Weekly Messages

The Ten Commandments are timeless wisdom. Wisdom is "knowing what to do with what you know." It is the application of knowledge. The Bible says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). The way to godly wisdom then is not by listening to your gut but by listening to God. If we want to know right from wrong, if we want to know how to live "the good life," if we want to know how to live in a way that blesses our friends and neighbors, we'd be wise to do things God's way. If you are looking for God's way, the Ten Commandments are a good place to start.

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion How does obedience to the four "vertical" commands cause a person to obey the six "horizontal" commands?

How might the perfect righteousness required in the Ten Commandments cause people to lose hope? What is the only thing that can restore that hope?

How do the Ten Commandments help us understand the character of Jesus?

You won't want to miss this Sunday. Family Worship Sunday. Connect 4 Lunch. And, to top it off, we have multiple members of our faith family taking their walk with Jesus to the waters of baptism. To fully appreciate what it is that they are doing, we are going to spend some time looking at what we believe is the biblical understanding of baptism. My prayer is that we'd all get to a place where even if we don't fully comprehend it, we can be certain it's a sacred moment.

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

If you have been baptized, spend some time reflecting on your baptism. What do you remember from the experience? If you have not yet been baptized, what is one thing keeping you from taking that step?

What is baptism? What are some of the misconceptions you have heard about it? How does scripture challenge those misconceptions?

What is the relationship between faith in Jesus and baptism?

Could you name the Ten Commandments? Studies done over the years show that the majority of Americans and even Christians struggle to recall them. While memorization is valuable, it's more important for us to grasp the truths embedded within the words spoken by God to His people. Truths that are still relevant for us today.

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

Why is it important to understand that the commandments are a faithful response to God and not a prerequisite for a relationship with God?

Reflect upon modern-day idol worship. How do modern-day idols (anything or anyone other than God that you make the ultimate thing in your life) affect our lives and relationship with God? What idols are you prone to serving?

Discuss the significance of the third commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." How does our behavior and speech reflect on God's reputation? What would the people in your life say or think about God based upon your interactions with them lately?

The people have reached Mount Sinai. The mountain where it all began–just as God had promised when He first appeared to Moses in a burning bush:

I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

The promise is being fulfilled. The time has come for them to meet the God they will serve. Will they obey His voice? Will we?

I am a sucker for survival shows. Shows where people are dropped into remote locations and they have to live off the land. There is a reason why those shows are filmed in non-arid settings. There is no harsher survival setting than the wilderness of the desert where there is no relief from the scorching sun and the parched earth seems to stretch on forever.

After the Red Sea event, this is where Israel found themselves. In an existentially threatening environment. The wilderness. They learned some quick lessons in the wilderness—what their bodies needed for survival, basic provisions such as food and water. They were also reminded from whom all provisions come. Morning by morning, God provided them bread from heaven, which was but a foretaste of what was to come. Food and water for the soul.

There are certain places that one can and should expect to find certain things. For example, if you want good food or quick food, there are right places to look and there are wrong places to look. There is one thing the world is desperately seeking, but will never find no matter how hard they try – life. The world is desperate to be and feel truly alive, but it will never happen, at least not in a way that lasts, because the world is looking for life in all the wrong places. What about you?

Nothing Jesus ever did was by accident. If you look closely every detail matters. One example of this is the specific date Jesus rode into Jerusalem one final time for a passover celebration.

The date of His triumphal entry was just as significant as the day itself. What happened that day tells us that the Jews in Jerusalem believed that Jesus was their long awaited King, but the literal date tells us something they didn't see, something they misunderstood: Jesus was not just their conquering King, the lion of Judah, He was also their Passover lamb.

P.S. This week is Palm Sunday where the kiddos of our church will have the chance to wave palm branches. Please be in the sanctuary no later than 10:30A so the kids have the whole body present to cheer them on as they parade through the sanctuary. Seriously, don't be late this weekend. It's for the kids!

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

Nothing Jesus did was by accident. Reflect on the significance of the timeline leading up to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as described in John 12. How does this timeline relate to the events of the Passover in Exodus 12? What insights does this parallel provide about Jesus as the Passover Lamb?

Discuss the reality that Jesus is both the conquering King and the Passover Lamb. How does this challenge conventional notions of power and kingship? How does it redefine victory and hope for followers of Jesus?

Consider the current cultural attitudes towards suffering and how they contrast with the Christian perspective. Do you agree that contemporary Western culture struggles to cope with suffering? Why or why not? What about you? Are you more likely to suffer with hope or struggle to cope?

Fear is an interesting word in the Bible, isn't it? Its meaning is twofold—in one sense it means dread and in another it means reverence. Unfortunately, these two types of fear are enemies of one another. Mutually exclusive. You can only go with one fear at a time. The former stops you dead in your tracks. The latter leads to life. At the Red Sea, the people made their choice. Which will you choose?

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

Look again at the references to Joseph's charge about his bones in Genesis 50:25, Exodus 13:19 and Hebrews 11:22. What do these references tell us about Joseph's faith and hope? What do they tell us about our faith and hope?

Consider the two types of "fear" in Exodus 14 (v. 10, 31). How does the fear of the Lord differ from other fears? How does the call to "Fear not, but go forward in the fear of the Lord!" resonate with you this week? How does the fear of the Lord free us from other fears we might have?

Have there been situations in your life where you felt like the Israelites, trapped between Pharaoh and the Red Sea? Have there been times when God has stepped in to help you and to make his presence and power known? Discuss what these meant to you at the time.

Have you ever had an experience that you never want to forget? Or maybe an event that looking back, meant your life would never be the same? Like the thrill of starting fresh in a new city, the excitement of landing your dream job, the magic of meeting the love of your life, or all the feels that fill you when you hold your child for the first time. For the people of Israel, such a moment has arrived, one so monumental that their God reset their entire calendar for it: the Passover.

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

Why was the first Passover necessary? Reflect on the idea that God is serious about who He is and what He has promised. How does the Passover demonstrate God's character as both just and merciful?

Discuss the difference between "passover" faith and passive faith. Which do you feel best describes your faith right now? What's one way you can grow in active and obedient faith?

In what ways did the New Testament writers see Jesus as the ultimate Passover lamb? Does it change your heart/appreciation for the word of God in any way? Why or why not?

Jeremiah 17:9 reads, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

The answer to Jeremiah's question is "God, and God alone." He not only understands the heart but is completely sovereign over the heart and is the only one wise enough, good enough, and great enough to use even the most wicked of human hearts in accomplishing His perfect plan and purpose.

Don't believe me? I give you Exhibit A: The Heart of Pharaoh.

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Questions for Reflection & Discussion

How does the reality of God's hardening Pharaoh's heart challenge your understanding of God's sovereignty and human responsibility?

Reflect on the implications of God's sovereignty and mercy in your own life. How does understanding these concepts affect your relationship with God and your response to His word?

Consider the call to not harden our hearts in response to God's voice. How can we cultivate hearts that are receptive to God's leading and mercy?