The Law of Moses with its detailed explanation of blood sacrifice pointed to a time when Jesus would be the perfect once-for-all-time sacrifice that would mediate a new covenant between God and his people. The Old Covenant said that life is in the blood; the New Covenant showed that the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world.

Some people tie their faith to a person: a parent, a pastor, a mentor. Some people tie their faith to a place or object. Moses’ prolonged absence on Mt. Sinai panicked the Jews. So, they asked for an object they could see, an idol to represent the unseen God whom they worshipped. Aaron complied, and the people paid a terrible price for their disobedience.

Moses was an underdog; Moses was for the underdog: the slave being beaten by his Egyptian taskmaster; the daughters of Jethro being chased away from the watering hole. His fellow Israelites. Moses was a type of Christ: Moses taught the Law; Jesus fulfilled the Law. Moses was a mediator; Jesus is mediator. Moses demonstrated God is for the oppressed and wants to lead them to a place of freedom and blessing. Just like Jesus.

Were we to view Joseph’s life in real time we would have thought him a tragic figure, cosmically cursed, an example of all that is unfair. Yet God’s plan was to execute a great reversal. What was planned for evil was used for good. The ultimate example of the great reversal is the cross.

When God called Abraham to leave his country and his family and go to the place He would reveal, following that call required faith. That faith came with a promise: God would bless Abraham, make him into a great nation, and through him, bless all the nations of the earth. Faith always comes with a promise, and that promise is always rooted in the future.

Early Christians refused unconditional allegiance to emperors, even the good ones. In doing so, they moved the moral and ethical needle in the empire. They did this by way of culturally disruptive unity. The unity and diversity of the early church shocked and intrigued the ancient world. So should ours. Though some found the practices of the first church appalling many found their love for one another appealing.

The church should be the safest place in the world to talk about anything. Yet we quickly learn two subjects to avoid: politics and religion. As a result, Christians often default to one of two extremes: they never mix politics and faith, or they claim God endorses their political views. But God doesn’t belong to either party. And the Kingdom of God doesn’t fit neatly into any political ideology. This sermon will explain how Christians with genuine political disagreements can lean in, listen, learn and love one another.

Americans are afraid. What exactly do we fear? Loss. The loss of control. Of opportunity. Of security. Of freedom. Our fears are exploited by political machinations designed, not to unify, but to win. Each Christian needs to answer a mission-critical question: Are you willing to evaluate your politics through the filter of your faith rather than create a version of faith that supports your politics? Otherwise I will allow my political view to divide me from a living, breathing you?

Josh shares on anger in Proverbs.

Proverbs detects relational radioactivity. It is like a Geiger counter that points out poison in others. But it’s also a personal radiation detector – the sort that an x-ray tech wears – to make sure you’re not becoming radioactive yourself. Proverbs 26 helps us detect three sources of relational radioactivity: foolishness, laziness and cantankerousness.