The Lord gives skill and anointing to Bezalel and Oholiab to know how to construct the sanctuary.
Following 40 days in the presence of God, Moses put on a veil covering the radiance in his face. The people were afraid and were not allowed to see the Glory of God. The old covenant written on tablets of stone had laws leading to death, but came in glory. How much more does the New Covenant come with Glory, bringing life through the Spirit. Jesus's death and the tearing of the veil in the temple allows all people to come into God's life giving presence and to see his glory
The episode with the golden calf demonstrated that God would not tolerate rebellion. Exodus 33 reveals the truth that God’s people are a stiff-necked, yet God does not give up on them. Although the people discover that sin fractures relationship with God and with one another, yet they discover the profound depths his mercy and faithfulness. Now God calls them into the ‘tent meeting’, Moses would speak with God face-to-face and all the people would gather at the door of their tent to worship. Here the people discover that it is God’s presence that gives them rest; this is the one thing that makes them distinct above every other people on the face of the earth; He is the God whose presence is with them always.
Within weeks of receiving the 10 commandments & shouting "We will do everything the Lord has said. We will obey" , the Israelites abandoned God (and Moses). They made an image of a calf and called it their god. God decided to wipe out the Israelites, but Moses interceded reminding God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. Not only that, Moses offered to stand in as a redeemer "now please forgive their sin - but if not then blot me out of the book you have written." God had bigger plans than that, Jesus, God's son, would be the redeemer - not just for the Israelites, but for all people for all time. We are no better than the Israelites, but thanks to Jesus we can have all our sins forgiven if we turn to Him in repentance.
Bezalel the son of Uri are anointed with the Holy Spirit to produce all kinds of decorative art for the Tabernacle.
The pattern of the tabernacle is a model of the true sanctuary in heaven, a foreshadowing of Jesus dwelling among us and a model of the church as the living temple in whom God dwells by His Spirit. The implications for our discipleship are amazing ... Powerpoint below Tabernacle
God instructed the tabernacle to be built so he could dwell in the midst of His people, and we look at how valuable and precious that is today for each of us.
In Exodus 23 we have modelled here a powerful demonstration of pushing back the dominion of darkness and bringing in the Kingdom Light; a breaking of Satan’s strongholds and claiming of territory for the reign of Christ. It is a ministry we engage as Jesus has gone before us breaking down the powers of darkness and preparing the way for us.
The Law or Torah, is sometimes referred to as God’s ‘Way of Life’. Through it, God shapes Israel to be a people of justice and generosity, making them distinctly different from all other nations. This week, Brian Wilson introduces the idea of Law being the circle of God’s love - living within that circle, true life is found - and those who live in this way will know God’s blessing / prosperity (IE Kingdom prosperity - Shalom) - a prosperity which is to overflow the blessings of the Kingdom to the nations.
We begin the second part of our exploration of the Exodus story. Chapter 19 of Exodus serves as a link between the narrative of the actual exit from Egypt and the time at the foot of Mount Sinai where God makes Himself known by His presence and by the revelation of His commandments. This is the place where Moses first encountered God in the burning bush and the place to which God said 'As a sign, I will bring you back to this mountain'. Nick reflects on the key verses (19:4-6), which capture the essence of all that God has done and plans to do among His people. 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' Ex 19:4-6
As was said last week, all people need rules to live by and the Israelites were no different. God wanted to ensure that they became a nation and worshipped Him, not false gods, so made a covenant agreement with the Israelites- if they worshipped Him, He would protect them. Here we see the people wholly agree to follow God - “we will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey”. Their long term failure to do this lead ultimately to the coming of Jesus and the new covenant, which we celebrate every time we take Holy Communion.
What do you think about when you hear the word “rules”? Rules are really important. We need them to give us a framework, but they are also the signposts that so often show up the fulness of our failures. In this sermon, Joy explains why the Ten Commandments are still incredibly powerful and relevant for us today. None of us have statues of golden calves on the mantelpiece at home, but can we really say that we don’t have idols? We dig into the challenges of each of these rules, and we explore how in the light of the grace that Jesus won for us, the ten best ways to live are both incredibly challenging and totally liberating.
Remember who you are! Brian explores what it means for the people of God to be a 'Kingdom of Priest' and the implications for us today.
Looking at the story of Moses, and how he was encouraged by his Father in Law to put leadership structures in place for the people of Israel, we think about what this text can teach us about leadership today. What does it mean to lead well for the long haul? Joy explores the challenge to lead well across every area of life: Leading ourselves, leading our households, leading in the community and leading at church. Can we develop the kind of leadership that is seeking to encourage and grow the gifts of others, and launch them into new areas of calling? Please see the following link for the video clip used in the sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl4U65MDr1I
Our desire for home cuts to the heart of what it means to be human. We look at how “home” is defined in the Bible. As people of faith, can we ever be completely at home until we experience the ultimate “home” in God’s presence when he dwells with his people and all wrongs are righted? Joy explores how stories of displaced people can be found all the way through scripture. When we read these stories with fresh eyes, and through the lens of what it means to live “in exile”, perhaps this will help us as we share the love of God in a culture that is mistrustful of people in positions of power and dominance.
On Remembrance Sunday we reflect on the on-going reality of human conflict. Despite the determination after WW1 that this was the war to end all wars, the human situation hasn't improved. At every level of life we experience conflict - the media thrives on it and sadly it is something that is evident in every area of human life. But behind so many human conflicts, there is another battle raging in the spiritual realms. As we continue following the Exodus journey, we see how the power of persistent prayer overcomes that higher level conflict in the spiritual realms. There are lessons we too can learn from this; in our every day life, the power of prayer can defuse and transform situations, bringing a peace of God's making.
In the wilderness where there is nothing, the people of Israel cry out to God for water and bread. Often in the place where we are in real lack, we are tempted to wonder where God is, yet it is in those very times that we so often realise God's most amazing provision.
As the people of Israel leave Egypt, the Lord leads them to a place where they seem to be hemmed in between the desert and the sea - they are trapped 'between the divil and the deep-blue sea' - or so it seems. Sometimes our circumstances appear to have contrived to work against us but, as Israel discover, the Lord really is in sovereign control! They see a powerful demonstration of God's power revealed as, through the waters of the Red Sea, He delivers His people from their enemy and they come into a new found freedom. As we reflect on this amazing story, we begin to glimpse images of Jesus' victory at the cross and of our baptism - freedom from the dominion of darkness and beginning a new adventure in our journey with God..
Some passages of scripture are both wonderful and horrifying simultaneously, and this is one of them. It is the story of how God brings salvation from slavery for the Israelite people, and yet it is also a story of desolation and destruction for the Egyptians. How do we come to understand the raw power of a holy God in the face of broken humanity? In this talk, Joy explains that human sin is not just about the occasional white lie or broken promise, rather, it is the way that all of humanity are caught in a web of systemic and structural evil that we are powerless to break in our own power. We are in need of a saviour, and we see the way that the Passover story in Exodus demonstrates the saving power that Jesus would bring when he laid down his life on the cross as the perfect and spotless firstborn son. In the light of this, can we trust that we are truly forgiven and set free from our own slavery to sin? And if this is the case, what will we do to be a part of the story of liberation for others?
Ian speaks about the sovereign power of God over the dominion of darkness and reminds us how in the face of apparent powerful opposition, God's power is always greater!