Cornerstone EFC Owatonna Sermons

We use calendars, reminders, photographs, and family traditions to remember what matters. In Exodus 13, God establishes reminders for the Israelites through the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the consecration of the firstborn, ensuring future generations will remember how He delivered His people from slavery.

In Part 16 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate explains how these practices were intended not only to preserve Israel's memory but also to make their identity as God's people visible to the world. That same principle applies to Christians today. Faith should be evident in more than religious clothing, social media posts, or Sunday worship. It should shape our generosity, relationships, priorities, and willingness to serve others. As Nate connects the redemption of the firstborn with Jesus, the Lamb of God, he reminds us that our lives can point others toward the God who desires to dwell with His people.

The final plague has come, and Pharaoh finally tells Moses and Aaron to take the Israelites and leave Egypt. Yet amid the dramatic events of Exodus 12, two details reveal something important about God's character. Pharaoh, who once resisted acknowledging Yahweh's authority, now asks Moses to bless him. And as Israel departs, a mixed multitude leaves with them, showing that others are being drawn toward the God who delivered His people.

In Part 15 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate explores the difference between wanting God's blessings and becoming a faithful follower of God. People around us may recognize the peace, joy, and hope that come from knowing Christ without yet understanding the relationship behind those blessings. Nate challenges believers to use those moments as opportunities for invitation: not simply praying for someone and moving on, but walking alongside them, connecting them with other Christians, and welcoming them into the family of faith. God's heart has always been to make Himself known and draw people into relationship with Him.

When we hear the word Passover, we often imagine God simply passing by the homes marked with the blood of a lamb. But in Exodus 12, Pastor Nate explores a deeper picture: God actively protecting His people, like a parent stepping between a child and danger or a bird spreading its wings over its young.

In Part 14 of The Book of Exodus, Nate connects the first Passover with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God whose blood provides our ultimate redemption. He also draws attention to an easily overlooked instruction: the Israelites were to eat the Passover meal dressed and ready to leave. Just as they were called to readiness, Christians today are called to live prepared for Christ's return. Rather than allowing comfort to produce complacency, we should actively share the hope of the gospel with those around us.

We're constantly surrounded by messages promising a better life through possessions, experiences, financial success, or personal comfort. Yet even good things can distract us from what makes life truly meaningful. In 1 Timothy 6:17–21, the Apostle Paul challenges those who possess material wealth not to become proud or place their security in riches, but to put their hope in God, who provides everything we enjoy.

In "Take Hold of the True Good Life," guest pastor Mike Sager reminds us that many American Christians are wealthy by global standards, whether or not we consider ourselves rich. With those resources comes an opportunity and responsibility to live generously, serve others, and become rich in good works. Rather than allowing our possessions to control us, we're invited to follow Christ's example of sacrificial love and invest in things of eternal significance. True life is found not in what we accumulate, but in knowing Christ and using what God has entrusted to us for His glory.

After nine plagues, Pharaoh still refuses to release Israel. Yet Exodus 11 reveals that God's plan is unfolding just as He promised. The Egyptians begin showing favor toward the Israelites, Moses gains respect among Pharaoh's servants, and preparations are made for the final plague that will bring Israel's departure from Egypt.

In Part 13 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate explores how God fulfills His promises, even when His people cannot yet see the outcome. The silver and gold Israel receives were foretold back in Exodus 3, providing another reminder that God has been working throughout the entire journey. Nate connects that faithfulness to God's promises of salvation, sanctification, and ultimate victory over sin and death. Whatever uncertainty we're facing, we can trust the God who has repeatedly demonstrated that His word is dependable.

The plagues of Egypt weren't random disasters. Again and again, God confronts the powers Egypt trusted and demonstrates that Yahweh alone is God. Pharaoh's magicians eventually reach a point where they can no longer reproduce God's signs. Israel is set apart from Egypt. Some Egyptians begin taking God's warnings seriously. Even Pharaoh eventually admits, “I have sinned... the LORD is in the right.” Yet despite all of this, Pharaoh continues resisting God.

In Part 12 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate surveys Exodus 8–10 and turns Pharaoh's story toward us. It's easy to identify ourselves with the heroes of Scripture and condemn Pharaoh, but we too can repeatedly resist God when He exposes sin or calls us to change. Rather than allowing our hearts to become hardened, we're called to respond to God's conviction, surrender to Him, and trust that even when the world appears chaotic, the sovereign God who worked through the events of Exodus is still at work today.

As Moses and Aaron prepare to confront Pharaoh again, they already know his heart is hardened. Their obedience seems destined to fail before they even begin. Yet when Aaron strikes the Nile and its waters turn to blood, the first plague begins a much larger demonstration of God's power and His determination that Egypt will know He is the LORD.

In Part 11 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate explores a pattern seen throughout Scripture: God often calls His people into situations where the odds appear overwhelmingly against them. From Moses and Aaron to Gideon, David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and countless believers since, seemingly impossible circumstances create opportunities for God's work to become unmistakable. Our responsibility isn't to guarantee the outcome—it's to discern God's leading, faithfully obey, and trust Him with what happens next.

After weeks of preparation, Moses and Aaron finally confront Pharaoh with God's power. In Exodus 7, Aaron throws down his staff and it becomes a serpent, only for Pharaoh's magicians to apparently reproduce the same sign. But Aaron's serpent swallows theirs—a powerful image in a culture where the serpent represented Pharaoh's divine authority and sovereignty.

In Part 10 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate also addresses the difficult question he's been teasing for several weeks: Why would God harden Pharaoh's heart? Looking at the language throughout Exodus and the rest of Scripture, Nate explains that Pharaoh is not portrayed as an innocent man whom God arbitrarily forces into rebellion. Pharaoh already resists God and oppresses His people, while God strengthens that existing resolve so His power and glory will be unmistakably displayed through what follows. As the confrontation with Egypt begins, we're reminded that no government, ruler, circumstance, or earthly power can rival the authority of God.

After Moses obeys God and Israel's suffering becomes worse, God responds by reminding Moses of His covenant, His promises, and His identity as the LORD. He has heard His people's groaning, and He will deliver and redeem them. At the center of His promise is a powerful declaration: “I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God.” In Part 9 of The Book of Exodus, Pastor Nate explores our deep need for belonging and the identities we often build around careers, relationships, struggles, abilities, and other parts of life. Like Israel, we're invited to remember that our circumstances don't define us. Our deepest identity is found in belonging to the God who has claimed and redeemed His people.

Moses and Aaron finally stand before Pharaoh with God's command: “Let My people go.” Pharaoh not only refuses—he responds by making Israel's slavery even harsher. Suddenly, obedience appears to have made everything worse. In The Book of Exodus, Part 8, Pastor Nate explores what happens when following God leads directly into resistance. We should expect that people who don't know God may not understand our faith, prepare ourselves to respond wisely when challenged, and remember that painful circumstances don't automatically mean we've taken a wrong turn. Like Moses, when we don't understand what God is doing, our first response should be to turn toward Him and trust Him as our true north.