Exodus 34

Verse 11a is one upon which we should build our lives. "Observe what I command you today. I am going to..."

Rebellion against God is never freedom found but blessings forgone, derailing us from experiencing how God had intended to complete the sentence of above for us.

Pastor Fred

Exodus 33

He takes away from us what He intended for us to have used to fulfill His vision if we instead used it to adorn ourselves selfishly and arrogantly (verses 4-6).

May we all ask ourselves if we are at risk of losing anything by His hand because we have not freely given it for the Divine purpose it was entrusted to us?

Pastor Fred

Exodus 32

This is the famous text of the people making the golden calf and God threatening their destruction with Moses interceding for them, resulting in what appears to be a moment where God "changes His mind." This raises the question, "How can a sovereign God change His mind?" Does this imply a mistake by Him that resulted in needing human intervention to re-direct His intentions? This text certainly raises these questions but I believe the path of "open deism" is in error and unScriptural. (If you want to learn more about open deism, check out the April 2008 post on this blog.)

I believe this text and other similar ones are some of Scriptures greatest treasures as they give us insight into how deeply God feels. I believe these verses in Exodus are God sharing the intimate feelings of His heart. So let me ask you this question, do you ever feel something that upon which your character would never let you take action? We are created in His image and should not be taken back by moments like this where even though God knew they would rebel, He still feels feelings of betrayal and disappointment that rise to the place of feeling for their destruction. Just as in Psalms where God instructs us to be authentic about our feelings, knowing that Psalms 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, reminds that His decrees should ultimately govern our actions. Here in Exodus God is teaching by our observation of Him.

Another question open deists raise is that if God knew advance, why is there such a strong emotional response. So let me ask you another question. If you new from the day your child was born that they were going to suffer and die an untimely, tragic death, when the moment finally came, would you be any less grieved? You may not be surprised, but your grief and sorrow would not be be abated by any measure. We must not mistake God's sorrow for surprise in Biblical texts.

Finally, in this chapter, we have an invaluable lesson in leadership in verses 21-24 that if we promote people to levels of leadership prematurely, they end up being led by the people instead of directing them.

Pastor Fred

Exodus 31

As leaders, we must trust that God has imparted wisdom and ability to people with us so the vision can be realized. Mutual dependence is part of God's plan because He knows that need is a great motivator, by His design. Our need for one another is to help us stay within the confines of the "bonds of peace." Paul uses this phrase in Ephesians 4:3 which incidentally, "bond" is not a reference to adhesion but rather imprisonment, shackled to peace and unity. We are never free to violate unity among the family of God!

Hey, let's learn a word together, in verse 18, we find something employed that is called an anthropomorphism. Which, as defined in the study notes of the Apologetics Study Bible, is comparing some aspect of God with the traits of a human being. So in verse 18 where it says the "finger of God" this does not necessarily mean that God has fingers but rather Moses is using an anthropomorphism to aid us in comprehending that God engraved the tablets.

May He engrave our hearts to be imprisoned in peace!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 30

Let's focus in on verses 11-16...it doesn't take more or less of Jesus to atone for our lives, regardless of our sin, status in society, ethnicity...we are all equally indebted to God for our sin and are equally desperate for salvation. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for all.

Pastor Fred

Exodus 26-29

Here we find a stretch of texts that give great detail to Moses about their place of worship, priestly garments, and some beginning instruction regarding the activities of worship. On occasion, do some research and discover some of the rich imagery that awaits us. All this detail is not the sign of an obsessive compulsive God, come on, every things He says and does is with great intentionality. He created us as visually stimulated people and He leverages this as He instructs us and also commands us to remember.

For example, in Numbers 15:37-41, the priests are instructed to have tassels on the corners of their garments...for the purpose of reminding the people every time they saw those tassels, that God has decrees that are to be obeyed, by choice, engaging our will in obedience. This sets us apart from organic life on earth that is exclusively compulsive, only instinctive. We have a human will. God fills this world with visual imagery to remind us to engage our wills in obedience to Him.

What are you being reminded of today that you need to engage your will in obedience to God? Follow Him!! Trust Him!! Obey Him!!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 24-25

Don't you love how Moses waited for 6 days one the mountain for God to speak? And then, the first thing he says is, check out 25:1, "...take an offering for Me." We must never lose our sensitivity to money being controversial, not because it has a Biblical sensitivity but because of abuses by spiritual leaders throughout history, today, and most certainly throughout unwritten history. But if we are not careful, we will let the abuses of others displace the primacy of the message of stewardship that every person seeking the depth of eternal life needs to hear hear.

I find it intriguing that while Moses was on the mountain, concurrently in chapter 32, Satan is tempting the people to squander the very resources that were supposed to be used to build the temple. Never forget too that all those riches were given to the people by the Egyptians through God orchestrating favorable circumstances for His new nation. The Israelites, 430 years in the making, a nation that needed a treasury...they enriched the Egyptians and now all that wealth was where it rightfully belonged, in the hands of the Israelites (Exodus 12:35-36). And in Exodus 32, Satan is trying to deceive them into its waste!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 19-23

These are some of the greatest chapters in Scripture that should instruct our pulpits. Without practical steps, the people will never walk in the commandments of God. The big ten are given in chapter 20, timeless truths for every generation to follow and embrace. Then, in chapters 21-23, the people are given culturally relevant, life applicable, step by step instruction that detail the “how to” of the “must obey.” One can take all ten of the Great Commandments and see them lived out through the details of the subsequent ordinances. May it be that our pulpits never stop giving them the truths and never stop giving them the steps so those truths can be lived out in their daily lives. I like to say that our devotion to Christ should be life defining, passion filled, and moment by moment governing. If you are looking for a church, look for one that gives you both “Exodus 20” experiences as well as “Exodus 21-23” instruction!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 16-18

I want to focus on three distinct moments in these chapters. There are several moments of promise and several moments of the miraculous but three moments of miraculous that are accompanied by a specific promise and a command of remembrance.

First, in chapter 15, verses 22-27, we find where they came to a place where the water was bitter until God revealed a piece of wood that was subsequently thrown into the water making it sweet. There is the miracle. Then comes the promise. That if they would carefully listen to the voice of God and do what is right in His eyes, pay attention to His commands and keep His decrees, they would not experience the diseased inflicted upon the Egyptians. I don’t believe that this is God promising an illness free existence to the obedient but rather obedience is the plan of avoidance of God’s judgment. Remember, the sicknesses referenced here are the plagues visited upon Egypt because of their rebellious hearts. Not that we won’t make mistakes as devoted followers of Christ but there is a vast difference between mistakes and being characterized by a rebellious heart. Plagueless living is His promise…His commands sweeten life! And God wanted every generation to follow was to remember this.

Second, in chapter 16, we have the beautiful story of the manna, which in Hebrew literally translates, “What is it?” That’s an Abbot and Costello routine for you, “What’s for dinner?” “What is it?” “That’s what I said, what’s for dinner?” “I know, what is it?” “What?” “What?” “What?” I love how the manna did not spoil on the seventh day like it did every other day if the people gathered more than they needed for daily consumption, and how there was no manna to be found on the seventh day, only the six days prior. And not that one miracle isn’t awe inspiring enough but this miraculous schedule of events was repeated without exception for 40 years! The promise was that God was their sustainer. A measure of the “What is it?” was to be gathered and kept in a jar. Provision living is His promise…His commands sustain life! And every generation to follow was to remember this.

Third, in chapter 17, verses 8-15, we find the famous story of Aaron and Hur holding up the hand of Moses while Joshua led their army in their first battle and their first victory. If Moses hands fell, the battle swung in favor of the Amalekites who were descendants of Esau, signs of the dispute between Jacob and Esau tracking through to successive generations, and if Moses hands remained raised, the battled turned to Joshua and the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. After the battle was ultimately victorious for the Israelites, an altar of remembrance was built to remind the people that God would forever resist the Amalekites attempt to conquer Israel. The lesson for us is in looking to Ephesians 6 where Paul reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities on high. We must never forget that natural realm victories are still spirit realm battles. Victorious (sorry my “p” alliteration efforts cam up short!) living is His promise…His commands secure life!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 11-14

Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Revelation 5:6…”Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God (speaking symbolically of the completeness of God) sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were the holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song…”

This idea of them singing a new song to the Lamb is vital to our theology of the divinity of Christ. Those who do not embrace His divinity fail to see the correlation between chapters 4 and 5 in Revelation. In chapter 4, the four creatures and the elders are worshipping God the Father continually. In chapter 5, not only do they sing a new song of worship but that worship is now re-directed to the Lamb!

Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…He is fully divine and worthy of our worship…worship Him!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 5-10

Oh how guilty we are of what we are reading. Anyone willing to admit that we too neglect the worship of God for work? I know I do. in Chapter 5, verse 4 the first reason given for why Pharaoh will not let them go is that they will stop working...may we all know when it is time to stop our labor and begin our worship!

I see the parable of the sower and the seed in beginning in chapter 4 and culminating in chapter 6. In chapter 4, verse 31 we see that the people believed and bowed in worship to God. We can assume they were so convinced that they were all leaving that they stopped working already, which is what prompted Pharaoh's reply in chapter 5, verse 4. Yet so quickly the people give up. In chapter 6, verse 9 we learn that the people had a broken spirit. They did not listen to Moses. There was God's seed sown into their hearts but no fertile ground upon which it could grow. Any broken spirits reading today? It is hard for God's promises to endure the heart of the broken. I believe that God walked the Israelites through the trials of being promised by Pharaoh and then repeatedly repealed because He was helping them help, re-build their spirit, but even then we see the pattern continuing once they arrive in the wilderness, ultimately an entire generation lost to their own unwillingness to grow in spirit so they could live in promise.

In reading 4:31 compared to the opening of chapter 5, I was convicted of my own impulsiveness. Chapter 5 begins with the word, "later." At the end of chapter 4, we see that the people now have a leader, there is supernatural power at work, everyone is ready to leave! Yet, the word "later" appears. I would have been the one in the room who said, "Okay, let's go wake up Pharaoh right now, what are we waiting for!" Pastor Carter Goolsby, a spiritual mentor of mine always said that when God is moving, speaking, we must ask three question: what is God saying, how is God saying it should be accomplished, and when is God saying..." We so often forget the the third.

I am always intrigued by the difference between what God promised the Israelites and what God instructed Moses and Aaron to request of Pharaoh. The two are very different. God promised them freedom and a return to the promised land. Yet, their request was a three days journey into the wilderness for a time of worship with the implication that they would return. I know there is a rich reservoir of truth in there that I have yet to fully discover and all the research I have done still leaves me lacking...that is the joy of reading every year...the depths of Scripture will always leave more to be found! One is however the great juxtaposition of Genesis 23, the story of Abraham negotiating with Ephron for the purchase of property and now Moses negotiating with Pharaoh. May we be reminded that God honors the upright, Ephron, but His judgment upon the openly rebellious is severe. I believe that when we read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, what we are to understand is that He will give us over to our depravity if we demand it and then, we become an instrument of His will to our destruction. We are all an instrument of His will, but may it be to life and not death!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 1-4

Make sure you are using a study Bible as you read through this year. If you are using a chronological Bible, if it does not have good study notes, don't abandon your moments of curiosity! There are great online commentaries to choose from on Crosswalk.com or you can read using one translation and benefit from the study notes of another. I believe the best one in stores today is the Apologetics Study Bible. I appreciate their bringing clarity to what secularist call contradictions in the Bible. For example, they may point out that in Exodus 2, Moses' father-in-law's name is Ruel and then called Jethro. Jethro is his first name though and Ruel the name of his clan. Again, in Exodus 1:5 Moses tells us that Jacob's descendants numbered 70 yet in the book of Acts, Stephen says 75, but that is because Stephen is counting the 5 sons of Ephraim and Manasseh. If we think we have found a contradiction, we have actually only found the continuation of our own lack of understanding!

For Moses being saved, have you ever thought what it must have been like for his mother to be able to nurse him, care for him, raise him until he was ready to be weaned? That meant they were living among families whose sons had been thrown into the Nile. Can you imagine the tension that created among them? Humility. With our greatest blessings, may we remember that our gift from God can be a painful reminder of tragic loss to others. We must be humble with our blessings.

Too, we see humility come when Moses goes to seek permission from his father-in-law, a priest of Midian. Would we have asked for permission? Come on, we just talked to God through a bush! I know my inclination would have been to go and tell Jethro Ruel that I was leaving under the mandate of God Himself! Yet, we see Moses, gracious, respectful, humble, having a mandate from God yet submitted to the spiritual authority of his life. How would churches change in the world to today if all operated under such protocol?

Something I am excited to read in Heaven, I hope you have a list like this, I want to read the account of the "burning bush" moment that Aaron had with God. Don't you? God tells Moses that Aaron is on his way to meet him. What? This reminds us that the Israelites had a life defining relationship with God, conversing relationship, worshipping relationship. God was in constant communication with His people. What we observed in the life of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not die with them but lived on now with everyone who were themselves covenant keepers. Can't you imagine Aaron, "Who, Moses? You want me to wander out into the desert to meet Moses, he's been gone for 40 years now, he'll be 80, 80...and he is going to be our leader into the long awaited exodus?" God, "Yes."

Can you imagine Moses walking back into the communities of the Israelites? Possibly the only surviving male of his generation. For us, may we ask the question of God today, what needs to be consecrated in our lives? What needs to be set apart for you? What needs to die so that your plans in me and through me can live?

Pastor Fred

Genesis 49-50

Here we find again the great question of prescriptive vs. descriptive. Chapter 49 opens with, "...and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come." I truly believe this was a prophetic moment, God super-naturally empowering Jacob to speak of what will come; however, I believe what is coming for the these 12 is descriptive, God describing their future that is being created by their unrepentant past and present. Our unrepentant past and present is the prophetic voice of our tomorrows...unless we repent! Repentance is a voice changer!

Take for example Reuben. "He got into my bed." Enough said.

What areas of our lives are in rebellion of God? The Holy Spirit, by Jesus' instruction in John 16, is given to us in part of convict us the unrepentant sin in our lives. Let's covenant to ask Him to bring revelation to us, where Holy Spirit is their unrepentant sin in my life? I want a descriptive, prophetic voice that declares a life that brings deep pleasure to the heart of my God!

A quick note too, the saddest part of Genesis 49 is the reflection on Jacob's parenting. What a sad for him, "...When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people." Can you imagine that final moments of your life being the pronouncement of misery on the majority of your children? Parent well!

Finally, the final verses of chapter 50 set up one the greatest oath keeping moments in history, the promise to take Joseph's bones with them at the exodus he knew would one day come. A promise passed down from generation to generation, for centuries...that was kept (Exodus 13:19).

See you tomorrow!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 46-48

The opening of Genesis 46 reminds us something deeply instructive about God, He sees the end. He reassures Israel/Jacob that traveling to Egypt will result in his descendants becoming a great nation...yet as we know, they are in store for centuries of slavery. God sees the end, we too often are preoccupied with the journey.

We know too that part of Israel's reluctance was his commitment to the covenant. He believed that God was going to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. No set of circumstances would chase him away from God's promise, not even famine. In Genesis 26 we see that Isaac was considering fleeing to Egypt because of another famine. Yet God told him to stay, Isaac sows his seed, in spite of the famine, and God supernaturally enables him to yield a hundred fold crop! Our prosperity, our destiny, is not dependent on our circumstances; I like the phrase circumstance transcendent!

What's God's word for you right now? His will is our security!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 40-45

"Two years later." Here is Joseph, in prison, an innocent man, seeing his way out, interpreted a dream for both the butler and the baker and yet butler forgets his promise! At what point would you and I despair, give in to the temptation that we had been forsaken, give up hope on the prophetic dreams of our yesterdays that proclaimed the prosperity of our future? 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us that a day is as a thousand years and thousand years as a day to the Lord. Our despair is not because we have been forgotten by God, impossible, but rather that we have forgotten that time does not drive Him but rather timing.

I love too the names Joseph chose for his two sons. According to the Apologetics Study Bible, Manasseh means "God has made me forget all my hardship in my father's house." And, Ephraim means, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." May it be that all of us see that our names, whatever they may be, have a strong foundation, be rooted in an unrelenting conviction that "God made..." We are in His grip and no set of circumstances can displace us! If you are in a dark place in your life, whether it be in innocence like Joseph or due to reciprocity like Joseph's brothers, if you genuinely love God, He is working to both Manasseh and Ephraim you!

These chapters for me are also a the basis for reconciling two people who are offended with one another. Usually there is no Joseph in my experience. Both side typically bear some guilt, as well, both side typically can boast some innocence. One can make a great case that Joseph was not completely innocent. We see arrogance and pride in his youth, and the story reveals, these can be costly sins. Think of a time you have been offended by someone, was your heart toward that person, your attitude, your words to them, your words to others about them...were they the perfect mirror of Jesus? If not, we aren't as innocent as we might think. We usually are both Joseph and his brothers mixed together. Since both side are typically this, the mediator must help each person see where they themselves have sinned. Usually, we can't see our own wrong doing because we are too focused on the other's. That is why Jesus talks to us about getting plank out of our own eye before we try to operate on the speck in our brother's eye. This is how reconciliation always takes its first step, each party sees the willingness of the other to take responsibility for their part...that releases grace into the situation, confession and requests for forgiveness become the seeds that soon blossom into restored relationship.

Finally, let us not forget that God brings Israel into Egypt, for one immediate purpose...slavery?

Pastor Fred

Genesis 37-39

So many thoughts today! First, parenting, come on Jacob/Israel, what were you thinking! This idea of reciprocity and providence both moving forward concurrently is so striking in the Jacob narrative. God will not be denied in advancing history for the birth of the Savior, but He does not exempt the chosen instruments of His divine will from reciprocity. Jacob's deep sorrow he suffered in believing his son was dead was reeping the sorrow he had sewn into the lives of his family by having an openly favorite child and filling the balance of his children with years of sorrow growing up in a family where they were emotionally, and possibly financially, neglected.

As parents, we must NEVER create a dynamic where one child feels they have the favor of their parents above their siblings. We must create an environment where we understand the giftings, talents, promising aspects of each and every child and celebrate it! Too, we must create a culture where each child is expected to celebrate the unique giftings of their siblings! Each child should be just as much of an advocate of the success and triumphs of their siblings as they are for themselves. In addition, we know there is the possibility where one child, even younger children's giftings will lend themselves to leading their older siblings. Think about student government or sports captains where siblings play together and younger ones surpass older ones. We must teach our gifted younger ones, and older ones, humility. We must also work to make sure those who gifted to empower the leadership of others are celebrated and affirmed so that they see all callings and giftings are precious in God's economy (1 Corinthians 12)!

Men, we are so very vulnerable to the value system of our secular culture! What are we doing to protect ourselves? Lot's story of what his daughters did and here we have the story of Jacob's sons and their promiscuousness. Men, if we are not aggressively pursuing a Biblical stamp on our sexuality, both our daughters and sons are at risk! Talk to your children about their sexuality. If you are not sure how, there are so many great resources available. We just purchased some books at LifeWay that are written based on age and are planning to talk with each of our children to begin that dialogue. If you don't the world will begin shaping their sexuality and our society will continue to suffer because the Christians are just as vulnerable! This enrages me! Listen to my podcast (www.thecitylifechurch.com) entitled Sophronismos 1 & 2. We aren't expected to be completely perfect as Christians but let's not use that a license to struggle with commission sins that have no place in the life of the devoted follower of Christ! If we do not shape our children's sexuality, we curse them to curiosity. If we don't give them the answers they are desperate to hear from us, they are cursed to follow their curiosity. You show me a man or a women who struggles with sexual issues and I'll show you a child whose parents failed to shape their children's sexuality appropriately and curse their children to being shaped by curiosity and experimentation. Now, as adults, even in the midst of a loving, affectionate, Godly marriage, they struggle because of the foothold curiosity and experimentation gained in them early in life. Pornography, fantasy, even prostitution plays into their appetite for curiosity and experimentation. When will we learn!

It's going to be a great year!!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 34-36

As we continue to read through Genesis, we see the powerful truth being declared through all the genealogies that are recorded, that one generation impacts not just those of their time but many generations that follow. Returning back to our question of Eden in regards to the curse being prescriptive or descriptive, helps us better understand what will come later when God speaks of the sins of the father being visited upon their children and the righteousness of a the father likewise affecting generations to come (see Exodus 20). Ezekiel 18 promises us that God will not punish one generation for the sins of another. Here's an article, give it a read, that speaks to this: Beth Moore.

We see that the sin of deception continues to characterize this family. This is a sobering moment for each of us, or it should be. We must be willing to ask ourselves some pressing questions. What sins are prevalent in our lives, both ones of omission and commission, meaning sins that I actively commit, like angry outbursts, or omission being sin as a result of my inaction, like withholding my generosity from neighbors in need? What am I perpetuating, following the sinful patterns of generations before me? What am I beginning, new patterns of sin that will be perpetuated generationally through my children?

Why not perpetuate righteousness as with sin, it lasts for three and four generations but with righteousness, come on, a thousand generations! What kind of impact am I, are you?

Pastor Fred

Genesis 28-33

These chapters remind us that while it is impossible to out run providence, out running reciprocity is equally hopeless, forever futile.

Genesis 22-27

Waiting. If there was one recurring theme throughout the history of Abraham and Isaac to identify, it is waiting. God's promise of a child for Abraham. God's promise that the lands would be his and his descendants. Sarah's longing for a child. God's promise to Hagar and her son Ishmael. I had forgotten that Isaac and Rebekah too had to wait for their first born, two sons. Isaac was 60 when they were born...waiting. Are you a waiter? Am I a waiter?

I was struck how chapter 22 began, "After these things God tested Abraham..." Are you kidding me! What's been happening for the more than a century of his life to date? Waiting in testings.

But the key is also found in chapter 22, "Here I am." Being a "waiting person" is being a "here I am" person, completely given to the sovereignty of God. I sometimes wonder if that wasn't Esau's downfall. He couldn't even wait for a few more moments for someone else in their families service, and servants they had in great abundance, to fix him a meal. He was willing to give up his birthright for something to eat. Now that's having a waiting problem.

I'm struck by this because one would think that being a lying, conniving, scheming, manipulating, man of deception would be flaw enough for the purposes of God to find another instrument. Yet, in the end, it was a waiting deficiency that disqualified Esau.

I'm not sure I really agree with the traditional view of what happened when Isaac blessed Jacob but thinking he was blessing Esau. There is one view, that Isaac's words have power, they are like a tangible gift, once given, not being able to be revoked. However, I believe that blessings are more of a prophetic moment. God giving insight to the one giving the blessing, speaking descriptively of what was to come. Jacob stole nothing. The future is the future and only God can see this, and God gave Isaac those words to speak over Jacob just as He had spoken to Rebekah when she inquired of Him in chapter 25 verses 22-23. Equally, Isaac's subsequent words spoken over Esau was born out of prophetic insight.

Are you a waiter? Am I a waiter?

Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

I woke up this morning feeling "thin" in the moments of my day. Sometimes I allow the weight of what is waiting for me to thin out my present. Let me give you a picture. If you were to take a bowling ball and place it in a stocking, it would thin out the upper portion of the stocking, its weight pulling all the fabric to itself. Sometimes the moments in our future are heavy maybe because of something unknown, maybe because of responsibility, maybe because of unavoidable consequences, maybe...just heavy. Some call it stress. I call it feeling thin. When I'm feeling thin, I'm allowing my future moments to weigh too heavily in my present and it causes me to miss the beauty of my now.

A Hebrew word for glory is "kabod" and one of its meanings is weighty. What can be weightier than Him?

Being a good waiter is being able to rest in the weightiness of His glory, the great counter weight of all things later.

Paul was a waiter which is why he wrote to the church of Philippi these sacred words: "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Pastor Fred

Genesis 19-21

The challenge in blogging through the history of the OT will be where to focus, wow, so much in these three chapters. I feel however that the part most striking to me is the contrast of what at first glance appears to be between the grace of God and the judgment of God.

We have an entire region that is consumed by fire, don't forget that includes children, innocent. Then, we have a man who lies, manipulates, untrusting, and disobedient, that's Abraham. How can this be? As I have blogged before, I don't believe that we see God's judgment in the OT and His grace and the NT. The judgment of God is only ever out of His grace, in an effort to bring people to repentance or to protect them from a future where possibly they would have only suffered. I think of the story of Lot's daughters, getting their father drunk, having an incestuous relationship with them, how could this be? Well, when we read about the dynamic in their home, we shouldn't be surprised. If your father is willing to throw you into a sex crazed mob in deference to being hospitable to strangers, no wonder there was a glaring absence of character in them. If I believe the sovereignty of God then I must embrace that if He allows innocent children to be destroyed, as He did in Sodom and Gomorrah, that was an act of grace on His behalf and not indifference. We must not see His invitation to them to enter into their eternal bliss as an act of a callous deity but rather the compassion of a loving God.

So why is He so patient with Abraham who appears to be so very flawed? I believe there is an important distinction here. Abraham's flaws did not characterize him. Did he make the same mistake twice, sure, but does two times characterize? Have you lied twice in your life in similar circumstances? Does that earn you the label of liar? I believe we see a pattern throughout Scripture and that is God's loving judgment comes once we have crossed the line of characterization.

Judas and Peter are a great example for us. Did they not ultimately commit the same sin? Did they not both betray their loyalty? There is however a grave difference, characterization. Judas was characterized by it, he was dishonest more than he wasn't. God knows the heart of every person. Peter, however flawed as we all are, was not characterized by dishonesty and betrayal. He made mistakes but was ultimately always growing and maturing, not just availing himself to forgiveness but to transformation as well.

Who gets to decide the difference between the two, characterization and momentary laps of character? God. Jeremiah 20:12 says, "Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause." He is the only one who is allowed judgment because He alone knows the heart.

Pastor Fred

Genesis 16-18

A couple of thoughts this morning. First, I've always found the Angel of the Lord's command to Hagar intriguing, "You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment." (16:9) Are you kidding me? Is that a mistake. Shouldn't it have either read that she was free to leave because of her mistreatment or that she was free to go back and make a public spectacle of Sarai because she deserved to be exposed for her inhumane behavior or that she was to return and God was going to change Sarai's heart toward her...yet none of this was to be. Hagar was to return and then it comes, the dreaded "s" word, submit, and not to one worthy of respect but to mistreatment. We must never forget the old cliche, that God is not so concerned for our comfort as much as He is our character. If we ever find ourselves being mistreated, we would do well to read this story and pray vigilantly before we assign assumptions to God's intention.

I also realized something this morning that I had not seen before in the history of Abram/Abraham. His son was not conceived until after the rite of circumcision had been established. May it be a reminder to us that God has promises for us to possess that we can not behold until we have submitted areas of our lives to Him that we have formerly withheld. And in thinking of those promises, how wondrous they will be, think of the meaning of Isaac's name, laughter. The Apologetics Study Bible I am reading points out the "play on words" here. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the Angel's news that they would give birth to a child naturally, even though they were 100 and 90 respectively (17:17 & 18:12).

God's promises for us are so grand, they cause the unbelieving mind to laugh at the impossibility...they inspire the heart of faith to look expectantly!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 13-15

The Genesis narrative continues to amaze...a great portend for the rest of the year, Holy Scripture living, powerful, inspiring, life giving!

In chapter 13 we are reminded that prosperity does not just come by way of reciprocity of financial gifts but by being a peace maker. Our material wealth is tethered to righteousness and an unrelenting faith in God. Abram new that his financial success was not dependent on natural circumstances but rather a super-natural God!

318 is a favorite number for us at City Life. We use this number to challenge people to get involved in ministry. Abram needed all his trained men to join in the fight and that with God's sovereign intervention, not even the armies of four kings could overcome them. Evil is just as pervasive in our cities today as was in the days of Abram. We too have the promise of God's sovereignty working on our behalf to evangelize our communities. The only remaining question is whether or not our "318" will join in the struggle. Every person has been gifted by God with a unique ability to complete the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12)...you have been divinely "trained!" Will you add your name to one of Abram's house today, your local church, and rescue the Lot held captive by evil in your community?

Our reading wraps up today with an astounding prophetic statement, the prediction of the 400 year captivity of the many descendants of Abram, who by the way, at the time of the prophecy, still had no children! See if you can find in the book of Exodus where this prophecy is said to have been fulfilled, specifically the 400 years.

Godspeed in 2010!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 10-12

How we view God strongly impacts how we understand the Bible. For example, if we view God as a detached, domineering, uncaring divine being, we read the historical account of the Tower of Babel as a god who realized his creation is encroaching upon divine glory and out of insecurity, frustrates their progress. However, we know the the God is none of those things. He is only loving, caring, merciful, perfect in every way! I object to the view that God is all about judgment in the OT and about forgiveness in the NT. He is only always about forgiveness. All the judgment in the OT and the NT is only every motivated out of love to bring people to repentance so that we might know His forgiveness!

Something I saw this morning that I have not noticed before is that the statement in the account of the building of the Tower of Babel that they wanted to "make a name for themselves" mirrors the blessing that God would soon speak over Abram. The very thing for which they longed to have was an integral part of the blessing that God spoke over Abram. Read the two together and compare.

I love Ecclesiastes 3:11 where we read that God has put eternity in the hearts of men. There is something present in us that longs for all that God has in store for us. Where we misstep is the same as those in the planes of Shinar, we take matters into our own hands. The only way we should ever hope to have a name made for ourselves is as we make a name for God in our world! Any fame we muster should only be through our efforts in making Him famous among everyone within our sphere of influence!

Pastor Fred

p.s. - Lesson number one to husbands out of Genesis, no lying about your wife being your sister!

Genesis 7-9

Someone asked me a great question after church last night. We partake of the Lord's Supper, Communion, on the first Saturday of every month. The question was why we did not partake every week. We love questions at City Life!

Some churches believe that there is a mandate for partaking of the Lord's Supper every week, primarily based on Acts 20:7 which speaks to the Apostle Paul in Troas. The verse reads, "On the first day of the week, we assemble to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he as about to depart the next day, he extended his message until midnight." (remember that the next time you thing your pastor preached to long!)

There are just some things, as a commitment to mutual respect, that we must acknowledge will not be sorted out until we all get to heaven. I believe the frequency of the Lord's Supper is one of them. But mutual respect does not mean we cannot have humble, affirming dialogue about why we have different beliefs and different practices.

Why am I writing about this in reference to today's reading? Because in Genesis 9, God gives Noah and his family some basic instructions in preparation of the creation of new society. One was that no meat could be eaten that still contained blood and secondly that in any case of one person taking another person's life, the perpetrator must be killed. Does this mean that any person today who professes faith in Christ can never eat such foods or must support a criminal code that only calls for capital punishment in every instance of murder? Of course not, because as the Apologetics Study Bible notes point out (my current favorite daily reading Bible), we recognize the difference between teachings in Scripture that are timeless and those that are time bound. Paul commands that women must wear head coverings in church...I can't speak for every church, but at City Life we do not have a knitting ministry to provide head coverings to our ladies! This is one of the primary sources of the multitude of denominations today, disagreements between what is time bound and what is timeless.

Did the early church celebrate the Lord's Supper every time they met for their weekly worship service? Personally, I don't think Acts 20:7 is a very strong support of this since Paul was only there in Troas for 7 days. This was Paul's last day with them so one could make a strong argument that the context of Acts 20:7 is that they "broke bread" with Paul because he was a special guest and they wanted to share in this sacred moment with him. For me, I have to ask the question, if God intended us to share in The Lord's Supper every time we gathered, it seems that the instruction would be much more clear throughout Scripture. The only other mention the implies frequency is in 1 Corinthians 11:33 where Paul wrote, "Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another." But here again, there are many scholars who point out that the dominant word here is "when" meaning that every congregation must decide for themselves about frequency.

I thumbed through a book not too long ago by an author name Perry Stone who said he believed that The Lord's Supper was something to partake of every day that the this was the practice of the early church. I think that is quite a stretch and has little historical support but still, in the end, we just don't know, it is unclear.

I would argue that the frequency of The Lord's Supper is not a timeless principle. We must make room for one another's preferences without perceiving others as being wrong if we are not dealing with an absolute. If someone were to argue that the deity of Christ is not a timeless principle, well, that would be a problem! But if we take matters that are supposed to be relative from one congregation to another and make them absolutes, we end of with division and legalism. By the same token, if we take absolutes and reduce them to relativity, we end up in compromise. My definition of unity is that we must let absolute commonalities transcend relative dissimilarities.

So, for my brethren who partake of the Lord's Supper every week, go for it! If you want to partake every day, then by all means do! Or, if you want to celebrate it once every month, then enjoy! Let's make room for one other in love, devotion, and respect!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 4-6

You can't help but ask the question, "how did they live so long?" in reading todays chapters. Methuselah for 969 years! There are lots of theories out there and one that I like is that in the Garden of Eden, there was the Tree of Life. I tend toward the position that it was in eating from this tree, which is a prophetic picture of Jesus, that Adam and Eve had the hope of eternal longevity. Once they had to leave Eden, they were no longer able to eat from this tree yet the effects of it carried forward for generations. Remember, in Genesis 1 a principle of life was established, that all living things would reproduce after their own kind. The effects of Tree of Life were passed down from generation to generation but so too was the sinful nature of our humanity. Without continuing consumption of the Tree of Life, the effects of the sinful nature of our humanity eventually overcame us, in part physically, and our lives ceased to be supernaturally lengthened.

This brings up another interesting question, "what is the difference between prescriptive and descriptive?" I am more descriptive than prescriptive. For example, the curse on mankind we read in Genesis 3, is this God prescribing what He is going to do to mankind or describing what mankind has done to themselves? I think God is describing what mankind has done to themselves. God did not curse us which would be prescriptive but rather we cursed ourselves and God is describing how we will suffer as result of our own disobedience. Thus, once we get to Genesis 6:3 and God says that the number of mankind's years will not be 120, I see this as descriptive, not prescriptive. God is describing what is now happening to man a result of not having access to the Tree of Life generations later.

But we know that we have access to the Tree of Life today, in a sense! Not that a vow of devotion to Jesus ensures the longevity of these physical bodies but rather a promise of a greater longevity, a heavenly body! In Revelation, the New Jerusalem has at its center, the Tree of Life! See if you can find the reference and read for yourself!

Godspeed in 2010!

Pastor Fred

Genesis 1 - 3

I am endeavoring to share a thought or two from my daily readings in 2010. Our church (www.thecitylifechurch) is reading through the Bible every year. This year, we are using the chronological reading plan. I hope you join us! If you are new to reading plans, any number of Bibles at your local Christian bookstore contains reading plans, there are even Bibles designed specifically for daily reading, like the Chronological Bible. We like to use online services so that you receive a daily email prompting you and listing your reading for the day...check out www.crosswalk.com for example.

It's still The Way today!

For today...I am always struck by what God does to Adam in Genesis 2:18. God acknowledges that it is not good for man to be alone. But does He proceeds, not in the creation of woman, but of animals! If one was not familiar with the nature of God from the rest of Scripture, it would appear rather sadistic, taunting. God then proceeds with giving the task of naming all the animals to Adam, with each naming event, a reminder of his loneliness. Who is this God? A sovereign One, all wise! For here we see one of the great principles of God's Kingdom, that it is in waiting without what God intends for us to have that we are able to recognize His will more clearly once it arrives. Verse 23, "An the man said, This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh..."

I also reflect on how the devil works. In chapter 3, verse 5 he promises, "...you will be like God..." I believe one his most successful approaches in temptation is to play on appetites that we have that are pure, noble, righteous. All of us are called to be like God. In chapter one we read that He created us in His image. The devil takes desires that are God given and perverts them. God gave us an appetite for pleasure, rest, relationship, prosperity...yet we know all of them can be perverted. Be wise to the devil's schemes!

My last thought touches on something controversial. I strongly believe that The Church has failed in its calling to reach the homosexual community. I believe Cal Thomas got it correct in his book Blinded By Might where he accuses some popular evangelical groups for picking certain social issues not out of divine calling but because they were strategic issues for fund raising. I believe The Church has failed miserably in loving the sinner and hating the sin on this one. We have hated both. But we me must not let our mistakes cause us to fall into accommodating a life style that robs people of the abundant life Jesus promises. Genesis 2:24 and 25 are the best verses in the Bible to uphold romantic relationships being only between one man and one woman. Here again the insight above comes into play. Satan understands our innate need for romantic relationship, sexual fulfillment so he plays on this need in people and leads them astray. Genesis 2:24-25 teach us that the only way that need in us is going to be completely satisfied is with one of the opposite gender.

See you tomorrow!