“It’s getting dark,” said Kate, looking up at the sky. “It’ll be night soon. Should we try to come back the way we came?”

“I don’t think so,” said Naomi. “We might somehow end up deeper in the forest. I think we’d better just sit here and hope someone comes to look for us.”

The girls slowly moved over to the tree stump and dropped their pinecones and berries. The castle didn’t seem so important anymore.

Suddenly, there was a snap of twigs ahead of them.

“What-what was that?” Kate stammered.

“I don’t know,” Naomi whispered. Now, her heart was beating really fast. Oh, why didn’t I listen to Sophie and my parents? She thought. Now we’re lost in the forest, and something might be coming to eat us for dinner!

“I’m scared,” Kate said, tears beginning to fill her eyes. 

“Me too,” said Naomi. “We shouldn’t have disobeyed Sophie. All we can do now is pray.”

“Let’s do that, please,” Kate begged.

Are you walking through leadership, loss, or life feeling alone? Discover how Jesus’ deep dependence on His Father offers a powerful invitation: you were never meant to walk alone—and you don’t have to.

Consecration of the Firstborn

The promised time of redemption, of deliverance, was about to arrive. The people needed to be prepared. They needed not just to believe but to act on those beliefs. God had told them what they needed to do; by faith, they now needed to do it. Though in a totally different context from what James was writing about, the principle fits very well: "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:17-20, NKJV).

Read Exodus 13:1-16. The Israelite firstborns were spared by God’s grace during the final plague. Why this perpetual command, and what should it mean to us today?

God mercifully guarded the Israelite families who were under the blood because, by faith, they had marked their doorframes. These new directions came from the Lord through Moses: "Consecrate to me every firstborn male" (Exod. 13:2, NIV). This legislation was valid for humans, as well as for animals.

One principle behind this injunction is that everything belongs to Him because He is our Creator and the Owner of everything: "The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Ps. 24:1, NIV). "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts" (Hag. 2:8, ESV). The Israelites’ firstborn sons were the first fruit of God’s blessings, which He had bestowed upon them; they were also a sign of their total consecration to Him and of their understanding that all they possessed came only from Him.

Also, we see the idea of redemption, of salvation, here. The firstborn sons were spared death because they were covered by the blood. They were redeemed from death, as are all who are under the blood of Jesus. As Paul writes about Jesus: "in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:14, NKJV).

Meanwhile, regulations were given about how this dedication should be offered, a celebration of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. They were to sacrifice the animals, but their sons were to be redeemed (Exod. 13:12-13, 15).

Exodus 13:16 tells about what they were to put on their hands and between their eyes. How does this symbolize the important spiritual truth that, regardless of how much faith we have, we must act upon that faith?

In this repeat episode from Season 1, UpSetters discuss the definition of worship. What is it? What is it not?

Our bodies are not designed to deal with stress and anxiety long-term. Over the next several weeks, we will be tackling the topic of anxiety and how we can reduce stress, fear, and burnout.

Downey Adventist Church Sermon

I'm Done Being Sick & Tired

What Me, Worry? series

by Chris Famisaran

02 Aug. 2025

www.downeychurch.org

Exodus — Through the Red Sea — Go, and Worship the Lord

Join us as we study the Bible Study Guide for the third quarter of 2025 called Exodus. We are studying the lesson for week 6 called Through the Red Sea.    

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Sermon at Newmarket Adventist Group l Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

Newmarket Seventh-day Adventists is the official church group of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. In collaboration with Paradise Health Clinic, Newmarket Adventists shares life-changing Adventist health principles and the gospel in the context of the Three Angels’ Messages to prepare people for the soon coming of Christ.

Learn more:

Newmarket Seventh-day Adventists

Paradise Health Clinic

Paradise Fields

One Week In Paradise

Ontario Conference of SDA

Seventh-day Adventists World Church

Contact us!

[email protected]

289-763-5994