Category: Exodus

Exodus - Who Do You Truly Love?

3/4/2018

Ice Breakers:

What are some things that you often use the word “love” to describe your relationship to.
What are some words you could use instead of “love”?

Questions:

What difference does it make to your view of your sin and yourself when you see sin as idolatry, and idolatry as adultery?
In what ways can we replace God in today’s culture? In what ways can we reduce him? Which is more attractive and why? As a case study, check out this article on the mall as a place of worship. http://www.remnantresource.org/the-temple-and-the-shopping-mall-worship/
Do you value leadership that leads where you need to go, or where you want to go? Would you appreciate Moses, or Aaron?
What goes wrong in our lives and faith if we either forget God’s mercy or downplay his holiness?
What compromises in obedience do you make yourself, or excuse in others? What about our church?
How does knowing that Jesus was blotted out in our place motivate you to do something about the compromises you identified in answer to the previous question?

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This week Pastor Jeremy walked through the significance of the Tabernacle.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, for our study this week we would like to point you to 2 wonderful resources.

This first is a video from the Bible Project. This is an overview of the last half of the book of Exodus.

The second resource is from Rob Laidlaw and his Strategic Discipleship curriculum. Click here for his website.
Below is a .pdf file of Rob's study of the Tabernacle and how it points us to Christ. There is most likely more in this study than you will have time for in your group, but feel free to give out copies of this (or point them to the download link) for people to look through on their own.

week_2__the_tabernacle_teacher.pdf
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Finding Our Way Home.mp3
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Exodus: Laws - Who Needs Them?

2/11/2018

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This week Pastor Jeremy took us on an overview of several chapters from Exodus called “The Law”, Exodus 21-24.

To begin with, take a look at the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32
Pastor Jeremy pointed out attention to the way we often are able to identify more with the older brother in this story. Take a few minutes to chat about this. Do you agree? Do you more naturally relate to one of the other characters? (the Father, the younger son?)
Jesus boils the law down to 2 essentials; first, love God. Second, love man. Obviously everyone in history has failed at both of these (and failed often). Does this mean that the law was basically Plan A for God’s will, a plan that just never worked out? If not, what was the purpose of the law?
What do you think of how Paul talks about the purpose of the law? Read Galatians 3:19-21.
Yet, Jesus says that he did not come to do away with the law (Matt. 5:17), but to fulfill it. Seemingly opposite to this, Paul writes that now a righteousness apart from the law has been revealed (Romans 3:21). So why does the law still matter today? Or does it even?
Pastor Jeremy highlighted 3 functions of the law.
- It informs us of God's will
- It points us to Christ
- It shows us what Jesus has done.
If that's the case, then do you think we should read the law more regularly than we do, both personally and on Sunday mornings?
Pastor Jeremy offered 4 helpful guides to employ when reading the law.
- How does this law express love for God or love for neighbour? How might the same principles be expressed today?
- How does this law expose my sinfulness and need?
- How did Jesus perfectly keep this law or the principles it embodies?
- Does this law picture his work of salvation in some way?
Try these 4 guides out on a few passages and discuss what you find. How do these point to the good news of Jesus?

To dive a little deeper, check out this article titled, “Why Then the Law?”

Laws - Who Needs Them?.mp3
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Exodus: The Ten Commandments According to Calvin, Hobbes and Christ

2/4/2018

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In this weeks sermon, Pastor Brennan unpacked the iconic 10 Commandments of Exodus from a few different perspectives.

As you open your Bible to Exodus 20, take a few minutes to chat about the word ‘law’. Have you ever had a brush with the law? Do you abide by the law? Do you find yourself reading or avoiding all the legal mumbo jumbo on your itunes account? What does law mean to you?

Read through the 10 commandments as a group, each taking turns to read one. Which of these commandments do you find yourself thinking about the most after reading through? Is there one in particular that catches your attention, or has occupied your thoughts in the past?
Pastor Brennan stated that the giving of the law was good news, both to the people of Israel as well as us. What are your thoughts on this? In what way have you experienced these laws as good news? If you haven’t experienced them that way, why do you think that is? Do you feel about them the way David did? Read Psalm 119:46-48 to get a picture of how he felt.
But there is also some bad news. If the conclusion of following God’s law is blessing, then the result of not following God’s law is the opposite of blessing, it is being cursed. Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings for following the Lord, then follows this with the curse for not following. Interestingly, there are 14 verses of blessing and 58 verses of curse. Serious! Why do you think God puts so much into the description of the curse? Is this fair (Now that is a loaded question). Maybe skim some of these verses and give your thoughts.
It can be easy to feel like this promised curse for not following God’s law only applies to those who lived so long ago. Read through what Jesus says in his sermon on the Mount about this. Matthew 5:21-30
Do you feel like Christ is speaking in hyperbole (exaggerating to make a point) or is he speaking literally? What do you think his motivation is? What if he gave these two Commandments as examples for how he understands all of the commandments? How then do we understand things like covering, lying, building idols, and showing dishonour to our parents?
If you take an honest look at this last week, or even just yesterday, do Christ's words apply to you? How does this leave you feeling?
Hope! The really good news though is that we're not left in this state. Check out these verses together and take some time to meditate on them together. For each passage, how does it fuel hope for you? How does it fuel evangelism for you?
- Romans 5:1-11
- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- Hebrews 8:12
- Revelation 21:5-7
- Are there any other verses you look to that speak to your salvation and security in Christ?
If you still have some time left, check out this song by Rend Collective. It’s pretty much awesome, theologically, lyrically, musically (in Pastor Brennan’s humble opinion). Nailed to the Cross

The Ten Commandments According to Calvin, Hobbes and Christ.mp3
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Exodus: Preparing To Meet God

1/28/2018

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Exodus 19:1-6

Read Exodus 19:1-14
As God called His people to prepare for Him to come down “in the sight of all the people” (verse 11), he told them they were to wash their garments. Have you ever had a time in your life when you weren’t able to dress yourself? If so, how did that make you feel?
God “dressing” His people is a theme that we see all through scripture. Take a look at the following passages and discuss their meaning in the original context and their meaning to us today. Genesis 3:7, 21. Isaiah 61:10, 64:6, Zechariah 3:1-5, Matthew 22:1-14 (if you have time), and Galatians 3:27
In what ways could we be tempted to “dress ourselves?”
One of the reasons that God was giving the Hebrews all of these laws and commands was so they could become a distinct people. You could say that the Israelites were God’s prototype, his working model, his proof of concept. Pastor Jeremy mentioned in the message that what will attract people to our message is not our similarities to the world but rather our distinctives. In what ways is this possible? What are our distinctives? Have you seen this work? See 1 Peter 2:9-12 for Peter’s call to the church in regards to this idea.
God affirms the Israelites in three ways so that they will be able to grab a hold of this idea of becoming a distinct people for His glory. Take a look at these three things and discuss their application to us today.
- God affirms that they are a treasured possession. This is a term used of the Kings royal treasury. Verses 4-5
- God affirms that they are a Kingdom of Priests. We represent God to the world through mission and we represent the world to God through prayer. Verse 6.
- God affirms that they are a Holy Nation. They were to be a distinct people group, not a people that simply blended in. Verse 6.
What is one way you could show your “kingdom distinctness” in the week ahead?

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Exodus: When God Is Your Banner

1/21/2018

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What is it that you look to for hope? Really think about this. Every day we are encouraged by media sources, government, and countless advertisements, to place our hope in people, systems, and products that will make life easier for us. Or possibly they promise us relief from things like stress, anxiety, conflict, or toil. So look back over your week and think about the people, systems, and products, that make life better for you.
What would it be like if even one of these were taken away? It drives me crazy when a company discontinues a product I enjoy!
In Exodus, the people of Israel had been reminded in several different ways that they were to depend on God for provision. Now, in Exodus 17:8-16, we see that they must depend on Him again, for protection. He is their banner in the fight.
Just take a moment, and think about what it is you are struggling with. What is the fight you find yourself in? If you feel comfortable with your group, talk through some of these. Ian MacLaren noted wisely, “Let us be kind to one another, for most of us are fighting a hard battle.”

Pastor Jeremy highlighted 4 ways we deal with this fight.

First, recognize that the battle is the Lord’s. God’s plans are never thwarted, he is the one who ultimately has the victory! Read these for something to chew on:
- 1 Sam. 17:46-48, Deuteronomy 31:6, Romans 8:28, 38-39.
Second, there is a connection between our obedience and God’s power. The success the Israelites experienced in their battle was tied to Moses posture of prayer and obedience. How are you fighting your battle? Who is praying with you? Are there things in your life which you need to bring into a place of obedience?
Third, TRUST IN CHRIST! Pastor Jeremy said that Jesus is better than Moses because he doesn’t simply hold the banner, he IS the banner. How do you see Christ as the banner.
Fourth, build an altar of thanksgiving. When you experience victory in the fight, we should respond with a level of thanksgiving that puts this victory on display. In Exodus 17:14-16 God tells Moses to set up some things to help the people remember how God delivered them. Read the command in Psalm 145:4-7; God tells one generation to commend the works of the Lord to the next.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Life Together, “God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened because, living by their own resources, they cannot help themselves without cheating themselves out of the truth. They need other Christians as bearers and proclaimers of the divine word of salvation. They need them solely for the sake of Jesus Christ. The Christ in their own hearts is weaker than the Christ in the word of other Christians. Their own hearts are uncertain; those of their brothers and sisters are sure.”

Spend some time giving testimony to God’s greatness and how he has worked to deliver you in the past. Remember how Christ has carried you, provided and protected you, and encourage those who are in the midst of the battle… Christ is our banner!

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Exodus: The Rest Of God

1/14/2018

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The title for this week’s sermon may have misled you. We haven’t talked about a bunch of God, and now this week we’re looking at the rest of him. No, Pastor Jeremy took us back to Exodus 16 to look at the divinely ordained rest, called the Sabbath rest.
To begin with, talk about your relationship with rest? What type of rest do you crave the most? Mental, physical, emotional? Why?
Where do you look for rest and is rest a synonym for relaxation? Or do they mean different things to you?
Do you feel like resting is more now difficult as than it used to be? Why do you think that is?
Sabbath, an ordinance established in creation, is not limited to any particular people or any particular period in history. Look at Genesis 2:1-2 to explore this. What do you think it means when the Bible says that God rested from his work?
Sabbath is anticipation. Exodus 31:12-18 contains a retitteration of the Sabbath law by God. Read it over and take note of the anticipatory remarks. What is this sign pointing to?
And what does the Sabbath point to in an ultimate way? How does it point to this? Read Hebrews 3 for some clues. How do you understand this? Is this passage in Hebrews something which should have an impact on your daily/weekly life? Why? How?
Sabbath is a gift from God. Pastor Jeremy said that the Sabbath is also a gift from God. It benefits us, it is for us to enjoy, it keeps us grounded. Talk about what each of these points mean to you? What if you had to explain to a non-christian that there’s this gift called the Sabbath. How would you describe its benefits?
Ultimately, Jesus is our Sabbath rest. Hebrews 4:8-10 talks clearly about this. How can we, through observing the Sabbath, cultivate a longing for the ultimate rest we’re promised? (Think of it like that new, tool or kitchen gadget that will save you all that time. You just have to have it! Life will be so much better when it’s doing the work for you instead of you striving. Or perhaps it’s like finding your soul mate after countless dates and seemingly endless small talk. Futile striving. Then you find the one who completes you and you are free to just enjoy that relationship. This is the kind of longing for a release from striving we are talking about.
Finally, in practicing Sabbath intentionally, you will be enjoying experiences which you can share with others. How can you, this week, give an answer for the hope that is within you to those how are caught up in toil and striving still? Who will you share this with?