Pastor Luke's Homework Assignment

Hey all you bloggers!

It seems this is an ever-growing community! What a blessing this technology is from God, allowing us to connect around His word as brothers and sisters in Christ!

I saw Pastor Brian's post from his sermon two weeks ago, and he repeated the idea in his sermon this past week when he was reviewing about how God connects His actions to His name - Yahweh. 2 weeks ago, Brian also pointed out that after God leads His people out of Egypt, He is often referred to as "the LORD your God Who brought you out of Egypt," rather than how He had been referred to before this "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

So if Yahweh (what we have translated in our Bibles as LORD) is God's proper name, if you will, then what are these appendages? I would call them taglines to God's name.

So here's the homework. Come up with a tagline or several taglines for God based on how He's worked in a significant way in your own life. Remember, God links His name to His activity, so think of what He's done in your life, and share your tag line with your brothers and sisters in Christ as a testimony to them of God's faithfulness in your life.

Psalm 149:1 says, "Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!" And I would say for your homework, "Praise the LORD! Give to the LORD a new tag line that praises Him to your brother and sister bloggers in Christ!"

Remember, the homework that Pastor Brian and Pastor Tim and I give you is for your good. It's not just something to check off the list. They are ideas for how you can be drawn to see and savor Jesus Christ for the great and might Savior He is! So enjoy!

Here are some of my taglines:

The LORD my God, Who has blessed me with an incredible best friend and partner for life in my wonderful wife Mikaela, and two wonderful, healthy, amazingly unique children, Traeger and Ataly.

The LORD my God Who provided super-abundantly while Mikaela and I were in Dallas for me to go to Seminary.

The LORD my God, Who brought me to FBC and has blessed me through this community and its leaders.

Praise the LORD! I am looking forward to hearing your taglines!

Are you a child of Abraham?

First things first: Click here for the Bible reading plan. There are very few spiritual practices more beneficial than this one. Happy reading.

Ok, now for the homework. God says in Genesis 17:7 that he will be God to Abraham and to his descendants after him. The rest of scripture makes clear: if you are of Abraham, you are an heir to the promises, if you are not of Abraham, you are not an heir. So how do you know if you are an heir or not? Are there verses that would lead us to believe we are (can be) children of Abraham? What are they?

Don't stop there, though. Take one more step. Are there any conditions on being a child of Abraham? What do we have to do to be a child of Abraham?

This isn't merely a mental exercise. I want your hope to be sure because, believe me (believe the scriptures), if you are not of Abraham you can not expect any salvation from God.

Blessings,
Pastor Brian

By my Name

Let's talk more about the significance of God attaching his name to his deliverance. In Exodus 6 we see how God keeps drawing attention to himself. "I am the LORD" is his refrain over and over again. I touched on the signficance of that, but how about you? What are seeing?

Also, what difference should that make for us? Is it merely an interesting theological point? What is God meaning to do by attaching his name to his deliverance?

I'm excited to hear what you say.

Pastor Brian


UPDATE: Here's the link to the Compassion Int. story I mentioned this morning.

We are peculiar, aren't we?

There is something really strange about the people of God turning to Pharaoh for help (Ex. 5:15-19). Why turn there? It doesn't seem to make much sense. But such is the wisdom of a heart bent on figuring this thing called life out on its own. I'm so thankful that God pardons such sin; that he doesn't quit on me when I act so foolishly and rebelliously.

What are you seeing in the text? I'd love to hear what God is showing you from our study of Exodus. Be an encouragement to me and to others by pointing something out in the text that we have looked at yet.

Blessings,
Pastor Brian

Lying words

**Before we start, if you're comfortable, please put your name down when you make a comment. Don't be bashful.

First of all, don't hesitate asking questions is you have any. Please know you have permission to ask any question you want.

We finished our sermon this past Sunday by looking at some common lies we are tempted to believe about sin, namely, 1) the warnings against sin are exaggerated, 2) the frontal assault against God's word (i.e. "did God really say?") and 3) deceiving ourselves by thinking we know better than God.

I'm sure there are more. What might some of those be? Help your brothers and sisters about by pointing out a lie or two that you are tempted to believe about God's word and your sin. If possible, contrast the lie with what the Word of God says.

Pastor Brian

I will harden Pharaoh's heart

God says this in Exodus 4:21, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go." As I said in the sermon on Sunday, that's a startling sentence.

This is not an isolated statement. God makes this clear time and time again in the book of Exodus; in addition to that, this is referenced and affirmed in other places in scripture.

God is over all and in all. Nothing escapes his sovereign grasp. While such information is challenging to understand, we need to gladly embrace what is truly revealed of God in his word.

Now, there is a temptation to think something like, "Well, I'm so glad Jesus isn't like this. I'm so glad our Jesus isn't like the god of the OT." Not so fast; Jesus says the exact same thing. Let me show you.

Jesus' disciples were perplexed as to why Jesus would teach in parables; they were just so hard to understand. Along with other things, Jesus quotes an OT passage explaining why he would teach in parables. It says, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them" (Read Matt. 13:10-17)

Do you understand what Jesus is saying? He saying, "I speak in parables to keep the hard, unrepentant in the dark. I'm keeping them from seeing and being healed." That's Jesus; kind, meek and tenderhearted Jesus. So, God hardening hearts and keeping people from repentance is not some obscure, isolated OT revelation; its something we all need to come to grips with.

So, any thoughts?

Pastor Brian

Summarizing God's call

This Sunday's sermon (9-27-09) concludes (for the most part) the theme of God's call in our time in Exodus. God is going to do an amazing thing and he wants to use a man (Moses) as his principle instrument. And here's the cool thing: God is going to do an amazing thing in the communities of Medford, Rib Lake, Abbotsford and Athens and he wants to use you, the people of FBC, as his principle instrument.

Of course, along with excitement, such a call produces uncertainty, fear and doubt. We're tempted to shrink in the face of a daunting task. So, in light of that, what message from God over these last two chapters (all of 3 and the first of 4) have been most helpful to you? Or, to think of it negatively, what area do you need the most help in? The categories are below:

3:7-12 ~ God gets his own work done
3:13-15 ~ God sends his servants out in His authority
3:16-22 ~ God guarantees success
4:1-9 ~ God has the power to overcome external obstacles
4:10-12 ~ God's power overcomes our limitations and inadequacies
4:13-17 ~ God is abundant in mercy even in the face of our unbelief

What do you need extra grace believing? Remember, this is a battle of faith so try and answer the question by addressing what you are failing to believe. Or, what else has God taught you as we've discussed this theme? Share with your brothers and sisters; you will all be blessed by the dialogue.