Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 give us the story of the Ten Commandments.
After God freed the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, they traveled through the desert and camped in front of Mount Horeb, where God had spoken with Moses through the burning bush. God called Moses to the mountain for forty days and forty nights. He gave Moses instructions for the tabernacle and the offerings. On the final day He gave him two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, the highest and most holy laws of God.
While Moses was on the mountain, the Israelites had become impatient. They gave up on him and asked Moses' brother Aaron to build them an altar so they could worship. Aaron collected gold from all the people and built an idol in the shape of a calf. They held a feast, during which they bowed down to worship their new idol. When Moses returned from the mountain with the Ten Commandments, he became furious over their idol worship. He crushed the tablets to pieces at the foot of the mountain and then destroyed the golden calf by burning it.
Once the people learned from their sins, Moses chiseled two new stone tablets identical to the originals.
Similar to the Israelites who became impatient and untrusting of the Lord, so do we today stray from the guidance provided by the Ten Commandments. We sin with reckless abandon. We lie and steal and commit adultry without even second guessing our actions. Sometimes it takes actions of unparalleled righteous anger, such as Moses' crushing of the tablets, to teach the sinners their wrongdoing. When I see the sins of pornography and sexual deviance, or I see the false gains of those underserving of acclaim, I must call for such an act of righteous anger. Join me in making a statement against such wrongdoing.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Burning Bush
The story of the burning bush is from Exodus 3 and 4.
While tending sheep in Midian, Moses saw a buriing bush on Mount Horeb. The bush was on fire, but was not consumed. Moses went over to the burning bush, and the voice of God called out to him. God had seen His chosen people in Egypt, where they were being held as slaves, and had come down from heaven to rescue them. Moses would be the one to lead them to freedom.
Moses was afraid and said he was not worthy of the task. God assured Moses He would be with him. God then said, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation." (Exodus 3:14-15)
God said that he would perform miracles to force the Pharoah of Egypt to let the enslaved Israelites free. As proof of this promise, He turned Moses' staff into a snake, and back into a staff, and ravaged his hand with leprosy, then healed it. God instructed Moses to use those signs to prove to the Hebrews that God had appeared to him.
The Creator promised Moses while speaking from the burning bush that he would be with him at all times. The Creator is always with his creation, even at times when the creation seems alone. Believing in the power of the Word will lead the creation down the proper path.
While tending sheep in Midian, Moses saw a buriing bush on Mount Horeb. The bush was on fire, but was not consumed. Moses went over to the burning bush, and the voice of God called out to him. God had seen His chosen people in Egypt, where they were being held as slaves, and had come down from heaven to rescue them. Moses would be the one to lead them to freedom.
Moses was afraid and said he was not worthy of the task. God assured Moses He would be with him. God then said, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation." (Exodus 3:14-15)
God said that he would perform miracles to force the Pharoah of Egypt to let the enslaved Israelites free. As proof of this promise, He turned Moses' staff into a snake, and back into a staff, and ravaged his hand with leprosy, then healed it. God instructed Moses to use those signs to prove to the Hebrews that God had appeared to him.
The Creator promised Moses while speaking from the burning bush that he would be with him at all times. The Creator is always with his creation, even at times when the creation seems alone. Believing in the power of the Word will lead the creation down the proper path.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Jacob's Ladder
Genesis 28 brings us the story of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham.
Jacob stole his twin brother Esau’s birthright, his claim to inheritance and blessing, by pretending to be Esau before his ailing and blind father. As a result, Esau vowed to kill Jacob, who then fled from him.
While fleeing, Jacob was exhausted and lay down to sleep. He dreamed of the vision of a ladder between heaven and earth. Angels were ascending and descending the ladder. God stood at the top of the ladder, repeating the promise he had made to Abraham and Isaac, telling Jacob that his offspring would be many and would be blessed. When Jacob awoke, he took the stone where he had rested his head, poured oil on it, and consecrated it while making a vow to follow God for the rest of his life.
The Lord Our Savior Jesus Christ would later refer to this story from the Old Testament, referring to Himself as the ladder for men to climb from earth to heaven. He tells us, “Truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)
Jacob’s ladder is quite different from the Tower of Babel, isn’t it my friends? The Tower of Babel was a man-made structure constructed from the limited earthly parts and climbed with arrogance and defiance. In contrast, the way to the Kingdom of God is through the ladder of salvation formed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jacob stole his twin brother Esau’s birthright, his claim to inheritance and blessing, by pretending to be Esau before his ailing and blind father. As a result, Esau vowed to kill Jacob, who then fled from him.
While fleeing, Jacob was exhausted and lay down to sleep. He dreamed of the vision of a ladder between heaven and earth. Angels were ascending and descending the ladder. God stood at the top of the ladder, repeating the promise he had made to Abraham and Isaac, telling Jacob that his offspring would be many and would be blessed. When Jacob awoke, he took the stone where he had rested his head, poured oil on it, and consecrated it while making a vow to follow God for the rest of his life.
The Lord Our Savior Jesus Christ would later refer to this story from the Old Testament, referring to Himself as the ladder for men to climb from earth to heaven. He tells us, “Truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)
Jacob’s ladder is quite different from the Tower of Babel, isn’t it my friends? The Tower of Babel was a man-made structure constructed from the limited earthly parts and climbed with arrogance and defiance. In contrast, the way to the Kingdom of God is through the ladder of salvation formed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sodom and Gomorrah
Today’s sermon is about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which comes to us from Genesis 18.
God looked down and saw the wickedness taking place in these two ancient cities. He told Abraham that He was going to destroy the cities, and Abraham pleaded with Him, asking him to spare the cities if there were righteous people in them. God sent angels in to have a closer look, but they found that everyone there was depraved.
Only the relatives of Abraham, living among the sinners, were worthy of surviving, and God feared that they would be influenced by them. While the angels were staying at the home of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, rioters came to the home. The angels struck the rioters blind and then led Lot, his wife, and their daughters out of the city, telling them not to turn back. Together they fled to a village named Zoar while God rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying all of the buildings and the people left behind. While this happened, Lot’s wife turned back to see the destruction, disobeying the angels, and was turned into a pillar of salt.
This is another story used by many to prove the wrath of God, but once again the sinners brought destruction upon themselves through their evil actions. Even those, such as Lot’s wife, who are being led down the right path by the Goodness of the Lord our Savior Jesus Christ must heed the Word. We live in cesspools of evil, surrounded by lewd sexual acts and pornography and bestiality, but we must separate ourselves from such sins and follow the light along the path to heaven. Are you ready, friends? Are you ready to leave your devious sexual acts and ride with me toward the promised land?
God looked down and saw the wickedness taking place in these two ancient cities. He told Abraham that He was going to destroy the cities, and Abraham pleaded with Him, asking him to spare the cities if there were righteous people in them. God sent angels in to have a closer look, but they found that everyone there was depraved.
Only the relatives of Abraham, living among the sinners, were worthy of surviving, and God feared that they would be influenced by them. While the angels were staying at the home of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, rioters came to the home. The angels struck the rioters blind and then led Lot, his wife, and their daughters out of the city, telling them not to turn back. Together they fled to a village named Zoar while God rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying all of the buildings and the people left behind. While this happened, Lot’s wife turned back to see the destruction, disobeying the angels, and was turned into a pillar of salt.
This is another story used by many to prove the wrath of God, but once again the sinners brought destruction upon themselves through their evil actions. Even those, such as Lot’s wife, who are being led down the right path by the Goodness of the Lord our Savior Jesus Christ must heed the Word. We live in cesspools of evil, surrounded by lewd sexual acts and pornography and bestiality, but we must separate ourselves from such sins and follow the light along the path to heaven. Are you ready, friends? Are you ready to leave your devious sexual acts and ride with me toward the promised land?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Tower of Babel
The story of the Tower of Babel is one of my own favorites from the Old Testament. The story comes from Genesis 11.
Everything was going pretty well in this story until the people decided to build a tower in their city that could reach heaven. Imagine the insolence of man, to assume the ability to reach the height of their Creator, to encroach upon God Himself, to blur the distinction between Creator and creation. The creation must know its place. The creation must pay respect to the Creator. With this balance intact, the world is right. Without it all harmony is disrupted.
God saw the people building the tower and realized immediately that by trying to get closer to God, they were actually moving further away. In order to prevent them from working together to achieve this unholy goal, and to forever punish them for their arrogance, He caused them to begin speaking different languages. In order to further separate the people, he scattered them all over the face of the earth, never to share such plans again.
Together we must take the positive message of this story, that collaboration can achieve great heights, and learn equally from the warning that arrogance when it comes to our relationship with God will only lead to our demise. The creation must adhere to the will and submit to the power of the Creator.
Everything was going pretty well in this story until the people decided to build a tower in their city that could reach heaven. Imagine the insolence of man, to assume the ability to reach the height of their Creator, to encroach upon God Himself, to blur the distinction between Creator and creation. The creation must know its place. The creation must pay respect to the Creator. With this balance intact, the world is right. Without it all harmony is disrupted.
God saw the people building the tower and realized immediately that by trying to get closer to God, they were actually moving further away. In order to prevent them from working together to achieve this unholy goal, and to forever punish them for their arrogance, He caused them to begin speaking different languages. In order to further separate the people, he scattered them all over the face of the earth, never to share such plans again.
Together we must take the positive message of this story, that collaboration can achieve great heights, and learn equally from the warning that arrogance when it comes to our relationship with God will only lead to our demise. The creation must adhere to the will and submit to the power of the Creator.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Noah's Ark and the Flood
Today we will discuss the story of Noah’s Ark and the great flood, which comes to us from the Genesis 6.
God looked upon the earth and saw the wickedness displayed by man and decided to wipe out his most cherished creation. It is with that motive that he created the great flood. God was ready to eliminate His creation all together, but then had a change of heart. He spotted one righteous one among His flock. It was Noah who inspired God to save His creation.
With a change of heart, God told Noah to build an ark to save his family. Then He told Noah to gather a male and female of all living creatures and save them on the ark as well. Noah finished the ark just as the rain started – a rain that lasted forty days and forty nights. Other than those saved on the ark, every living creature was destroyed in the flood. Finally the rain stopped and the waters receded, allowing the ark to come to rest safely on Mount Ararat.
When Noah disembarked from the ark, he immediately built an altar and worshiped his Creator. He asked God’s forgiveness for his sins, and for the sins of all disobedient mankind. God was pleased by this act of pure obedience and promised never to destroy all living creatures again.
Imagine the fury that it must have taken for God to decide to destroy all of mankind, His greatest creation. Imagine the sinful defiance of man necessary to drive God to that decision. It is with this fury in kind that many have mistakenly spoken of the wrath of God. But who brought this decision about? Not God, my friends. It was His own creation acting out against Him. God was merely trying to destroy the disobedience. To regain control over His greatest creation.
God looked upon the earth and saw the wickedness displayed by man and decided to wipe out his most cherished creation. It is with that motive that he created the great flood. God was ready to eliminate His creation all together, but then had a change of heart. He spotted one righteous one among His flock. It was Noah who inspired God to save His creation.
With a change of heart, God told Noah to build an ark to save his family. Then He told Noah to gather a male and female of all living creatures and save them on the ark as well. Noah finished the ark just as the rain started – a rain that lasted forty days and forty nights. Other than those saved on the ark, every living creature was destroyed in the flood. Finally the rain stopped and the waters receded, allowing the ark to come to rest safely on Mount Ararat.
When Noah disembarked from the ark, he immediately built an altar and worshiped his Creator. He asked God’s forgiveness for his sins, and for the sins of all disobedient mankind. God was pleased by this act of pure obedience and promised never to destroy all living creatures again.
Imagine the fury that it must have taken for God to decide to destroy all of mankind, His greatest creation. Imagine the sinful defiance of man necessary to drive God to that decision. It is with this fury in kind that many have mistakenly spoken of the wrath of God. But who brought this decision about? Not God, my friends. It was His own creation acting out against Him. God was merely trying to destroy the disobedience. To regain control over His greatest creation.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The Creation
Today we will be discussing the very first chapter of Genesis in the Old Testament.
The first pages of the bible establish God as the ultimate Creator. Before the Creator there was nothing but formless emptiness. Before the Creator there was nothing but darkness. But then God created the heavens and earth. His spirit moved over this expanse as He prepared the creation of all that we know today.
On the first day God created light and separated darkness from light, establishing night and day. Next came the sky, and the land and the seas, and the sun, moon, and stars. On the fifth day He created every living creature of the seas and skies and gave them the ability to multiply. On the sixth day He created the animals.
But His favorite creation of all, the one that would give Him the most joy but also disappoint Him the most in times to come, was the creation of man. For on the sixth day God also created Adam and Eve. He molded Adam from clay and blew breath into him. He created Adam in His own image, from His own essence. He gave them everything – the whole earth – to rule over, care for, and cultivate.
Man was the ultimate creation for God – the culmination of all of His efforts. Man, too, has the ability to create. We take the gifts that God has given us and turn them toward our own creations.
On the seventh day God rested. We should also take a day of rest, a day to share with our fellow believers of the Lord Our Savior Jesus Christ, and look back upon the results of our work and say “It is very good.”
The first pages of the bible establish God as the ultimate Creator. Before the Creator there was nothing but formless emptiness. Before the Creator there was nothing but darkness. But then God created the heavens and earth. His spirit moved over this expanse as He prepared the creation of all that we know today.
On the first day God created light and separated darkness from light, establishing night and day. Next came the sky, and the land and the seas, and the sun, moon, and stars. On the fifth day He created every living creature of the seas and skies and gave them the ability to multiply. On the sixth day He created the animals.
But His favorite creation of all, the one that would give Him the most joy but also disappoint Him the most in times to come, was the creation of man. For on the sixth day God also created Adam and Eve. He molded Adam from clay and blew breath into him. He created Adam in His own image, from His own essence. He gave them everything – the whole earth – to rule over, care for, and cultivate.
Man was the ultimate creation for God – the culmination of all of His efforts. Man, too, has the ability to create. We take the gifts that God has given us and turn them toward our own creations.
On the seventh day God rested. We should also take a day of rest, a day to share with our fellow believers of the Lord Our Savior Jesus Christ, and look back upon the results of our work and say “It is very good.”
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