Exodus 1-15

The foundation for the exodus was very interesting to me this time around. Beginning with the Hebrew midwives:
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. Exodus 1:17 (NASB95)
and God's reaction:
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Exodus 1:20-21 (NASB95)
The fear of God was stronger than the fear of the powerful human ruler, thought to be god on earth. Sometimes I underestimate how strong the people of the Old Testament were. And it is eye opening to remember that the move to "let God's people go" was kicked off not by a big named prophet in a big event but by mid-wives fearing God.

Another interesting few passages are found in chapter 2:
Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. Exodus 2:23-25 (NASB95)
The heart cry of God's people seems to show their utter desperation, but also their firm belief that only God could bring them salvation. Once again God's promises can be counted on, He will not forget His word.

Also a thought; Moses was a great man of God and at the same time so unwilling. Is this humility on the part of Moses. Did he see God in a way that we as ministers don't today. Is being a "spokesman" for God something that should put fear into our hearts?

Genesis 41-50

JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." Genesis 41:16 (NASB95)

Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. Genesis 41:25 (NASB95)

"It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. Genesis 41:28 (NASB95)

"Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. Genesis 41:32 (NASB95)

But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place?"As for you, you meant evil against me, {but} God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21 (NASB95)

Genesis 29-40

The traits of the parents show in the children
Beauty is only skin deep and it shows with Rachel and Leah
Rachel was a piece of work, Benjamin surly thanked dad for the name change
Dont mess with Jacob's daughter or Laban's for that matter.
If only Joseph knew the rest of the story, LIKE WE DO.

But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. Genesis 39:21 (NASB95)

Genesis 17-28

Abraham, WHAT FAITH! He trusted God enough to lay his own child's life on the line, AMAZING!

Once God promises something we can take it to the bank.

Abraham's family would scare Jerry Springer. Lots daughters, "well since you are the last man on earth, dad' WHAT?

Lot's future son-n-laws had to be mad the freak shows got offered their fiances.

The actions of the father affect his kids, so do the plans of the mother.

Abraham's servants wise prayer

Esau must have been a beast for Jacob to have to wear dead goat to pass for him.

Once again God's plan of redemption for mankind flows through despite man's sinfulness.

Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU."

Galatians 3:6-8 (NASB95)

The Bible in 90 Days Genesis 1-16

A few gleanings from today:

• Only God can be God: Who is like Him? Creation


• Without God we cannot be: Created in His likeness


• God has a plan, it has not changed: Genesis 3:15


• God is willing to save despite the actions of man: Adam & Eve, Cain,Noah's line, The world at Babel, Abram, Sarai, Hagar, Ishmael


• We run into trouble when we try to implement God's plan in our way: Abram and Sarai


• God's plan is continuing to be shown, it has not changed: Genesis 12:2-3


• God's grace received by faith precedes righteousness: Genesis 6:8-9;15:6


• God does not expect blind faith, He always gives us His Word!

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 1 Peter 1:20 (NASB95)

Important Voices at the SBC?

I was not at the SBC conference in KY but I have followed it on the web through various sources. While I did enjoy Dr. Hunts presidential sermon and most of the things I heard on the streaming video, I am a little perturbed/angry at one particular phrase that has been accruing on numerous blogs. That phrase is that the important voices of the SBC are being heard. As a newbie to the SBC it would seem that the convention idolatry is just being replaced by a individual or purpose idolatry. Could this be our problem as Southern Baptists? Are we relying on the convention or the big shots of it to be the scape goat as to why our personal ministries are struggling? Are we as no names living or doing ministry vicariously through the important voices? Let us be vigilant to remember that we are an organization of independent local churches that need no important voices to dictate our individual actions. For the more we rely on the important voices the closer we will come to putting a hierarchy in Nashville or Louisville, or wherever our important voice is heard from.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

John 10:27 (NASB95)

A Review of "The Truth of the Cross" by RC Sproul

I just got through reading a pdf of The Truth of the Cross by RC Sproul from Reformation Trust and Ligonier Ministries. As I prepare to review this book I think it is important for you to know a little about me. I am not what you would call very academic in how I explain a book or in what I usually read. Getting my MDIV seemed to have burned me out on the world of overly academic religious writings. While I respect these theologians and their writings, I would call myself a reviewer for the ordinary man. So with that here it goes:

The title of the book is what first caught my eye, "The Truth of the Cross". In a Christian culture were most books are really christianityfied self help books it is always refreshing to see a title that is not about self but about the cross. I can see myself in Sproul's place as he just looks at the wasteland of christian literature in the bookstore. With this first chapter he has me hooked. Sproul does a fantastic job in starting with a broad introduction to theology, giving a short but concise explanation of Augustinianism, Semi-Palagianism, and Palagianism. This allows the book to take off in a way that has the reader wanting to know more. Which is the most biblical of these theologies, where do I fit in this, are just a few questions I asked myself as I read. As broad a scope as Sproul paints in the beginning of the book, he steadily begins to shed man made theologies and show Biblical truth. As the book goes on Sproul easily takes theological terms such as atonement, substitution, ransom, and explains them in a simple and easy manner. A few great thoughts from this book are Sprouls theology of the baptism of Christ (p.73), a hard but true statement about sustitutionary atonement (p. 81), explanation of total depravity (chapter 6) and Chapter 8 would be worth the price of the book alone as Sproul shows our dependency of understanding Old Testament covenants to understand how secure our faith really is. But then chapter 9, limited atonement. This is the only chapter were I thought here it is your are either a 5 point Calvinist or a heretic and lost. Why do we have to label ourselves either Calvinist or Armenian? Do you have to be in the middle or one or the other, please just teach like you taught in the last 8 chapters. But even with that Sproul nails it when he states, "

"What if I say Jesus went to the cross to make an atonement for believers, and only for believers? In that statement,I declare that it was God’s design that Jesus should die not for everybody indiscriminately, but only for those who would believe. If you accept that, you see that only the elect are believers and that only believers are the elect. I’m not saying anything different when I say that Christ died only for the elect" (p.146)

What a defining statement! If we could all let go of our sides and see that if we let go of our "pet" words we would see we really have nothing to argue about. Overall this probably the best book I have ever read about the cross. I would recommend it for anyone from the pulpit to the pew.

Thanks to Reformation Trust and Ligioner Ministries for the pdf. If you are interested in reviewing some great books by pdf go to http://www.ligonier.org/publishing_reformationtrust_blog.php

God Bless