Exodus

Exodus 34-40 It’s all so brilliant and divinely tied up together. Jesus is the Ultimate everything in this story. God saves us through the work of Jesus, through Jesus’ exodus – His cross, His resurrection, and His ascension, His exit of this world into the Promised Land. We, by faith, trust Jesus and follow Him. By faith we are saved. Once God saves, we follow Jesus through obedience. The great dance of enjoying God and being loved by God shows…

Exodus 32-34 Enjoying God glorifies God. Why? Because enjoying God is enjoying a person. It’s choosing and living for and delighting in the person and presence of God – not what He gives, not His blessing, not stuff, but Him. The idea of enjoying or glorifying is intensely relational. In the beginning, people had the presence of God. We had life. We enjoyed God and His glory. And we lost this because of sin. This is what Jesus came to…

Exodus 30:11-31:17 The Tabernacle and the entire sacrificial system showed the people that God loved them and wanted to be with them. But it showed them that He was not like them. One man, one day a year, in great dread represented all Israel to God. But the beauty of the story is that one man, one day a year, in great dread, represented all of Israel to God all because God Himself made a way. God does the work…

Exodus 25-27 The most essential thing about us is that we were made to be with God. Everything we need – purpose, acceptance, relationship, dignity, meaning, hope security, peace, pleasure – every deep human longing we have was made to be satisfied in the presence of God. And the beauty of it is that God wants to satisfy us with His presence. 

Exodus 23:20-24:18 I read these stories in the Bible, and they remind me that this life we live with God is all grace. It’s all a gift. We marvel at how Israel missed this grace. But how easy is it for us to do the same thing with Jesus and the life of grace we live? There is simply nothing in our lives that we have or will possess that we haven’t been given. I dare you to mention one…

Exodus 20:18-23:19 The clearest truth from these passages is this: justice, fairness, and the use of power appropriately happen when we have a proper view of God and a proper response to God. Where people do not fear the Lord, people will be treated unjustly. Power will be abused. But where people fear the Lord, we will treat each other with incredible humility, honor, love, service, and protection.

Exodus 20:17 Coveting is a heart issue. It’s a heart sickness. It’s not actually an issue of not having. It’s an issue of not wanting the right thing. I have absolutely no doubt that every one of us has coveted. What a powerful thing it would be if each out us would admit this, confess it, and pray, “Father, through Your Spirit, through faith in the finished work of Jesus, make the longing of my heart only say, ‘Give me…

Exodus 20:16 Truth matters. How we see others, or ideas, or issues matters. How we speak or don’t speak about our neighbors matters for so many reasons. But perhaps most importantly it matters because we Christians need to be the most believable people on the face of the earth. We proclaim the most important truth in all the world – that there is salvation in Jesus and Jesus alone. If we bear false witness or lie even about the smallest…

Exodus 20:15 Stealing is an action, but like murder, and like adultery, you don’t have to actually steal to have the heart of a thief. There are a couple distinct qualities at work in the heart of a thief. The heart of a thief is the heart of one who desires and is not content. The heart of a thief is also absolutely selfish. There are a million ways and a million things to steal if that’s your heart. You…

Exodus 20:14 God made us as people to be holy and to only find our joy and peace and deepest pleasure in life when we are being holy according to His ways, and according to His Spirit at work in us. A lot of people accuse pastors of being “kill-joys” or God of being a “kill-joy.” But that’s simply not true. I want nothing more for you than that you be a thoroughly happy, joyful, utterly fulfilled human being. And,…