Vista Community Church

After enduring 9 brutal plagues, Pharaoh still refuses to let God's people go. So, there is one final plague that will be so devastating that Pharaoh will finally tell them to leave. Every first born male in the whole land will die. But God has a way for his people to be saved. They must sacrifice an unblemished lamb and spread the blood across the doorposts of their homes. Only if they do this will they be saved. This whole episode is foreshadowing and pointing us to Jesus, who comes as our sacrificial lamb, who's blood removes our sin. This is New Testament theology wrapped in Old Testament history. It is essentially what the book of Exodus is all about. 

In order to make Pharaoh and the Egyptians believe that Yahweh is the one true God and cause them to let the Israelites go, God sends a series of plagues on Egypt. Each plague demonstrates God's power over the false gods of Egypt, yet Pharaoh's heart remains hard and he refuses to let God's people go.  

Moses and Pharaoh meet for the first time. It does not go well. God's deliverance will not come quickly but painfully and patiently, because God's ultimate mission is not merely rescue but the creation of a people shaped in his image.

Moses continues to give excuses and question God's call in his life. It becomes apparent that he's really not seeking answers, but just objecting to what God wants him to do. Ultimately, Moses returns to Egypt and God gives him a partner in ministry to help him do the job. Chapter 4 of Exodus helps provide some answers to some really important questions.

Action Step: Pray for your pastors this week and let them know that they are appreciated

An old fugitive out in the wasteland comes upon a burning bush, takes the time to watch it burn, and the rest is history. Moses' humility and patience result in him receiving a summons to service and adventure from a holy and friendly God.

After Moses had grown up, he notices the abuse and injustice of the Egyptians toward the Hebrew people of God. Moses ends up killing an Egyptian and then fleeing to Midian to escape Pharaoh. While there, he ends up getting married and leading a quiet life complete with a job and a family... but this is all setting the stage for how God is going to use Moses to lead his people. Like all of us, Moses really wasn't qualified to lead. But, God prepares and uses Moses anyways, and there is a lot we can learn about serving the Lord and building his kingdom through Moses' story.

An unlikely conspiracy of kindness delivers the baby who will one day deliver the people of Israel. Because when faced with overwhelming situations, all we can do, and all we are asked to do, is the next thing.

At the end of Genesis we see that Jacob's family has moved to Egypt. Over the course of about 400 years, they have grown in number. As Exodus begins they find themselves slaves in a foreign land with ungodly rulers. This sets the stage for what God is going to do to free his people and make them into a great nation.

Through this first chapter we learn about God's sovereignty, our responsibility, and what God ultimately wants for his people. 

Why would we be the most traumatized people despite living in the least traumatic age? Through the common grace of resiliency, and the ambient effects of the resurrection, we can learn to live lives that are full of trauma but also full of joy, adventure, and hope.

Selfish Ambition is not necessarily a modern problem. It is a problem that has been around since the beginning of mankind. It is an ancient problem with an equally ancient solution. Selfish Ambition is rooted in pride and fueled by discontent. The answer to this is for God's people to learn contentment in life. According to the Apostle Paul, contentment isn't a virtue found within oneself. It is a posture of dependence and trust in God that must be learned. The secret to contentment is knowing Christ and allowing him to be your source of satisfaction.