Guest Preacher: The Rt. Rev'd Thad Barnum

Bishop Thad Barnum serves as Assisting Bishop to the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas. His primary work recently has been to disciple and care for pastors in the Anglican Church of North America and beyond. During their nearly 39 years of marriage, Thad and his late wife, Erilynne, planted two churches and devoted themselves fully to the gospel work of "presenting everyone mature in Christ." (Col 1:28) It is this work of discipleship that brings people to saving faith, grows them in godly character, and empowers them in the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Jesus. As Erilynne once said, "the strongest witness to a dying world is a transformed life." It is this work that Thad carries on through this ministry of Call2Disciple.

Don’t just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:1 Peter 1:1-9, John 20:19-23.

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email the church office ([email protected]).

Bible StudyQuestions? 

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Celebration

• Easter is celebrated worldwide in many ways
• But why call it the greatest day in history?

Peter’s Story

• Ordinary man, failed Jesus, full of fear and guilt
• The Cross, to Peter, was defeat
• The empty tomb = confusion → then encounter with risen Jesus

Two Truths from Peter’s Preaching

1) Payment Accepted

• Cross: Jesus paid our moral debt
• Resurrection: God’s declaration — “Accepted”
• Result: forgiveness, freedom, relationship with God

2) God’s Verdict on Jesus

• Humans: rejected him
• God: raised him
• Verdict: Jesus is Lord and Christ

Discussion Questions

1. What is your verdict about Jesus?
2. Would the Cross have been effective without the Resurrection?
3. Can you be a Christian and not believe in the Resurrection?
4. Why is the Resurrection essential for a relationship with God?

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

.

Sermon Outline

• The Word of the Cross
• No Word of the Cross apart from the Cross

Sermon Questions

1. The early church operated under a death-cell philosophy, where gathering for worship could lead to forced labor or execution. How does this historical reality of high-stakes discipleship challenge the way you view the "ordinariness" of attending church today?
2. We often treat the cross as a sentimental charm rather than the instrument of terror it truly was. How does shifting your perspective of the cross—from a piece of jewelry to a place of "mangling" and "cruel tortures"—deepen your understanding of Christ’s sacrifice?
3. After Christianity was legalized, it arguably became too at home in the world, leading to gnarly warts like worldliness and political entanglement. In what areas of your life do you feel too at home, and how might the word of the cross call you to a more distinct way of living?
4. The sermon states there is no word of the cross apart from the cross and that we must be crucified with Christ. Looking toward Holy Week, what is one specific way you can imitate the sufferings of God by laying down your own desires or importance for the sake of following Jesus?

Resources Consulted

• Dom Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy
• Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity
• Rowan Williams, "The Two Ways"
• J. Gordon McConville, The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 for the Life of the Church

Questions?

Do you have a question about today's sermon? Email Sam Fornecker ([email protected]).

St. Andrew’s mission statement, from the home page of our website, expresses a desire ‘for every individual to connect to the presence and power of Jesus Christ’. Exodus 40 culminates in God’s glory filling the tabernacle, and the Israelites waiting upon God’s leading before moving in obedience to him, having connected with His presence and power.

• To connect to the presence and power of Jesus Christ, you need to obey God
• To connect to the presence and power of Jesus Christ, you need to keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)

1. Moses ‘did as he was told’, repeatedly (40:16, 32). What might hamper your obedience to ‘all that God commands’ you to do in your life? What does obedience look like for you in the areas of work, family, worship, community, finances, evangelism?
2. Verse 36 says that ‘throughout all their journeys’ i.e. in every situation, the Israelites would keep in step with the Spirit and move with God.  v37 says ‘they did not set out’ if the cloud didn’t move. Do you recognize times you’ve run ahead or lagged behind? Did you genuinely invite God into those times? What might we learn for next time?
3. Brother Lawrence writes of a person who is full of good intentions but ‘wants to go faster than grace allows’. Our culture and society move pretty fast, but how can we work out the best pace ‘that grace allows’. Share any lessons learnt and what has worked for you in the times you got it right.

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

.

Sermon Notes

Exodus 32 is a picture of the human condition. Like the Israelites, we have been breaking God's laws, making idols and worshipping our own gods. Three ways Moses dealt with the idolatrous behavior of the Israelites:

1. Confrontation

• Moses confronted Aaron and the people publicly.
• He broke the tablets.
• He destroyed the golden calf.

2. Warned against making excuses for sins committed and shifting blames

• Moses held Aaron fully responsible for what he had done.
• Instead of repenting of his sin, Aaron made excuses and shifted the blame to others for his sin.

3. Moses challenged the people to make a choice between two camps, God and satan, truth and falsehood, holiness and sins. On whose side are you?

• God demands clear and public allegiance in the midst of compromise.
• In the warfare between good and evil, there is a need for taking sides.
• We can not remain neutral and truth can not be divided.

Discussion Questions

1. What do we do when confronted about our sins?

2. Is there anything that displaces God in our hearts?

3. Is there anything that competes with God for our devotion and worship?

4. What do we desire or what do we pursue?

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Anthony Kowbeidu (

).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Introduction

• Illustration: honeymoon betrayal → shocking picture of covenant unfaithfulness.
• This mirrors what Israel does in Exodus 32.
• While God gives instructions for the Tabernacle, Israel breaks covenant through idolatry.
• The passage shows:
  1. The pattern of idolatry in our hearts
  2. The hope of intercession before a holy God

Three movements:

Impatience → Idolatry → Intercession

1. Impatience (v.1)

Cause of Israel’s sin:

 disappointment caused by delay.

• Moses delayed on the mountain (~40 days).
• The people grew restless and took matters into their own hands.
• Impatience reveals distrust in God’s timing.

Clarification

• Difficult waiting itself is not sinful.
• Scripture invites honest lament and prayer (e.g., Psalms).

Danger

• If disappointment is not brought to God, it can become:
  • distrust
  • self-reliance
  • taking control

2. Idolatry

Impatience leads Israel to create the 

golden calf

.

Characteristics of Idolatry

1. It is absurd

• Creatures say, “make us gods.”
• Finite humans attempt to manufacture a deity.

2. It seeks a visible, controllable god

• A desire to see God is natural.
• But creating something to represent Him violates God’s commands.

3. It twists God’s gifts

• Gold meant for the tabernacle becomes material for an idol.
• Good gifts become ultimate things.

4. It produces bad fruit

• Loss of self-control
• Moral compromise
• Damage to relationships

Diagnostic Question

Where is your:

• ultimate hope?
• identity?
• security?

Enjoy God’s gifts—but steward them for his glory and the good of others.

3. Intercession

The covenant is broken.God’s wrath is justly stirred (v.10).

Moses’ Intercession

Moses pleads for the people.Result:

“The Lord relented…” (v.14)

• Judgment is restrained.
• The covenant continues.

Meaning

God sovereignly chose 

intercession

 as the means through which mercy would come.

Greater Fulfillment

Moses points forward to 

Jesus Christ

, the ultimate intercessor.Jesus:

• stands between God and sinners
• bears God’s wrath
• secures forgiveness

1 John 2:1–2:

• Christ is our advocate
• the propitiation for our sins - the means by which God meets us in grace and mercy, rather than judgment and condemnation

Discussion Questions

1. What delay in your life is testing your trust in God? Is it driving you toward 

prayer

 or 

impatience

?

2. What are examples of modern, even socially acceptable idols?

3. Give an example of how God helped you recognize idolatrous tendencies in your own life?

4. Jesus is the ultimate intercessor through his Cross.  But we can be "mini-intercessors" through our prayers for others. Discuss the relationship between God's sovereignty (he knows his good plans) and the genuine effectiveness of our prayers.

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Big Idea

The Tabernacle shows us that 

God desires to dwell with His people

 — and that desire is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

1. Participation — A Glad Invitation

Before giving building instructions, God invited the people to contribute materials (Exodus 25:2).

• They gave what God had already provided (Exodus 12).
• Giving was voluntary — “from every man whose heart moves him.”
• Covenant generosity flows from joy, not compulsion.

As Paul the Apostle writes in Second Corinthians 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

Application

• Everything we have is from God.
• Generosity is not the duty of a slave, but the privilege of a lover.
• If joy is missing, examine the heart — not just the habit.

2. Pattern — Nearness and Holiness

The structure of the Tabernacle (courtyard → holy place → Most Holy Place) reveals two truths:

God Is Near

• His presence dwelt among His people.
• The Ark symbolized His throne on earth.
• Covenant means relationship — not distance.

God Is Holy

• Access was limited and required sacrifice.
• His purity creates a tension for sinful people.
• Nearness is a gift — not something to approach casually.

Application

• Come to God joyfully.
• Come to God reverently.
• Grace produces both confidence and humility.

3. Fulfillment — The Person and Work of Jesus

The Tabernacle pointed forward to Christ.In Gospel of John 1:14 we read:“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”Literally — He “tabernacled” among us.Jesus is:

• The true meeting place of heaven and earth.
• The fulfillment of the Temple.
• The presence of God in fullness.

After His resurrection and ascension, His presence comes to us through the Holy Spirit — not as a replacement for Jesus, but as the living connection to Him.

Discussion Questions

1. Is generosity a joyful practice for you? Why or why not?2. How do different worship styles emphasize either God's nearness or holiness? How can worship emphasize both?3. Is the Holy Spirit a substitute for Jesus? Why or why not?4. Read Ephesians 2:19-22. How is Paul using the Temple metaphor? What might that look like today in the Christian Life? Hint: the "you" in v. 22 is plural.

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

Sermon Outline

• Three Lenten invitations from Exodus 24—
  • to remember our covenant with God (vv1–8)
  • to renew our communion in God (vv9–11)
  • to return to the cloud of God's presence (v12–18)

Sermon Questions

1. What is the difference between a contract and a covenant?
2. Can there be such a thing as "conditional love"?
3. What does it mean to be God's priestly people? (Compare Exodus 24:7 and 1 Peter 2:9).
4. In your gut, are you comforted or startled by God's scandalous welcome in verses 9–11?
5. Have you ever, or are you now, experiencing "divine darkness"? Turn off your screen and ask a Christian friend to pray for you, that you might experience a sense of God's nearness and unconditional welcome and love.
6. For personal reflection: meditate on these words from St. Gregory of Nyssa's Commentary on the Song of Songs: "The Bride is encompassed by a divine night, during which her Spouse approaches, but does not reveal Himself. But how can that which is invisible reveal itself in the night? By the fact that He gives the soul some sense of His presence, even while He eludes her clear apprehension, concealed as He is by the invisibility of His nature."

Resources Consulted

• Thomas Joseph White, Exodus
• Brevard Childs, Exodus: A Commentary
• Amy Peeler, "Desiring God: The Blood Of The Covenant In Exodus 24," BBR 23.2 (2013), 187–205
• J.B. Torrance, "The Unconditional Freeness of Grace"
• Michael Hundley, Yahweh among the Gods: The Divine in Genesis, Exodus, and the Ancient Near East
• Andrew Louth,The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys (pp.78–94)
• To dig deeper, check out the two-part discussion on The Naked Bible Podcast.

Questions?

Do you have a question about today's sermon? Email Sam Fornecker (

h).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Intro

• Law can feel like an awkward piece of furniture in the Christian life
• Some overemphasize it, others throw it out
• Scripture and the Church's wisdom shows Law has a proper place

Categories of OT Law

• Ceremonial (sacrifices/food laws) → fulfilled in Christ
• Civil (Israel’s national laws) → instructive, not binding
• Moral (God’s character) → still applies (esp. 10 Commandments)

Big Idea: The 10 Commandments are…

1) 

A Mirror

• Reveals sin and exposes our hearts
• Jesus deepens the Law (lust = adultery, hatred = murder)
• Law shows our need for a Savior
• Law reveals but cannot heal → drives us to Christ

2) 

A Muzzle

• Restrains evil in society
• Produces fear of consequences / justice
• Doesn’t change hearts, but limits harm

3) 

A Map

• After salvation, guides believers in discipleship
• Shows what faithful living and flourishing look like
• Helps define love rightly

Conclusion: Law leads to Love

• John 14:21 — obedience flows from love
• Mirror: God loves us enough to tell the truth
• Muzzle: God loves the world enough to restrain evil
• Map: God loves us enough to guide us
• Commandments 1–4: love God; 5–10: love neighbor

Discussion Questions

1. What is your gut-level reaction to Law in the Christian life? Where does that originate?

2. How have past church experiences, family-of-origin, or other faith communities influenced the way you approach the Ten Commandments and other moral laws?

3. Are you convicted by any of the Ten Commandments? If so, how do you respond to that conviction?

4. Give an example of how one of the Ten Commandments helped you better understand what it meant to love.

5. In Rom 6:14, Paul writes, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are 

not under law

 but under grace.” (Romans 6:14 ESV).  In 1 Cor 9:21, he writes: “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God 

but under the law of Christ

) that I might win those outside the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:21 ESV).  What does Paul mean by these two statements - not under law, but under the law of Christ? Are they contradictions? How would you define the law of Christ?

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

).

Bible Study

Don't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon:

.

Sermon Notes

1. Grace

 – God saves first

• “I bore you on eagles’ wings” (v.4)
• Relationship begins with rescue, not achievement

2. Obedience

 – God shapes our lives

• Not cheap grace, not legalism
• God’s commands lead to flourishing
• Empowered by the Spirit

3. Vocation

 – God sends us

• “A kingdom of priests” (v.6)
• Represent God to the world & the world to God

Discussion Questions

1) Does every human being need to be rescued in order to enjoy God's love?

2) Are you more tempted by cheap grace or legalism?

3) Why is the Holy Spirit critical for obedience?

4) Define the priestly vocation.  Give an example of how you live out your priestly vocation.

Questions?

Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Randy Forrester (

).