Exodus 5:22-7:7 Our salvation depends on the LORD, not on us

Exodus 5:22-7:7

I don’t like today’s passage.

There is a part of me that rises up in great anger when I read today’s passage.

Because I want to be God in my life. I am me. I am independent. I am the captain of my destiny. No-one tells me what to do.

And this passage is all about GOD’S sovereignty.

But I love this passage.

Because God is sovereign, and I am not. Because my rebellion against him is forgotten, dealt with by him on the cross – not because I deserve it, or earned it, but because it is his nature to forgive. And because he is sovereign, because HE is God and I am not, he can override my sinful choices and compel me to come to him and be saved.

My pride might say I hate this passage. But I say, shut up, pride, for you are a fool. For this passage gives me eternal life!

1. I am the LORD, the sovereign God

2. I am the LORD God almighty. You are not.

3. I am the LORD, your saviour

1. I am the LORD, the sovereign God

Last week ended pretty badly, didn’t it. Pharaoh was angry, the Israelites were much worse off, now having to make bricks without the straw they needed to make bricks (and then being beaten for not making the bricks “it’s not our fault!”). Moses and Aaron are rejected by the Israelites for making them “stink” before Pharaoh. And Moses, the great hero of the Old Testament, the saviour of Israel… well he’s in a pit of despair and doubt.

How quickly we abandon the word of God! As soon as we run into trouble, we fall away.

But why? Why do we fall away? Isn’t it when things don’t go the way we had planned? That’s what we define as trouble isn’t it? Things didn’t go according to plan. But who’s plan? God’s plan? Or OUR (much better) plan.

Moses is in despair because things didn’t go the way HE wanted. Listen to his words Ex 5:22–23 Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”

The tone is accusatory, hostile. And he’s not so much worried about “the people” – he’s worried about him “Why did you send…ME”. I was having a nice quiet life in the middle of the desert – now you dragged me out here, nearly killed me on the way, put me in front of Pharaoh – only to make a fool out of me, and make everyone hate me.

And you’ve done nothing!!

Actually, God has done exactly what he said he would do. Remember a couple of weeks back, to 4:21 And the LORD told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.

We read sentences like “I will harden his heart” and we give a little nervous laugh, and a little cough, because this doesn’t fit in with our mental picture of God – and then we ignore it. Or try to explain it away. It’s unfair we say. Unfair? For God to pronounce judgement on a sinful, brutal, evil ruler like Pharaoh?

Many people, even Christians (especially Christians?) get very offended with the idea of God’s sovereignty. The idea that God is in control. That God decides.

The reason we struggle with that doctrine (idea or teaching), even though it is fundamental to our faith, should be painfully obvious to all of us who are Christian. The reason we struggle with it is that we want to be God! WE want to decide our fate (and indeed, the fates of others).

And so we simply filter what we want to hear. Moses heard “rescue” and “miracles” and power and prestige. God promised all that – but also hardship and refusal and a battle between Pharaoh and God that would reveal God’s glory. Moses ignored that bit.

It’s kind of like when Jesus said he would go to Jerusalem (yes, yes, to rescue your people, yes. Glory and power and all that) - well, not quite – more like my death, but don’t worry, I will conquer death and rise again. Yes, they say – and the first thing they do is say “I’d like to be on your right hand in the kingdom” – the position of power! They just… filtered away… his words about suffering and death. So they were shocked, SHOCKED, when he died. How could this happen.

Like Moses. Pharaoh will be hard-hearted and not let the people. And Moses is shocked, SHOCKED.

Like us. We live in a sinful world, as sinners, surrounded by sinners. We know we are not God. We know we are not in the new Creation. And we are shocked, SHOCKED, by hardship, or difficulties. Shocked when God calls us to lay aside our lives. To live self-sacrificially. To love the unlovable. To forgive deep, real, hurts. To pour out our lives in service to him. But what about ME and MY plans.

There is a God. You are not Him.

There is a version of the gospel which has been filtered to suit our comfortable Western existence. It is called the prosperity gospel (herlighetsteologi) – that God is on our side, that he will make us healthy and wealthy. That he will fulfil our dreams and grant us our deepest desires. Notice the focus? Me. Me. Me. My dreams. My desires. My health. My wealth. That’s not the gospel – that’s the American Dream – actually that’s insulting the American Dream, because that involves hard work – this is the American DayDream! Just have faith and God the magic genie will give it to you.

God is not there to do our will. We were made, by Him, to do His will. We are his servants – he is not ours. To disobey him is to rebel against the power at the centre of the universe, and is a foolish thing indeed. Pharaoh rebelled, and look at v 1! Then the LORD told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” 2 And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the LORD.’

God is God. The Lord is the Lord. There is only one God.
Moses, God is God. Not you.

Daniel, God is God. Not you.

2. I am the LORD God almighty. You are not.

There’s a big puzzle in this story, and that’s vv14-25 – the random genealogy (list of names). Let’s have a break here and bore you to death with a list of births and deaths! Just as the story’s getting interesting.

That might be just a clever literary device. God has just said “I am the LORD” and v13 The LORD commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Ooh, the stage is set – and then we cut away to this list of names. It’s like an advertising break at a crucial point in a TV program. “And the murderer is….” Pause. Fade to black. “Buy our nappies”… argh!

But I suspect it’s more than just old style “advert break”. This list of the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel has been deliberately placed here, and the names carefully selected. Why?

That’s a question you should be asking when you read the Bible, and it’s a big part of my job in explaining it. Why? Why is it said like this? Why is it said here? It’s a surprise, and surprises should make us sit up and concentrate. A bit like Jesus’ surprising the apostles with “I’m going to Jerusalem…” (yes, yes, to be crowned King!) “…to die”. Huh? But they dismissed it – it didn’t fit with their framework – their preconceived ideas of God and the world – and so they ignored his word. Oops. And missed out on the very reason he came, the central work of Jesus, the message they would spend their lives proclaiming and die for: Christ crucified – the righteous who died for the unrighteous (us) to bring us to God.
Watch for the surprises… and allow God to shape your framework, instead of trying to shape God to fit your framework. If you don’t let the Bible shape your view of God, you will eventually find that you are worshipping a lie – a God made in your own image – a Jesus who does not exist – an idol. And that is extremely dangerous.

So, why the genealogy? Why only 3 sons of Israel? Why these sons? Why these families?

Well, let’s examine it. 14 These are the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel: The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.) Their descendants became the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the descendants of Levi, as listed in their family records:

The author is not really interested in the descendants of Rueben and Simeon, is he? He mentions them only to get to Levi – because that’s Moses and Aaron’s clan. So why mention them at all? It’s to point out that Levi is not even the firstborn. He’s not the most important son. He’s down the list. Number 3. Then we get the sons of Levi Gershon, Kohath, Merari. Again, Moses and Aaron are not even from the firstborn of Levi. They are number 2.

The point is this: Moses, and Aaron his brother, are not anything special. They’re just ordinary guys, from an ordinary family, from an ordinary tribe. They have no special skills, no special promises, no special position in life (and even if they did, Moses showed how quickly you can mess that up: from the palace to the desert in one easy move!).

They are ordinary.

Actually, not even that. Reuben lost his birthright because of sexual sin. Simeon and Levi ransacked an entire town, murdering everyone out of revenge for their sister Dinah being assaulted. Moses and Aaron’s parents did something forbidden in the law: Amram married Jochebed his father’s sister. Korah, mentioned in v24, was the one who rebelled against Moses and who was swallowed up by the ground in Numbers 16.

Their family line is a mess. Rebellion and evil all over the place. There is nothing special about them.

But God.

God has called Moses, and together with him, Aaron, to be part of his salvation work. This whole story is God’s initiative – from the baby floating in the river to growing up in the Palace, to fleeing to the desert, to seeing the Burning bush – all to bring him to this point: The Aaron and Moses named in this list are the same ones to whom the LORD said, “Lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.” 27 It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.

You know, you might be sitting there thinking “God could never use me, I’m not qualified. I’m no good at this. I’m born into the wrong family. I don’t have this skill or that skill. God can’t use me.” Guess what? You’re wrong! God doesn’t need the skilled, or those born into the right family, or with power, or connections. He can provide all that, if necessary. He is sovereign, after all. Your job is to simply be obedient. 7: 6 So Moses and Aaron (eventually) did just as the LORD had commanded them.

To share a personal story - I felt the same way when God called me to plant this church. Ridiculous, I said, I’m the wrong person for the job. I’m an accountant, for goodness sake. I don’t have these skills, or these, etc. And yet here we stand, 2 years old, God’s grace evident throughout this congregation. God is the difference. He works in our weakness.

But I also want to talk to those of us here who don’t really know God. If you’re sitting there thinking “God can’t accept me”, or “Daniel, if you really knew me and what I have done, you wouldn’t be saying that God can use me, God can accept me”. Well, you’re wrong. The whole Bible is story after story of God accepting the unacceptable. So if you’re unacceptable to God, you’ve got good company: Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the apostles Peter, John, Paul, for example!

Why? Because

3. I am the LORD, your saviour

6:6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.

God is in the business of saving people. And did you see why he saves people? It’s a repeated saying, again and again. It’s there in v6 “I am the LORD”

Notice that LORD is in capital letters. This indicates the letters YHWH or Yahweh (or older translations had Jehovah). It is his name – his personal name revealed to Israel.

The reason he saves is because he is the LORD, Yahweh. He saves because that’s who he is. That is his character, his very nature.

That’s what v2-3 means: And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the LORD.’ 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

This doesn’t mean that they didn’t know his name, Yahweh, before now. A number of names have a “yah” as part of them, like Joshua (Yeshu-yah) and Jochebed (Yah-kebed, meaning “Yahweh is glory”); and also because Genesis uses the name Yahweh 162 times! For example, after Isaac is redeemed from the sacrifice, Abraham names the place Yahweh-Yireh (the LORD provides).

So they knew his name – but now he will reveal to them what it means – who he really is. The saviour God.

The Exodus is an object lesson on the character and nature of our saviour God. That is why it is so important. We see in one great event the hostility of God towards sin and injustice: he is the Judge of the world, and he is irresistible. Justice will be done, must be done. And in the midst of his just judgement on the pride and arrogance and cruelty of Pharaoh and his people – we find mercy and salvation and patience and tenderness. We find a God who covers over the sins of his people.

For who is this Moses who speaks back to God in unbelief? He is nothing, a no-one – yet in 5:22-23 he moans against God. In 6:12 he tries to wiggle out of obeying God. In v30 he does the same “No God, I won’t do it”.

And yet God’s reaction is not judgement…but mercy. So, too, his reaction to the Israelites who reject his Word. 9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore.

God had every right to simply walk away. To abandon them. To terrify them in his wrath and subdue them. But instead he deals tenderly with them, patiently repeating his words and sending Moses and Aaron to rescue them anyway. He covers over their sins, the sins of Moses and the sins of the people of Israel, and says you will be my people, and I will be your God. (6:7). Why? Because I am Yahweh – the LORD – the covenant keeping God.

Exodus reveals the heart of God.

But Exodus is only a shadow of the reality to come. In Exodus we see in part who this LORD, this Yahweh, is – on the Cross we see it in full.

On the Cross we see the full extent of God’s justice as he pours out his wrath, his anger, on the sins of the world upon the shoulders of his Son. We see his justice as Jesus cries out “My God, my God why have you abandoned me”, and the sun goes dark and the earth splits open as with a loud cry Jesus dies. And we see in that same moment his amazing mercy as the one who is on the cross, the one paying the penalty for my sins, the one carrying all my wrongdoing on his shoulders is not me – but him. God himself, bearing the cost of our rebellion. Even Moses’ sin is there. The sins of the Israelites ignoring God is there. All the sins past, present and future committed by his people, all focused like a huge magnifying glass on that one moment in history, that one Man on the Cross, bearing our sin. What love! What mercy!

This is why in the New Testament he is not called Yahweh, but the Lord Jesus. Jesus is the full and complete revelation of Almighty God, El-Shaddai, Yahweh, the LORD.

1. He is the LORD, the sovereign God

2. He is the LORD God almighty. I am not.

3. He is the LORD, my, your, saviour

He is our Lord, our saviour.

Exodus 2:21-3:17 Who are you, Lord?

Exodus 2:21-3:17

Who do you worship? What kind of God do you serve?

How do you know what he/she/it is like?

We claim to worship God, but how do we know him? What do we expect of him?

So often our expectations of him are driven by other people’s words, or our own wish fulfilment. We often make God in our own image. So when God actually appears, when he breaks in, when he does something we are often worried, afraid. Who is he REALLY, and what will he DO?

This is the question Moses asked when God revealed himself. What is your name? Now he doesn’t mean what collection of letters should I use to refer to you (“Bob”, “Lord Bob”) but Who are you? What is your identity? What kind of person are you? What will you do? How do we approach you?

It’s like meeting a big tough guy in a dark alley – who are you? I don’t want to know his name, I want to know what type of person he is and what he will do. If he said “It’s Billy” I would immediately relax – see I know Billy, he was in my Bible study, and although he’s huge and very intimidating, I know his character. “Billy” sums up what I know about him.

What we know about God is revealed to us primarily in the Bible. And we need to test what we think we know about God against what the Bible said. Otherwise we are worshipping a false god, a god that we have made up, an idol. What kind of God did do you think the Israelites may have thought he was at this point? Doesn’t care. Has forgotten us. Doesn’t see us.

But what is the reality? 2:24-25 He sees, he cares, he remembers. He comes down.

Our experience, our reason, what the church tells us – these are all very faulty, sin-affected ways to know who God is. Only the Bible is trustworthy. So when the Bible and our experience conflict – trust the Bible. Trust God’s word, because as we saw last week, God keeps his promises.

So who is God? Let’s find out.

1. The I AM sees and restores Moses

Moses was a man born to greatness. God’s hand was upon him, protecting his chosen rescuer. In miraculous circumstances he was protected from being murdered at birth, he was adopted and raised in the palace of Pharaoh as a Prince of Egypt. Seems a perfect setup, doesn’t it, for the rescuer of God’s people. He’s got power. He’s got prestige. He’s got influence. He’s exactly where he needs to be, we think. From a human perspective, everything is set.

But God sees the hearts of men: and Moses’ heart is a problem. He is not a man who loves God. He is not a man who loves his people. Moses is wrong. Moses is all about his own glory, and tries to do things his way.

And so, Moses tries to single-handedly rescue his people, murders an Egyptian, tries unsuccessfully to cover up his crime, and then is immediately rejected as any sort of leader of his people. 2:14 “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge?”

So when we left Moses last week, we left a man destined for greatness, but now a failure. A man who is rejected, living out his days in exile. 2:22 Moses named [his son] Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”

But even this terrible failure, even Moses’ sin, God turns around for good. In these wilderness years of exile, Moses learns humility. He is brought low in order to trust the Lord instead of his own strength. He learns to identify with his people, be one of them, a foreigner in a foreign land, before he can be their representative and saviour. The 40 year prince becomes the 40 year exile. And now he is ready.

So God sees, God hears, God remembers his promises. 24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

And how does he act? By appearing to Moses. Moses, the failure. Moses, the exile. 40 YEARS he had spent living in the desert, tending the flock of his father-in-law. He doesn’t seem to have any animals of his own. He doesn’t seem to have done very much of anything. Just existed.

And then he sees something. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

He sees a miraculous sight. A bush that’s on fire, but not being consumed. The bush is being preserved in the fire. What is this?

Moses thought he was a failure. He thought God did not see him, paid him no attention. But God’s hand was upon him - while Moses had turned aside from the path of leader and rescuer, and gone off to become a foreign shepherd, forgetting his people – God had not forgotten. He had not forgotten his people or his chosen rescuer. He sees Moses

4 When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

Here is our God: he sees, he is personal (he knows Moses by name), he speaks …and he is terrifyingly holy.

5 “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

Now that doesn’t mean that the ground there is special. The ground is holy because God is there. Holy means “set apart”, dedicated to the Lord. People or objects are holy in relation to God. For example, as Christians we are holy because God’s Spirit lives in us.

But he is terrifyingly holy saying “Moses, look out” because to approach God as a sinner in rebellion against God is immensely dangerous. He is apart, he is other, he is pure. He is a consuming fire and we need a way to be made right with him. For Moses, in this instance, it was to obey God’s Word “take off your sandals”. And he does so, able to approach God.
Why? Well, it’s not anything special about taking off your sandals! But it is faith. Faith in God’s Word – which simply means trusting in and believeing what God tells you. Because he obeyed God, God made him holy by forgiving his sin, so that he could meet with Moses.
How did God do that? Well, Moses didn’t know, he just had to trust the word of God. But we know that it is through Christ that sins are dealt with. Moses’ sin was stored up, and laid upon his shoulders.

Praise God that he forgives sinners! Because like Moses we are sinners. And like Moses we are called by God, not out of a bush that does not burn, but by his Son, God made flesh, the true revelation of God.

6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Just as Moses was seen by God, and not destroyed; so you too are seen by God, and offered restoration. Will you turn aside from your life and allow God to take control, to restore you to who you were born to be? Probably not, like Moses, the saviour of your people, but, like Moses, called to know God and to follow him and serve him all the days of your life.

Moses life was a dead end – and the Lord called him to a new path. Which way are you going?

God, the I AM, see and restores Moses

2. The I AM sees and rescues his people

But Moses is not the only reason God has come down. Moses is just the messenger.

9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.

Imagine being an Israelite in those times. Enslaved by a brutal overlord, with seemingly no hope. Trapped by a king, the Pharaoh who believed himself a god. Egypt had many gods, attached to various bits of creation: the sun god Ra, for example, and the various gods of the River Nile. Up to 2000 gods. And on the evidence those gods certainly appeared more powerful than Israel’s God. Where was he? Why was he not doing anything? Was he powerless? Had they done something wrong?

Some may have mourned living so long in Egypt. Oh if only we’d left when we had the chance – now we’re outside of God’s plan. We’ve fallen out of his hand and he cannot get us back. We are lost.

Some may have abandoned the God of their fathers for the clearly more powerful gods of Egypt. They dismiss the stories of God calling Abraham and rescuing him out of Egypt (Gen 12) as myth and legend. If that were true, show me the evidence now. They ignore the judgement in the flood as mere nonsense to frighten the weak-minded. We are more advanced now, science has proved that there are many gods – the evidence is overwhelming. How can God be both the sun and the river – the water would put the fire out! Why cling to your out-dated beliefs.

But there would have been those who would have remembered God’s word to Abraham in Gen 15:13–16 Then the LORD said “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land for 400 year. They will be oppressed as slaves. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

Which one would you have been? Impatient? Blaming yourself for having fallen out of God’s will, as if that were possible? Or turning aside to the popular gods of the day, and justifying it with appeals to reason or science or experience, ignoring the Bible. Or trusting in God’s word, patiently trusting that he keeps his promises? Which Israelite would you have been?

Actually, which one are you?

For nothing has changed, except we know more of who God is and what he does and how he does it. For the God we serve is this God: 14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And people are pretty much the same – and our reaction to God is pretty much the same! Will we believe his words, or not?

Sometimes it seems that God is so slow to act. We look at the suffering in the world and we despair. Doesn’t he care?
Maybe we have been through terrible personal suffering – do you care Lord?
The Israelites must have wondered as the whip cracked down, as their baby boys were murdered, as life seemed hopelessly hard. But what they could not see was the whole of Heaven mobilising for action, for a great rescue. God sees, God hears, God will come down.

Or maybe we think that we have failed. Maybe, like Moses, we’ve made wrong choices, stepped off the path of our destiny and gone into the wilderness. Well, as we shall see, God is pretty good at leading people through the wilderness and to the promised land! 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (I’m a failure, I’m nothing. I stepped out of your will. Look at God’s amazing answer: 12 God answered, “I will be with you. I will be with you. Do you think that our sin and failure stops God? No! God sees and restores the sinner. And he can bring us through the wilderness. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

And for those who had rejected that Lord, turning to other gods and justifying it with “science” or clever philosophy, and dismissing Genesis as fairy tales… well they would soon see the power of God, exposing their new gods as false gods, ripping the veil off their eyes. 2 Pe 3:9–10 (NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Who is God? He is the one who will judge the oppressor, rescue his people, and lead them to safety. He is the one who keeps his promises. His words are trustworthy and true.
He is the great I AM, the one who IS. He is the God who is there.

And he is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because the God who reveals himself in the Exodus rescue is only pointing forward to the day when he is fully revealed. Moses knew the I AM in part. We can know him in full.

3. The I AM is Christ Jesus, our crucified, risen, Lord

Jn 8:28–59 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I AM … 52 The people said, “… 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus answered, “…56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” 57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.

John’s gospel is structured around seven “signs” (miracles revealing who Jesus is) and seven “I am” statements (I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection and the life, etc). Jesus’ actions of rescue and blessing reveal who he is. And Jesus’ words reveal who he is: He is the great I AM of Exodus. I AM “Ego eimi” in Greek – and the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) translates Exodus 3:14 as God replied to Moses “Ego eimi”.
No wonder they picked up stones to stone him! How DARE this man claim to be God! How dare he use his name! Jews never even dared to speak God’s name, and here Jesus doesn’t just speak his name but says “it’s my name”!
And he was probably not speaking Greek, but Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament – and so the connection would be even stronger. God replied to Moses “I AM WHO I AM” “eh-YEH a-sher eh-YEH”.
Jesus says Before Abraham “eh-YEH a-sher eh-YEH”

Who are you, Lord? Who is the God we serve? We serve the great I AM, Yahweh, the rescuer and restorer of his people. The Mighty Saviour. The Holy One. And his name is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. He is the full and final revelation of God.

This is our God. The God who is there. The great I AM. He is the one who saves and restores sinners like Moses. He is the one who rescues those in slavery and bondage, like the Israelites. He is the one who sees, who hears, who comes down to rescue.

Look with eyes of faith and see the rescue of the Lord. If you doubt his goodness, look to the cross. If you think you have failed, look tot hthe cross. If you have fallen off the path of blessing – look to the cross. If you are in pain, wondering is he cares – look to the cross. If you are wondering if it is worth it to keep followinghim – lookto the cross. For there we see our God revealed. There we see him enter our world and suffer with us, weep with us, mourn with us. He is not high and distant and aloof, but right there beside us in the blood and guts and heartache and pain of life. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Our Saviour and Lord. He has come down.

And he is the one who is with us, as he was with Moses.

Matt 28:20 [Jesus said] “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Exodus 1:11-2:25 Slavery…and a saviour

Exodus 1:11-2:25

In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes there is a character called Mo. He is the biggest boy in Calvin’s class at school, and is a bully. He pushes Calvin off the swing, takes his lunch money, shoves him in the dirt, etc. Calvin is powerless against Mo – he’s so much bigger and stronger. Help!
Calvin needs someone bigger than Mo to protect him against Mo. He needs someone to rescue him from Mo.

The Israelites need someone to rescue them from their bully, the Pharaoh (ruler) of Egypt.

And we need someone to rescue us. You see, we are just like the Israelites: enslaved. We are enslaved to sin. We cannot stop rebelling against God, and that rebellion is seen in our lives. It is seen every time we lie. Every time we sin sexually. Every time we gossip or are ungrateful or say hurtful things to those we love. Every time we are impatient or selfish or mean or arrogant. And every time we kill our unborn children, every time we steal, every time we murder and rape and destroy.

To be a sinner living in a sinful world is to suffer. Watch the news. We are enslaved to sin. We need a saviour.

And thankfully we have a God who keeps his promises. A God who is the saviour of the world.

1. God keeps his promises despite opposition (1:11-22)

Israel is in trouble. The Egyptians have turned against them, and the Pharaoh (king) of Egypt sees them as a threat.

11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labour.
13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. 14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.
16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”

The Pharaoh was a wicked and cruel king. He was wicked and cruel because he was afraid. And the more his plans failed, the more wicked and cruel he became. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.”

So he first attempts to work them into the ground. When that fails, he tries to get the midwives to kill them. When that fails he gets the whole county involved in his evil plan.

But we know that his plan to wipe out the Israelites will fail. Why? Because, as we were reminded last week, God keeps his promises. Gen 12:1–3 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

No matter what Pharaoh does, he cannot stop the promises of God. Did you notice the irony, as the narrator basically makes fun of Pharaoh’s impotence in the face of God’s majestic power. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became.
The more he multiplies the oppression, the more the Israelites multiply!
17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.
Pharaoah’s subjects do not obey him – he has no real power - and so 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.

So Pharaoh says “Drown the baby boys in the river!”. And what happens? His own daughter finds a baby boy in the river, and promptly drowns him, in obedience to her father. No! 2:6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said. 7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. 8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied.

Deep irony. Even within his own family, Pharaoh cannot stop God from keeping his promises. Pharaoh will fail. His wickedness will end in his own destruction. No matter what he does, he cannot stop the promises of God. Because it is God who guarantees his promises.

This is the message of Exodus, indeed the whole Bible. God is powerful enough to keep his promises and faithful to keep his promises. His word is trustworthy.

Whether we are an Israelite in exile in Babylon, a Jew living in the 1^st century, or a Christian in 21^st century Norway – this story reminds us that God keeps his promises.

And so no matter how much Pharaoh tries to destroy the Israelites he will not succeed. And no matter what the world does, the Church keeps on going. Its death has been predicted many times. We have almost destroyed it from the inside out, but each time it is reformed, renewed.
The church in Norway is in a huge mess. Maybe 2% go regularly to church, and most of what they are being taught is not the gospel but moralistic niceness. But even in this mess people still become true Christians. New churches are planted. There is still hope because the Spirit of Christ is active. As Jesus says “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matt 16:18)

God keeps his promises.

2. God protects his chosen saviour against opposition

So, we know God will save his people. The question is not “If”, but How? How will God save his people?

2:1 About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

This boy was Moses, the future saviour of Israel. But we know that his life is under threat. This “special” baby’s life is threatened. He is to be killed by the law of Pharaoh.

His mother manages to keep him hidden – but babies, as those of us who are parents know, are not quiet little things (particularly at 3 am!). And Moses is no different. In desperation, Moses’ mother hatches a cunning plan. She will obey Pharaoh’s decree to throw the baby in the river – she’ll just build him a little boat!

Interestingly the word for boat there is ark, like Noah’s ark. To rescue him from the judgement of the water, Moses is placed in the ark. The future rescuer is rescued.

This seems to be working well – Moses is floating happily in the river, and his sister is watching over him. But then, horror of horrors, Pharaoh’s daughter approaches.

Think of the tension. Oh no. They are walking here! Why here? Oh no, they are getting closer – what if they see him or hear him? Oh no she’s SEEN the basket.
Can you imagine the despair? The princess has seen the basket. This is the end. It certainly looks like the end for God’s promises, doesn’t it. His chosen deliverer is threatened with destruction.

But for no reason whatsoever, she has compassion on the baby. She disobeys her father’s command. And not only that, she decides to ADOPT the baby as her own son. And in a wonderful little picture of the grace of God, Moses’ mother gets him back (and even gets paid to look after him).

9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. 10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

The stage is set. The people need a saviour. The saviour has been born. God has protected his chosen saviour: he was rescued, raised as a Prince of Egypt – he has been prepared for leadership, for power.

Israel, here is your saviour! Or is he?

3. God is the only true saviour, not Moses (11-22)

11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work.

Many years later Moses goes to visit his people. According to Acts 7:23 he was 40 years old. What was he doing for 40 years? Living it up in the palace? I wonder what his people thought of him. I’m sure he carried the hopes of the people – one of ours is in the “White House”! He will bring the government around. “More straw less bricks.”
But it appears that Moses is a disappointment. 40 years of silence. 40 years of nothing, as Moses, the saviour, doesn’t save.

Until finally he “goes to visit his people”.
And what he sees appals him. Seeing the brutality of the “Egyptian” slave driver he suddenly becomes all patriotic towards his own people and decides to rescue this Israelite from the evil Egyptian. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
His rescue is sneaky (he looks around to see if no-one else is watching), and brutal. He murders the Egyptian without warning, and literally tries to bury the evidence.

Is this the great rescuer of God’s people? At best he is a vigilante. At worst, a murderous sneak.
And what’s he going to do? Kill the Egyptian slave drivers one by one? It’s laughable. It’s so small, so pathetic.

And things don’t get better the day after. Buoyed up by his show of patriotism, he visits his people again. As one commentary put it “The champion of the oppressed and underdogs went forth the next day—this time to settle a dispute between two of his own people. Expecting to be heralded as a leader he is shocked – shocked! - when his people, the people he is born to lead (or so he thinks), totally ignore him. V14 Who appointed you to be our prince and judge?
Who, indeed. It seems Moses is self-appointed. Moses has not spoken to the Lord. Moses is not following his commands. Moses is doing his thing, his way. I’ll do it my waaaaay! Sings Moses.

But his song is brought short by the next sentence that comes out of the man’s mouth “Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”

Uh-oh. His crime has been discovered. Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” 15 And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses.

So Moses’ rescue attempt is short-lived. He runs away, away to the land of Midian. There he rescues seven girls from the shepherds – Moses really did see himself as a rescuer, didn’t he? – but irony of ironies, they recognise him as… an Egyptian. 19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.”

Poor Moses. He tries to hide his murder – but EVERYONE knew about it. It was the front page of the Egyptian Telen!
He was born to be the leader and ruler of his people – but he is immediately rejected by his people ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’.
And as he’s running for his life from the Egyptians because he finally accepted that “I am a Hebrew, a Jew” and tried to set his people free – he’s recognized as…an Egyptian

Moses is hated by the Egyptians, rejected by his own people, an exile in a foreign land.
Moses names his son v22 Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”

Moses is a picture of his people – they are foreigners in a foreign land. Yes, they are multiplying, yes they are a people – but God’s promise of land is not fulfilled. They are not home. They are away.

Ironically enough it is Moses, the foreigner, the leader rejected by his people, who would be their saviour, their deliverer, their rescuer. Who appointed you leader and judge – well, in time, the answer to that question will be Yahweh, God Almighty! But Moses must first learn humility and patience.
He is the rescuer of God’s people, yes, but in God’s way, under God’s authority, and in God’s time.

Because Moses is not actually the saviour of God’s people. God is.

4. God, and only God, is the true saviour of his people (v23-25)

23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

God keeps his promises. His word is trustworthy. As persecution multiplies, blessing multiplied all the more. His people were being preserved. A rescuer was born! And he was protected – raised indeed in the very palace of Pharaoh. But when Moses tried to rescue his people in his own strength… well that ended badly: murder, rejection, utter failure and exile.
Moses was not the one to rescue his people.

God is the true saviour. He is the one who will rescue his people and bring them safely through the desert to the Promised Land. He is the one who will keep his promises. He is the one who is strong enough to save his people and protect them.

And he is strong enough to save Moses. Because Moses needs a saviour. The one born to save is not good enough. He is weak, he is sinful. He ignores God and does things his way – that’s sin. And because he is a sinner, ignoring God, he sins in his actions too, and ends up murdering a man. Moses needs a saviour.
Moses’ failure forces us to look forward to the day when a perfect saviour will be born. A saviour who, like Moses, was threatened at birth, as Herod tried to destroy him by murdering the baby boys of Israel in Bethlehem. A saviour who, like Moses, was protected by the Lord God, not by an ark in the reeds, but by an angel telling his father Joseph to “Get up and flee!”. A saviour who, like Moses was rejected by his people: a crucified Messiah – yaaa, as they jeered and spat at him.
But a saviour who, unlike Moses, never failed, never faltered. He never went beyond his Father’s will. At each stage he prayed, waiting on His Father’s word. He obeyed perfectly. He had no sin to cover up. He did not need to run away from justice. He was innocent. And yet he took our punishment in order to rescue us.

Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God.

Maybe you are feeling like Moses. Alone. A foreigner in a foreign land. Maybe you’ve really messed things up. You were destined for greatness, but now…. you are a reject, unacceptable, exiled.

Take comfort. God rescues the broken, the unacceptable, the foreigner in a foreign land. He keeps his promises. You can come to him, just as you are.

Maybe you are feeling like the Israelites. Under the whip. Enslaved. Can’t get free. You need a rescuer.

Don’t be a fool like Moses and try to rescue yourself. You know, self-help books. Yoga. Meditation. Religious practices. Fitness. Life coaches. Going on a trip to “find yourself”. None of these work. Even Christianity does not work - unless you come to CHRIST. Otherwise you’re just like Moses, rushing out with half the picture, “I’m the saviour” until you trip and fall flat on your face.
There is one Lord and one Saviour, and his name is Jesus.

Run to him. Cry out to him. Take comfort in him. For he keeps his promises. And he is powerful to save.

Exodus 1:1-14 Aliens and strangers

Exodus 1:1-14

How does God work in the world today?
Does he wind up the world like a clock and then let it run down?
Does he send down a bunch of operating instructions (the Bible, for example) and then wait and see what happens?
Does he play with us like dolls, like a child, and we are mere puppets in his play?

What we learn in Exodus is that none of those are correct. The reality is that God is sovereign (in control) and active in His world. And we are not puppets but real people with real choices and real responsibility, and somehow our choices and God’s sovereignty go hand in hand. God is active, for his glory – and we can be part of his glorious salvation plan!

Exodus takes place in history. These are historical events with real people and in real places. The Bible is not embarrassed by this, this dependence on provable (or disprovable) events. God reveals himself to us through time and history, through events that human being experience. This is not a book of dry philosophy, thoughts we must thing about God. Greek philosophy and Oriental mysticism always seek to remove man from nature, from creation. Matter is dirty. From Buddhism to Zoroastrianism to Hinduism to Star Wars (“luminous beings are we, not this crude matter” says Yoda) we are spiritual beings, and we must seek to throw off the shackles of the material.

The other extreme is of course our Western materialism which assumes that there is only a material world, that the spiritual does not exist.

The Bible is an embarrassment to both. Materialism is revealed to be only part of the picture – but spiritualism has a faulty view of the material. Remember that the end of the story is not that we become a bunch of floaty angelic spirit beings, sitting in white light playing harps – but a new heavens and a new earth, with new imperishable bodies (that is, bodies that cannot be destroyed).

So in Exodus we see great material events with great spiritual significance. It is what is called theological history. Theos is the Greek word for God, so theological history is history in relation to God or history through God’s eyes.
This year we’ve spent a long time reading theological history in the book of Acts. In Acts we’ve been reading the events of the growth of the Christian church, and at each point we are shown how it is God who is behind these events, how it is He who is growing his church, sending out missionaries, converting people. He is the Prime Mover of church history.

And we find the same revealed here in Exodus. It is God who orchestrates these events in order to reveal to us who he is: his character, his power, his glory, his Name. A refrain throughout the Old Testament is this “that you/they may know that I am the Lord (YHWH)”. He is the Prime Mover in all of history for one purpose: that we may know him. John Piper, based on Jonathan Edwards work, sums up the Bible, and indeed all of history, to be about one thing: the glory of God.

Ex 14:4 I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!

We are not the hero of the Bible stories. It is Christ. He is the hero of the Bible. Remember Jesus’ words to the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40 (ESV))

And remember what we learned from Colossians: Col 1:26–27 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret (or mystery): Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

Exodus is about Christ, and reveals to us the glory of God.

With that in mind, let us turn to the introduction to the book.

1. The people of Israel are blessed 1:1-7

These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there. 6 In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. 7 But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

Here we have listed the twelve tribes of Israel, named after the twelve sons of Jacob (called Israel). And look how numerous they have become. V7 In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

The opening verse of Exodus remind us that God keeps his promises. What promise, you may ask? Turn back to Gen 12:1–3 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

It’s an echo of the covenant (promise) God made to Adam Gen 1:28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”

The Lord is keeping his promise, Abraham’s descendants filling the land, becoming as numerous as the starts in the night sky, or sand on the seashore (Gen 22:17, God’s promise to Isaac, Abraham’s son). V9 is the first time Israel is called a “people”. The Lord is keeping his promise.

But not all of the promise is fulfilled, is it? They’re not in the Promised Land, are they? They are in Egypt! And so Exodus opens with a problem – how to get the people of God to move from their comfortable houses and good lands in Egypt, and get them to the Promised Land.

The start of God’s fulfilment of his promise to Abraham is surprising: the plan to bless Israel started with a declaration of slavery! (v11)

How powerful God is. How majestic. How surprising. How different. His ways are not our ways, his thoughts not our thoughts. He is a master at using our evil for good.

How often does something terrible happen to us – which later we see is of such a deep blessing to us. When I was at Sagavoll (here in Gvarv), one of my classmates killed himself – hanged himself in the cellar of our dormitory. And I discovered his body. That experience was like a wrecking ball whistling through my carefully constructed life. At one moment I was laid bare – and I realised that, at the end of the day, there is nothing but me and God. I stand before him, alone. Nothing else. It shook me up, and was the beginning of God’s saving work in my life (he saved me 9 months later in Drammen. Bing, the lights came on!). But that experience, terrible as it was in seeing my friends corpse, is not something I would ever give up. God used that to save me. God used that to show me where I stood with him. He knocked away all my other support structures to show me that He is enough.

The Israelites found themselves enslaved. And so what do they do? They cry out to the Lord. They realise they are helpless, that they need him. And they experience the most amazing rescue that history has ever seen – other than the cross of Christ.

God keeps his promise. His people will be blessed in slavery and in rescue. They will know that he is the Lord, and his name is glorious.

But before we carry on, let’s take a quick step back through the chapters of Genesis we skipped over, and get ourselves up to speed. Context is key to understanding the Bible, so what have we missed?

2. Genesis 22-50

Earlier on this year we covered the life of Abraham. If you’ve missed that series, download it and listen to it. What we saw was how God chose this man Abraham to be the start of his salvation plan for the world. We’ve already read the promise God made to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3, and the rest of the Bible follows the fulfilment of that promise: land, people, and blessing. The land of Canaan (Israel), the people of Israel, and the blessing of knowing God, and sharing that knowledge with the nations (Israel was a kingdom of priests, a light to the nations – at least, they should have been!). All this finds its fulfilment ultimately in Christ. We know Israel mess things up – sinning at every turn and generally behaving like…well, a lot like us if we’re perfectly honest! The Old Testament ends with the Abrahamic Covnenant still unfulfilled, and carries the tension “how can a holy God forgive unholy people”.
All that is solved in Christ. His death covers our sins and we receive his righteousness. And he fulfils the Abrahamic Covenant: we are his people, the church from every nation and tribe and people-group; we are blessed, his Holy Spirit is with us and in us; and our land is the New Creation, promised and guaranteed.

But that’s the end of the story. We’re still at the start. We saw how Abraham lived in a “bubble” of blessing – the Lord had promised to bless him and so he was blessed, even though, as we saw, he certainly did not deserve it, as he sinned against the Lord, a faithless, cowardly, adulterous man. Yet God forgave him and loved him. Gives us hope doesn’t it! If Christ can cover the sins of Abraham, he can cover our sins.

When we left Genesis, in chapter 23, Sarah had died and been laid to rest. Abraham bought a burial plot because of his faith in the Lord. It is the first piece of land he owns in the land promised to him by the Lord. He buys it, instead of accepting it as a gift, because he trusts that the Lord will keep his promises. For Abraham, it is a deposit guaranteeing (looking forward with certainty) his inheritance (the land). In the same way the Holy Spirit is our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. We know that we will be with Christ upon the new Earth because the Spirit is with us now. (Eph 1:13-14)

In Chapter 24 which we hopped over, the story starts to focus in on Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, provided by the hand of God, and we see that God is blessing Isaac, just as he had promised. As we read in 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.
Because the story has now moved on from Abraham to Isaac. Chapter 25 spends a few verses on the final years of Abraham – and that’s basically it. Abraham’s part in this tale is over, his job is done – but God’s plan – oh, that is just beginning! Wait and see what God will do! After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac.

Isaac marries Rebekah, the bride given by God. A bride who is once again barren – oh no, what will happen to God’s promise? Ge 25:21–22 Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. And God remembers his promise: The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

Those twins were Easu and Jacob. Jacob was a conniving sneak, as was Rebekah! And yet God chose him, despite the fact that he was the younger twin, despite the fact that he was a cheat and a thief and a liar, and Jacob receives the promises of God and birthright of the firstborn. God forgives and blesses sinners! Are we getting the message yet?
Jacob has two significant experiences: In Gen 28, in a dream he sees ladder between heaven and earth, and the Lord confirms the Abrahamic Covenant with him. The Covenant is the bridge, the way from earth to heaven, the Covenant which is fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord, whose outstretched arms ont eh Cross bridged heaven and earth as he gave his life so that sinners like us could be made righteous to be with the Righteous One, God Almighty.

Jacob’s second experience was when he received the name Israel. In a rather strange tale, Jacob wrestles with God (in Gen 32), and is renamed “Israel” which means “God fights” or “fights with God”, and is blessed, receiveing assurance that the Lord is with him and the Covenant is reaffirmed.

Israel then has twelve sons (unsurprisingly his wife Rachel was barren – oh no! But God again steps in to honour his promise). One of these sons was Joseph, and that brings me to my final point in setting the scene for Exodus.

3. Joseph, saviour of the world

8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

What had he done? Well, we already know that Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from which come the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph was Jacobs favourite son because he was Rachel’s son, and Rachel was his true love – his other wife Leah, and their two servants he slept with…out of duty, I suppose? The books of Israel’s history hardly ever stop to condemn what the characters are doing – like polygamy and adultery is bad. No, it just tells the story, unfolds the consequences of those actions. Jacob’s multiple sexual partners ended up with a bunch of brothers who hated Joseph, because he was the favourite. It didn’t help that Joseph had a dream that they would all bow down to him, including their father and mothers. This made them furious and so they plotted to kill him.

Out in the fields Joseph came to them, and they attacked him, tore off his coat of many colours – the special coat given to him by his father Jacob, and threw him into a pit while they decided how to kill him. At that time a group of traders just happened to pass by, and the brothers thought “why kill him, when we can make a bit of money”, and sold him into slavery. The traders took him to Egypt. Little did they know that there evil actions, their prostitution of brotherly love – even that God would use, and turn into salvation for the whole world, including them!

Joseph learned humility as a slave, and worked hard for his new master, Potiphar. But Potiphar’s wife wanted to have sex with him, and when he refused, running away (good job Joseph), she falsely accused him of sexually assaulting her, and so he was thrown in jail, wrongly accused. But God had not forgotten him. At the right time he was brought before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, because of a dream he had. None of the wise men of Egypt could understand it, but God gave Joseph understanding: there would be a famine in the land, and this is how they were to prepare for it. Pharaoh was so amazed that he raised Joseph up to the highest position in the land, and gave Joseph charge over the preparations for the famine.

The severe famine came to the lands, lasting for seven years, but because of Joseph, Egypt was blessed and suffered no ill effects of the famine. People from the lands around came to Egypt for food, including, would you believe it, Joseph’s brothers! They came to ask him for food, but they did not recognise him, until he told them who he was. Joseph forgave them, understanding that what they had intended for evil, God had worked for good. There was great joy as the family was reunited by the love of God.

So that is what v8 is talking about: Joseph, the saviour of Egypt, and indeed, the world. But there is more to Joseph’s story.

Joseph was rejected by his own people, betrayed by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver, unjustly punished by the Gentiles for crimes he did not commit, but he was not forgotten by God, but exalted to the highest place in all the land where he saved the whole world. Sound familiar?

Philippians 2:6–11 Though [Christ Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God gives us these patterns, these foreshadowings, so that when Jesus appears we will recognise him as the Christ. Here he is, the man of sorrows, rejected, unjustly condemned, but now raised up, the saviour of the world!

God reveals his glory to us through real events and people in history. Abraham, Joseph, now Moses and the people of Israel – and supremely in Jesus of Nazareth, his son, our Lord and Christ (Messiah).
So have no fear, the Lord is in control. He is ruler of history, and all things are moving towards one goal: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Eph 1:10

The Message of the Bible

Some notes from the Bible Overview from the last two Sundays :

The Message of the Bible

Why Bible overview.

Bible is not like other holy books. Khoran – suras arranged in order of longest to shortest. No narrative between them. Principle of abrogation. Where they contradict, the later abrogates (replaces) the earlier.
But Bible is a single story, told over multiple books, different types of literature, with different authors. But like any good story, it reveals more and more of the “mystery” as Paul calls it on Colossians – the mystery of Christ. So as we read we need to think “where are we” in the overall story the “meta narrative” (biblical theology) of the Bible.

Who is Jesus?

We’re going to start off this Bible overview by looking at the Resurrection.

Now, that might be a strange place to start, but as God says through Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:17-18 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

If Christ was not raised, then the whole pack of cards falls down, and we might as well go home right now.

Of course, if you DO investigate the resurrection, you will discover a wealth of evidence, beyond reasonable doubt, that Christ was raised from the dead. Eyewitness accounts, from hundreds of people, testify to this. And no other theory is plausible. No other theory fits the facts. If Christ was not raised, how did a frightened little band of disciples suddenly stand against the might of the Roman empire, in the midst of persecution and death, and begin a world-wide religion? If he was not raised, why did they die for a lie, when they could have saved themselves? If he was not raised, why was his body not produced by the authorities, or – if stolen by the disciples, another betrayer like Judas?

And how do you explain the mass sightings of Jesus – hallucination?

No, to continue the passage we started:

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Jesus rose from the dead, as he said he would.

Therefore, he is who he said he is: the Messiah, the King, the Christ, the Holy One of Israel – God incarnate.

Therefore, his words are God’s words, and his actions are God’s actions.

So, what did Jesus have to say about the Bible?

What did Jesus say about the New Testament?

New Testament: Gospels, & letters

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The disciples were empowered to remember the words of Jesus and to teach others those words (the Gospels). They were also empowered to interpret the work of Jesus on the Cross, and the work of the Spirit in the early church, to complete the theological framework which Jesus had outlined (the Epistles).

The Apostles (including Paul, the Apostle “born abnormally” themselves regarded their letters to the churches as inspired by the Spirit).

What they wrote was what the Spirit inspired them to write, which was to glorify Jesus.

The New Testament is about JESUS – his person, his work, his return.

Therefore we ask of the New Testament – what does this teach me about Jesus?

But is the Old Testament different?

What did Jesus say about the Old Testament?

John 5:39 Jesus says to Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Luke 24:25 And <Jesus> said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Therefore it is clear that the Scriptures (Old Testament – the New wasn’t written yet!) are, like the New, ALL ABOUT JESUS! They bear witness about him, he fulfils them, and they are about him.

What does this then mean for the way we read the Old Testament?

What questions do we need to ask?

- What is does this reveal to me about Jesus?

- How does he fulfil this passage?

- How is this passage about Jesus?

But let’s not forget that the Old Testament was written to people before Christ as well, and had meaning and application to them (and not just wait for Christ – although it often was!).

Both the Old and New Testaments are about Jesus - – his person, his work, his return.

Therefore we ask the SAME questions of the Old and New Testaments – what does this teach me about Jesus…..

CASE STUDY: David and Goliath

Let’s apply these questions to the well-known story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 7), and see if it helps us.

Let’s first start with the application to the original hearers:

God always has a rescue plan, often from the most unlikely place imaginable! David is the unknown king, who saves the Israelites, God’s people.

Respond in faith to God’s promises no matter what’s happening!

Apply the other questions:

What does this reveal to me about Jesus?

How does he fulfil this passage?

How is this passage about Jesus?

So the application to us on this side of the Cross is:

David is a type of Christ – he is the unknown King who rescues his people from certain defeat.

God’s unlikely rescue plan is to send his son, the Lord Jesus, to die, and thus defeat the Goliath of death. Jesus is the rejected, unknown King, who saves Christians, God’s people.

Respond in faith to God’s promises in Christ no matter what’s happening!

Bible History

The Bible can basically be divided into the following different types of books:

­ Historical: 5 books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy); Joshua; Judges; Kings; Samuel; in fact, the first 17 books of the Bible from Genesis to Esther, document the history of the Tribe of Israel. [Isaiah and Daniel also have some historical portions]

­ Prophetic: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and all the other smaller books near the back of the OT that we forget about.... (Hosea to Malachi)

­ Poetic: Psalms and Song of Songs (but also have moments of prophecy)

­ Wisdom literature: Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and Job

­ New Testament Historical: Gospels + Acts. Also contain much directly applicable stuff, like the Epistles (such as the words of Jesus - but again we have to look at the context: who was He talking to, why, etc.)

­ Epistles: Letters to Christians written by the apostles. Contains much that is directly applicable. Explains the Gospel more clearly. (Context.... who’s it written to....)

­ Apocalyptic: Revelation, Daniel, Mark 13, Isaiah... (Message: God wins)

He’s not talking to you….!

Q1. How would you summarise the whole Bible story in a sentence?

The unfolding revelation of God’s promise to restore creation through Jesus, the Christ.

Q2. What is the main theme of the Bible?

Salvation from judgement through Jesus, foreshadowed, promised, fulfilled.

Timeline – helpful to summarise using framework of promise to Abraham: people land blessing

Creation: God’s people (Adam & Eve) in God’s place (Eden) under God’s rule (God walked with them and spoke with them).

Fall: God’s people out of God’s place under judgement

Abraham: God’s person, chosen to be under God’s rule, going where God tells him.

From him will come a people (Israelites), land (Canaan), blessing (they will be God’s people)

Moses: God’s chosen people (descendants of Abraham – Israelites), redeemed from slavery in Egypt (Exodus), and then taught how to live under His rule (the Law), and brought to God’s place (Canaan).

David: God’s king foreshadowed (in David) and promised (to David) – this future king will rule as God’s ruler, over all the nations, bringing God’s blessing.

Jesus: Fulfilment: God’s chosen King revealed, who calls out a new people from all nations, saving them and ruling over them by his word and Spirit.

Heaven: Final fulfilment: The King revealed, come to judge, and restore all creation: God’s people (Christians) to live in God’s place (Heaven) in God’s blessing (with God)

CASE STUDY 2

In one sentence: What would have been the application to the original hearers of the passage?

In one sentence: How does this passage relate to Jesus?

• Noah – Genesis 6:17-22.

Original: God does not let sin go unpunished, but he will always provide a rescue from judgement.

Jesus: The Ark is foreshadow of Jesus’ rescue from judgement

• Abraham – Genesis 17:1-22

Original: A promise that they (Israelites) were God’s people, in God’s place (Canaan), under God’s rule (the Law, by faith)

Jesus: It applies to Christians today as well, having been fulfilled by Christ: God’s people (the descendants, now Christians), in God’s place (the land, once Canaan, but actually Heaven), under God’s rule (circumcision of the heart - which is a heart devoted to God and His purposes).

• The Law – Ex 23:16-19 cf Gal 3:24,25,28.

Original: Obey God from a grateful heart because he is merciful to save us and be in a relationship with us, and it is the right expression of our status as His people.

Jesus: The fulfilment of the Law is found in Christ, and now written in our hearts – we are to obey the Law out of gratitude to Christ, and because it is the right expression of our new nature.

• Sacrifice – Lev 5:14-19

Original: Have faith in God’s method of forgiveness.

Jesus: Jesus is perfect sacrifice who empowers all the other sacrifices – have faith in him, who is God’s revealed method of forgiveness

• Hosea – Hosea 2:9-20

Original: Repent and accept the mercy offered.

Jesus: Respond in repentance and rejoicing that God can offer mercy yet still be just because my sins have been paid for on the Cross.

• Temple – 1 Kings 8:3-11

Original: Rejoice that God has chosen to dwell amongst us, and provide a way for us to meet with him in the Temple

Jesus: Rejoice that Jesus came to dwell amongst us, that we can meet with God through Jesus, the True Temple, and rejoice that he, even more amazingly, has made us the Temple by dwelling in us in the person of his Holy Spirit.

Why should we bother to understand the Bible?

Because it is the word of God, our Father, our First Love.

Because it is the words of Christ, about Christ, that will save people from the wrath to come.

Because Jesus is Lord of all of life, and only by submitting to him in all areas of life (money, job, friends, marriage, sex, time, etc.) will we experience true life and ultimate happiness.

Because if we understand the beginning and the middle, we will understand the certainty of the end: the Return of the King.

Colossians 3:22-4:6 ALL of life: in the world.

Read Colossians 3:16-4:6

Colossians is a frightening book. Just listen to these verses.

3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
3:17 [W]hatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

At first read it’s pretty much ho-hum, of course, Christ Is Lord, yes, be good, yes. But as you read it in-depth, really LOOK at who Christ is and what we are called to do….it is a gut-wrenching, mind-spinning, fear-generating book.

Why? Because the gospel changes our lives. Because Christ is not tame and small, but giant! He is victorious, powerful, triumphing over evil spirits, striding across history from Creation to the Cross of Redemption and on to all eternity: this vast, cosmic figure supreme over all things. And he demands EVERYTHING from us. And he will not be denied. How can we deny him? How can we say no?

Being a Christian is the most frightening thing you can do.

All of life belongs to Him. Our church life, our home life, our work life. Our thoughts, our words, our actions. He is our Master, and we belong to him.

So, don’t just sit there if something needs to change. Repent. Make right with the Lord. Ask for forgiveness. We have been challenged over these past few weeks – use this time wisely, use Communion, to pray and get right with God, and then also with someone in the church, or your wife or husband, your kids. Do whatever Christ calls you to do.

Two weeks ago we looked at our relationships in the church, last week serving Christ at home: wife and husband, children and parents; and today we look at the last section: slaves and masters, and then outsiders.

1. Slaves and masters v22-4:1

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favourites. 4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.

Like I said last week, there is surprising equality in this list from v18-4:1. The husband and the wife are to obey the Lord. Children and parents are equally addressed, and slaves and masters are reminded they are under authority. Those without power (or with less power) (wives, children, slaves) are addressed as equal citizens of heaven, being called to live in a way that pleases the Lord. Those with power (husbands, parents, masters) are reminded that their power is given under God, to be used as HE sees fit: in love, for the good of those under your power. This is no justification for abuse of power – it is the opposite!
It’s very clear that these couplets are to be read together. You cannot read v22 without also reading 4:1. Slaves must obey their masters, yes – and masters must be just and fair to their slaves! And not only that, but they have the same motivation: Christ is your master.

This is shocking. Slaves were property, not people! But here they are seen as equal with their masters before the Lord. It was this equality eventually destroyed institutional slavery, just as it destroyed institutional misogyny (abuse of women), and the institutional abuse of children. The little book of Philemon gives us a great insight into how this view of slaves as being brothers alongside their masters started to tear down the institution of slavery. It is hard to treat someone as property when they are your brother in Christ. The gospel is the most powerful change agent in the history of the world – because it changes people from the inside out.

But the gospel is not about changing societies. It’s not about winning the “culture war”. Imagine if Paul had gone on a crusade to stop slavery instead of preaching the gospel and planting churches. What a disaster! Maybe a few slaves would have been freed. And then died and gone to hell! And the society would never have changed. Only the gospel was powerful enough for that: roughly half of all people back in those days were slaves! Even highly educated people like doctors and lawyers could be slaves. Slavery was part of the culture. Tearing down slavery would have collapsed that society.

So instead, whatever our circumstance, we are called to serve the Lord. We are not called to serve the Lord when things are the way WE think they must be, but whatever the situation. Jesus showed us how to behave, whether tired and hungry or feasting, whether attacked and ridiculed or honoured. Whatever the situation, he gave glory to the Father.

So, Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you.

Maybe they were justified in slacking off. Maybe their master was bad. Maybe their master was a Christian and they resented not being set free. Shockingly, God calls them to love their master. Not “do what’s best for you”, but DO what’s best for him! But what about me, we bleat, I’m such a victim. In Christ you are no victim, but victor. In Christ you can choose to follow in his footsteps, not a doormat but a willing servant. It is empowering, it gives dignity and honour, no matter whether slave or emperor. The victim mentality makes people passive and foolish.
Instead, choose to love your boss. In the Greek the word there is literally “eye-service”. How often are we tempted to, or just do “eye-service”. The boss comes in and we’re suddenly rushing around, extremely busy – they go out and… lazy! That’s not loving. That’s dishonest.

And the motivation is strong: Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear…. not “of your master” but of the Lord. How often is our service, our work, done out of fear. Fear of discovery, fear of being fired. No, fear the Lord! His eye is certainly always upon us. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
We represent Christ. We belong to him. So whatever we are called to do, let us do it well.

The book “Thank God it’s Monday” Mark Greene sets up a comparison between two Christians in the workplace.
One Christian always witnessing to people, using every opportunity to share the gospel - but he’s a terrible worker, slacking off at every opportunity, and avoiding work (mainly to witness!). The other Christian never says a word, people don’t even know he’s a Christian – but does really good work, and all his colleagues respect him.
The point Mark makes is that we are at work to work. And witness. But our actions (bad work) can destroy our witness.

It’s one of the reasons Paul doesn’t tell the slaves to “RISE UP!”. The gospel is not about violent revolution. It’s a revolution of love. Richard Wurmbrand said this about the Christian’s persecuted in Romania by the Communists: “When you squeezed the Christian, what came out of him was love.” It was the love of Christ, the new spirit, the new nature within.

Although we are not slaves with masters in the workplace today, I think it’s clear that Paul wants us to understand that whatever applies to slaves also applies to free men in their work. Slavery was a normal form of service, and therefore, in that way quite similar to the workplace today (some people may feel they really are slaves!) in our culture. And because the principles here aren’t specific to slaves, are they? Do what’s best for your boss, serve well, honour others with your work, and, if you’re in charge of other people, be just and fair. Isn’t that the kind of place you want to work? Everyone looking out for everyone’s interest, working together, and the boss appreciates this and honours the worker’s contributions.

This passage helped me so much when I was working as an auditor. I hated auditing. It is the most boring job on the planet. I struggled so much to “work willingly” – I was so unwilling. I was so bored the temptation was to avoid work as much as possible. But these words at the end of v24 “the Master you are serving is Christ” I couldn’t get away from. Not eye-service. Fear the Lord. C’mon Daniel, serve Christ. He has provided this job. You are not auditing for the client, or for your boss, or for yourself, but for Christ. Audit for your Saviour. Now get up!

So, because you love Christ, work as if for him.

But, wait, there’s more! How did this chapter begin? 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. and 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

That mindset – to think about the things of heaven, to be living for Christ – affects everything. Even our work.

24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favourites. 4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.

This life is temporary. It will soon be done and we will be with God. Very soon the veil will be torn from our eyes and we will see him. And we will be rewarded or paid back for what we have done. Don’t do what is wrong for God sees what is done in the darkness. You will not get away with it.
Instead, look to Christ. Look to your inheritance coming soon, so very soon. Time is short. Weary slave with an abusive master – look to Christ. Know that your real life is hidden with Him, untouchable, impåerihsable. A great inheritance awaits you. 3:1Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand.

Our brothers in Syria and Iraq. Lift up your eyes. This life is gone in an instant. Those in prison. Those being tortured, flung out of their homes. Beaten. Meeting in secret in China, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Eritrea, Sudan, and so on. Be encouraged. We have a Master – in heaven.

So, whether slave or free man, master or worker, work for Christ, for he is our master.
Work for Christ, for soon we will be with him.
Work with love flowing through you, for the Spirit of Christ is in you, his heart, his love.
Work like Jesus.

2. Outsiders (4:2-6)

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. 5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Pray. Pray because what God demands of us is impossible. Pray because prayer is reminding yourself that you are not God, that you depend on Him. That I am weak, but he is strong. Prayer is not a weapon, it is not an incantation – a magic spell that if we say the right words in the right way or while doing the right things God will have to act.
In Mark 9 Jesus comes down the mountain after his transfiguration and discovers his disciples have tried to cast out a demon – but couldn’t. This demon can only be cast out by prayer he says. Huh? Because prayer is humbling yourself. It’s asking GOD to be God. My Dad calls it bowing himself out and bowing God in.

We pray first for our obedience: the way we live. It is not surprising after chapter 3 that we are called to devote ourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. We cannot do this on our own. Only through Christ and in his strength.

But it’s not just focussed on us and our lives – our prayers have an outward focus: opportunities to share the gospel. Just like Paul in v3-4, asking for prayer that he would not fail to proclaim the message clearly. Yes, even the great apostle Paul desperately needs prayer. He knows how weak he is. He knows where his true strength comes from. Please pray that I will not fail in my task, he says. And then reminds us that just like him, we are to live wisely, making the most of every opportunity.
How can we share the gospel if our lives tell a different story. How can we say “I love Jesus” if our lives are shouting “I love myself”.

What does your life say about you? What does mine say about me?

Our words are worthless if our lives are the opposite of everything we say we believe. If your Dad says it’s important to put on your seatbelt but never puts on his - what are the kids going to do? Actions speak louder than words.
That why the Bible says “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). Otherwise it’s just an idea - it’s just intellectual assent (agreeing in your mind that something is right). It’s not real. If it doesn’t affect your life – you don’t really believe it.

Jesus says in Luke 6:43–47 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.… What you say flows from what is in your heart. 46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

So we pray. We pray and ask for forgiveness when we fall. We pray and thank God for his mercy to us. We pray and ask for his strength. We pray and tell him how great he is, how wonderful, how majestic and holy and awesome. And we pray that we would be bold to speak the gospel to our friends and work colleagues, our neighbours and anyone else we meet.
And we pray for each other. We pray that we will be bold like we should. We pray . Pray particularly for me, that I would be faithgul to the message of the Bible, especially the unpopular bits, or the bits that make me uncomfortable because the hit too close to home!

Pray that we will tell people the gospel.!

Because it’s not enough just to live right. “Preach the gospel, if necessary use words” is just plain wrong. It’s not Biblical, and it wasn’t uttered by St Francis of Assisi, who used to preach (with words) up to 5 times a day.

What happens if you don’t use words? No-one is saved.
People just think “Oh, they’re nice people”. And that’s why we like it. Live nicely, and you never have to offend people by telling them about sin and judgment and the lordship of Jesus.
Nobody comes to Christ through niceness. They have to be TOLD why. They have to hear about JESUS! On judgement day, “let me in, I thought my neighbour was a lovely chap” will not work. “I trust in the blood of Jesus and that alone to wash my sins and make me righteous before God”. “Come in friend.”

So we pray for God to work in us, to change us. We pray for God to speak through us, to save others. We pray that 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

At work, as “slave” or “master” we remember we work for the Lord. Our focus is on heaven. And if life is hard and unfair, we look for glory and remember that Christ, our real life, will appear soon, oh so very soon.

And we pray, pray for the strength to live like Jesus, at church, at home with our wife or husband, and our children, at work, and with non-Christians. And we pray that the Lord would make us bold to make the most of every opportunity to share Christ.

Colossians 3:16-21 ALL of life: at home.

Colossians 3:12-4:6

How do we “live in community” together? What does a Christian community look like? What does it mean to be a Christian Dad or Mom? Or a Christian child? Or a Christian worker? Or a Christian boss? How do we relate to each other in the church? Our neighbours? Non-Christians? What about people of other faiths? Muslims? Hindus? Bahai? Christians who don’t know Christ (“churchians” or “religionists”)? Outsiders?

Last week we looked at the answer to some of those questions, particularly about relationships in the church: in vv13-15 we see that we are to make allowance for each others’ faults, be quick to forgive, live in peace – it’s pretty clear that the Lord is not fooled by outward appearance! He knows that there will be conflict. He knows that within the church people will upset each other and offend each other and step on each others’ toes. It’s not all fluffy bunnies and ice cream in the church! So instead of pretending that we’ll never sin against each other (ha!) we’re called to work hard at forgiving each other, making allowance for each others’ faults – basically being thick skinned, not getting easily offended, not looking for ways to cause problems – and to live in peace. Above all LOVE each other.

That’s hard. And that’s why we remember that we are in chapter 3, not chapter 1! How does chapter 3 begin? Since you have been raised to new life with Christ. It’s something that happened. The call to obedience in chapter 3 is because of chapter 1 and 2: we have been saved by God’s power, by God’s grace, alone. He is supreme. He holds us. He gives us his power and strength to serve him. Remember 1:11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He enables us to live as Christian people. He gives us his power, his strength to serve him.

And most of all, he gives us his love.

As I said two weeks ago, love can’t be faked. We must be given it by God. Our hard selfish hearts of stone need to be swapped out with hearts of flesh, hearts filled with the love of God. Because, you see, we are called to act like vv12-17 (in fact like ALL of chapter 3), not just for a couple of hours on a Sunday, and maybe the occasional special event where we all dress up nicely and put on our fake smiles, or pitch in for a dugnad and pretend to like it… but all the time.

All. The. Time. Every minute of every day, wherever you are, whatever you are doing: you are to be tender-hearted, full of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. And so on and so on and so on. The whole chapter!
All the time. Full of love. Full of truth. Full of peace.

“You demand the impossible”, we say to God!
And he replies “now, you’re starting to understand.”
The life of a Christian is impossible…without Christ. Without his Spirit, his power, his heart, we will fall short.

Think about it. Changing nappies – be like Christ. In church – be like Christ. When someone offends you – be like Christ. When your husband or wife wounds you deeply – be like Christ. When your kids are driving you crazy, pushing your buttons and making you MAD – be like Christ. When you’re at work, bored out of your mind – be like Christ.

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

We’ve looked at our relationships in the church, now Paul briefly turns his attention to our relationships outside the church: wife and husband, children and parents, (both of which we’ll look at today) then slave and master, and outsiders (which we’ll look at next week).

So, how are we to be like Christ at home: in our marriage, with our children and parents?

1. Wives and husbands v18-19

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

What do you feel when you hear v18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.?
Anger? Approval? Fear? Dismissal?

But this is the word of God, isn’t it? Jesus commissioned his apostles to write his words, to tell people about him and to explain the fullness of his teaching, through his Holy Spirit. Paul was specially commissioned as the Apostle to the Gentiles. Peter speaks of Paul’s letters as Holy Scripture. And what’s written here is certainly not contrary to the created order in Genesis 1 and 2 which Jesus himself quoted as being the very Word of God.

So we cannot just dismiss what we don’t like. So let’s put our initial reaction aside, and examine this more closely.

What’s interesting with this list of wives/husbands, children/parents, slaves/masters is the equality of all. The husband and the wife are to obey the Lord. Masters and slaves are equally addressed, as are parent and children. Those without power (or with less power) (wives, children, slaves) are addressed as equal citizens of heaven, being called to live in a way that pleases the Lord. Those with power (husbands, parents, masters) are reminded that their power is given under God, to be used as HE sees fit: in love, for the good of those under your power. This is no justification for abuse of power – it is the opposite!
It’s very clear that these couplets are to be read together. There is no justification for someone quoting v18 without taking v19 – despite the fact that some have done that in the past to justify their bullying behaviour. Ironically, many “modern” women are doing that today to justify their rejection of God’s word. First of all, who are you to stand in judgement over God? How arrogant! Second of all, why do you not read v19?

In v18 God says, yes, wives, submit. Why? Because it is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Submission is fitting.
But what is submission? What’s interesting is that the word in the original Greek was not used to describe the marriage relationship in those days. Paul wasn’t just taking something from the old 1^st Century culture and dressing it up a “Christian”. The word for submit here is something uniquely Christian, and has to do with order. We submit because it is the way that God has ordered creation.
The word is also very closely linked to humility. So the mark of a Christian wife is not pride and arrogance, but humility, a glad and willing servant heart. In other words, she is a wife…like Christ.

Likewise the “love” of the husband is not familial love or erotic love but the love of Christ, which is a self-sacrificial love. He is also called not to pride and self-sacrifice, but to deny himself and use his God-given authority for the good of his wife. In other words, he is a husband…like Christ.

Our society is interesting because we have no problem with v19. Of course, we say, husbands should love [their] wives and never treat them harshly. Everybody knows that!
Well, of course everybody knows that because we’ve had the Bible drummed into our heads and affecting our culture for over 1000 years here in Norway. Ask the women in Syria how they are being treated now. Islam gives women very little respect. They are not equal with men. And they are treated as such. The treatment of women in the Islamic world, particularly now under ISIS, is horrific. I was going to share some stories but I decided not to do so, as they were too disturbing.
In Hinduism, women and men are not equal. In traditional African religion the man is the head and the woman his servant, and he is the head for his own good pleasure, not for the good of others.
In feminism the woman is the head, for her own good pleasure. Any thought of serving her husband is ridiculous. It’s all about me, my needs, my wants being met.

Why, then is Christianity so different to every other religion or philosophy? Why the equality of men and women? Why does leadership and headship mean servanthood and selflessness instead of power and glorifying myself?
Because that’s what Jesus is like. Because our relationships are modelled on his.

In the Trinity, the Son lovingly submits (same word) to the Father, and wants to glorify him and magnify his name. The Father loves the Son, and wants to glorify him and magnify his name. There is an order there: the Son submits to the Father, the Father loves the Son. And our marriages are to reflect this. It is joyful voluntary submission, and joyful, servant-hearted headship.

This means, ladies, that if you do not respect your husband, if you are always bossing him about, if you are always pushing for your way to do things, if you are making decisions and controlling everything – you need to repent. You need to apologise to him. You need to say, please, take the lead. I have taken your place.
And husbands, you might need to do the same. Apologise to your wife because you’ve not loved her like you should. You have not taken responsibility for your marriage, for your relationship, for your wife. If you have a bad marriage, it is YOUR responsibility to fix it. It will be painful, it will be hard, it will involve a great deal of confessing sin, and putting yourself, your own interests and desires aside. You will need to spend time with your wife. You will need to talk about feelings, and emotions (!). You will need to listen to her and try to understand her. You will need to confess your sin to her. You will need to read the Bible with her and pray together. You need to watch over her life and show her her sin and help her repent (always easy!) – and listen to her when she points out your sin and repent of your sin (always easy!).

You need to look out for each other, seeking each others’ good, and always pointing each other back to the gospel, back to Christ. We are two sinners, but we will obey the Lord by his grace.
Husband, please lead like Christ. Wife, please submit like Christ. And then as people look at your marriage they will see the gospel pictured. Hey, there’s how Christ loves his church, there’s how the church responds to Christ.

If you want to know more, why not download or read the sermon on Ephesians 5:21-33 “Christ and the church”. And ask those of us with a bit more experience living as a Christian couple “how do you deal with this, or “do you have advice here” and so on. And watch us. And if what we’re doing seems to line up with the Bible, then do that! That’s part of the reason we are in a community together, so that we can show each other how to live. We learn from each other, from those a little further along the road. Oh that’s how to do it. I have learnt a great deal about being a husband and father from two good friends of mine, just by watching them with their wives and children. Seeing Christ at work in people is really helpful.

So, wives, respect your husband’s authority, and husbands, love your wives unselfishly.

2. Children and parents v19-21

20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.

What’s fascinating here is that Paul addresses children directly in his letter. Children? Why bother talking to children? Why give them a motivation for obedience? They must obey or be punished.

But, no, our Lord is the one who rebuked his disciples for treating the children as unworthy of coming to him. Children are people, people made in the image of God. And so they are given responsibility just like everyone else. They are to “obey their parents”.

Note the stronger word now. It is not submit, but obey. They are called to listen and obey. That’s what my Dad used to say to my sister and I “you will listen and you will obey”. How I hated those words. They struck right at the heart of my self-centredness and pride. And oh how those words are what I needed to hear. I’m so glad I had a Dad (and Mom!) who called me to OBEY. Because this “pleases the Lord” says v20.

Why? Because the family relationship reflects God’s relationship with us. He is our Father, and we are to obey him. It is much easier to understand our relationship with him if we’ve had a good earthly father who loved us, cared for us, and called us to obedience.

The modern “kids can raise themselves” philosophy is simply an excuse for laziness and uninvolvement. Kids don’t know what’s best. They are not little adults. Their understanding of the world is limited. They don’t understand the dangers in the world, in other people, and in themselves. Their mind, emotion and wills are immature. They need to be protected, nurtured, cared for. Given a safe environment to grow and be who they were created to be. That’s our job as parents. Not to stifle, not to ignore – but to inspire, guide, lead, show, and love.

That’s why v21 says , do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.

As parents we have the power to demand obedience from our children – and that for their good, not for our convenience. Our goal is to model Christ to them, and I think that’s part of the reason v21 says specifically fathers rather than parents. It reminds us that the role we are playing is the role of our Heavenly Father, God Himself. God “parents” us out of his deep love, doing what is best for us. He uses his power for our good. We are to do the same, and the greatest good is to point them to God. We show them that they are sinners who need the gospel of grace. We show them that we are sinners who need the gospel of grace. Debby and I make sure that we apologise to our children when we have sinned against them (maybe by losing our tempers, for example!) – and we call our sin, sin. And we say we need Jesus to forgive us. And when they argue and fight and do the things kids do – we call their sin, sin, and don’t make excuses for it but remind them that the Bible says their hearts are corrupt, so of course they will sin – don’t be surprised or despondent about it – but there is hope: God has made a way to be made right, through Jesus. In Christ we can ask for forgiveness and receive it. So we model both the seriousness of sin and the joy of forgiveness.

Children must obey their parents, for it pleases the Lord. It is part of their obedience to him. Fathers, do not discourage the children by aggravating them.
I think there’s another reason Paul says “fathers” here: it is to remind the father that as the head of the home he has the final responsibility for raising his children. It’s his job. He can’t just delegate to his wife and be done with it! He must be involved! Fathers, you model God to your kids – and he is not absent.

Again, if you want to know more or you got any questions – ask! We are a community. We do life together. And you can download the talk on Ephesians 6:1-4 called, simply “Fathers”.

20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

As Christians we are not free to live how we please. We belong to the Lord. Our lives belong to the Lord. Our relationships belong to the Lord. And so we are to submit to our husband, for this is fitting. We are to love our wives and never treat them harshly. We are to obey our parents, for this pleases the Lord. And we are to parent our children like our Heavenly Father, with love, with deep involvement, and acting for their good, and always sharing the gospel.