One Year Bible, Sunday, February 13th

 Click Here to Listen to the Readings

Exodus 35:10 - 36:38

1. We continue to see all the details of the tabernacele and how at Moses instruction the Israelites continued to obey God's commands. Importantly the people gave offerings for the supplies to build the temple. And even more importantly was their motive for giving, 

"All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord." Verse 21

2. Again we see how God gifted each person to help.  God specifically chose Bezalel, son of Uri. 

 "The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts." verse 31

This is one of the few times the "Holy Spirit" was given to a person in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon specifice people for specific tasks. In the New Testament the same Holy Spirit will be given to all believers at Pentecost. 

3. As each person gave as they were moved, we see there was more than enough to build the tabernacle. 

 "They went to Moses and reported, “The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do!”36:5

When people are moved by the Spirit in obedience to God's command, there will not only be enough to get done what God wants done, there will be plenty leftover. 

Matthew 27:32-66

1. As they meet Simon, the Cyrene, a relatively obscoure figure, he is forced to carry Jesus' cross.  In contrast Jesus calls us to pick up our cross.  No one is going to force you to carry the cross of Christ, but Jesus invites you to do it as his follower.

2. As Jesus journeyed to the cross, the offering him a drink which had wine in it. We can only imagine how thirsty he was. But when he tasted it, he realized there was wine it that might deaden the pain of his crucifixion, so he refused it. Not only did Jesus not shy away from being crucified on the cross for us, he experienced all the pain of separation from God and the pain of the crucifixion for us. 

3. If you ever wondered if Jesus was truly human and felt separation from God listen to these words, 

"About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Just before this Jesus had prayed for the cup of suffering to be taken him, yet he willingly went forward to die for our sin. His words "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me is a reflection of Psalm 22 in the Old Testament, another prophecy Matthew points out signalling Jesus was the Messiah. 

"What Now" Study Questions:

God calls for those skilled in construction to participate in the process of constructing the tabernacle. The community of God needs all the skills, talents and abilities that He has provided for the Body. How are you using your skills and talents for the Kingdom?

It is important to remember that even though Pilate and the Jewish leaders seem to play powerful roles, their roles were directed by the All-Knowing Author! Ask God to remind you of His activity in the world when things seem out of control?

Psalm 34:1-10

Proverbs 9:7-8

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more