Missions and Our Stories A Heart, Eyes and Ears for the World Guest Speaker - Marty Shaw

If you’ve ever wondered how people were saved before Christ, it’s the same way anyone is today, by faith in God. The Israelites demonstrated their faith, or lack of faith in God by how they responded to the covenant. The laws weren’t to be followed solely for the sake of rule keeping, they were meant to be obeyed from hearts that were devoted to God above anything else.

Have I gotten this far on the basis of my efforts, my smarts, and or I am here with God sheerly by the grace and righteousness of Christ? Israel breaks camp and begins their journey to the “Promised Land” as we look at a story about faith over fear: remembering the God who delivers.

Love the Lord your God - To love God with all your heart and with all your soul, and strength means to love him with your whole self, including your rationality, mental capacity, moral choices and will, inner feelings and desires, the deepest roots of your life, and “with all your very-muchness.”

What is Atonement? Why sacrifice Animals? What's the purpose of a scapegoat? Does Jesus atone for our sin? And is the blood of Jesus enough? These questions and many more will be addressed as we look at the center of the center of the Torah.

How often do we, in our lifestyles, approach God casually, thinking little of unrepentant sin? And here’s the thing—God may not send fire from heaven today, but His principles haven’t changed.

What happened between the instructions for the temple and the actual building of the temple? Panic. Don’t forget, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people, in the desert, wondering what’s next? Their leader and mediator is gone. 
Before we judge them too harshly, ask yourself this: what would you have done? Have you ever panicked and chose to trust something or someone other than God?

Why would God dedicate so many chapters to a tent? It’s God’s way of saying, “I want to live with My people.” They’re in the wilderness so a tent it is.

Guest Speaker - Jen Rosner The entire bible - Genesis to Revelation - is about God's covenant with, love for, and faithfulness to the people of Israel...And, in Jesus, through Israel, to all nations.

Looking back at Exodus 19, God reminds Israel, “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Why is it so important that God gives the law after salvation, not as a condition for it? How does this shape the way we think about obedience today?

The Israelites concern of starvation is legitimate, but how did God respond to them? One day at a time. A response thats just as applicable today as it was then.

When we experience trials in our lives how do we respond? Do we grumble against God or do we remember that He cares for us and pray?

Some of the Israelites walked through the walls of water thinking, “Wow! Of course, Moses’ God could do this!” But others thought, “I’m going to drown any second.”....Point is they were all saved! Those with strong faith, those with little faith. God saved them apart from the quality of their faith. It was the object of their faith that saved them.

Visiting Missionary, Josh Sofaer, shares about why Passover is important as we continue our series on the covenant people in Exodus.

The story of the 10 plagues isn’t just about God’s judgment on Pharaoh or the gods of Egypt, it’s about His power to deliver those who trust in him. And just as God made a way of escape through the blood of the lamb at Passover, He’s made a way of rescue for us through the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

The big question is not, “Why is the bush not consumed?” The big question is, “Why isn’t Moses consumed?”

When a human government commands us to do what God forbids . . . or forbids us to do what God commands . . . we are duty bound to obey God rather than man. The beginning of Exodus displays how the people of Israel and Moses experience this most clearly in the face of Egypt and Pharaoh.

From this point forward, we are looking for the Messiah, who will fulfill the promise, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. Although there is foreshadowing of the Messiah in Abraham’s great grandson (Joseph), he is not the one ultimately to fulfill God’s promise.

Joseph is a classic expression of genuine faith, by being kind to his ungrateful and his wicked brothers. Joseph trusted God’s sovereignty more than he trusted his right to vengeance.

The Revelation of Joseph. There is no lack of powerful displays of God's hand in the life of Jospeh and his brothers it is a great reminder that God is always working behind the scenes to fulfill his promises.