The Tabernacle (Exodus): The Tabernacle was more than a physical structure or a fancy tent. It was a reminder of the reality of God’s presence with his people and their relationship with him. This message resonates through the pages of scripture all the way to us today. The construction details, while tedious, were never meaningless. Every curtain, stake, and crossbar pointed to something far greater than itself. And in that perfect design, an invitation remains for us to draw near. Recorded on Jan 26, 2025, on Exodus 25-27 by Ted Selker.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
The Covenant Confirmed (Exodus): Some people describe Christianity, saying, “It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship.” But how can sinful people have a personal relationship with a holy God? In the covenant offered at Mount Sinai, God made a way where there was no way — so people might have peace and friendship with him. Today, in Christ, you don’t have to fear God’s holiness or judgment. He is not a threat, and this is such good news. Recorded on Jan 19, 2025, on Exodus 24:1-18 by Pastor David Parks.
The Law (Exodus): The Mosaic Law started with the Ten Commandments but added 600+ commands to guide and guard Israel as a nation. The Law regulated worship (loving God) and social responsibility (loving people). Given our distance from the cultural context in which it was given, the Law can be hard for us to relate to today. However, in Christ, we are still commanded to love God and love people. So, as we study the Mosaic Law, we can better understand God’s heart of love for his people. Recorded on Jan 12, 2025, on Exodus 21-23 by Nathan Huber.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
The Ten Commandments (Exodus): Every other religion says it’s what you do that saves you. But in the Exodus, Israel learned that Yahweh God was different. He rescues people by grace and then gives them a law to joyfully obey in a relationship with him. This law reflects God’s heart for flourishing life, faithfulness, truth, and justice and was a law of love for God and neighbor. Recorded on Jan 5, 2025, on Exodus 20:1-21 by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
Since September, with a little break for Christmas, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. As we’ve said, Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word and his own holy Presence as they made their way to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Israelites struggled and grumbled and had so much to learn, but Yahweh proved faithful and good. Before Christmas, we learned that God’s great, big beating heart behind this whole Exodus project was to have a real relationship with people — people who were separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who were still greatly loved and precious to God. So at Mount Sinai, Yahweh God invited Israel into a covenant relationship. Out of all the peoples of the world, they would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Today, we’ll consider one of the most famous passages in the Bible: the Ten Commandments. Now, I preached a whole series on the Ten Commandments two years ago. If you’d like more teaching on this, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. But since we’re going to preach a sermon today and not a series, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s jump in. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 20:1.
One: Exodus 20:1–3 (NIV), “1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord [Yahweh] your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was (out of the 600+ commands of the Mosaic Law), he quoted Dt 6, “Love the Lord [Yahweh] your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Dt 6:5). But he said the second is like it, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18b). Jesus, and many other rabbis of his day, believed the whole of the Law could be summarized by these two commands: Love God and love people. As we work through the Ten Commandments, you’ll notice the first four commands are “vertical.” They’re about loving God. The remaining six are “horizontal.” They’re about loving people. Here, Yahweh says that the first thing to know about his world and his way is that there is only one God, the Creator, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. There was no pantheon of gods/goddesses like everyone else worshipped at the time. Those were human creations, idols. There is only one, and he will not share his glory with anyone/anything else. What use is it to sacrifice or give your life to something that isn’t real and has no power to do anything about your problems or fix this broken world?? In contrast, Yahweh had only ever given faithful, loyal love to Israel. He created them, revealed himself to them, saved them, and was forming them into his people. They were to simply love him and be faithful to him and him alone in return.
Two: Exodus 20:4-6 (NIV), “4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” So Yahweh God had already said there were no other gods. So, the second command isn’t so much a prohibition against worshiping other gods, but rather, it’s about how God wants people to worship him. Israel should not make images or objects to worship (images such as, oh, I don’t know, a golden calf?). But remember, the Israelites were, for all practical purposes, Egyptians. They were freed from Egypt only a few months ago, a place where they and their ancestors had lived for over 400 years. So they would’ve looked and thought and spoken a lot like Egyptians. Most Egyptian gods (and other gods at this time) were associated with something in creation: an animal, the sun/moon/stars, the emperor, and so on. Temples were full of these images. Now, even though people had made them, they bowed down in worship of them. But why would God not want his people to use some sort of image in their worship of him? What difference would it make? The answer lies in who God is. He is personal and near, he speaks and has a name. He’s not limited to one nation or location; he is universal and infinite. He’s just as much the God over Egypt as he is over Israel. And Yahweh God is not part of his creation; he is the Creator, who is transcendent over all. So, representing this God with an image of a created thing, even a created thing representing power/wisdom/life, would shrink God down to something that can fit within creation. This would distort people’s understanding of who God is. And a distortion in your understanding of God’s character/nature results not in true worship but in worshiping a god of your own making, an idol. This is the opposite of what God wants for his people. God doesn’t want people to worship him because he really likes worship. God wants a real/personal relationship with people who actually know him. And when you truly understand who God is, worship is the only appropriate response.
Three: Exodus 20:7 (NIV), “7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Now, this command runs in two different directions, one pointed inward, and the other pointed outward. This command forbids us from misusing the name of God internally, within our own hearts and minds. This means we must be careful that our thoughts and emotions about God are true and appropriately respectful because of who God is. However, this internal care should flow out into how we relate to others. Israel was supposed to fulfill the role of the priesthood for all the nations on the earth. They were supposed to bear the name of God and accurately represent him to the world. They had received the revelation of his word and the divine name. But it was never intended to only be about Israel. Israel’s blessing was designed to be a light to all the Gentiles. As such, it would never be appropriate to use God’s name as a curse or to “swear to God” about something that wasn’t true, though, of course, those things are not good or right. But this command goes way beyond that to guide and guard how we think about God and represent him in all of life.
Four: Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV), “8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Just as God established a new way of relating to him in life/worship in the first three commands, so he would want them to learn a new way of relating to him in their work/rest. These former slaves would have to learn how to live as free people. The Hebrew word translated Sabbath means to cease or to rest — to stop working. The fourth command says God’s people should work and rest like God. They should keep the pattern for work and rest that God modeled in his work of creation in Genesis 1-2. The Egyptians had a ten-day week, and other cultures had different ways of measuring time, but the reason we have a seven-day week to this day is because of this command. The Lord made it clear his people would do all their work in six days, but on the seventh day, they would rest. This day was to be a sabbath to the Lord your God, a rest day holy to the Lord. Every week, everyone needed to stop working to rest, worship, and enjoy their relationship with God. The seventh year was to be an annual Sabbath where servants were freed, and even the land rested. For the seventh Sabbath year, the Year of Jubilee, all debts were forgiven, and the whole nation would rest and celebrate. This was all supposed to be a blessing. God’s people were to work hard and do good work, but they weren’t created only for work and productivity. The Sabbath was supposed to be one of the distinctive marks of Israel and Israel’s God to the world. Every other god demanded their people do more and more to earn a blessing. But Yahweh commanded his people to rest in him.
Five: Exodus 20:12 (NIV), “12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” In Genesis chapter 1, the original blessing of God for human beings, sometimes called the “creation mandate,” was to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. God wanted a world filled with his image-bearing people. To do this, in Genesis chapter 2, God established marriage as the best context for this blessing of children. Marriage is where one man and one woman enter into an unconditional covenant relationship for life — two become one, no matter what. This kind of marriage was the best way to provide a safe and loving environment for having and raising kids. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, Moses says parents are primarily responsible for teaching their kids about God. Prophets, priests, and others would certainly help, but it was the father and mother who were to provide regular instruction about who God was, what he had done, and how they were to live as a result. So here, God’s command to honor your father and mother is to honor the whole system of human life and flourishing that God gave us through his wisdom and grace. If you honor the way life is supposed to work and honor the ones who raised you and instructed you in the faith, it will go well for you in the Promised Land. Now, this is no longer a perfect world, and I regularly talk with people struggling to honor their parents when their parents are not acting (or maybe never have acted) in honorable ways. This can be very painful, but our family members are often the first neighbors we must learn to love as ourselves. But if we learn to do this, then in general, life will go well.
Six-Nine: Exodus 20:13-16 (NIV), “13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” I think these commands are fairly easy for us to relate to. Most people would get 100% on an ethics test on whether murder, adultery, stealing, and lying are wrong. But I want to share something that totally changed my understanding of the law: The negative prohibitions of the law always correspond with a positive attribute of God or his will for his world. For example, the negative prohibition against murder corresponds with God’s desire for the flourishing life of every one of his creatures. It’s not that God wants a society where you’re good so long as you don’t murder anyone. That’s a very low bar. The command against murder is rooted in the fact that God wants a society/people who are concerned about the flourishing life of every other person. He wants marriages of perfect faithfulness. He wants people who do justice and live/walk in the light of truth. Think about a society like that! It would be so radically different than anything we’ve ever experienced. But this is what the new heavens and earth will be like: a whole world of love for God and love for other people. What a beautiful world that will be.
Ten: Exodus 20:17 (NIV), “17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” The tenth command is a very strange law when you think about it. Because there’s really no way for us to judge when someone is guilty of breaking it. We can tell if coveting leads to quarreling or fighting. We can tell if coveting leads to breaking other commands, such as the commands against theft or adultery. But we really can’t tell what’s going on in someone else’s heart. Only God can know for sure. So, this is a curious command because it seems that it has no way of being enforced. How could a judge or jury find them innocent or guilty? So why did God include this in the Ten Commandments? Because God doesn’t want superficial obedience. God doesn’t want people who honor him with their lips while their hearts are far from him. God doesn’t want people to love their neighbor in what they do but not in the thoughts and attitudes of their hearts. God wants all of our lives, from the inside out, to be transformed into the likeness of Christ! So, this must include our hearts. The tenth command forces us to examine our hearts and deal with the unhealthy, unhelpful, and unlawful desires we might find there. It’s really brilliant in the context of a relationship with God. Ultimately, God is the judge of his creation.
Exodus 20:18-21 (NIV), “18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” This is God’s word. So, the first half of the Exodus story starts with God rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt. The second half (and really the whole rest of the Bible) is God rescuing Israel from themselves. This is what the Law is all about. The Law was intended to guide and shape Israel as they learned to be God’s people. It was intended to limit sin and instruct people in the way of righteousness. Now, some people bristle at the idea of anyone being able to tell them what they can or can’t do. But as the Creator, then obviously, God can set the rules for his creation. Only the manufacturer can write the owner’s manual. But as their Savior, Israel owed Yahweh God everything. His saving work should’ve made them want to obey him. He had already proven himself to be good and faithful to them time and again. But, as we’ll see in a few weeks, obedience to the Law would be a greater test than any they faced in the desert wilderness. And they would need to be rescued once again. As we close, it’s critical for us to remember the order of what happened. First, Yahweh God rescued his people; then he gave them the law. God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, not because of their goodness or their potential, but purely because of his grace. And then he gave them the law. Salvation comes first; obedience comes second. Every other religion in human history basically says it’s what you do that saves you. But Yahweh is different. He rescues people by his grace and then gives them a law of love to learn to obey. A law that reflects his heart for how life ought to work. We must understand this because this is the same pattern God repeats in the new covenant relationship he offers in Christ. The gospel is not a list of rules to follow to get God to love/bless/accept us. The gospel is the good news that God has already done everything needed for our salvation in Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection from the dead. So, for us today, just as if we were standing at the foot of Mount Sinai, Christians have been saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus and are now given a law of love. Following Jesus means learning how to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves from within a loving relationship with the one true and living God, our creator, our savior. Let us pray.
Until the King Returns (Christmas): The message of Christmas is that Jesus Christ was born, and with him came the birth of hope, life, and peace. But why is the world still so broken? Did Christmas fail? No. Today, we live in the tension of the Age of Redemption. Jesus has come; he has established his church and given us the Holy Spirit and the gospel — but there will still be darkness until the return of our King. Recorded on Dec 29, 2024, on Acts 1:1-11 by Pastor David Parks.
We’ve been taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. But fear not! We’ll jump back into Exodus next Sunday. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival.” The ancient people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise we believe was fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. In our little Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we started last Sunday by focusing on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of deep darkness. On Christmas Eve, we told the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, a different kind of king. If you missed those sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. Today, we’ll wrap up our Christmas series focusing on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ our King. As we’ve seen, the light of the world has come. On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. Unto us a child was born, a son was given. Jesus Christ was born, and with him came the birth of hope, life, and peace. But there’s a tension with Christmas: there’s still so much darkness. There’s still so much corruption, violence, and injustice in the world. There’s still cancer and car accidents and tragedies of all kinds. If Jesus was the great hope of the world, the Son of God who would save people from their sins, why is the world still so broken? Did Christmas fail? And for followers of Jesus, how can we keep our hope as we live in this tension? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Acts 1:1.
Acts 1:1–3 (NIV), “1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” On Tuesday, we said that the book of Luke was the first of a two-part work in the Bible. Luke refers to that here when he mentions his “former book.” Acts is part two of this work. The book of Luke focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus — everything “until the day he was taken up to heaven,” as he says. Luke did a careful investigation into Christianity by interviewing eyewitnesses who were alive to hear and see what Jesus said and did. The book of Acts is all about what happened next. Luke dedicates both works to a man named Theophilus. We don’t know much about Theophilus, but he’s generally believed to be a patron or benefactor, funding Luke’s investigation. Now, money is never the point of ministry, but money enables ministry (like almost everything else in life). The Bible presents God as the one who ultimately provides for our needs in life and ministry. And sometimes God rains down bread from heaven (as he did during the Exodus). But usually, God provides through the hard work and generosity of his people, people like Theophilus. Anyways, Luke reports back on what he discovered in his investigation. He says that after his suffering — meaning, after the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of the world — Jesus appeared to eyewitnesses and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. The Apostle Paul said there were up to five hundred witnesses on one occasion. This is important because this means the resurrection wasn’t a story made up hundreds of years later. It was a historical event with hundreds of eyewitnesses. So, Jesus was with the disciples for forty days after his resurrection, and he also continued to teach them about the Kingdom of God. But in his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus had already accomplished everything we needed for salvation, didn’t he? What more did the disciples need?
Acts 1:4-5 (NIV), “4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” In the verses after our text for today, we know this occurred near Bethany on the Mount of Olives. And we know that Jesus had spent a lot of time there and had friends who lived there, including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. I just love that the risen king of heaven and earth still wanted to share a meal with his friends. But here, in this familiar place with his friends around him, Jesus issues a command. After the resurrection, Jesus said that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to him by God the Father. Even though Jesus was a brother and a friend, he was also the King. When Jesus speaks, he doesn’t give suggestions or opinions as we might. His word has the weight of a command from the throne of heaven. And what did he say? Don’t leave Jerusalem until you are baptized with (lit. immersed in) the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had said Jesus would do this. Other prophets had said the Spirit would be part of the final age of the earth. But to understand the significance of this, we have to step back and think about the one big story of the Bible. According to the Bible, all of human history might be separated into four ages (or we could say four chapters of the story): Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. The Age of Creation describes a Creator God who created a good and perfect world, a world teaming with life and light that was meant to be a place where heaven and earth were one. The Age of the Fall describes when sin entered into creation through the rebellion of the first human creatures. No longer was it a good and perfect world. Everything was affected to some degree by sin and death. The Age of the Fall led up to the first advent/arrival of Christ, who provided the sacrifice needed to make atonement for the sins of the world. He paid the price in our place. The Age of Redemption started that first Easter Sunday when Jesus defeated death. But it really got going on the day of Pentecost, the day when the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world to allow the very personal presence and power of God to dwell among his people in their spirit, leading and guiding them as they learn to follow the way of Jesus. The final age, the Age of New Creation, will begin with the second advent/arrival of Christ. When Jesus returns, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account of their lives to their maker. Those who believe in Jesus will dwell with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth, and those who don’t will be separated forever from him. Ok! With the resurrection of Jesus, we have the end of one age and the beginning of our current age. But Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem. Don’t go anywhere. Until what? Until you receive the Holy Spirit. You need him. You need him to be your advocate, counselor, and strong helper. You need the Holy Spirit to be able to remember and discern the truth. You need him to remind you of your identity as a child of God when you’re feeling lost or weak. You need his spiritual gifts and the fruit he bears in your life. In the OT, during the Age of the Fall, only at certain times and places would someone be said to be filled with the Spirit of God, usually a prophet, priest, or king, and also usually only for a particular task. But then came Jesus. Jesus’ whole life was filled/empowered by the Spirit (something that Luke particularly emphasized in his work). This would continue and be magnified in the Age of Redemption because, after Pentecost, every believer would be filled with the Spirit! Not just the apostles, pastors, or other leaders. So now that the disciples had the risen Jesus, and they were about to receive the power and presence of God’s own Spirit, they were probably wondering what Jesus wanted to do next.
Acts 1:6-8 (NIV), “6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Ok! To be honest, I’m comforted by the fact that the disciples are still a little fuzzy on what Jesus was doing. Have you ever been confused by what God was doing? ME too! The disciples still seemed to think of the Kingdom of God in a physical or political sense. The question “Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” probably means “Will you now set us free from the Roman Empire?” Now, this isn’t a bad question. God had raised up other warriors in the past — men like Joshua, Gideon, or David. But Jesus gently corrects them, saying the timing is not for them to know. If you read back through history, it seems almost every generation thought they were the generation that would be alive on the earth when Jesus returned. But here, Jesus clearly says we won’t know when he will return. It is not for us to know! But this doesn’t mean he wants us to sit around and wait for him to return. Jesus says that his disciples have a job to do. They will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, that is, in the city where they were at the time, and in all Judea, that is, in the region of Jerusalem and in Samaria, the region next door, and even to the ends of the earth. This is actually how Luke structured the rest of the book of Acts. Chapters 1-7 center on what happened in Jerusalem. In Chapter 8, the disciples are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria because of persecution. By the end of the book, we have Paul and others who have taken the gospel all over the Roman Empire, even to the ends of the earth. Within the first few centuries after the resurrection, Christianity had made it to China, India, and many places in Africa. But now that these first Christians understood their mission, in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, what would happen to Jesus? Would he stay with them as their king or maybe more like a general in this campaign of the gospel?
Acts 1:9–11 (NIV), “9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” This is God’s word. So after the resurrection, where Jesus defeated the Satanic powers of sin and death, and after he spent forty days with his disciples and appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses, he ascended back into heaven where he is currently seated at the right hand of God, in the place of absolute power and authority. Now, did he need to fly up into the clouds? Like, is heaven up above the sky or in space? No. We know that after the resurrection, Jesus could appear and disappear in this physical realm, just as the two angels suddenly appeared to the disciples to explain what had just happened. The physical ascension of Jesus was meant to be a picture of both the transcendence of Jesus and his eventual return. Jesus was not only raised from the dead; he was raised all the way up into heaven. He has been exalted to the highest place. But he has also promised to return, to set every wrong to right, to judge the wicked and the righteous, and to make all things new. But I love the angel’s question. Can you imagine watching Jesus ascend into heaven with all the wonder and maybe even a little fear that that would produce, and these angels are like, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” What? The disciples saw some crazy stuff being with Jesus, but I don’t think they had seen anything like this before from him. But the angels remind them or maybe reassure them of this fact: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” He’s coming back. Jesus had told them, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn 14:2-3). Jesus would come back for his disciples. This hopeful belief in the second advent, the return of Christ and the age to come, is one of the things that fueled/empowered/sustained the followers of Jesus in their mission to the ends of the earth despite facing persecution and death in many places. This is a picture of the tension we feel to this day. We are living in the Age of Redemption, the age of the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the gospel being preached to the ends of the earth. Jesus has died and risen from the dead; he has given us the Holy Spirit; he has given us spiritual power, and he has given us the gospel of reconciliation with God. There is good news to share, and we have a job to do. But Jesus has not yet returned and this is the tension we so often feel. We have the light of the truth and the gospel, but we’re living in a world of darkness (and truthfully, sometimes we contribute to the mess of this world). Some of the people have seen a great light, but many still live in the gloom of deep darkness. But the ascension of Jesus and the promise of his return means there’s always hope in the darkness. Things might get very difficult. Relationships might become sadly broken. Businesses might fail. Our parents or other authorities might let us down. Financial hardship might arise. But we are never without hope. If Jesus came once, he will come again. Christmas didn’t fail. Jesus is patient in waiting to return, not wanting anyone to perish but for all to come to a saving faith in him. One day, Jesus will return. It’s not our business to know when, but it is very much our business to share the good news of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. So today, may we be a people who are bold witnesses of the goodness and faithfulness of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And may we be a church that never loses its hope until the day of Christ Jesus. But while we wait, and especially as we feel the tension of this age, let us cry out “Hosanna,” meaning “Lord, save us!” Or we might cry out “Maranatha!” which means “Come, quickly Lord!” as we wait once again for the return of our King. Let us pray.
A Different Kind of King (Christmas): The birth of Jesus Christ was a very unusual birth for a king — the little town of Bethlehem, a manger for a bed, the announcement made to shepherds, and more. But Jesus would be a different kind of king. He came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Christmas was the birth of hope, life, and peace. Recorded on Dec 22, 2024, on Isaiah 9:1-6 by Pastor David Parks.
Good afternoon, everyone, and a very Merry Christmas to you! I’m Pastor David, and whether you’re joining us in person or online today, I’d like to welcome you to Appleton Gospel Church. We are so glad that you’re here! As a church, our mission is “sharing good news” because we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing with the power to change everything. If you’re visiting today and would like to connect with us or if you have a prayer request or need help in some way, please let us know after the service today or by filling out a connect card. We’d love to connect with you. All through this Advent season, a season that can be so chaotic and stressful, I’ve been encouraging you to try to slow down and focus on what really matters for Christmas. I hope our service today can help you do just that. Some of you might need to be reminded of the invitation of our Lord Jesus Christ when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30). Please join me in prayer as we continue…
So, we’re taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival.” The ancient people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise we believe was fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. So, in our little Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we started this past Sunday by focusing on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of deep darkness. Today, we’ll tell the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. Then, this coming Sunday, we’ll focus on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ. Every year, I’m reminded that the anticipation of Christmas is so powerful. When I was a kid, I looked forward to the presents, of course (toys, games, treats). As an adult, I still like toys, games, and treats but now I look forward more to spending time with family and friends. In our story today of the first Christmas, we’ll see that men and women were anticipating, they were looking forward to, something a little more serious. They looked forward to the birth of a Savior, the Messiah, the Chosen One God had promised to rescue and redeem his people. But when this child was born, when this son was given, one thing became clear: A king had arrived, but he would be a different kind of king — not like the typical kings of this broken world. He would be a king who had not come to be served, but he would serve and ultimately give his life for others so that we might have love and joy and peace, we might be forgiven and freed from captivity to sin, and we might have life everlasting in his good kingdom. Jesus is a different kind of King. This is what Christmas is all about. The birth of hope, life, and peace. The birth of a different kind of king. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Luke 2:1. We’re going to read through the Christmas story, and we’ll unpack it as we go.
Luke 2:1–7 (NIV), “1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” This version of the Christmas story comes to us by a man named Luke. Luke was a physician in the first century AD who most likely became a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Now, Luke didn’t know Jesus personally, but he did a careful investigation into the life/ministry of Jesus by interviewing eyewitnesses. The book of Luke is the first part of his work. But here, we have the birth account of Jesus starting with Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth in the northern region of Galilee about 90 miles down to Bethlehem in Judea in the south. This would’ve taken about a week on foot with a very pregnant Mary. Now, the Messiah was prophesied to come from Bethlehem (Micah 5), but it isn’t until this account that we learn the reason why. Luke says it was because of a Roman census that required everyone to return to their ancestral home. So, for Joseph, being from the house and line of the ancient King David meant going to Bethlehem, the town of David. We don’t know how old Mary and Joseph were at the time, but people back then were usually engaged (pledged to be married) in their teens or early twenties. So, Mary and Joseph were likely pretty young at the time. Because of the census, Bethlehem was packed with people, including many extended family members of Mary and Joseph. Some of you are hosting family for Christmas this week, and you’ll have a similar experience — people everywhere, probably kids sleeping on the floor somewhere, stuff everywhere. It can be fun, but I’m sure it wasn’t Mary’s ideal birth plan. When Jesus was born, Mary cleaned him, clothed him, and placed him in a manger, or a little crib normally used to feed animals. If you think of the setting of the birth of a king, this would be the farthest thing from what you’d imagine. But this was where Jesus was born, a different kind of king who only ever used his power, influence, and authority not to be served but to serve and give and sacrifice for the benefit of others. What would happen next?
Luke 2:8-21 (NIV), “8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.” So we jump from the busyness of Bethlehem to the quiet countryside of the shepherds nearby. And bursting out of the quiet darkness comes this shocking announcement: “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” This announcement was not made to kings or governors or the rich and famous (as the birth of a typical king would include) but to lowly shepherds. However, it still came with some heavenly fireworks. Luke says, “A great company of the heavenly host” appeared. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of angels appeared to glorify God for the wonderful gift of his one and only Son. Now, modern Western people tend to ignore the spiritual realm. But the Bible presents angels/demons and the spiritual realm as just a fact of reality. Angels are creatures like human beings but are spiritual in nature. As they hear the message, the shepherds go from terrified to curious. Could this be true? So they go to Bethlehem, where they quickly realize that everything the angels said was true! Luke reports that on the eighth day after he was born, according to the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph had the child circumcised and named Jesus. We’ll continue to see this, but Mary and Joseph were devout in their Jewish faith. They were careful to obey God’s word, the Law of Moses, even as, again, they were young. They didn’t wait until they were old to obey God. And for the kids and the teenagers here today, I’d like to speak to you now. In Mary and Joseph, you have a young man and woman who show us that you don’t have to wait until you’re older to honor God with your life. Whether you’re six or sixteen, if you trust in Jesus and try your best to follow his way (with all the strength/faith his Spirit provides), nothing would please your Father in Heaven more than that.
I love Luke’s description of Mary’s response to these unusual events. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I bet! Mary had a lot to think about. About nine months earlier, the angel Gabriel had appeared to her, saying, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke says that Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Son of the Most High God? Son of God? Born of a virgin? What kind of man would this Jesus be? I’m sure Mary’s heart was full of wonder. Today, I’d like to encourage you to follow Mary’s example and treasure up all these things in your heart. Think about them. Confront them. What does it all mean? Could Jesus be the King of the Kingdom of God? Could he really have come from heaven to live and die on the cross for the sins of the world, be buried, but rise again on the third day? For two thousand years, this is what Christians have believed and this is what Christians see as the meaning of Christmas. Whether you’ve tried very hard your whole life to be a good person or whether you have a past, whether you feel like you have your life pretty much in order or you feel like you’re barely making it, whether you’re in a season of joy or mourning, of victory or shame, King Jesus came for you. But Jesus was willing to come because of his great love for us. There is hope and joy and peace available for all who place their faith and trust in him. This is what Christmas is all about. The birth of hope, life, and peace. The birth of a different kind of king. Let us pray.
Waiting for the King (Christmas): During an era of darkness, God promised the birth of a son who would become a king — but not just any king. He would bring joy and peace. He would be the light of the world. And he would reign over the kingdom of God forever and ever. Even in deep darkness, there was hope. Hosanna! Lord, save us! Recorded on Dec 22, 2024, on Isaiah 9:1-6 by Pastor David Parks.
So, we’re taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival” and reminds us that the people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. In our Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we’ll focus on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of great darkness for the people of God. During our Candlelight Christmas Eve service on Tuesday at 4:30, we’ll tell the story of the birth of Jesus. Then, next week, we’ll focus on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ. Salvation has come in Jesus’ name. Love, joy, and peace have come in Jesus’ name. But today, we’re still waiting for the King and his return, which will mark the end of this age and the beginning of the next. Now, I don’t know about you, but the darkness of this time of year really affects me. Yesterday was the winter solstice, which means it was the shortest and darkest day of the year. I had a great day yesterday, but when it’s dark out or if it’s grey and rainy, I can’t help but feel a little dark or grey and rainy. Have you ever felt that way? Or have you ever woken up and it was just this brilliantly bright sunny day, and you felt more hopeful about your day or week (or life)? It’s funny how that works. In the passage, we’re going to consider today, God’s people were in a time of darkness. It wasn’t just the winter solstice. Every day from now until June will get brighter and brighter for us. But they couldn’t just wait a few months for more sun and better weather. They were in a time of destruction and death. They were under attack from much stronger enemies. This was a time of exile. They need to be saved. But hope seemed to be all but gone. The faithful ones cried out, “Hosanna!” which means, “Lord save us!” They needed to be rescued yet again. They needed light in the darkness. But even though they had brought all this destruction and death on themselves, the Lord God Almighty is a gracious God, abounding in love. As we’ve seen over and over in the Exodus story, Yahweh is good and faithful, even when the people stumble and grumble and quarrel with God. Today, we’ll see the good promise of God for a people walking in darkness. And the promise centers on a child who would be born who would become a king. But who was this king, what would he do, and why is this still good news for us today? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Isaiah 9:1.
Isaiah 9:1–2 (NIV), “1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” During the time of King David, around 1000 BC, the kingdom of Israel was united and had peace. Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last long. After David and his son Solomon reigned, the kingdom split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This lasted about 200 years until the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, and many people, especially in the northernmost tribal areas of Zebulun and Naphtali, were either killed or taken into exile in Assyria. Isaiah refers to this when he says, “In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali…” But the prophet says there is hope. “…there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…in the future [God] will honor Galilee of the nations.” Why? Because “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah’s time was a whole era of darkness. God’s people were experiencing the consequences of their generational unfaithfulness to God and their failure to obey the two greatest commandments to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love their neighbor as themself. Last week, we saw what God wanted in a relationship with Israel. He wanted them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, to represent him to the world and to be his treasured possession. But all the dysfunctional intrigue and infighting, the betrayals and power-grabs of the divided kingdom led up to the slow-motion car accident of the Assyrian exile. The defeat, destruction, and exile of Israel happened right in the middle of Isaiah’s 40-year ministry as a prophet in Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah. Imagine living in Judah during this time. Think of the fear and uncertainty. The evil empire was knocking at the door. Judah probably felt like a little bug compared to Assyria. Sadly, Judah, too, would fall, not to the Assyrians, but to the Babylonian Empire, but not for over 100 years after the ministry of Isaiah. This was an era of darkness and gloom. Where was the hope? Was there any hope, or would this be the end of the Exodus project? Had God failed to rescue/redeem a people for himself? God’s answer was “No. There was hope. A light would dawn on this land of deep darkness.” It would not always be like this. In other words, this was a season, not forever. This was a time of darkness, but it would come to an end, and the fortunes would be reversed. But how?
Isaiah 9:3-5 (NIV), “3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” God says through the prophet that the nation would grow and they would rejoice. They were mourning, but there would be joy once again! The kind of joy at the harvest, when you can sit back and see the fruit of all your work and know that you will be able to survive another year. The kind of joy of warriors who have won the battle and are dividing the plunder. Work is hard. And war is undoubtedly hard. But there can be a joy on the other side of a very difficult time, amen? Have you ever been through a tough season but were able to recover your joy on the other side? This is what it would feel like when this promised light would come. Isaiah refers to the “day of Midian’s defeat” from the book of Judges some 400-500 years earlier. This was when God raised up Gideon to lead only 300 warriors to defeat the much greater army of Midian. In the same way, God would again raise up a leader who would shatter the yoke that burdens his people. A yoke was a wooden beam that was placed on the shoulders of an oxen or other beast to control them. God says this yoke would be shattered/broken, and they would be free; they would have peace. And “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” Could this be true? Was this hope real? War and strife were all they’d known for generations. Could life be different? If so, how would God do this? Would he raise up another Gideon to defeat the enemy? Would he raise up another King David to unite the kingdom and bring peace once again?
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV), “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” This is God’s word. Every year during Advent, I like to listen to Handel’s Messiah. It’s become a fun tradition for me. It’s a wonderful piece of music, but it also tells the Christmas story using Scripture from all over the Bible, including these two verses. The music that George Frideric Handel wrote for this passage just perfectly matches the joy that God promises for his people and the majesty/glory of God in accomplishing it. God would raise up another. Unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. And this child would have many names. Names that meant something, that reflected something of who he would be. He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This promised one, this messiah, would be wonderful, not a tyrant. He would be wise and would offer wise counsel. Second, he would be mighty, not weak. But (and here is where it gets a little unclear), was he going to be God, or was he going to do something that would reflect God’s strength? The language could go either way. But surely it wasn’t that a human being could also be God, right? That wasn’t possible, was it? Third, he would be everlasting, not temporary. Everlasting does sound more god-like, doesn’t it? But the fatherly help this one would provide wouldn’t be for a season; it would be forever. Fourth, he would be the Prince of Peace. His reign would bring peace. His presence would bring peace. His kingdom would be a kingdom of peace. The greatness of his reign and rule, the greatness of his peace, would never end. But it’s here that we discover that despite the exile, despite the people’s unfaithfulness to him, he hasn’t forgotten the promises he made to them in the past. God would do what he said he would do! Isaiah says this promised son would be of the line of David. This would be a true messianic king who would sit on David’s throne and establish and rule over his kingdom forever. The people couldn’t hear this prophetic promise and not think of the promise of God to King David in 2 Samuel 7:12–13, 16 (NIV). The Lord tells David, “12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” The Lord repeats this promise to the scared people living in Judah during this time of darkness. He hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed his mind. He will do it. It wasn’t up to the people. It wasn’t dependent on them. “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” The people needed another exodus. They needed to be led out of captivity once again. This time, not only from Assyria or Babylon but from this generational struggle, from their own inability to save themselves — from this deep darkness. But when would this happen? How long, O Lord? How long before we experience this joy and find this peace you promised? Maybe some of you resonate with that feeling today. Lord, I have heard the good things you have promised, but I’m in a season of darkness. I’m feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and weak. I need some hope. I need some light. Well, today, as we think about the meaning of Christmas, we remember that about 700 years after this prophecy, there were shepherds living in the Judean fields outside the little town of Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks in the dark of night. When suddenly, an angel appeared to them, and the light of the glory of the Lord shone all around them. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (Jn 1:9). And his name was Jesus. Jesus was of the house and line of David so he could “reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom.” He was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth, a town in the northern region of Galilee, so his life, many of his disciples, and much of his early ministry would “honor Galilee of the nations.” Jesus would be raised up like Gideon to lead God’s people to victory, freedom, and peace. But he would not be raised up to lead an army to defeat a political enemy. He would be raised up on the cross to die for the sins of the world. He would take on the ultimate enemies of sin and death, but on the third day, he would shatter the yoke — he would rise again from the dead and deliver an everlasting victory for his people. Though he was the divine Son of God from eternity past, he would become a man, a human being, so he could be both a king and also a Mighty God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12). He was the light that God promised through Isaiah! He was the one who would come and bring joy and peace! He was the one who would come to reign and rule over the kingdom of God forever and ever! He was the one who would do it and would graciously provide salvation to all — first to the Jew, but then to the Gentiles. So that now anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So today, if you’re feeling like you’ve been walking in darkness (maybe for years now), if you’re feeling the weight of the brokenness of this world, if you’re mourning, if you have questions and doubts, if you’re in pain — for those who need to find your joy again, for those who feel the yoke of bondage and need some peace, come to Jesus. Turn to Jesus. He is the promised one. He is the light of the world. He is the only lasting source of hope and joy and peace. We’ll talk more next Sunday about waiting for the return of our King. But today, while we wait for him, we might have to join the psalmist who says “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning…You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” (Ps 30:5, ) We can also join God’s people in Judah all those years ago and cry out “Hosanna! Lord, save us!” And he will — in his time and according to his good purposes. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Let us pray.
The Covenant at Mount Sinai (Exodus): After rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh invited them into a covenant relationship at Mount Sinai. In one of the most crucial chapters in the Bible, we find that the great, big beating heart of God behind all his saving work is this: to have a real, intimate, and life-giving relationship with people — people who have been separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who are still greatly loved and are precious to God. Recorded on Dec 15, 2024, on Exodus 19 by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
Since September, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. The Israelites struggled and grumbled; it was tough, and the people barely trusted the God who had just rescued them from Egypt. But Yahweh proved faithful and good. Last week, we considered when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, visited them at Rephidim. He heard everything Yahweh had done for the Israelites and had a conversion experience. But he also offered a suggestion about the leadership structure that probably saved Moses from being crushed under the burden of leading all these people. Well, today, after months of traveling through the desert wilderness, we finally get to Mount Sinai and discover the purpose of God behind this dramatic rescue of the Israelites from Egypt. Why did he do all this? What was God’s heart behind rescuing and redeeming a people for himself? Well, here, we find that the great, big beating heart of God behind all of creation and salvation is to have a real relationship with people — people who have been separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who are still greatly loved and are precious to God. This is the defining story of Israel, but this is also our story in Christ. So, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 19:1.
Exodus 19:1–6 (NIV), “1 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” Everything in the Exodus story has led up to this point when Yahweh God invited the Israelites into a covenant relationship with him at Mount Sinai. And this is just so significant. Yahweh had promised he would do this for the family of Abraham and Sarah some 430 years earlier. He repeated the promise down through the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He told Moses this is what he was doing when he appeared to him from the burning bush. And now, here it was coming to pass. It’s hard to overstate how important this part of the story is in the Bible. This would be the story that defined Israel for generations after, too. Given how important this is, we’re going to spend some extra time on this first statement of Yahweh at Mount Sinai, this formal invitation into a relationship. First, what is a covenant relationship? One of the things we talk about during pre-marital counseling is that marriage is a covenant relationship. It’s where two parties enter voluntarily into a relationship that isn’t based on your feelings or what you get out of it. But where two commit upfront to become one, no matter what might happen. It’s formal and legal, but as in marriage, it’s also supposed to be real and intimate and life-giving, not merely a business contract. Covenant relationships were common at this time and could be between people, but often were between a king and a person or group of people. Yahweh knew the Israelites would understand the concept of a covenant relationship from their culture and used that language and concept to make it clear that he wanted to be Israel’s King, that there would be a mutual, unconditional commitment, which would bring a real, intimate, and life-giving relationship. But who was this Yahweh God? Was he the God of Mount Sinai or of the Israelites or something else? Who would Israel have a covenant relationship with? Yahweh starts with what he had most recently done. “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” He points back to his salvation of the Israelites and his victory over Egypt and all their gods. In other words, “I’m the one who rescued and redeemed you. I’m the one who fought for you. I’m the one who sustained you in the wilderness. I’m the one who provided bread from heaven and water from the rock.” He went on to say, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” Covenants with kings always contained certain stipulations or requirements for the relationship. If the Israelites were to have a relationship with God, they had to obey him. They had to be faithful to him. Unfaithfulness would break the covenant just as adultery breaks the marriage covenant. But if they were to obey him and be faithful to him, then out of all the other nations, all the other people groups on the earth, Israel would be Yahweh’s treasured possession. Now, everywhere in the OT, the Hebrew word that is translated here as “treasured possession” (segullah) refers to a king’s personal treasure (usually gold and silver). So God is saying that as the Creator, as the King of the Universe, this covenant would make the people of Israel his personal treasure. They would be precious to him. This wasn’t a political alliance; this was a marriage. Israel would be his people, and he would be their God, and they would be dearly loved. Now, “Although the whole earth is mine…” is an enormous claim. The Exodus story is really the beginning of the widespread belief in monotheism in human history. Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God, the maker of the heavens and the earth. The universal religious belief at this time was polytheism. There were believed to be many gods and goddesses who were good and evil and who had sovereign power over every aspect of life. Animal sacrifices, grain/wine sacrifices, and sometimes even human sacrifices would be offered at shrines in people’s homes, altars, often built on high places, or temples to get the gods on your side and bless whatever you were trying to do — get food, get married, have kids, defeat your enemies, recover from an illness…you know, the things that have always been important to humans. One of the things Yahweh did in the Ten Plagues was systematically demonstrate his sovereignty over every aspect of life, revealing that all those other gods and goddesses were powerless; they were fake, made-up idols. They were gods created in man’s image and likeness, which were no gods at all. It certainly seemed as though Yahweh had just walked into Egypt, the most powerful kingdom in the world at the time, a place full of gods and goddesses who had been worshipped for thousands of years, did what he wanted to do, and then just walked out with whoever and whatever he wanted. It didn’t seem difficult for him at all. Maybe the whole earth is his? But if you think about the story, Yahweh flipped the typical understanding of worship, sacrifice, and blessing on its head. The Israelites hadn’t offered enough sacrifices to Yahweh to appease/convince him to rescue them from captivity in Egypt. If you remember Moses’ calling back in chapter 3, Yahweh said he would rescue the Israelites, saying, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Ex 3:12b). In other words, Yahweh would save them by his grace, as a gift, which would lead them to worship. Probably many Israelites wondered, “What kind of religion is this? What kind of God is this??” This all seems upside down. Finally, Yahweh tells them his purpose for choosing Israel out of all the other nations/peoples on earth. He chose them to “be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” They were to be a kingdom of priests. They were to be people who properly represented God to the world, who would know and teach God’s word, who would pray and offer acceptable sacrifices, and who would lead all peoples into a relationship with the one true God. Part of how they would do this is by being a holy nation. We’ll talk more about holiness in a moment. But for now, God was saying they were to fulfill his promise from Genesis 12 that “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Ge 12:3b). God chose Israel, but his heart was always for the world. Well, what would the Israelites say? How would they respond to this most unusual invitation from Yahweh El Shaddai?
Exodus 19:7-9 (NIV), “7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.” So God proposed, and Israel accepted. They all said together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” I wonder if they had any idea how difficult it would be for them to keep that promise. Now, when “Moses told the Lord what the people had said,” it’s not like God didn’t know what they had said. Even though God was inviting the people of Israel into a covenant relationship with him, he still wanted Moses to be the mediator between them. But God had promised to come down from heaven to the mountain in a dense cloud. And he would speak for all to hear so that the people would trust that it was actually God who was speaking to Moses. Even here, we find that God is patient and kind, and he understands that people might have some doubts. So he allowed them to hear him directly to help them with their doubts.
Exodus 19:10-15 (NIV), “10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.” 14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.” Commentator Douglas Stuart writes, “Consecration means “making holy,” which means “making acceptable to be close to God.” [The most basic meaning of the word “holy” (qādôš) in Hb. is “belonging to God.” In one way or another, anything that is correctly called holy is a thing that belongs specially to God.]” (Exodus, TNAC, p. 425 and footnote) If someone really important came over for dinner, a king or president or someone like that, would you use paper plates? (Some of you would!) But no, you’d probably use the best plates you have. And you wouldn’t reheat some leftovers; you’d serve the best food you could make or buy, right? This is a little picture of holiness. No one is more important than God. So anything or anyone that belongs to God must be sacred/special, not common, and perfect, not flawed or broken. This is because God is holy. As we’ll see as we continue through the Exodus story, the holiness of God and the requirement of God’s people to be holy sometimes felt more like a threat than anything. God promised to treasure his people but also warned that if they approached him in the wrong way, they would die. That sounds pretty threatening to me! But this was and is the main question: how can a holy God be in a real relationship with sinful people? The question will remain unanswered in this chapter of the story, but will be addressed as we continue on. But one of the purposes of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself was to create a holy nation full of holy people. Men and women who are sacred, set apart for the Lord, and perfect.
Exodus 19:16-25 (NIV), “16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. 20 The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. 22 Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” 23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ” 24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.” This is God’s word. So, again, we see the tension between God’s great big beating heart to have a relationship with people, but also the threat of having a relationship with a holy God. Could the people learn to live with a holy God in their midst? Well, if we followed the history of the people of Israel for the generations after Sinai, it might seem impossible. Time and again, despite the commitment the people made together at Sinai, they struggled and grumbled and even were unfaithful to Yahweh God. What would God do? He would have to somehow make a way for people to have a relationship with him despite their sinful unfaithfulness. The people wondered what God would do until the coming of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus lived a perfect life. He was perfectly obedient to the God the Father. He was holy. There was nothing to separate him in his relationship with the Father. But he came down, just as God came down on Mount Sinai, but instead of the fireworks of Sinai, Jesus came down in humility. He came down to rescue and redeem a people for God once again. He came to establish a new covenant in his blood through his death and resurrection. So now, as the Apostle Peter writes, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pe 2:9–10). If you’re not a Christian here today, there was a lot of information that will be helpful for you if you continue to learn the way of Jesus. But either way, what I want you to take away is this: God, your Creator, your Maker, the one who sustains your life and breath, wants a real, intimate, and life-giving relationship with you. He wants you to know him and be with him. And in relationship with him, he will make you new, he will transform you to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, by the word and Spirit in Christ. This is the great big beating heart of God in the gospel. Let us pray.
Jethro and Moses (Exodus): Whether you have an official leadership role or title, everyone can influence someone for good. When Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, visited the Israelites, he realized Moses would be crushed without some serious help. He advised Moses to invite others to share the leadership burden with him. God’s people needed good and godly leaders to help them live lives that bring glory and honor to him. Recorded on Dec 8, 2024, on Exodus 18 by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. But, we’ve seen that things didn’t get much easier for the Israelites on the other side of the famous parting of the Red Sea. The Israelites struggled and grumbled through a series of desert tests before being viciously attacked by the Amalekites at Rephidim. It was tough, and the people didn’t display a very impressive amount of faith in the God who had just rescued them from Egypt. But Yahweh proved faithful and good and provided what they needed despite their grumbling and quarreling. Today, we have one more stop to make, one more chapter in our story, before we get to the fireworks of Mount Sinai, the giving of the Law, and the establishment of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel. When Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, meets them, he offers a suggestion that would help Moses lead the people well and not be crushed by the burden. This chapter offers many leadership lessons. Now, whether you have an official leadership role or not, everyone can influence others for good. And this is what good leadership is all about. We need these lessons. So, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 18:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.
Exodus 18:1–7 (NIV), “1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.” 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.” 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.” Moses doesn’t record when, but at some point between leaving Midian with his family and his time in Egypt during the Ten Plagues, he sent his wife Zipporah and their sons back to live in Midian with her father, Jethro. He doesn’t say why, and some have speculated that they were having trouble in their marriage. But it doesn’t say that. And once the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, they were reunited with Moses and seemed to stay with the Israelites from then on. Again, it doesn’t say, but I think it’s more likely that Moses was trying to keep his family out of harm’s way by sending them back to Zipporah’s family. But now that they were free from Egypt and had returned to Mount Sinai, just as God had promised, they likely felt it was safe to join their now-famous father. From this passage, we see the respect that Moses had for his father-in-law. He went out to meet him, he bowed down and kissed him in a traditional greeting, and Moses welcomed him into his tent where they could catch up.
Exodus 18:8-12 (NIV), “8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them. 9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.” Moses didn’t leave out the tough times when he told Jethro about their journey so far. He included “the hardships they had met along the way,” but also “how the Lord had saved them.” This is just a side note, but when you share your testimony with a non-Christian, make sure to be honest about the hardships in addition to the victories of the Christian life. Too many people think that if they become a Christian, their life will become easier. It gets better, but not necessarily easier! Anyway, Jethro was delighted to hear Moses’ testimony. But just imagine hearing that some no-name tribe of slaves — granted, it was a huge group of people, but still! — they were able to escape from the most powerful kingdom on earth without being immediately crushed. There’s no way the Israelites could have pulled this off without God’s direct intervention. No wonder Jethro was praising Yahweh. But Jethro wasn’t just Moses’ father-in-law. He was also a priest (or maybe the high priest) of Midian, a foreign people who didn’t worship Yahweh. But here, Jethro says, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” In other words, Jethro had a conversion experience. He came to faith in the one true and living God. As a priest, he understood that conversion leads to two things: worship and fellowship. So he brought a burnt offering, usually used to atone for sins — perhaps the sins of his worship and leading others in the worship of idols — and other sacrifices to God. This was what worship looked like then. But also, Moses, Aaron, and all the elders of Israel came and ate a meal with Jethro in the presence of God. This was fellowship — fellowship with God and fellowship with God’s people. It’s no different today. When you hear the gospel and believe it, this conversion leads to worship and fellowship. Worship in spirit and truth. Worship not by offering sacrifices to atone for our sins; Christ already accomplished that with his death on the cross. But offerings of singing, praying, preaching, giving, serving, and loving in Jesus’ name. This worship celebrates a right relationship with God, fellowship with God, and with God’s people in the church. The setting was a little different some 3,300 years ago, but the principles were the same. But before returning to Midian, Jethro would make a lasting contribution to the success of the Exodus project.
Exodus 18:13-23 (NIV), “13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” I can’t imagine the pressure Moses was under. Every day, people went home disappointed because Moses wasn’t able to help them. He didn’t have time to help everyone! There weren’t enough hours in the day. Now, to give Moses some credit, he was more than just a judge. He was the prophet God personally called to lead Israel. Even though he tried to get out of it and have God send someone else, he still went. He still knew his calling. Maybe he was waiting for God to give him instructions on delegating leadership responsibilities (including judging legal matters, crime and punishment, and the like). But Jethro was wise and offered wise counsel. As the proverb says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Pro 15:22). Moses understood this and was won over by Jethro’s advice. He’d spent forty years in Midian and likely saw Jethro’s wisdom and leadership in many situations. This would lend credibility to his advice. Plus, Moses felt the crushing weight every day from the pressure of being the only authority over a whole nation of people without any formal help. So the plan was to appoint men of good, godly character who could serve as officials over different-sized groups of people. Moses, then, would only need to hear the hardest cases — something like our Supreme Court. Character has always mattered to God, but this is especially true for anyone in a leadership position because leaders are accountable for the people God entrusts to their care. A corrupt person is not a good situation, but a corrupt leader spreads their corruption to others. Also, Jethro’s plan would free up Moses to continue to do what God had actually called him to do as his prophet. He would “be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.” But also, Moses was to “Teach [the Israelites God’s] decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave.” The people needed judges, but more importantly, they needed to be taught God’s will for their lives. They needed the Ten Commandments, as we’ll see after Christmas. And they needed the Ten Commandments (and the hundreds of other laws of the covenant) to be enforced. But they needed to be taught positively how to live so as to bring honor and glory to God. God’s people needed godly leadership to help them lead godly lives. As Jethro said, “If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” Jethro wasn’t putting himself in the place of God. He acknowledged that God could disagree. But if God so commands, then Moses wouldn’t be crushed by the burden, and the people would be satisfied. Not only did the Israelites need to learn to listen to God and obey his word, but they needed to learn how to be Israel, to be their own nation. Jethro’s contribution provided a better leadership and legal structure that would serve Israel until the time of the kings.
Exodus 18:24–27 (NIV), “24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.” This is God’s word. So it was a success! Jethro came and heard what God had done, he offered his worship and enjoyed fellowship, made a big suggestion that made an outsized impact on Moses and the Israelites, and went home. Praise the Lord! Aren’t you thankful for people like Jethro? I am. But what do we do with this today? How might we apply this teaching to our lives? Well, as I said, whether you have an official leadership role or title or not, everyone can influence others for good. And this is what leadership is! But whatever Moses’ reasons were, failure to delegate is a common trap in leadership of any sort. It doesn’t matter if you’re a leader at home, in your workplace, in the military, in government, or in the church — I can tell you from experience that it’s always tempting to “just do it yourself” since it’s usually faster and easier if you already know how to do whatever “it” is. But this is not good for at least two reasons: First, when you take on too much and ignore your own God-given limitations (as Moses had) and continue to add more and more to your plate without taking anything off, you will burn out. I’ve been there — utter exhaustion going on for months. But if you burn out, how helpful/fruitful will you be then? It took something like two years for me to recover from burnout, and I wasn’t leading a nation! Far from it! Second, when you fail to delegate, or, to put it another way, when you fail to invite others to share the burden of leadership, you’ll miss out on all the different strengths/gifts of different leaders. Even the best, most gifted leaders aren’t good at everything. Empowering other leaders allows your family/business/church to be blessed by more than just your strengths. Now, people struggle with this for many reasons, but I want to tell you about three types of people I’ve met many times. The first is the highly competitive person. They tend to see influence, accomplishments, and accolades as a zero-sum game. As in, “Your win is my loss, and my win is your loss.” But the truth is, very few things in life are a zero-sum game. Very often, “Your win is also my win.” Especially if you’re part of the same family/organization! While this competitive mindset might be helpful if you’re a solo athlete, it’s not helpful for most everywhere else because, with this mindset, empowerment threatens your success or recognition. The second type of person who struggles with this is the perfectionist. They might be highly conscientious, talented, and hardworking but have a real hard time with mistakes. Empowering others requires that you help people learn/try loads of new things. And guess what? No one is more likely to make mistakes than someone learning something new! With the perfectionist mindset, empowerment threatens your perfect reputation or ability to control the task or outcome perfectly. The third type of person who struggles with this is the people-pleaser. Not only do they feel obligated to do more for others than is necessary or reasonable, but they don’t ask for help because they don’t believe they deserve it. But with the people-pleaser mindset, empowerment threatens your value, especially in relationships. But in the gospel, we learn that God loves and accepts us regardless of whether we win or lose. And that we will make mistakes. The whole reason we needed Jesus and the cross of Christ was precisely because we are not perfect. And we’re called to love people, not live to make them happy. So competition, perfection, and people-pleasing are not in line with the truth. My advice is to focus your attention on God. Listen to and obey his word. Do your best to influence others for good, but focus on Him, not them. Lead for an audience of one. Don’t try to carry the burden of your family or business or your ministry on your own. Even Jesus had the twelve. As a church, we have many different leadership roles. We have our staff members and elders, but we also have community group leaders and ministry team leaders. These roles all have a character requirement, just as Jethro suggested all those years ago. Character still matters. Our elders are to hold to the character requirements for elders and overseers in passages like 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1. Our other staff and leaders are to hold to the character requirements for deacons. If you think the Lord might be calling you to a leadership role, let us know. We will help you discern if that’s true, and we will train you and give you opportunities to lead. As the saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. This is God’s will for his people. May we be a church that empowers good and godly leaders to lead God’s people to live lives that bring glory and honor to him. Let us pray.
The Amalekites (Exodus): Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. As followers of Jesus, how do we fight our battles? When the Amalekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, the people, led by Joshua, had to fight. But the Lord brought the victory through the intercession of Moses, acting as a mediator. In our battles, we must trust our Mediator, lean on our friends, and find our victory in Yahweh Nissi (the Lord is my Banner). Recorded on Dec 1, 2024, on Exodus 17:8-16 by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence. For the last three weeks, we saw three tests in the desert on the way to Mount Sinai designed to teach the Israelites to listen to God, obey his word, and learn to follow his way (whether they understood it or not). But the Israelites didn’t pass any of the tests. In our text for today, the Israelites don’t just have a need; they’re in real danger when the Amalekites come and attack them. Have you ever felt like you were in a battle? Have you ever realized you needed God to save you? Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. Sometimes, there’s real violence, but sometimes, the battle is in your mind, heart, or relationships. Sometimes, the battle is physical, but often, it’s spiritual, too. As God’s people, as followers of Jesus, how do we fight? How do we win? Our text today offers many lessons on what to do on the day of battle. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 17:8.
Exodus 17:8–9 (NIV), “8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” It turns out there were more dangers in the world than Pharaoh and his army. Now, we know four things about the Amalekites: First, they descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother, so they were distant cousins of the Israelites. They should’ve been allies, not enemies. They should’ve helped Israel, not come to steal, kill, and destroy. Second, they lived in the desert. The Israelites struggled to survive, but the Amalekites knew what they were doing. They were like the Fremen in Dune. These were desert people, which didn’t bode well for a battle with them in their home. Third, the Amalekites carried out this unprovoked attack on the Israelites here at Rephidim. Maybe they heard this huge mass of people, animals, and possessions had somehow escaped Egypt and thought they’d be an easy target. Or maybe this was just a normal day for violent people who survived in a tough environment by being tougher than anyone or anything else. (Maybe both?) Later, Moses reminded the Israelites about this attack, saying, “When you were weary and worn out, they [Amalekites] met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” (Dt 25:18). Fourth, the Amalekites would be enemies of Israel for hundreds of years — all through the time of the Judges and until the time of King David. We don’t know how large their army was when they attacked the Israelites, but clearly, they would have the advantage. So, how would the Israelites handle this attack? Remember, they were not trained or organized for battle. They had been slaves who were most likely discouraged from learning the art of war. They were not well-armed. Plus, they’d only known Egypt, so they were barely familiar with desert survival, much less ready for desert warfare. Would Yahweh fight for them as he did at the Red Sea? We’ll see. Moses put Joshua in charge of their army, but Joshua only had one day to prepare for battle. Now, this is our first meeting with Joshua in the Bible. Joshua was Moses’ younger aide and the head of the Israelite military. Eventually, after Moses’ death, Joshua would become his successor in leading the people of Israel when they entered the Promised Land. We know Joshua’s father was Nun (N-u-n, not n-o-n-e), and they were from the tribe of Ephraim. Initially, his name was Hoshea, but Moses named him Joshua. However, this was more of a theological statement than just a nickname. Hoshea means “salvation” in Hebrew, but Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation.” So, Joshua’s name was a statement of faith in Yahweh, the God of Joshua’s ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who rescued Israel from captivity in Egypt; and the God who was leading and providing for them day by day in the wilderness. Yahweh had saved Israel in the past, and he would save his people in the future. Would he save them on this day and prove Joshua’s name to be true? And where would Moses be in all this? Moses said he’d oversee the battle from a hilltop “with the staff of God in my hands.” As we saw last week, Moses had used this staff to bring water from the rock. It was a symbol of God’s power and authority. Could it be used as a weapon somehow? After a sleepless night, it was time.
Exodus 17:10-13 (NIV), “10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” So, the battle was fought, and against all the odds, the Israelites had won. But the way they won, only winning when Moses held up his hands, made it clear that, again, it was God who provided the victory. At the Red Sea, Moses told the people, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Ex 14:14). And it was the Lord who fought. The people only had to cross the sea. Here at Rephidim, they needed to do more than be still; they needed to fight. So, Joshua had chosen his warriors; they cobbled together some swords and went out and fought. But even though they did more than at the Red Sea, their victory was completely dependent on the Lord, symbolized by the power and authority of God in the staff. Only when Moses raised the staff up was Israel able to win. But even though Joshua’s name proved true and Yahweh was indeed salvation, the battle lasted all day, which led to a problem: Moses couldn’t hold his hands up all day. He was an old man, but it wasn’t for lack of strength on his part. No one can hold their hands up all day. (Some of you can’t even hold your hands up for four songs!) Moses needed help. So Aaron, Moses’ brother, and Hur, Moses’ brother-in-law, according to Jewish tradition, stood with him on the hilltop. When his back started to hurt, they got him a stone to sit on. And when his arms grew weak, and his hands grew tired, they stood on each side of him and held up his hands. In this way, Moses could endure till sunset when Joshua and his warriors finally won. Imagine how they felt when they saw the enemy flee. Their journey between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai started and ended with a battle, with three desert tests in the middle. This exodus was going to be a hard journey. But at every point, the Lord God Almighty was with them, protecting and providing because of his great love for them. Would the people learn this lesson? How about future generations?
Exodus 17:14–16 (NIV), “14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” This is God’s word. So, because of this unprovoked attack, but also consistent with his promise to Abraham to bless those who bless you but to curse those who curse you, the Lord said that Amalek would remain an enemy of God and his people, but they would eventually be destroyed. Blotted out. This is why the Lord asked Moses to write down this account and that Joshua needed to hear about it. Joshua, the leader of Israel’s army, needed to prepare for future attacks. Besides writing down this account, Moses also built an altar to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices in praise and thanksgiving for the victory. He named the altar Yahweh Nissi, meaning The Lord is my Banner. On the day of battle, it was Yahweh, symbolized by the staff, who served as the banner or signal pole. Today, we might say flag. To understand the power of the Lord being a banner, think of the iconic picture of the Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, at the end of WWII. On that day, the flag represented the power and authority of our nation. During a battle, the flag represents our history and identity; it gives strength to tired soldiers, and it can serve as a rallying point. This is what Yahweh Nissi means. It was God’s power and authority that won the victory. He gave the Israelites their identity. He gave tired soldiers the strength to fight. And he served as the rallying point for their victory. The Amalekites lifted their hands up against the throne of the Lord but were defeated when Moses lifted his hands up in prayer and faith on behalf of Israel, and the Lord provided the victory.
The most important lesson from all this is the exact same lesson the Lord has been trying to teach his people: that they can trust him and listen to him because he is with them and will provide what they need. When they needed bread and water, they could trust him to provide. When they needed victory over a more powerful enemy, they could trust him to provide. But a unique lesson from this particular story is the role of a mediator. Moses had functioned as a mediator between God and the Israelites as a prophet ever since God called him from the burning bush back in chapter 3. God didn’t usually speak to Israel directly; he spoke through a mediator. But here, even though the text doesn’t make it explicit, I believe we can understand that Moses was lifting up his hands as more than just lifting up the staff over the people. Moses was again serving as a mediator between God and God’s people by interceding for them in prayer as they fought their battle. His hands were lifted in prayer. This story points forward in Israel’s history to a time much later when Yahweh promised another who would come and serve as a banner for God’s people, one who would be a mediator between God and mankind. Just one example is when the prophet Isaiah wrote, Isaiah 11:10, 12 (NIV), “10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious…12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” Later, Isaiah wrote that this banner would suffer and die for sinners. He would bear the sin of many, and, like Moses, he would intercede for them (Is 53:12). But who would this banner be? Who would this mediator be? Well, years after the victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim, there would be another Joshua in Israel — one who would not only lead the people but would fight and win the victory on behalf of his people. Now, you might not know who this Joshua was by that name, but the Hebrew name “Joshua,” meaning Yahweh is salvation, when translated into Greek and then again into English, is none other than the name of Jesus. In the gospel, we discover that this promised banner, this mediator was none other than Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is “…able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:25). The Apostle Paul says that “… there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1Ti 2:5-6). Moses points to the greater intercession and mediation of Jesus. Joshua points to the greater leadership of Jesus in facing and winning the victory over the greater enemies of God’s people — that of sin and death. And until his return, battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. As God’s people, as followers of Jesus, how do we fight our battles? How can we see victory on that day? Learn the lesson of the Amalekites. You can trust the Lord to provide for your needs. He might provide victory the same way he has in the past, like at the Red Sea. Or he might provide victory through a new means, like at Rephidim. But never forget that you, too, have a mediator. Christ is seated on his throne and is interceding for his people, for you today. Turn to him. Look to him. Get your identity and strength from him. But, like Moses, you might need some help, too. You might need a couple of brothers or sisters to stand by your side and hold your hands up when you get tired. This is the church. It’s our responsibility to love and support and offer strength to one another every day, but especially on the day of battle. If you’re in a battle today, keep fighting. Christ will give you strength. Trust in him and lean on your friends. And rest secure in the victory your King has already won. Yahweh Nissi — the Lord is my banner. Let us pray.
