The New Birth

A new blog design for a new sermon series.

So we started the sermon series on the New Birth. I hope and pray you find this space as an opportunity to engage, question and search more deeply into these matters. So don't hesitate asking questions or making comments. When you do, make sure you tell us who you are.

Two things seem to be true: 1) we want to have assurance of our salvation. 2) God wants us to be assured that we are saved...when we really are. That's really encouraging to me. God doesn't want me wondering endlessly if I'm really saved; he wants me confident of my standing with God.

But that confidence is found in the New Birth and the evidences of the New Birth, not our typical evangelical responses.

What was your big "take home" from this sermon? What was your main observation or question? Let's talk about it.

Pastor Brian

Order is everything

The essentials of the Christian life must be kept in their proper order. Getting the order wrong is the difference between heaven and hell. Today, we saw how true faith keeps God's word. That you can't say you have faith in God and ignore what God says.

But you can't get the order mixed up. You can't say, "Because I keep God's word, he accepts me." If that statement is true than what's the basis of God's acceptance of me? My keeping God's word. Salvation then turns into product I have purchased by my ability to adhere to God's word. And that's completely opposite to what scripture teaches; that salvation is on the basis of faith.

So instead we say, "Because I believe in God, I keep his word." Now why do I keep his word? Not to be saved, but I keep his word because I am saved and I believe in God. This is the order we need to keep.

What do you think about this? And also, what are you feelings and questions? I'd love to hear them.

Pastor Brian

Wait a minute?

Our passage this morning provided another one of those "wait a minute?" kinds of responses. We've seen them before; how could cattle be killed in by the hail when God wiped out the cattle in a previous wonder? A three days journey in the wilderness? I thought God was bringing his people out of Egypt permanently.

At the end of chapter 10, in the tense scene between Pharaoh and Moses, Pharaoh said that he would kill Moses the next time Moses showed his face in the palace again. Even Moses said, "As you say! I will not see your face again." But in chapter 11, Moses warns Pharaoh of the coming wonder. What does this mean?

There are a couple of ways to understand this: 1) While Moses and Pharaoh had a moment of anger saying they wouldn't see each other again, they really didn't mean it. Or the need to meet again because of the coming trouble super ceded their previous "threats." 2) Another explanation could be that Moses warned Pharaoh of this last wonder before he left in chapter 10; a kind of "oh, by the way, before I got know this...."

Clearly, the author of Exodus isn't concerned about this like we are so its something we have to live with. I like the 2nd option, but ultimately, it doesn't change the overall story; God's bringing deliverance through the execution of judgment.

What else are you picking up or seeing Chapter 11?

Cop out?

Rather than answering "how" Pharaoh can be responsible for his sin even though God hardened his heart I said in our sermon this Sunday, "look, God doesn't give us an answer. Instead, he's calling us to trust him."

Do you feel that's somewhat of a cop out? And if it is, don't we have to say that about God since that's precisely what he says in Romans 9? I'm curious to hear from you the level of satisfaction we have with God's response to this question.

What I find interesting about God's response is he's really asking us to trust and believe him, isn't he? Kind of funny, in that, that's exactly what our relationship with him is grounded in... his revelation of himself and our trust in him.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Pastor Brian

Spiritual Heritage

Today, we saw that God has generational purposes with these wonders. God saying he's hardening Pharaoh's heart to show him these signs and "that you may tell in the hearing of your son and grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." So God has a generational purpose.

How has your spiritual heritage impacted you? What did you see from your parents or grandparents that said, "God is amazing?" Let's encourage one another with testimonies and ideas as to how we can make an impact to our children.

Pastor Brian

Observations of Wonder #7

Here are a few observations I saw in this 7th wonder. I'd love to here some of your observations or thoughts on these.

1. God's mercy ~ Mingled in the heavy hand of God on the land of Egypt is mercy. After God pronounces the coming hail storm through Moses he says this in vs. 19, "Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them." These are God's words! This is his idea! What else could this be than mercy. Yes, some will refuse Pharaoh being one of them even as God has hardened his heart. But God is extending his hand of mercy and compassion to the Egyptians who will listen to his word. Make no mistake... God is kind and merciful.

2. Moses' boldness ~ The boldness of Moses keeps growing with each passing wonder. Moses isn't afraid in the least to call a spade a spade. He looks at Pharaoh and flat out tells him the truth without any fear. I think the more we obey God and follow him the stronger will be in our convictions lacking the fear of man. He's a good example for us to follow.

3. "The bottom" is a long way down ~ Some of you know that "the bottom" is a lot further down than we think. You've heard the saying: they just haven't hit the bottom yet. Pharaoh's land has been significantly battered, but not completely. Vs. 31 explains the lack of fear Pharaoh has of God and says this, "The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in the bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up." So not everything was destroyed; Pharaoh still had something to depend on. "Hitting the bottom" doesn't equal repentance and faith; only Jesus makes that possible.

Those are some things I've seen. What about you.

Pastor Brian

Insecurity and God's love

Yesterday, we talked about how God's love isn't centered or conditioned on us, but is centered on God. God doesn't love us because of who we are; God loves us because of who he is.

I as mentioned in the sermon, that strikes at the heart of popular self-esteem psychology. Schools and counselors are obsessed at building a child's "self-worth." And what they mean by that is "we have to make kids feel that they are lovable, valuable, acceptable in and of themselves."

That is a very dangerous message. What if that's true: to be loved you must be lovable. If God's love isn't centered and conditioned in him than we are going to be very insecure about God's love for us. If I need to be lovable to be loved, than how can I be sure that God loves me? How do I really know if I'm "worth it?" Ultimately, I don't. Insecurity will rule the day if God's love and acceptance of us is conditioned on my worthiness because I'll never truly know if I'm worthy.

Instead, when God's love for me is grounded in himself (i.e. that he is loving) I never have to worry if I'm not worthy of love. In fact, I'm very comfortable say, "I'm not worthy of God's love." But that would only make me discouraged if I needed to be worthy for God's love. But thankfully, I don't.

Is understanding these distinctions helpful? What other questions do you have concerning such things?

Pastor Brian