The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing. ~ Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

We have reached the end of the Book of Exodus, and now we witness the story's climax: God has come to dwell with His people. The purpose of the Exodus narrative was not solely to rescue the Israelites from slavery but to lead them toward a relationship with God. He is not just a distant God but present with us. This is the true essence of salvation.

Thanksgiving message - Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy.

As we delve deeper into the book of Exodus, we witness Moses pleading for his people. This encounter with God reminds us of the true meaning of experiencing God's glory and the path to establishing a lifelong relationship with a compassionate, gracious, and loving God. From the burning bush to this conversation, we are inspired to seek and experience the glory of God in our own lives. It can be a challenging journey, but with faith and determination, we can find the guidance to navigate our way toward a closer relationship with our Creator.

In this midweek podcast, Pastor Nick and Pastor Roy dig deeper into the problem with Idols.

Idolatry poses a grave threat to our relationship with God. However, the passage for this weekend serves as a reminder that we have the potential to break free from the idols that reside in our hearts with the aid of a mediator who intercedes for us before God. The story is incredibly powerful and can encourage us to turn to Jesus, the only one capable of liberating us from our constraints.

We are continuing our exploration of the book of Exodus. In this week's section, we come to the famous giving of the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments are a law code that Western society has looked to through the ages as the basis for all laws and morality. Sadly, this has led to the impression among many that this is ultimately what God came to do: to give us laws to obey so that we will be welcomed in. But that is not what Exodus tells us. Rather, we learn that God has already welcomed us in and now gives us laws to guide us as we learn to live as His people. This encounter between God and His people is about what it looks like to live as new people, free people, godly people who are called by the Lord’s name and set apart for His purposes in the world.

The story of the parting of the Red Sea is seen by many as the climax of the book of Exodus. It is the final escape from slavery in Egypt and the moment in which the Israelites are finally freed from the rule of Pharaoh. And what it reveals to us is that we all need rescue. Specifically this encounter reveals what we need rescue from, how we can escape it, and who makes it possible. We need rescue from all the things that would enslave us apart from God. We escape from it only through a decisive act of God in which we pass from death to life. And finally, it is only through Christ, the greater Moses, who makes it all possible.

Dr. John Walton joins Pastor Nick in a discussion on how we should approach reading the plague narratives that take place in the book of Exodus.