Grace Community Church of Ramona Podcast

The law has been given. God has established in very clear terms what He expects from His chosen people. These 613 laws govern how Israel is supposed to behave toward God, toward one another, and even toward animals and other creation. God gives these laws and expects Israel to follow them, yet God knows that they will fail regularly, so He includes laws for that, or more precisely, He formalizes the sacrifice system.

The crashing waters of the Red Sea have settled. The nation of Israel, about 2 million people, look on in unbelief and awe as the God who led them out of slavery just destroyed the entire Egyptian army. They are now a completely free people! As the last line of their magnificent rescue song rings out, "The Lord will reign forever and ever" (Ex. 15:18). We can imagine the promises to Abraham, so many hundreds of years before, now echo anew in their hearts and minds.

God had communicated to Moses that they were not to leave Egypt as paupers. They would leave as a wealthy nation. Moses told the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for their riches. Wanting to avoid further calamity, the Egyptian people unloaded their wealth into the bags of the Israelites.

Response Reveals Belief. God reveals Himself to mankind and mankind is given a season of choice. A time to choose to respond in belief, or to not. It is God who then closes the door on man's season of choice. Pharaoh is a perfect example of this. God revealed Himself to Pharaoh through a series of signs and wonders, but Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and refused to listen.

Today we are going to encounter the themes of God, Man, Sin, Death, Christ, Cross, and Faith woven through the life of a man named Abraham. Through this story God continues to add detail to His rescue plan as He paints a picture of the rescuer that is worth more than a thousand words.

As we continue our story we come to a section today that gives us insight into how God rescues. In the same way that the korot is a salvation from starvation for those living on Barangonan, the ark that God provided was a salvation to Noah, and his family. The themes that are woven through the fabric of this part of the story are God, Man, Sin, Death, Christ, and Faith.

Man and woman have disregarded God’s one command. They have been caught in their disobedience and called to stand in front of their loving creator, and in the place where love and joy and desire once was, is now fear and shame and deception. Everything was perfect, now, it couldn't be worse.

We pick up the story with everything in perfect balance and harmony. No pain or trouble or tears, and then something terrible happens. There are some details we don’t know, but here is what God has revealed to us. Just like creation, this part of the story starts in heaven with an absolutely magnificent angel, Lucifer.

Now creation was finished, existing in perfect balance, peace, love and harmony with the God who created it. Adam and Eve, living in this beautiful garden in perfect unity with their creator God. Walking and talking with him in joy filled relationship. No pain, tears, thorns, fears, uncertainty just full, perfect, peaceful life. As we read the beginning of the Story of Hope, there are so many truths about God to find in the symphony of creation. Let’s look at three of them briefly.

Do you remember the funniest story you ever heard? The scariest? The saddest? Stories are incredibly powerful things. They can make us laugh, cry and imagine things that are beyond the reach of reality. We all love a great story! As we begin this new series, we will be hearing, reading and studying "Story of Hope."