Sermon Archive

They’ve just experienced a miracle on a scale we can’t comprehend. Their joy and jubilation are tangible. They are high on emotion and confidence. So now what? Where do you go from there? For Israel, the question of “What’s next?” didn’t come with the answers they wanted. So what did they do? Grumble and complain. What does that say about them? What does that teach us about us?

A “man of war”; that’s the title that Moses gives to God as he composes a song of praise. To some, that title is something to be celebrated, but to many modern ears that seems like a harsh description that doesn’t fit a modern, refined God. Is God truly a “man of war,” or have we moved past this kind of description to a more refined, kinder God that fits our modern senses? As we study this passage, we realize that God has not and does not change, but that the war he’s waging today may be very different than the one his followers are fighting.

The two biggest events in scripture are remarkably similar. The Exodus in the Old Testament and the Resurrection in the New Testament are meant to show us two very similar pictures. Both teach us about a salvation that is complete and final, and a God that is big enough to secure that salvation for Israel and for us.

What do you do when you know your life is about to change forever? How do you prepare for that moment? For the people of Israel, God gave them very specific instructions for this moment and those instructions are- strangely- built around a meal. A meal that would come to define God’s people- both in the Old and the New Covenant.

Can a loving God be an angry God too? Can a good God be a boastful God? How can God get away with doing things we’ve been told we’re not supposed to do. Why the double standard? It has a lot to do with God’s role in this world, and the way define God’s love.

Whether your pitching on the Shark Tank, buying a car, or taking a new job, negotiating is a critical skill to possess. Sometimes negotiating is about getting the best deal and sometimes negotiating is all about control. So what happens when we try to negotiate with God? Can we get a “win-win?” Can we dictate our terms? Pharaoh learns that God is not one for negotiation, but instead He’s all about surrender.

Everybody has their limits. We can all be accommodating and open to new things- until we’re not. Our culture is open to all kinds of gods- even Jesus. Just like Pharaoh, the idea of adding another god isn’t a big deal. The big deal is when God demands that we obey and forsake the other Gods. When that happens, we aren’t quite as open and willing to listen. This is Pharaoh’s dilemma and what begins our look at the 10 plagues in Exodus.

Good teams win most of their games; great teams win them all. But even the greatest teams get pushed and challenged. God, however, has no rivals. He has not and will not lose- to anyone at any time. There is nothing he doesn’t look to and assert his sovereignty- nothing.

What’s holding you back? What fears are stopping you? Moses had no shortage of objections and questions when God called him. He was too scared and too aware of his shortcomings. God makes it clear that Moses has no need to worry, but Moses’s fears were bigger than Moses’s God. What about us? What is truly sovereign in our lives- fear or God?