not seem good.

Paul shares about the importance of this contentment in the life of a follower of Jesus in Philippians 4.

​I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:10–13 CSB

Tony Merida shares a great outline of contentment from this passage that I would like to use as an outline for this message today.

‌Contentment is unconnected to our circumstances

In Philippians 4:11, Paul says that he has learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. In this section, Paul was thanking the Philippian church for the gift that they had sent to him. This was not a request for more because Paul was more interested in the church bearing fruit and pleasing the LORD.

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.

​Philippians 4:11 CSB

The “I” in this verse is an emphatic “I”. Paul was not sharing this nugget of truth with the Philippians because he read it in some book or heard someone talk about it. Paul learned this truth from the experiences of his life. We have already seen that Paul went through many highs and lows in his life. Here he shares that the contentment that we need is not based on our circumstances.

We will all go through valleys and peaks in this life. The valleys have the temptation of stealing our joy. The peaks have the temptation of puffing us with sinful pride. The contentment that we need to protect us from these temptations is not tied to the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Our circumstances will change like the weather, but there is something that never changes.

​Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 CSB

It is in the Person of Jesus that this contentment is found.

‌Contentment is learned

Paul shares in Philippians 4:11-12 that this contentment is not something that just happens, but it is learned. It would be nice if this contentment was just automatically put in our account, but it doesn’t happen that way. Paul shares that he learned this contentment in the day-to-day faith journey that he had with Jesus.

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

​Philippians 4:11–12 CSB

The journey that Jesus takes us on in this life is filled with many life lessons. Each turn has something that we need that will be a tool later in the journey. There is nothing wrong with the high points. The LORD wants to give His children good gifts. But there is nothing necessarily wrong with the low points either. There are some things that we will only learn when we are stretched beyond our limits.

The LORD is actively seeking to teach us what we need for this life. One of the most important lessons or tools that He wants to teach us is to be content in Him.

‌Contentment flows from union with and reliance on Christ

Contentment is not pretending that things are right when they are not. It instead shows a peace in knowing that the LORD is bigger than any problem and works them all out for the good of His followers (Romans 8:28).

Contentment is based on an internal source = Jesus Christ, the King of our heart. Paul knew this and experienced this – and we can too!

We cannot look to the superficial satisfaction that things of this world can bring. They are like cotton candy – sweet for a moment but dissolves in an instant leaving us searching for more.

A person who has allowed Jesus Christ His rightful place as King of our heart is the person who will experience this contentment.

In Philippians 4:13, Paul shares with us the secret of contentment. It is rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This contentment flows from our union and communion with Him.

This verse is one that is frequently quoted but often misapplied. It has nothing to do with accomplishing sporting feats, making your dreams come true, or making more money at your job. The context of this verse explains what this verse is talking about. The context here is about being content in Jesus and fully trusting Him with everything. When we get to the point where we focus more on Jesus than our circumstances, we find contentment to the fullest. We also find out that this contentment is fulfilling because Jesus is what we need above everything else.

‌Conclusion

As the valleys and peaks of this life come our way, we find that the secret of contentment is what is needed to get the most out of each. Some people consider this contentment a superpower. While it is extremely powerful, it is something that is offered to anyone who will place their faith in Jesus and follow Him.

If you have trusted Jesus, you have a God who hears and sees you, the power of His love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven before you. If you have Jesus, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need in Him. These wonderful gifts cannot be found anywhere else.

Do you know this secret that makes the most of both valleys and peaks in our lives?

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Initial Response to SATF Report for the SBC

Yesterday, the report from Guidepost Solutions was released. This was a report that was called for by the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2021 (of whom I was one). This report was intended to look into how allegations of sexual abuse within local churches were handled when reported to the Executive Committee of the SBC from January 2000 to June 2021.

I knew that this report would be a tough one to read. With our sinful natures, you are going to find “skeletons” in the closet when you go looking. As I’ve been reading through this report, I am heartbroken over what I have read thus far (the report is close to 300 pages). The way in which survivors of abuse have been treated by some in the SBC is sickening. From what I gather from the report, the main reason for not dealing with these things in a more head-on manner was the fear of lawsuits. The fear of a lawsuit??? Are you kidding me??? Some leaders in the SBC that I had looked up to have conducted themselves in anything but a Christ-honoring manner.

The thing that keeps turning my stomach is that as messengers were told that creating and maintaining a database of offenders to warn churches about was difficult to do and possibly a liability, this very database was being kept behind closed doors. Sickening.

I am still working through this report so that I can make an informed decision as to what I, my family, and the church that I lead are to do. I will be in Anaheim, CA this coming June as a part of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. With all of the items that were on the agenda to deal with, how the SBC moves forward concerning this report and its recommendations sets at the top of the priority list. Certain leaders of the SBC dropped the ball big time, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot do what is right now. I truly believe that the next steps taken will determine the effectiveness and lifespan of the SBC.

I would encourage all SBC churches to send messengers to the annual meeting. I know that it is not cheap to make this trip and time is precious, but some of the changes that need to happen come from those messengers who show up to the annual meeting and vote – this is how this report got done last year. I would encourage all members of SBC churches to take the time to read through this report from Guidepost Solutions. See the reality of what has been and the urgency of what needs to change. I would also encourage everyone to pray for three specific things:

• the survivors of abuse who have had to fight a needless battle
• those who have been involved in abusing or covering up – that they would confess and repent
• the current leadership of the SBC – that they would have the courage to do what is right

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Valleys and Peaks: Part 2

According to Smithsonian Magazine, it takes a lot to make a diamond. The beautiful, strong stones that we treasure comes from the work of high heat and pressure beneath the earth’s surface. Deep below the earth’s surface, a violent volcanic eruption will form the carbon atoms, together with the perfect amount of heat and pressure, and push the newly created diamonds to the earth’s surface. The pressure bonds the carbon atoms so closely that these diamonds are very strong and difficult to break or damage.

We have been looking at some people from the Bible who were real diamonds of the faith in this series called Valleys and Peaks. Each of us encounters both times when things are going well and times when things are not going so well. We often refer to those good times as “mountain top moments” or peaks, and we call those low points “valleys.” Because each person encounters these moments, we can learn how to manage best when they come our way from others who have faced them.

Today, we will look at the life of a man named Moses. You may have heard of him before. His image has even made its way onto the Eastern entrance of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Moses is widely known and respected as a leader the LORD used in remarkable ways. As we will see, Moses faced both high and low points, as we all do in this life.

MOSES’ PEAKS

If Moses was here, he could certainly testify that he had some really high points in his life. One of those happened very early in his life. When Moses was born, his family lived in Egypt as slaves. Times had certainly changed from when Joseph, an Israelite, helped rule over Egypt. At the time of Moses’ birth, the Pharaoh had put into place a law that called for the killing of all male babies of the Israelites by throwing them into the Nile River.

After Moses’ birth, his family did their best to hide him from the officials. It isn’t easy trying to hide a baby, however. Moses’ mother came up with a plan. She would place this baby in a basket and set him among the reeds of the River. It just so happened that this was the exact spot where Pharaoh’s daughter would come and bathe. As Pharaoh’s daughter heard the baby’s cries, she called for her servants to rescue him and would adopt him. This would lead to another high point in Moses’ life. He was raised as royalty in Egypt.

MOSES’ VALLEYS

Just as it seemed like everything would turn out great for Moses, life happened. We read in Exodus 2 that Moses made a poor decision that would change the course of his life forever. When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, Moses proceeded to kill this Egyptian and hide the body. Just when he thought he had gotten away with this, it becomes known that everyone in town knows what Moses did. This causes Moses to run for his life and live undercover in the land of Midian (Exodus 2:11-15).

The decisions that we make in life have a way of charting a course. When we make poor decisions, they can lead us to not-so-good places. Like Moses, we can find ourselves trying to cover up our mistakes instead of dealing with them. The problem with that line of thinking is that our mistakes will come to light at some point. For Moses, he had to run and live in hiding. He went to a wilderness area where he thought he could simply live out the remainder of his days and never worry about his past. The one thing Moses didn’t plan for was what God had planned for his life. God was not calling him to a life of hiding but to lead others to freedom.

THREE IMPORTANT TRUTHS

When we come to Exodus 3, we find that Moses is caring for his father-in-law’s sheep on the backside of the desert. He can go about his business without looking over his shoulder to see if someone is trying to get him. It is just Moses and a bunch of sheep in the desert, and they come to this mountain called Horeb.

The LORD sees you right where you are

Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.

​Exodus 3:1–2 CSB

We can see that while Moses was in hiding, the LORD knew precisely where he was. In verse 2, the Bible says that “the angel of the LORD” appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. “The angel of the LORD” is believed to be a reference to Jesus before He came to earth as a person. The angel of the LORD knew where Moses was and how to get his attention.

When we go through rough times in life, it can seem like we are forgotten and overlooked. We can seem invisible to so many around us. This verse serves as a reminder that we are never outside of the scope of the LORD’s sight. He knows exactly who and where we are at every moment. I like to remind people often that we are never off the LORD’s radar.

The LORD knows where we are and what we need at that moment. Moses found this out in the middle of the desert. The LORD had not preserved his life as a baby to care for sheep in the desert, but the LORD wanted to use Moses to lead the Israelites to Egypt through the desert.

The LORD doesn’t call the deserving

So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

​Exodus 3:2b–10 CSB

The LORD shares with Moses His desire to bring the Israelites to freedom as His people. This was the LORD keeping His covenant with Abraham (Exodus 2:24). As the LORD shares His plans to deliver Israel, He tells Moses that it will be he that leads them out of Egypt. I’m sure that this news was shocking to Moses. Why would the LORD want to use Moses? Didn’t the LORD know what Moses had done? Didn’t the LORD know why Moses was even in this desert? Moses felt a great sense of unworthiness.

Many are tempted to think that the LORD uses the best and brightest to accomplish His plans. This thought comes from what we see from other people so much. Think about back in the school days when children would pick teams for a game. The biggest, strongest, and fastest were often chosen first. No one would think of choosing the smallest, weakest, or slowest first. The LORD does not work the same way that we often do.

The LORD’s invitation to Moses in Exodus 3 is not based on what Moses can bring to the table. It really has nothing to do with the ability of Moses. What the LORD was looking for was his availability. Notice what the LORD says in these verses:

• “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings” (3:7)
• “I have come down to rescue them…” (3:8)
• “I am sending you to Pharaoh…” (3:10)

These verses show that the LORD is really doing the work. He just invited Moses to be part of it and see what He would do.

We may think that we are too undeserving of being used by the LORD for His work. While we are undeserving because we sinned against the LORD, He never says we are too undeserving. If He wanted to use those who deserved it, He would be the only One doing any of the work. No, the LORD calls to us by His grace and offers us to join Him in what He is doing.

The LORD is big enough to handle our questions/doubts

While Moses was trying to take all of this in, doubts and questions began to arise in his mind. Can you see yourself in Moses here? How often do we begin to offer excuses of various kinds when the LORD invites us to join Him in what He is doing? I find amazing in these verses that the LORD proves Himself big enough to handle any questions, doubts, or excuses that we can bring to Him.​

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:11 CSB

Moses’s first question to the LORD is, “Who am I?” Once again, we see Moses’ worry about his past creeping up. Doesn’t the LORD know what I’ve done? I’m not good enough. Some of us are asking the LORD that same question: Why would You want me? Don’t You know what I’ve done? Don’t You know how many times I’ve failed?

The honest truth is that the LORD does know what you’ve done. He has seen every moment of your life. He knows every time that you’ve failed to live by His commands… and yet, He still wants you.

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

​Romans 5:8 CSB

The LORD’s invitation to us is not so much about us but what He wants to do in and through us. Notice how the LORD answers Moses’ question here.

He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”

Exodus 3:12 CSB

This answer leads Moses to the next question: Who are You?

Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?”

Exodus 3:13 CSB

Moses knows that there has never been a personal name that the LORD has given to humans for Himself up to this point. In a way, Moses thinks that this may get him out of the uncomfortable situation that the LORD was calling him to. The LORD listens to Moses’ question and answers beautifully: The LORD shares His name for the first time.

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

Exodus 3:14 CSB

“I AM has sent me to you…” is beautiful. We do not have time to unpack all that this name of God means. It is the name, “Yahweh”… the all-sufficient One… the One who was and is and is to come.
Moses doesn’t stop here. He offers another question of doubt…

Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Exodus 4:1 CSB

“What if they won’t listen to me?” I can understand this question. Moses knew that everything had to fall into place perfectly for this to work. He also knew that some people might be resistant to these plans. He didn’t want to commit to something that would not succeed.

Too often, we rob ourselves of so many blessings because we worry about what other people will do or how they will react. Other people’s response is not our responsibility. We should do everything we can to help a person do what the LORD wants them to do, but we cannot make them obey. When the LORD invites us to join Him, our responsibility is faithfulness to what He has called us to do.

The LORD answers this question by giving Moses the ability to do certain miracles. These are for Moses to show anyone who may doubt, but there is still nothing that will guarantee that everyone will listen.
We see in each of these instances that the LORD is not scared by our questions. Remember this truth; He knows us fully… even our questions and doubts. These things do not scare Him away. The LORD is more than capable of handling any question or doubt that you may have. He wants you to bring them to Him so that He can deal with them. That is what the LORD did with each of the questions that Moses brought to Him. He will do the same thing for us.

CONCLUSION

We can see in the life of Moses that the failures of our past do not define us. The LORD has the final say as He is the One who is authoring our story. You may be going through a dry valley at this time. I would encourage you to look up and see the LORD calling out to you to come near to Him. Come to the holy ground where Jesus stands, and let Him show you the way out. It may not be easy… I may not be comfortable, but it will work.

You may have questions and doubts. I would encourage you to follow the example of Moses and bring them to the LORD. Just pour them out as plainly as you can to Him. You are not going to scare Him away. He is not going to roll His eyes at you. He will listen and work to show you His answer, which is full of grace and truth.

In the beginning, we talked about how diamonds are made. They come through extreme heat and pressure. Followers of Jesus may be tested with a similar amount of heat and pressure and not understand or see the meaning until after the trial. The LORD makes us more like Himself through these trials. Like diamonds, we will come out stronger on the other end if we come to Jesus and let Him do His work in us.

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Valleys and Peaks Part 1

Today, we will begin a new series called Valleys and Peaks. As we come off of the celebration of the resurrection, I believe that it is important that we look at the reality that life is filled with valleys and peaks. There are times when we experience great high moments, and there are times when we experience deep lows. The same can be said of our spiritual lives as well. We are talking about peaks when we feel the LORD close and see Him do mighty things in our midst. The valleys are those moments when we feel that the LORD is so far away, and we wonder if He even notices what is going on. 

It can be tempting to think that I am the only one who experiences these valleys and peaks, but truthfully, we all experience them at times. Our faith relationship with the LORD is best seen as a journey. While we would like to think that it is something that begins and only gets better, relationships of any kind — even our relationship with the LORD — can go through ups and downs. 

Through this series, we are going to see how some of our heroes of the faith in the Bible experienced these valleys and peaks themselves. By looking at their stories, we can see what we should do when we do and do not feel the LORD’s presence.

ELIJAH

We will begin this series by looking at the journey of one of my favorite people from the Old Testament — Elijah. Elijah was a prophet that God used in many ways to help His people be where they needed to be. Elijah saw some gigantic peaks during his life, but as we will see, he also saw some deep valleys. 

ELIJAH’S PEAK

If you were to nail down what might have been Elijah’s highest moment with the LORD, many would point to 1 Kings 18. In that chapter, we find what I have called “Thunder on the Mountain.” 

In 1 Kings 18, Israel is led by a wicked king named Ahab and his equally (if not more so) wicked wife, Jezebel. You may have heard people call someone else a “Jezebel.” If so, that is not a compliment. Ahab and Jezebel caused the Israelites to turn from the LORD and worship false gods of the region. The LORD sends Elijah to confront the king and the Israelites of the day. Elijah tells King Ahab to assemble the nation and the false prophets of Baal and Asherah on top of Mount Carmel. 

So Ahab summoned all Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word. 

1 Kings 18:20-21 CSB

The Israelites had been playing this game with their worship of following the LORD when it was beneficial and following Baal when it seemed beneficial. The problem with this back-and-forth is that you cannot worship anything with a divided heart. Worship calls us to devote all of ourselves to what we worship. Elijah called the people to make a choice. 

There are many today who are tempted to do the same thing. Some want to be a part of what is popular. If Jesus is the popular thing, they will be for Him. If it is something else, then their loyalty goes to that. Life cannot be lived this way. Truth is not fluid and does not bounce around. 

What we see play out in the rest of 1 Kings 18 is that Elijah calls out the false prophets of Baal to show who the one true God is. They agree on presenting a sacrifice, and the God that answers by fire will show Himself to the one true God. Elijah lets the prophets of Baal and Asherah go first. Nothing happens. Silence. Not even a spark. Then Elijah steps up and has his sacrifice drenched in water. After a short prayer from Elijah, the LORD answers unmistakably.

The the LORD’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

1 Kings 18:38-39 CSB

What a moment! Can you imagine being there and seeing that? I would say that was a moment when revival broke out. Not only was Elijah physically on a mountaintop, but he had to be on a mountaintop in his spirit. The LORD had not left him out to dry. Elijah had called for the LORD to show Himself, and the LORD answered in a way that could not be misunderstood. What happens next seems so out of place. 

ELIJAH’S VALLEY

As you move from 1 Kings 18 to 1 Kings 19, you see a drastic change. 

Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!” Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.”

1 Kings 19:1-4 CSB

If you are like me, you are thinking, “What in the world just happened?” Elijah had to be on top of the world as the LORD used him in a mighty way and displayed His power in such a great way. In the next breath, we see Elijah running for his life, scared and timid. How does that happen? 

Our emotions have a way of playing tricks on us. Emotions can come on strong and cause us not to see our circumstances clearly. That is what is going on here with Elijah. Elijah had seen the LORD do a mighty work, but when the wicked queen, Jezebel, didn’t humble herself and repent, it threw Elijah for a loop. As she threatened Elijah’s life, he ran for cover. He forgot the power of God at that moment. 

While we see Elijah proving himself faithless at this moment, the Bible is clear that the LORD never ceases to be faithful. In 1 Kings 19:6-8, the LORD provided food and drink for Elijah to sustain him. These elements gave Elijah the strength that he needed to make a journey to Horeb, the mountain of God. It would be there that the LORD would meet with Elijah face-to-face. 

APPLICATION

What can we learn from the life of Elijah here? I believe that the LORD shows us a couple of important truths that He desires for us to put to work in our lives.

Just because things do not go the way we think they should, it doesn’t mean that the LORD’s not in it. 

We can easily get caught up in thinking that the LORD has turned a deaf ear to us because our circumstances are not what we think they should be. The truth is that as we find ourselves in certain circumstances, we might be exactly where the LORD wants us to be. It might be that He wants to show us something or use us in a way for His glory that can happen no other way. Do we trust the LORD’s leading in our lives, or are we trying to take the lead ourselves?

Do not live life by the leading of emotions but by the truth of God’s Word.

As I mentioned earlier, emotions are a fickle thing. Emotions can change quicker than the weather forecast around here. There is no stability to be found in our emotions. This is not to say that they are not important, but our emotions make terrible leads for our lives.

The LORD has given us something much more stable to build our lives upon. He has given us something that is a much better guide to the life that is pleasing to Him and best for us. That something is His Word. This is why Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Jesus knew that there was no better guide for us to use in this life than His Word. It is the truth that will never fail us.

While we all experience difficulties at times, allow them to remind you of your need for community. 

It is easy when things get rough in life to retreat from everyone else. We may even think that we are doing others a favor. These are lies from the enemy that are working against us. Satan knows that we were made for community. We are created for community with the LORD and His people. If we shun those relationships, we will find that we are removing our source of strength and encouragement when we need it most. Instead of running from these relationships that the LORD has given us with Him and fellow Christians, run to them and find the help that is needed for the moment. 

CONCLUSION

There are going to be valleys and peaks in this life. It is a given. I wish it wasn’t this way, but it messed up the original plan when sin entered this world. Thankfully, we are not left to the brokenness of this world. The LORD has provided a way back to His original plan. That way is through a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you have not trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I would encourage you to confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you of those sins and make you a new person in Him. If you have made that decision, I would encourage you to focus on Jesus and follow Him, not the circumstances that come and go. He never moves or changes. 

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The New Covenant

How many of you like movies? Movies can be a great form of entertainment as we seek to watch a story play out before us on the big screen. When it comes to movies, you have originals and sequels. A sequel can be a tricky thing. Sometimes a sequel has little to do with the original movie. Take Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, for example. It had little do to with the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you decided to watch the second movie in The Hobbit Trilogy without watching the first, you would miss out on some key points.

Some feel that it is made up of two parts that do not have much to do with one another when it comes to the Bible. If you were to examine the Bible, you would see an Old Testament and a New Testament. The truth is that these two testaments make up one complete story. Without one, you would not fully understand the other. 

We have been going through a sermon series called Promises, where we have looked at different covenants that the LORD made with humanity at various points. It is easy to think that these are stand-alone events that only pertained to those at the moment, but we said last week that each of these covenants fit together like puzzle pieces and pointed to something big that the LORD was doing. The covenants that the LORD made with Noah, Abraham, the Israelites, and King David pointed to what we will talk about today: the new covenant.

What is the New Covenant?

When we say “the new covenant,” it is important that we are on the same page about what we are talking about. Too often, misunderstandings happen because terms are not clearly defined. The New Covenant is the promise that the LORD makes with humanity that He will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned towards Him. 

When sin came into humanity in the Garden of Eden, there was a break in the fellowship between people and the LORD. This break in fellowship results in eternal separation from the LORD and His goodness. Because we are the ones who sin, we can do nothing ourselves to make this right. Thankfully, the LORD chose to step in and make a way for redemption and restoration to take place. This way is the New Covenant.

The New Covenant Has Always Been The Plan

As I said earlier, we cannot separate the covenants of the Old Testament from the New Covenant explained throughout the New Testament. If you were to take the covenants that we’ve looked at over the past couple of weeks, along with the messages that God gave to many of the prophets in the Old Testament, you would see that this New Covenant has been the LORD’s plan from the beginning. 

The Old Covenant that the LORD established with His people required obedience to what we know as the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death, the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices to atone for sin. In one of his last addresses to the people of Israel, Moses looked forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand.”

The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.

Deuteronomy 30:6 CSB

This new heart work that the LORD would do within people is part of this New Covenant. It is that the LORD will give a new heart to anyone who turns to Him by faith. This new heart will be one that would allow the person to fully love the LORD and follow Him with everything that they are. 

Jeremiah also spoke about the New Covenant. 

“Look, the days are coming” — this is the LORD’s declaration — “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt — my covenant that they broke even though I am their master” — the LORD’s declaration. “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” — the LORD’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them” — this is the LORD’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.”

Jeremiah 31:31-33 CSB

We can see that Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill the Law of Moses perfectly and establish the New Covenant between the LORD and his people. The Old Covenant was written on stone tablets, but this New Covenant would be written on people’s hearts. Luke 22:20 shows us how Jesus would initiate this New Covenant at the Lord’s Supper.

In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke 22:20 CSB

At that moment, Jesus had not gone to the cross, but He was on His way. Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew that He would go to the cross and take on Himself the sins of the entire human race and pay for them with His blood. The New Covenant would be the final covenant between the LORD and humanity. 

One other prophet spoke about the New Covenant in the Old Testament. His name was Ezekiel. 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. 

Ezekiel 36:26-27 CSB

We can see that this New Covenant would have some significant aspects: a new heart, a new spirit, the Holy Spirit living within us, and true holiness. These things could never come to a person through the Old Covenant. 

For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. 

Romans 3:20-27 CSB

Jesus is Our Mediator

As we examine this New Covenant, it centers on Jesus and His work on our behalf. We are no longer under the Law but under grace. We are not left to keep the Law of God perfectly because there is no way that we can do that. Jesus can, however. More importantly, Jesus did. 

The Old Covenant has served its purpose in showing us what God desires and that we cannot do it ourselves. The Old Covenant ultimately pointed us to the New Covenant that Jesus Christ instituted. Under this New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive the free gift of salvation. We do so by agreeing with what the LORD has said about our sin (confessing it), trusting in what Jesus did for us on the cross and by rising from the grave, and following Him as Lord. As we do that, we experience this New Covenant and can live life as it was meant to be. 

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God's Covenant with the Israelites

I read a story this week about two brothers who were in the kitchen getting ready to boil some eggs. The older brother said to the younger brother, “I’ll give you a dollar if you let me break three of these eggs on your head.” 

“Promise?” asked the younger.

“Promise!” answered the older.

 The older brother broke the first egg over his brother’s head with great delight. It wasn’t long before the second egg was broken over the younger brother’s head. 

Standing stiff for fear that the gooey mess would get all over him, the younger brother asked, “When is the third egg coming?” 

The older brother replied, “It’s not. That would cost me a dollar!”

There may be times when we feel like this. We are the younger brother who quickly takes a promise without consideration from whom it is coming. We don’t realize that there may be ulterior motives behind it. In situations like these, we are often left with egg on our faces and no extra dollar in our pockets. 

It is hard for some people to trust anyone because of broken promises in the past. It makes it very hard to trust trustworthy people when you’ve been burnt by those who are not because they may look and sound very similar. 

As we continue our Promises series, we will look at some covenants found in the Bible between God and man. These covenants shown to us by the Bible contain some promises that God makes to man. God has never broken His word, unlike some untrustworthy people we may have encountered in life. There has never been a promise that God has made that has not come to fulfillment. 

The covenant that we want to look at today is God’s covenant with the people of Israel. This covenant is sometimes called “The Sinai Covenant.” David Van Reken says, “This covenant was anticipated in the covenant with Abraham and lay behind the covenant with David and the proclamation of the prophets. It was central to Old Testament religion, laying down the foundations of Judaism, which continues into the modern world. The Sinai Covenant was the formal institution of a relationship between God and his chosen people, Israel.”^[1]David E. Van Reken, “Covenant,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Baker Book Publishing, 1988], Logos.

It is found in Exodus 19. As we look at this covenant, I want to focus on four key points of the covenant.

Remember

The first key point that we will look at today is “Remember.” As God brought the Israelites to Mt. Sinai, we see Him call them to remember what He had done for them in verse 4. 

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Exodus 19:4 CSB

God had delivered the Israelites from 400 years of bondage and forced labor in Egypt. If you were with us last week, we saw how God told Abraham that this would happen. If you weren’t here last week, you can find that in Genesis 15:13. 

God heard the cries of the Israelites while they were in Egypt and sent Moses to deliver them. God displayed His power in mighty ways through Moses and Aaron. In Exodus 19, we see God reminding them of His mighty work. He said that He carried them on eagles’ wings. 

The primary purpose of bringing the Israelites out of Egypt was not to get them out of a bad situation. Was the situation terrible? Yes, but that was not the primary purpose. God shows in Exodus 19:4 that the primary purpose was to bring them to Himself. 

God was more concerned with bringing the Israelites to Himself than He got them out of harm’s way in Egypt. It would not have been much of a deliverance if God had removed them from Egypt only to let them be on their own. God knew that the best place for them to be was near Him. 

The importance of remembering cannot be understated. We forget important things far too often. During times of forgetfulness, we drift back into what we were rescued from, if not getting into something worse than before. 

Requirement

The second key point about this covenant is “Requirement.” In the first two covenants that we looked at in this series (Noah and Abraham), we could see that God asked nothing of man. God did every little thing pertaining to the covenant. In this new covenant that God makes with the Israelites, there are two things that God asks of them: listen and obey. 

Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant…”

Exodus 19:5a CSB

God calls the Israelites to listen to Him. There are so many voices that are attempting to grab our attention. Whom we listen to will determine the direction in which one will go. Listening is much more than hearing. Hearing is simply the body recognizing sounds. Listening is intently hearing with the purpose of allowing what is heard to guide you in some manner. A child may hear his parent telling him to clean his room. That same child begins to listen when he gets up and cleans his room. Listening and obeying are two sides of the same coin.

God doesn’t tell the Israelites that they had to jump through many hoops with this covenant. It was simply an invitation to be in a relationship with Him and listen and obey what He said. 

Result

This brings us to the third key point about this covenant: the result. 

…you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.

Exodus 19b-6 CSB

God shared with the Israelites what would happen if they would do what He asked of them. He said they would be His own possession out of all the peoples. Everything in creation belongs to God and is under His rule. It may not seem like it at times, but that is how it is. God was saying by this that the Israelites would be used in a way like no other people group for God’s work. He would give them a strong identity, and they would be whom God would use to do great things in this world. 

Part of this work would be that the Israelites would be a kingdom of priests. A priest stands between people and God. A priest would be the one who would bring the sacrifices of people before God. A priest would also be the one who would bring God’s word to people. God said that it wouldn’t be just one or two of the Israelites but that He would use the entire nation to serve in this role. 

Another part of this work is that the Israelites would be God’s holy nation. This doesn’t mean that they would walk around with a glow and music around them all the time. It means that they would stand out as set apart by God for His purposes. The entire world would recognize that the God of the Israelites was the one true God by how He used them. 

When it comes to a commitment, a person wants to know what is in it for them. This isn’t always a selfish thing. If you were called to devote your life to something, you would want to know it was worth the investment. God shares with the Israelites that His plan for their lives is one that no one else could give them. It was also a plan that would have significant effects on many generations. 

God comes to each one of us with the same invitation. He calls us to come to Him — our Creator — and follow His ways. He has promised that following Him leads to life as intended to be lived — abundantly or to the fullest. God calls us to come to Him and trade in our broken lives destined for destruction for His renewed life that leads to peace and fulfillment. 

Response

There is a final key point to this covenant that I call response. The covenant that God wanted to make with the Israelites called for them to respond to His invitation. God was not going to force the Israelites into being His people. He sends Moses back to the people with the invitation.

After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the LORD.

Exodus 19:7-8. CSB

As Moses gathered the leaders of the people of Israel together, he shared with them all that God had told him. We see a pattern set for us today as God’s people to follow. As we spend time with the LORD, He will give us a message to share with others. We must be faithful in sharing that message. Every follower of Jesus has been given the message of the gospel to share with any who has not trusted in it yet. We are not to decide for them, but how can they choose to trust in Christ if they never hear the message? 

How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14 CSB

Moses brings the offer of God’s covenant to the people of Israel and lays it out before them. Now, they have to respond. They can either choose to receive this wonderful gift or reject it and go their own way. 

We see this format even being used by God with people today. God has offered a relationship with Him to any person that will listen to Him and obey what He has said. God gave His one and only Son, Jesus, as the only sacrifice to pay for our sins. God raised this Jesus from the grave to show that He alone has the power over sin and death. God calls for us to not just hear about that but to listen to it and accept it. The obedience comes in by us turning from our sin and completely trusting in and following Jesus with everything we are. Any person that will do that will be brought into a relationship with God that lasts from that moment through all of eternity. 

No one can make this decision for us, however. That is a response that can only come from our hearts. Our parents cannot do it for us. Our spouse cannot do it for us. Our friends cannot do it for us. That decision is in our hands. 

As Moses brings this invitation to a covenant with God to the people of Israel, we see them responding. They chose to take God at His word and enter this new relationship. They say, “We will do all that the LORD has spoken.” God took that response and set into motion His plan from eternity past that is still working today. Through the Israelites, the Savior of the world, Jesus, would come. 

Conclusion

This covenant that God would make with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai was a new work at the time in the area of the relationship between God and man. God showed here that He loves His creation even though it has rebelled and turned away from Him. God began to set in motion His plan of redemption. This would not be the last covenant that God would make with man. This one points to a new covenant that would come, but this had to be in place for that to happen. 

From this covenant, we get a picture of how God works often. He wants us to know Him as best we can. He desires a relationship with us that nothing or no one else can fill. He has proven Himself repeatedly, and He calls us to remember that. He shares with us that there will be things that He requires of us, but “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). God even shares with us what the results would be if we take Him at His word and follow Him. Sure, there may be challenging and difficult times in this life, but He has promised to provide everything needed and walk with us through those times. 

The one thing that God doesn’t do is force this upon us. He has laid out an invitation to every person and said, “Now, you have to choose.” This is because God wants us to love Him, and love is a choice that a person makes. 

What is God laying before you at this moment? What is God calling you to trust Him with? There are only two ways that we can respond: we can choose to receive, or we can choose to reject. What will we choose?

References[+]

References

↑1	David E. Van Reken, “Covenant,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Baker Book Publishing, 1988], Logos.

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God's Covenant with Abraham

The age that we live in is one of constant upgrades. It seems like people are always looking to upgrade something in their lives: phones, TVs, houses, cars, internet services, etc. We seem to be looking for the bigger and better things in life.  

When you do upgrade something in your life, there is a learning curve that comes along with it. You may not exactly know how use it properly or understand how it all works. You just trust that what you now have is better than what you had previously. 

Today, I want to talk about the transition of upgrading. Not only does it pertain to the technology devices in our lives, but it applies to our lives as well. It may come in a job promotion or the birth of a child or something else. How do we handle the upgrades in our lives the way that God intends?

Abraham

One of the most popular persons in the Bible outside of Jesus is the man known simply as Abraham. There have been songs written about this man that we have learned through the ages. The Bible teaches that he is the father of all who have faith in God. Three major religions in our world today (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) highly regard this man.  

Abraham was a man that went through some pretty impressive upgrades in his life. I would like to look at this man’s journey through some upgrades and see what God can teach us as we face the upgrades in our lives as well.

Called to a New Life

We are introduced to Abraham at the end of Genesis 11. We see that he sets out with his father and some other family members away from Ur, a prominent area of the time. They settle in Haran (modern day southern Turkey). It is from there that things really take a turn for Abraham.

In Genesis 12:1-3, we see God call out Abraham to leave his family and go to a place that God will reveal to him along the way. 

¹ The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:1–3 CSB

But with this invitation came the promise that God would bless him greatly: he would become a great nation, he would have a great name, God would bless the entire world through him.

What would it take to get you to let go of all that you know and set out like this? I don’t many people who would just up and leave everything that they have known. It would take a good deal of trust to just drop everything and go in a new direction. 

That is exactly what God called Abraham to do.  There will be times in our own lives where God asks us to simply follow Him.  He may not exactly reveal the destination.  He may offer nothing more than His presence on the journey and a promise that it will work out.  Would that be enough for you to follow God out like Abraham did?

Called to a Covenant

As the years pass by, Abraham is on this faith journey with God, but he begins to wonder if he misheard the Lord.  God has protected Abraham through a series of events, but one part of what God had promised seemed to be missing: a child to build a nation through.  

¹ After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.

Genesis 15:1 CSB

Abraham does not see how this can work out because he is still childless.  

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do in life.  We have been conditioned by our culture to have things almost immediately.  When we do not see things immediately, we are tempted to think that they will not happen.  It is important to remember that we operate on God’s timetable not the other way around.

God makes a covenant with Abraham to assure him that the Lord is carrying out His plan. This covenant that God made with Abraham is important.  A covenant is not simply a promise.  It is like a binding contract between two parties that, if broken, has some drastic consequences.  

It should be noted that only God passed through the sacrifices.  He did not make Abraham pass through.  This was to show that the work that is to come out of this covenant is solely on God.  It will be the work of God and not man.  

When God calls us to His plan, there may be responsibilities that we have, but the weight of God’s plan being fully accomplished rests on Him.  God will do His great work in and through us.  What He asks us to do is trust and follow Him.

Called to Commitment

One final piece of the picture of Abraham that we will look at this morning is that he was called to commitment.  While God had promised to bless Abraham and make him a blessing to the world, Abraham had to come to the point of doing things God’s way.

Abraham showed that he was a regular man and not some super-spiritual person in that he tried to take matters in his own hands.  

Abraham would take his wife’s servant, Hagar, and conceive a child with her.  His name would be Ishmael.  He thought that this would be the answer to God’s plan.  

We can be tempted to take matters into our own hands many times.  We like to be able to contribute to the plans that we are a part.  The problem with that at times is that if we do not see the full picture, then our contributions can actually cause more problems than solutions.  

God told Abraham that He would give Abraham a child through his barren wife, Sarah.  This did not make any sense seeing how he was close to 100 years old now and Sarah was 90 years old.  Abraham tried to get God to bless Abraham’s plan instead of following God’s plan.

¹⁸ So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!”

Genesis 17:18 CSB

We must resist the temptation to do God’s job for Him.  He is fully capable of carrying out His plans.  We have to come to grips with the fact that we make terrible “gods”.  We are limited in our abilities.  We are not all-powerful.  We are not all-knowing.  God is.

If we truly want to experience God’s best in our lives and be part of what He is doing, then we have to trust that He actually knows what He is doing.  We may not be able to see it.  We may not understand it.  

Conclusion

Like Abraham, there are times in life when we will go through upgrades.  God will want to do something new in our lives.  He will want to take us to deeper waters.  He will want to use us to make a lasting impact on this world.  It will stretch us… it may not be fun… 

The one thing that will determine if we have victory through these upgrades is trust.

 Do we trust that God is able?  Do we trust that God is who He says He is?  

Abraham trusted God… and we’re still talking about him some 4,000 years later.  

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God's Covenant with Noah

In 1962, the television show Candid Camera decided to conduct an experiment on the general public. They went to a public place that had an elevator and had some secretly placed people in the elevator all facing towards the back. What they found was that many of the people who would get on the elevator would follow the crowd and face the back of the elevator even though the normal thing to do is to face the doors.

The power of the crowd can be extremely strong. As this experiment showed, years of learned physical behavior can be overridden in an instant by inserting a “crowd” that does the direct opposite. This can be very dangerous because the crowd isn’t always right. How many of you had a parent say to you after making a bad decision simply because someone else was doing it, “If everyone was jumping off of a bridge, would you?” How many of you have said that to your own children?

We know in our heads that the crowd isn’t always right, but we still find ourselves many times following the crowd. As we look to God’s word today, we find a time when there was a crowd, and it was definitely going in the wrong direction. What is interesting to me is that most of the times that you find a crowd in the Bible, they are usually not going in the right direction.

We come to the covenant that God will make with a man named Noah. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know a little about Noah. Most people associate Noah with this big boat called an Ark, a worldwide flood, and a bunch of animals. While those all play a part in this story, there is much more to it.

God’s Warning

​Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

Genesis 6:11–13 CSB

As God looked out over His creation, what He saw brought great sadness to His heart. The prized creation – man – who bore His image and was intended to reflect God’s greatness in creation had become corrupt. The word in verse 11 that is translated as ‘corrupt’ literally means ‘to bring to ruin or destroy.’

The effects of Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God in the Garden of Eden were spiraling in a dreaded direction. It wasn’t just pockets of it around the world, it was encompassing the whole planet. All that God was seeing was corruption and injustice among the people He had created.

God decides that something has to be done. Being a righteous and holy God, He has to punish all sin. God chooses to do so in a manner that will show the severity of sin – He will bring a flood to the entire world. Every inch that had been touched by this sin would be covered by the waters of judgment.

Some have looked at this as cruel. Why would a loving God punish people in this manner? That is the wrong question. The more appropriate question would be why hadn’t God done it sooner? As we said last week, God doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come repentance. So, He gives an opportunity for that to happen (2 Peter 3:8-9). Even with the coming judgment here, we see God making a provision.

God’s Provision

In Genesis 6:14-21, God instructs Noah to build the Ark. This is a large boat that would serve as a safe-haven for Noah, his family, and all that God would bring to him. This boat was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall we are told in verse 15. It would have three levels that housed everything for the duration of the judgment that was coming.

What we see in the Ark is a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus Christ. This vessel was to be the only means of escaping the coming judgment. Any who would hear the invitation to come and be found in this Ark would be saved from the judgment that God was bringing on sin.

This wasn’t something that a person could say, “Sure, I believe that…” or “I’ll get around to that one day…” This shows us what saving faith looks like. It is the act of placing all of one’s life in the hands of God’s provision and plan and trusting Him completely. When you look at your life, is that the kind of faith that you see?

There was nothing that bound God to send this provision – either in Noah’s time or with Jesus on the cross. There was no obligation that He had to fulfill. We were the ones that turned away from Him to sin. In spite of our rebellion, God chooses to demonstrate gracious love towards us and make a provision.

The provision of God is seldom seen as easy or popular. Many in Noah’s day mocked him for building this Ark. They didn’t see how this fit into their plans. The crowds ran the other way. With Jesus, the crowds many times didn’t see Him as the Messiah because He wasn’t what they were expecting or wanting.

God isn’t worried about winning a popularity contest though. He, by His gracious love, makes a way for any person willing to accept it to escape His righteous judgment.

As Noah hears from God about His plan, Noah makes the appropriate response: obedience (Genesis 6:22). This obedience led to Noah’s salvation from the Flood.

God’s Command

The Flood comes and stays on the earth for about a year. Everything outside of the Ark was completely destroyed. As the waters began to recede, the Ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

In Genesis 8, we see God sending out those who were saved in the Ark.​

God’s intention was that those who had been saved from the judgment would go out now, be fruitful, and multiply. It was not to be just about them, but God wanted this to grow.

We hear the same command come from the lips of Jesus to the church in the Great Commission:

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

Do we understand the urgency of this command? There is no way that multiplication of disciples can happen if those who have received God’s grace never go out and share.

We see Noah responding to the salvation that he and his family had experienced by giving God worship.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 8:20 CSB

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, how are your responding to that gracious gift? I believe that Paul shows us the best response in Romans 12:1​

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

Romans 12:1 CSB

This is talking about us offer our lives to God as a thanksgiving offering for the grace He has shown to us through Jesus. Paul calls this our ‘true worship.’

God establishes the covenant

In Genesis 9, we see God setting a new covenant with creation. ​

God states that He will never destroy the world by floodwaters. This isn’t to say that God will simply pass on sin. Sin will always be judged by the righteous God of the Bible. This is a covenant that destruction won’t take place in this fashion again. God sets the rainbow to be a sign between Himself and creation that this will never happen again. A rainbow is formed when sunlight shines through raindrops. This is a good reminder that though the storms may come, we are not left alone. The sign of the rainbow is the reminder that the Light of the world (Jesus) hasn’t gone away. He is present and even shining through the midst of our darkest storms.

Conclusion

One interesting fact about this covenant is that it called for no human response. There was nothing that mankind had to do in this covenant. God did it all! Though there was nothing required of us in this covenant, I believe that what we see in Noah’s life – his responses – serve as a good example for us to follow. As recipients of the blessing from this covenant, we should give to God all of our praise and obedience. I believe that we can see that He is more than worthy.

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