[What is "Hebrews Four Twelve Us"?]
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Exodus 13-14 - Lessons in Redemption
In Exodus 13-14 today, we learned several lessons about redemption. With the redeeming of the firstborn, we learned that God's redeemed people don't just belong to Him in the general way that all creation does, but also in a special way that results from His salvation.
We learned how essential to redemption is God's presence in Christ and the Spirit. The Son is the Angel of Yahweh mentioned here, and the Spirit is prefigured and especially present in the cloud and the fire. Not only does the Father give the Son and Spirit a special place in the work of redemption, but He does so in a way that shows us His presence, that our faith in Him might be strengthened, our joy in Him enlivened, and our love for Him kindled.
God redeems in particular ways in order to make Himself known as Yahweh--the self-existent, Almighty God whose power and justice are infinite. He designs His acts to produce in us both the fear of the Lord and faith
That's what our family learned from Exodus 13-14. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
We learned how essential to redemption is God's presence in Christ and the Spirit. The Son is the Angel of Yahweh mentioned here, and the Spirit is prefigured and especially present in the cloud and the fire. Not only does the Father give the Son and Spirit a special place in the work of redemption, but He does so in a way that shows us His presence, that our faith in Him might be strengthened, our joy in Him enlivened, and our love for Him kindled.
God redeems in particular ways in order to make Himself known as Yahweh--the self-existent, Almighty God whose power and justice are infinite. He designs His acts to produce in us both the fear of the Lord and faith
That's what our family learned from Exodus 13-14. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Exodus
¶ 6:32 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Mark 9-10 - Who Jesus Is and What He Came to Do
In catching up last night, we covered Mark 9-10. there was a lot in these chapters, but on the whole what we found is a developing picture of who Jesus is and what He came to do.
Who Jesus is--simply God Himself, the eternal Son, become flesh. This is evident on the mountain, then it's evident again when Jesus comes down and casts out the demon. We see a strong distinction between Jesus and the disciples (not just between Jesus an others)--not only in His outcry about this faithless generation, but especially in His power. Isn't interesting that Jesus casts out without prayer the demon that He says come out only by prayer?
But then what Jesus came to do--overcome the powers of Hell, heal blindness, etc., yes, in small part. But He has primarily come to die and rise again to be our salvation, our entry into the kingdom. The dying and rising again keeps on coming up. The disciples can't figure it out. We know, of course, from the rest of the New Testament, but we are reminded of the truth when we see the interaction between Him and the rich young ruler. Jesus hasn't come to tell us what to do to enter the kingdom, because it is impossible for us to do anything that will gain us entry into the kingdom. But what is impossible with us is possible with God, and specifically with Christ. All that we lose by throwing our lot in with Jesus adds up to a grand total of everything. And everyone who rests all of his hope and all of his future gains everything in this life (with persecutions!) and in the everlasting life to come!
How does Jesus do this? By that death and resurrection that are so puzzling to the disciples at this point. So we apply all this by refusing to look to ourselves for hope and by throwing our entire lot in with Jesus Christ, who is alone our hope--His goodness, His power, His death, His resurrection... Jesus Himself our only hope and all our hope.
That's what our family learned from Mark 9-10. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Who Jesus is--simply God Himself, the eternal Son, become flesh. This is evident on the mountain, then it's evident again when Jesus comes down and casts out the demon. We see a strong distinction between Jesus and the disciples (not just between Jesus an others)--not only in His outcry about this faithless generation, but especially in His power. Isn't interesting that Jesus casts out without prayer the demon that He says come out only by prayer?
But then what Jesus came to do--overcome the powers of Hell, heal blindness, etc., yes, in small part. But He has primarily come to die and rise again to be our salvation, our entry into the kingdom. The dying and rising again keeps on coming up. The disciples can't figure it out. We know, of course, from the rest of the New Testament, but we are reminded of the truth when we see the interaction between Him and the rich young ruler. Jesus hasn't come to tell us what to do to enter the kingdom, because it is impossible for us to do anything that will gain us entry into the kingdom. But what is impossible with us is possible with God, and specifically with Christ. All that we lose by throwing our lot in with Jesus adds up to a grand total of everything. And everyone who rests all of his hope and all of his future gains everything in this life (with persecutions!) and in the everlasting life to come!
How does Jesus do this? By that death and resurrection that are so puzzling to the disciples at this point. So we apply all this by refusing to look to ourselves for hope and by throwing our entire lot in with Jesus Christ, who is alone our hope--His goodness, His power, His death, His resurrection... Jesus Himself our only hope and all our hope.
That's what our family learned from Mark 9-10. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Mark
¶ 10:34 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Proverbs 1-2 - The What, Where, Why, and How of Wisdom
We were playing catch-up yesterday, part of which included reading Proverbs 1-2. In these chapters we again read about the value of wisdom, the danger of folly, godly parents as an immediate source of wisdom but Yahweh as its only true ultimate source, and hard work and humility as the method of obtaining wisdom which of course must then come ultimately as a gift and blessing of God. There was really too much to summarize in a blog post; I think you would find it more profitable to carefully and thoughtfully read the Scripture itself. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Proverbs
¶ 9:51 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Psalm 29-31 - Worship, Deliverance, and the Worship That Proceeds from Deliverance
We were trying to do some catch-up yesterday, and read Psalms 29-31.
In Psalm 29, we saw a triple theme of worship: (1, vv1-2) ascribing to Yahweh what is true about Him, (2, vv3-9) hearing the powerful and effective voice of Yahweh, and (3, vv10-11) sitting under the enthroned rule and protection and provision of Yahweh as our King.
In Psalm 30, we read especially about how temporary our sorrow and pain and difficulty and even death are; and, how permanent are the joy and blessing and life that the Lord gives to us who wait upon Him. We saw a warning in the midst of all this that saying "I shall never be moved" is folly--that such permanent blessings as those for which we hope and those that the Bible promises do not come by our achievement but by the mercy and grace of God. And so we see that the ultimate goal of turning our joy into dancing is that we might glorify the living God who has done this for us!
In Psalm 31, we read about how since Yahweh hears and sees and knows and delivers and preserves and redeems and rescues and loves and blesses us, we should be a people who cry to Him and look to Him and pray to Him and depend upon Him and delight in Him and praise Him and obey Him.
That's what our family learned from Psalms 29-31. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
In Psalm 29, we saw a triple theme of worship: (1, vv1-2) ascribing to Yahweh what is true about Him, (2, vv3-9) hearing the powerful and effective voice of Yahweh, and (3, vv10-11) sitting under the enthroned rule and protection and provision of Yahweh as our King.
In Psalm 30, we read especially about how temporary our sorrow and pain and difficulty and even death are; and, how permanent are the joy and blessing and life that the Lord gives to us who wait upon Him. We saw a warning in the midst of all this that saying "I shall never be moved" is folly--that such permanent blessings as those for which we hope and those that the Bible promises do not come by our achievement but by the mercy and grace of God. And so we see that the ultimate goal of turning our joy into dancing is that we might glorify the living God who has done this for us!
In Psalm 31, we read about how since Yahweh hears and sees and knows and delivers and preserves and redeems and rescues and loves and blesses us, we should be a people who cry to Him and look to Him and pray to Him and depend upon Him and delight in Him and praise Him and obey Him.
That's what our family learned from Psalms 29-31. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Psalms
¶ 9:40 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Exodus 9-12 - With a Mighty Hand, for His Greatest Glory and Our Greatest Good
Last night, we were playing catch-up, which included Exodus 9-12. In these chapters, we saw the theme over and over again how it was for the sake of the glory of God's name that He saved Israel in this way: hardening Pharaoh's heart, performing mighty acts, etc. But we also saw that this plan was for Israel's greater good as well--that they might despoil the Egyptian nation as if they had plundered them in war.
But having the Passover chapter included (ch 12) gave us an opportunity to think more deeply about a particular aspect of each of these things: how they connect to Jesus. After all, Colossians 1 tells us that God has designed the method of salvation so to give Christ the first place. He is primarily interested in the glory of His Son. And, we read in Romans 5 that the justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone of Romans 3-4 has brought us into this most astonishing blessing: that we are united to Jesus.
And those things were there at the Passover. Jesus glorified even in the temporal deliverance of the Old Testament church-state. The marvelous picture at the table of our participation in Jesus and being substituted for by Jesus and being nourished upon Jesus--a picture which continues today as we do these things now not at the Passover table but at the Lord's table.
God saves us with a mighty hand in the way that is to His greatest glory in Jesus and to our greatest good in Jesus! That's what our family learned from Exodus 9-12. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
But having the Passover chapter included (ch 12) gave us an opportunity to think more deeply about a particular aspect of each of these things: how they connect to Jesus. After all, Colossians 1 tells us that God has designed the method of salvation so to give Christ the first place. He is primarily interested in the glory of His Son. And, we read in Romans 5 that the justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone of Romans 3-4 has brought us into this most astonishing blessing: that we are united to Jesus.
And those things were there at the Passover. Jesus glorified even in the temporal deliverance of the Old Testament church-state. The marvelous picture at the table of our participation in Jesus and being substituted for by Jesus and being nourished upon Jesus--a picture which continues today as we do these things now not at the Passover table but at the Lord's table.
God saves us with a mighty hand in the way that is to His greatest glory in Jesus and to our greatest good in Jesus! That's what our family learned from Exodus 9-12. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Exodus
¶ 9:19 AM 0 Comments Links to this postSunday, January 31, 2010
Mark 8 - Our Sufficient Savior
In Mark 8 today we read about the leaven of the Pharisees who demanded that Jesus satisfy them, and Herod who desired that Jesus entertain them. But Jesus came to redeem us, body and soul. Yes He is the Creator Himself, the sufficient Provider of both bread and eyesight. But more than that He came to give His life for our sin. We saw in this chapter that, in every way, Jesus is our sufficient Savior. That's what our family learned from Mark 8 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Mark
¶ 11:09 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Proverbs 31 esp vv1-3 - Beware the King-Destroyers
In Proverbs 31 today we read of the blessing of having a godly mother, who will warn about the King-destroyers. Our strength and our hearts belong entirely to God, and in the marital sense entirely to our wives. Idolatry and adultery are both at their hearts thefts: theft of what belongs to God and theft of what belongs to our wives. And they are thefts in which we are destroyed. That's what our family learned from Proverbs 31 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Proverbs
¶ 11:04 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Psalm 28 - God Our Strength and Shield Amidst the Treacherous Peace of Men
In Psalm 28 today we read a song and prayer of crying out to God and being confident of His hearing and His being our refuge. This is as opposed to wicked men who, even when they speak peace, have evil in their hearts. Jesus Himself didn't entrust Himself to men, because He knew what was in their hearts. We applied this by talking about how we can always entrust ourselves entirely to God without fear of His letting us down. That's what our family learned from Psalm 28 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Psalms
¶ 10:59 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Exodus 7-8 - Plagues and Plaque
In Exodus 7-8 today we read the reason for the plagues was so that God might deliver His people by great acts of judgment. God would cover Pharaoh's heart with plaque, making it hard as a rock, while He brought plague after plague upon Egypt. And we read about the plagues and tried to imagine how awful they were. But most of all we noticed, over and over again, how everything happened just as Yahweh had said--what a wonderfully reliable thing is the word of God! And then, how amazing it was to read a couple of times that this God, whose words control all of history, actually listened to Moses' prayers. What an amazing, joyful thing is prayer! That's what our family learned from Exodus 7-8 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Exodus
¶ 10:53 PM 0 Comments Links to this postSaturday, January 30, 2010
Mark 7 - The One Who Cleanses and Heals Us Well
In Mark 7 today, we read about Pharisees who had no clue how filthy they were and a woman who could freely admit that she was a dog, because God had given her faith to see in Jesus One who could make even her clean.
It was the woman who went away clean and found her daughter healed. Well did Jesus do this, and the healing of the deaf and mute man, and indeed all things that Messiah would do. And we applied this in our family by looking together at our excellent Savior and freely admitting that we are filthy dogs at heart but trusting that Jesus can and will make us clean and heal us.
That's what our family learned from Mark 7 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
It was the woman who went away clean and found her daughter healed. Well did Jesus do this, and the healing of the deaf and mute man, and indeed all things that Messiah would do. And we applied this in our family by looking together at our excellent Savior and freely admitting that we are filthy dogs at heart but trusting that Jesus can and will make us clean and heal us.
That's what our family learned from Mark 7 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Mark
¶ 8:10 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Proverbs 30 esp vv1-3 - Worn Out from Trying in Our Stupidity to Get God's Knowledge
In Proverbs 30 today we focused upon vv1-3, an almost humorous confession of Mr. Agur, who has worn himself out trying to get knowledge. Why? Because true wisdom and knowledge begins with God, who is the Holy One. God is entirely other than we are, completely different. He is the source of knowledge. And we cannot have any apart from Him. In fact, Agur gets so tired that he exclaims, "Surely I am too stupid!" If only we all knew that. That's what our family learned from Proverbs 30 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Proverbs
¶ 6:30 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Psalm 27 - The One Needful Thing for Unassailable Peace and Irreducible Joy
In Psalm 27 today, we read about the one needful thing: to have God with us and to have His glory held before our eyes. We talked about how this is the essence of faith: to have the eyes of our heart set upon God, looking to Him as our joy, looking to Him for our help. Even if everyone is against us, even if those nearest and dearest (mother and father?!) were to forget us, we can be fear-less and joy-full in our God. Indeed, death itself (v13) can't take away--but rather establishes--the security and satisfaction of those whose hearts' eyes are set on the Lord. That's what our family learned from Psalm 27 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Psalms
¶ 4:49 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Exodus 5-6 - Moses' Circumcised Lips
Today in Exodus 5-6, we read the story of how Moses figured something had gone wrong with the covenant, because deliverance didn't happen according to his human expectations. Never mind that God had already told him that Pharaoh would respond this way. And this is helpful for application, because we are just like Moses. God has told us that in this world we will have trouble, that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven. And yet how often do we expect far greater ease and comfort in this life--and then when it doesn't come, we think something has gone wrong with the covenant!
But here's Moses, puzzling over how God "hasn't saved Your people at all." And God answers Moses by giving him a special name to remind him of God's special relationship with him, and giving him tender words to go remind Israel of their special relationship with God. And Moses' response? That he has uncircumcised lips--in other words, that the covenant is all good and well, but I--Moses--haven't brought the right stuff to the table, so you really need to get someone else, God.
How very like our own hearts--to think that we haven't brought the right thing to the table, and so God's covenant cannot work for us. But that's exactly opposite what circumcision itself means. It's a reminder that God lays claim to us from before our birth, that He will cut away our wickedness and weakness, that He will atone for us with blood.
So, what is Exodus' primary response to Moses' claim? A Genealogy. A genealogy that proves that Moses actually has circumcised lips. A genealogy that reminds us of the kinds of people that God brings into covenant with Himself: Abraham the idolater, Isaac the glutton, Jacob the heel-grabber, Reuben the incestuous adulterer, Simeon and Levi the murderers. Some family line! And yet each one claimed by God, redeemed from their sin by God, just as God testifies in circumcision that He can and will do.
It was this Moses and this Aaron from this family to whom God had made special and unbreakable promises. Is it possible that Moses and Aaron could be covenantally unfaithful and fail individually to receive the promises made to God's people? Yes. But they had better not excuse it up front by claiming that something has gone wrong with the covenant or that they haven't brought enough to the table. In His covenant of grace, God brings all of the goodness and all of the power to the table.
So we applied this to our children by talking about the claim that God lays upon us, and the wonderful relationship into which He enters with us, and how we trust and obey not because we are good or strong, but because of God's goodness and God's strength.
That's what our family learned from Exodus 5-6 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
But here's Moses, puzzling over how God "hasn't saved Your people at all." And God answers Moses by giving him a special name to remind him of God's special relationship with him, and giving him tender words to go remind Israel of their special relationship with God. And Moses' response? That he has uncircumcised lips--in other words, that the covenant is all good and well, but I--Moses--haven't brought the right stuff to the table, so you really need to get someone else, God.
How very like our own hearts--to think that we haven't brought the right thing to the table, and so God's covenant cannot work for us. But that's exactly opposite what circumcision itself means. It's a reminder that God lays claim to us from before our birth, that He will cut away our wickedness and weakness, that He will atone for us with blood.
So, what is Exodus' primary response to Moses' claim? A Genealogy. A genealogy that proves that Moses actually has circumcised lips. A genealogy that reminds us of the kinds of people that God brings into covenant with Himself: Abraham the idolater, Isaac the glutton, Jacob the heel-grabber, Reuben the incestuous adulterer, Simeon and Levi the murderers. Some family line! And yet each one claimed by God, redeemed from their sin by God, just as God testifies in circumcision that He can and will do.
It was this Moses and this Aaron from this family to whom God had made special and unbreakable promises. Is it possible that Moses and Aaron could be covenantally unfaithful and fail individually to receive the promises made to God's people? Yes. But they had better not excuse it up front by claiming that something has gone wrong with the covenant or that they haven't brought enough to the table. In His covenant of grace, God brings all of the goodness and all of the power to the table.
So we applied this to our children by talking about the claim that God lays upon us, and the wonderful relationship into which He enters with us, and how we trust and obey not because we are good or strong, but because of God's goodness and God's strength.
That's what our family learned from Exodus 5-6 today. What have you taught your family from the Bible today? To read along with ours, pick up a free Bible reading calendar at the meeting house of Harvest Community Church (209 1st St. NE, Orange City, IA).
Labels: Exodus
¶ 2:21 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
