Sunday Morning Starters

Do you know what Jesus will be doing this Sunday?

Read Hebrews 2:12 and see...

"I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You."

Jason Cicero

Prophet to the Captives

Song: It Won't Be Very Long

Scripture: Ezekiel 12:1-16

The deportation of Judah into Babylonian captivity occurred in three stages. 1) In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar carried Daniel and other Jewish lads of noble birth into captivity. 2) In 597 BC, he returned to Jerusalem and took King Jehoiachin captive along with other Jews, including Ezekiel. 3) In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city of Jerusalem, destroying the temple and carrying the inhabitants into exile for 70 years.

Ezekiel was God’s prophet to the captives in Babylon. He prophesied from the time following his own deportation until a period well into the 70 year captivity of the Jews. Often his message featured “visual aids” as in today’s reading. His message to the captives was two-fold.

1) “Get used to captivity” is his first message. Even after the second deportation, the Jews in Jerusalem and in captivity held out hope that Jerusalem would never fall. They didn’t believe the prophet’s message of judgment. Judgment is still not a popular message. But it is a certain one.

2) “God is faithful” is his second message. After Jerusalem fell, the captives despaired and no longer hoped in the promises of God. Ezekiel taught the exiles that their own sin led to captivity, but that after God had disciplined them, He would return them to the land and establish a more glorious kingdom. God’s promises never fail. We may forfeit our own participation in them, but they never fail.

Jason Moore

Duties of Pulpit and Pew

Song: I Love To Tell The Story

Scripture: Titus 2:1-15

The doctrine of God is worthy of the highest treatment in its statement and its application. Paul, in charging the young preacher, Titus, said that his responsibility was to fully equip the people to adorn the doctrine of God in their lives. He shows in this letter how the pulpit and the pew work together.

Preaching is to be practical and persuasive. It is intended to charge the will of the people (that’s persuasion) to either change or persevere in their habits of living (that’s practical). Preaching that isn’t practical and persuasive, isn’t sound. Of course it must also be true. If it’s not gospel preaching, it’s not really preaching at all. But the gladdest of all tidings deserves the best of all deliveries that the privileged messenger can possibly give it.

Hearing is to involve the will and not just the intellect. Older men, older women, younger men, younger women, servants, and preachers themselves are all addressed in our text. Their particular tendencies are addressed, and the habits of godliness suiting their time and station in life are recommended. It’s not enough to say “Amen” to the preaching. The best of all messages deserves the best of all audiences—live ones that make the word become flesh in their personal conduct.

When the occupants of pulpit and pew fulfill their responsibilities, it can make a difference even on an island of “liars and lazy gluttons” like Crete.

Jason Moore

Shakespeare of the Prophets

Song: Holy, Holy, Holy

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-13

The prophets were victims of their times. Their message sometimes spoke of the future, even the distant future like when Isaiah spoke of the nature and coming of Jesus (chap. 53, read by the eunuch in Acts 8). Often their message rebuked the present sin of the times and told the coming consequences. The prophets were inspired historians, informing the people of the meaning of their history—why God did this, and allowed that, and how both events related to their sin or their obedience.

Isaiah is often called the “Shakespeare of the prophets” because of the beauty of his poetry. He was a prophet for forty years from the year that King Uzziah died in about 740 BC to the time of the Assyrian king Sennacherib’s campaign against Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah in 701 BC. He predicted the fall of Israel to Assyria and fall of Judah to Babylon. He named Cyrus (150 years beforehand) as the king who would restore the captives of Judah to their homeland. He also spoke of the future glory to come to Israel with the Lord’s appointment of His suffering servant, the Christ. His messages are many, but here are three:

Holy is the Lord of hosts. There is no room in the kingdom for those who play at religion. God is holy. He can’t dwell with the unclean. Period.

Watch worldly alliances. Judah put her trust in alliances with the super powers of her day. Their trust was misplaced. Trust in the world still is.

God has His remnant. In our text, God called the remnant a stump that after the tree is felled sprouts new growth. When all the world seems to have gone bad, God still watches after the faithful.

Jason Moore

The Minister's Manual

Song: Break Thou The Bread Of Life

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-4:16

Paul’s first epistle to Timothy contains two kinds of information: 1) what God told the preacher 2) what God told the preacher to tell the people. The letter was written first to charge preachers with their duties. The “good servant” and “man of God” in this letter (as well as 2 Timothy and Titus) is first the preacher. The letter also informs the people that men of uninspired status who preach the word according to these principles have God’s approval. Hear some of the book’s messages:

God ordained preaching. The Lord could send angels. He could speak from heaven. He could talk directly to each individual believer. But God chose preaching. Somehow the packaging of His message in the personalities of earthen vessels, and the broadcasting of that message through their feeble voices accomplishes His purpose. It is a mystery. But God chose it. We must respect it.

Preachers must suffer the people. Those who will not “discipline themselves,” “labor and strive,” “prescribe and teach,” “give attention,” “not neglect,” “take pains,” “be absorbed,” “pay close attention,” and “persevere” need not apply.

The people must suffer the preacher. It’s not easy to listen to the exhortations of those with like foibles. The trial of sifting the imperfect discourses of imperfect men sifts audiences into different classes of hearers. Perhaps that’s partly the point of preaching—to see how badly men want to hear.

Listen preachers. Listen people. That’s Paul’s message in 1 Timothy.

Jason Moore

Built to Break Down

Song: There Is A Habitation

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14

Men ought to read Ecclesiastes every new year and perhaps every birthday. The book expresses the preaching of Paul on Mars Hill, that God has set boundaries for the times and habitations of all men “that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27). God built man to break down. He put fences around him to limit his achievement and satisfaction with life. But there is a method to this mad, mad maelstrom.

We call this method “planned obsolescence” when applied to the cars and appliances that we make. Things are built to break down, so that we have to buy parts or pay specialists to fix them, or discard them altogether for the newest model. There is a planned obsolescence to creation, and a manufacturing method more noble to be learned.

God built man to break down so that man would grope for Him, so that man would return to Him for fixing. He has given a measure of pleasure to life to make man grateful, and a greater and final measure of sorrow to life to make man humble. Ultimately the reason for life’s vanity is that such a life is what man chose for himself when he sinned. God has given man what he asked for, in hope that he’ll return to God and receive what God planned for him. Some learn. Many don’t. How about you?

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

On this Memorial Day weekend, remember Him.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19; NKJV)

This Lord's Day let us proclaim His death looking forward to His second coming!

Jason Cicero

Israel's Songbook

Song: Sun Of My Soul

Scripture: Psalm 51:1-19

The Psalms puzzle Bible students. They’re divided into five books, the reason for which is not fully understood. They are poetry, but a poetry foreign to us. They’re verses don’t rhyme like our poems do. They use a different kind of rhyme, a rhyme of thought. For instance, “I was brought forth in iniquity” rhymes in sentiment with the next line “and in sin my mother conceived me.” Both lines say the same thing but in different words.

Scholars have divided individual Psalms into two broad categories: praise and lament. Psalms of praise are those that worship God for who He is and what He has done. Psalms of lament are songs that petition God for help: for forgiveness, for salvation, for victory, for vindication. Most psalms are a combination of both types, though one type is usually dominant in the psalm. Psalm 51 is chiefly a lament, a prayer to God for forgiveness. We can learn from the psalms how to pray. They are the sung prayers of godly men. But they are also inspired prayers. They are prayers which met with the approval of God and so bear His seal that these are the sacrifices which He accepts. If you feel it or have suffered it, the psalmist probably felt it first and wrote about it. Read the psalms and practice your prayers. They’ll help you do it better.

James 5:13 shows that the two-fold taxonomy of songs and prayers is logical: “If anyone is suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.” Whatever your condition—good or bad—God gave you a voice to tell Him about it. The psalms teach us that.

Oh, and think about today’s song selection. Is it a praise or lament?

Jason Moore

The Infant Church

Song: When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20

The church in Thessalonica was one of the products of the vision Paul received in Troas: a man of Macedonia, saying “Come over and help us.” The work in Thessalonica was not easy as our reading, along with the record in Acts 17, admits. Paul and Silas were forced out of town shortly after making new disciples there. The persecution of these new converts continued. Paul, traveling South to Greece, felt compelled to write and encourage these young Christians in their faith. We can learn much from his words and from their conviction.

The local church is a family, not a club. We can learn from the tenderness and affection of Paul for these brethren whose faith was imperfect and whose understanding of the second coming and the resurrection was erroneous. The ties that bind are broken too easily and discarded too readily when brethren have not invested themselves in the care and teaching of their fellows as Paul did.

Distinguish your cause from the Lord’s cause. Paul was interested in the allegiance of the Thessalonians to the Lord not himself. That interest may be lost in the volatile mix of emotion and conflict and prejudice that comes in trying to teach the lost and resolve problems in local churches. Learn to see difference. Our labor is vain without it.

Learn to let go. Paul let the Thessalonians, these new converts, suffer persecution. He didn’t rescue them. He couldn’t. But he was there to encourage, and more importantly to remind them that God was with them. They were growing their own faith. Learn to nurture that kind of growth.

Jason Moore

God Provides a Queen and Savior

Song: In His Time

Scripture: Esther 6:1-14

The execution of Haman and the exaltation of Mordecai is one of the great ironies of the Bible. The story is set in the days of Ahasuerus (486-465 BC), King of Persia, while the Jews were busy rebuilding Jerusalem. Ahasuerus had dismissed his queen, Vashti, and providentially chosen Esther, a Benjamite, as his new wife. Mordecai was her elder cousin who had adopted her when her parents died, and his wisdom was partly the reason for her exaltation. The annual Feast of Purim instituted at the close of this book celebrates the salvation that God wrought through his chosen servant Esther.

Take courage, God will provide. “If you remain silent… relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” (4:14). Those were Mordecai’s words to his cousin, made daughter, turned queen. He continued, “who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” This passage and the entire book is one of the great testimonies to God’s providence.

Faith doesn’t have to know how God will provide. It just believes that He will. And believing, it acts. If Esther and Mordecai had both been martyred, their story would be no less inspiring. Had they been slain, and that story told, they would still be victors, God having provided them a better home. The fact that God saved their lives and those of all the Jews only strengthens our assurance that He provides the final victory—for them, and for us.

Jason Moore

The Mind of Christ

Song: Let Jesus Dwell Within Your Soul

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-18

Paul wrote four epistles during his first Roman imprisonment: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. It had been about ten years since his second missionary journey when the church in Philippi was established. He had returned during the third journey, and the church (which included Lydia and the jailor) had supported Paul’s work.

The theme of Paul’s letter to Philippi is found in today’s reading: “Have this mind which was also in Christ Jesus” (v. 5). Learning the mind of Christ is the Christian’s goal and the key to a contented life.

A humble mind. That’s the subject of chapter 2. Jesus suffered the loss of His station and rights for the sake of sinners. The unity of His followers is dependent on that same attitude. It begins with me.

A contented mind. Paul, uncertain whether he would see release or execution, encouraged the Philippians to rejoice (4:4). “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). Joy is a contented mind, the byproduct of an active faith, the attitude of the believer “working out his own salvation” (2:12).

An ambitious mind. The mind of Christ is fueled by hope. “I press on,” Paul wrote (3:14). Hope is the “one thing,” the main thing, the first thing that occupies the Christian’s mind. All else was refuse to Paul. Gaining Christ is the only hope that is hope, the only hope that won’t disappoint.

Macedonia was a center of persecution. Paul had been jailed there. The Philippians needed the mind of Christ. So do we. Put it on today.

Jason Moore

The Captives Return

Song: Where He Leads I'll Follow

Scripture: Ezra 3:1-13

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Judah was permitted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city from its ashes. Babylon fell to the Persians and Cyrus, king of the new empire, issued the decree allowing the exiles’ restoration work. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the three stage return:

In 536 BC the first captives returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They rebuilt the altar, laid the foundation of the temple, and finally finished the temple’s construction in 515 BC.

In 458 BC the second group of exiles made their return under the leadership of Ezra, a scribe and priest, who brought gifts from King Artaxerxes, and led a spiritual revival among the captives.

In 445 BC, and contemporary with the priestly activity of Ezra, Nehemiah came to Jerusalem with another group of exiles and rebuilt the city’s walls. Ezra records the story of the first two returns, including the account of the temple’s restoration, the work begun in today’s reading. The lessons of the book are many, but here are a few:

Seek first the kingdom. Ezra records the names and labors of honorable men who made sacrifices for the Lord’s cause. Such sacrifices are not forgotten as the book’s mere existence teaches.

See the big picture. More than the foundation of the temple was laid in our reading. The workers laid the foundation for the coming of the Messiah. Don’t despise the small things that you can do. God chooses the weak things to shame the strong.

Never quit. There will be adversaries and detractors. Never quit. If the Lord is sympathetic with the cause, He’ll make a way. Never quit.

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

In Revelation 1:10, on the Lord's Day, John heard the voice of Jesus.

Whose voice will you hear on His day?

Jason Cicero

The Brotherhood's First Issue

Song: Open My Eyes, That I May See

Scripture: Galatians 3:23 - 4:7

Paul’s missionary journey to Galatia changed the complexion of the brotherhood. Christian Jews seemed content to leave Gentile believers alone as long as they were in their own churches, and as long as Jews outnumbered them. That changed after Paul’s Galatian trip. The church would never be the same. Jewish Christians panicked.

The problem was a complex one. Consciences of the Jews had been trained by centuries of law keeping. And to accept as brethren the Gentiles, whom their Jewish family and friends regarded as unclean, would sever once and for all their ties to Judaism and fan the flames of persecution from the Jewish authorities. Requiring Gentile Christians to be circumcised seemed like the way to satisfy conscience, escape reproach and persecution, and maintain some control over the “newcomers.”

They had a doctrinal argument too: the OT promises were clearly made to “Abraham’s seed.” The only way for Gentiles to meet this requirement was to be circumcised. Paul answers this argument in Galatians, written (in this author’s view) shortly after his first missionary journey. His argument is simple: Abraham’s sons are not those who share his circumcision but those who share his faith.

There is one big picture lesson to be learned from Galatians and the circumcision issue. If local churches could emerge united from an issue full of social, ethnic, moral and doctrinal dynamite, then what issue ought ever to divide us? Divisions will come. When men stop reading Galatians.

Jason Moore

The Glory That Was Not Yet

Song: O Worship The King

Scripture: 1 Kings 9:1-9

David and Solomon reigned during the glory days of Israel. The promises to Abraham of a great nation, an inheritance, a king and kingdom, and a blessed seed that would bless the nations saw their material fulfillment in the united kingdom of David and Solomon. 1 and 2 Kings record Solomon’s reign, it’s glory and decline, then the story of Solomon’s sons from Rehoboam, who divided the kingdom, to the disappearance of Israel in Assyria and finally the discipline of Judah in the Babylonian captivity. The messages of the books are many:

Hearken to God’s messengers. The books of the Kings are to the Prophets of the OT what Acts is to the Epistles of the NT. They provide the backdrop for an intelligent reading of the prophets whose warnings are as timely today as they were then. Israel plugged her hears. Learn from her mistakes.

Like king, like country. The kings of Israel both influenced and reflected the morality of their subjects. Some were good, some bad. As God promised Solomon, He rewarded the faithful and punished the godless. He still rules the nations.

The arm of flesh will fail. Even the best kings, like Solomon, failed. God was patient with all, but He had plans for something better. David’s throne would not be established by a Solomon, certainly not a Manasseh. Jesus Christ would forever secure the throne of David, with authority in heaven and on earth, establishing a rule over men’s hearts instead of their lands. The Kings and our own experiences ready us for His better and perfect reign.

Jason Moore

Handbook For Local Churches

Song: Amazing Grace

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18 - 2:5

Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth is a tribute to and an expression of the wisdom of God. It illustrates God’s wisdom in several areas:

The local church. 1 Corinthians shows that God’s plan for local churches works. Churches are model communities—not perfect models—but working models. Tinker with God’s plan using man’s wisdom, and the community breaks down.

Order. That God is not the author of confusion is seen not only in remarks concerning worship (chs. 11-14), but in Paul’s teaching about unity (ch. 1), discipline (ch. 5), conjugal privileges (chs. 6-7), and giving (ch. 16). Here again is practical wisdom to order lives and churches and relationships.

Christ crucified. The cross accomplished not only the legal redemption of man from sin, it set the pattern for the believer’s life. In every local church problem addressed in the book, Paul shows how the wisdom of Christ crucified provides the motive, the attitude, and the answer to the issue at hand. It will keep workers humble (chs. 2-4), prevent saints from stumbling (chs. 8-10), cause self-denial for the sake of peace (ch. 6), supply indefatigable hope of victory even in death (ch. 15).

The bickering, divisive Corinthians wrote Paul a letter perhaps expecting him to take a side (7:1). Paul turned the spotlight on God’s wisdom and provided a manual for local churches for all time.

Jason Moore

The Gospel of Ruth

Song: Seek Ye First

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-22

The gospel is preached throughout the OT and nowhere more succinctly and vividly than in Ruth.

Naomi and Ruth lost everything so that God prepared them for better things. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Naomi’s bitter tears were turned to joy by the love of Ruth and the compassion of Boaz. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Ruth gave up her home, her people, her rights and privileges and clung to Naomi. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Ruth shows more concern for righteousness than for her rights. Won’t a person like that be run over by others? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Ruth’s charity to Naomi is met by the kindness of Boaz to her and God’s favor to them all. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Amazing that a Moabite should be the great, great, great… grandmother of God’s Son. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

In Moses’ day, Moab’s leaders called Balaam to curse Israel. Hatred sometimes lasts for generations. Ruth was different. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Ruth lived in the days of the Judges, when “every man did what was right in his own eyes.” It could not have been an easy time. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Blessed are the Ruthful, for theirs is the gospel.

Jason Moore

Christianity, Act One

Song: Faith Of Our Fathers

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

The name Acts of the Apostles may give the impression that this sequel to Luke’s gospel is a detailed summary of the deeds of each apostle. It is not that, but it does record the following:

The Acts of Jesus. Luke and the other gospels give the account of “all that Jesus began to do and teach.” Acts records all that Jesus continued to do and teach from His throne in heaven.

The Acts of the Holy Spirit. In His ongoing work as Exalted King, Jesus sends the Spirit as His agent to give heaven’s approval to the opening of His kingdom to the Jew “in Jerusalem and Judea,” to the circumcised non-Jew “in Samaria,” to the uncircumcised Gentile at “the ends of the earth.” Acts tells of the Spirit’s work on all these occasions.

The Acts of Resurrection Witnesses. The work of two apostles, primarily, is the focus of Acts: Peter and Paul. Their message is the same: “God raised Jesus from the dead. We saw Him alive. He now reigns and is returning to save and to judge.”

The Acts of the Early Christians. Acts records the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome. It shows how the gospel was preached, how the saved were added, how churches were planted, how saints worshiped and behaved, how problems were solved, how persecution was overcome.

All of the acts recorded in the book so titled are written to give us confidence in our own work because the same Jesus reigns, the same Spirit opens doors (albeit not miraculously), the same message is needed, the same simple Christianity works. Try it today and see!

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

How the first Sunday started…

God spoke; creation obeyed.

Let’s try that for a change.

Jason Moore

Conquering Canaan

Song: The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Scripture: Joshua 6:1-27

Modern cinematography and pyrotechnics have made a show of demolishing buildings. Imagine the quaking foundations, the falling rubble, the cloud of dust, and the sounds of trumpet blares, victory cries, crumbling walls, and astonished wails from a people who had been watching Israel’s seven day procession with bemusement—all the sights and sounds of Jericho’s fall!

Joshua is the record of Israel’s conquest of Canaan in 1405 BC. Jericho’s fall is one of many extraordinary accounts recorded in the book containing profound lessons for today.

Faith is the victory. Israel’s victory at Jericho and other conquered cities was the product of faith. Canaan’s cities were no less fortified in Joshua’s time than they were in Moses’ day. One generation fell in the wilderness, another generation inherited Canaan. That’s the difference faith makes.

Leadership is the difference. Joshua’s generation prevailed. “As for me and my house” was replaced by the “every man did what was right in his own eyes” policy of the Judges period. That’s the difference leadership makes—spiritual leadership, not financial or executive leadership.

“We” is the enemy. The real enemy Israel had to conquer was not Canaan but themselves. They had to conquer their doubts, their fears, their covetousness (remember Achan?), their idolatry. That enemy is still besetting God’s people today. That’s the difference the heart makes—out of it proceeds all the uncleanness that defiles a man.

Keep your faith, lead your own, conquer self is the message of Joshua. It’s the strategy for victory.

Jason Moore

Eyewitness News

Song: We Saw Thee Not

Scripture: Luke 2:21-52

Inspiration is the supernatural process by which the mind of God is perfectly and infallibly expressed through the personality of a man. It makes possible four unique accounts of the same gospel of which Luke is one. Luke adopts the role of an investigative reporter in his gospel “having investigated everything carefully from the beginning” and writing it out “in consecutive order.”

Undoubtedly, Luke’s investigation involved not only researching records, like the date for the Augustus’ census or the tribal descent of Anna the prophetess, but interviews with eyewitnesses, people who saw the gospel with their own eyes. Scholars have noted that Luke’s gospel emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, and the details provided by eyewitness interviews have much to do with that. Hear some of their stories again.

Simeon: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel…”

Joseph and Mary: They “were amazed at the things which were said [by Simeon] about Him.” “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

Anna: “She came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Jesus to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Jesus is the Son of Man beheld by human eyes, heard by human ears, touched by human hands, believed and loved by human hearts. His story is history. It is real. Turn off the History Channel, and CNN, and listen to Luke’s Eyewitness News.

Jason Moore

Counting the Cost of Unbelief

Song: Can He Depend On You?

Scripture: Numbers 13:25-14:10

Numbers is so named because the book opens and closes with a census of the Israelites. Moses numbered the Israelites who came out of Egypt but fell in the desert because of unbelief. Forty years later he numbered the generation raised in the wilderness whom God permitted to enter the Promised Land. Sandwiched between these two countings is the story of the first generation who over four decades counted the cost of their faithless rebellion following the report of the spies. The story of their fall is a lesson to their children and to us.

Number your days. Every Israelite twenty and upward with the exception of Joshua and Caleb was cursed to die in the desert. That gave a certain urgency to every day. Life is but a countdown to judgment. The fact that you don’t know where your count stands ought to bring a sobriety to your day.

Number your blessings. Israel numbered her woes. She counted all that was against her. Were the giants of Canaan mightier than the chariots of Egypt? Were their fortified cities greater than the pyramids? They numbered all the wrong things and so miscalculated their condition. Like Crosby sang, “When you’re worried and you can’t sleep, try counting your blessings instead of sheep.”

Don’t trust in numbers. You may stand alone like Joshua and Caleb. If their confidence to defy the majority could have been transferred to the people to defy the Canaanites, Israel would have marched to Canaan. Trust in God, no matter who opposes, no matter the odds. That’s all that counts.

Jason Moore

I Came, I Saw, I AM

Song: How Firm A Foundation

Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12

Exodus and our word exit are cousins. Exodus, in brief, is the account of Israel’s exit from Egypt. Moses’ interview with God upon the mountain introduces the essential themes of the book.

“I have come down to deliver.” The Exodus is to the Old Testament what the Resurrection is to the New. It is the story of redemption. It has more to do with Calvary than Canaan. It bound Israel to God because it vindicated Jehovah as Savior and Lord. When Jesus met with Moses on the mount of His transfiguration, they spoke of Jesus’ departure (literally His exodus). The exit Moses led of Israel from Egyptian bondage was a picture of the exodus Jesus later led of captives from sin.

“I will send you to Pharaoh.” Exodus is the story of two servants of God: Moses and Pharaoh. God prepared and charged both men to fulfill His purpose. Moses consented; Pharaoh hardened. But God used both Moses’ obedience and Pharaoh’s humiliation to suit His purposes. His patience and power is demonstrated in each. Exodus teaches that God is sovereign and whatever He wills will be.

“Certainly I will be with you.” In Exodus, God reveals Himself as Jehovah, the Great I AM. The name “I AM” is a promise. It is a promise of God’s eternal presence, certainly. But it is a promise of God’s presence to save. My dad could calm our fears during a lightning storm by walking into the room and saying, “It’s O.K. I’m right here.” The name Jehovah, or “I AM,” is God’s promise to Israel and to us: “I Am here; there’s nothing to fear.”

God has come. God has sent. God is present. Isn’t that good news? It is not just the stuff of Gospel, it is the story of Exodus.

Jason Moore

His Majesty's Story

Song: Praise Him! Praise Him!

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-23

Matthew’s gospel answers the question of the magi, “Where is He that has been born King of the Jews?” It bears the glad tidings of the arrival of the King who would sit upon David’s throne.

Jesus was the Promised King. Matthew’s gospel is the most Jewish of the gospels. He begins with Jesus’ genealogy noting His birth from the line of Abraham and David. OT quotations abound in Matthew as he proves, beginning with the nativity in Bethlehem, that Jesus was the awaited King.

Jesus was the Heavenly King. From the start it was clear that His kingdom was not of this world. His birth was not in Jerusalem, the royal seat, but Bethlehem, a humble village. Temporal powers did not hail him but a celestial body signified and celebrated His birth. Those with eyes to see like the Eastern nobles and the appointed star recognize then and now that “all authority” would shortly be given to Him “in heaven and on earth” (28:18).

Jesus was the Rejected King. “He shall be called a Nazarene” is not a direct quote from the prophets. However it summarizes the sentiment of prophecy that the Messiah would be rejected. Where was the celebration that ought to attend the birth of a king? Herod feared, all Jerusalem was troubled. Gentile wise men worshiped while Israel’s scribes neglected the birth of their King. The tone for the future rejection of this King was set.

Hail to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! See His Majesty! Jesus Christ is His name!

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

How the first Sunday started…

No pews.

No pulpits.

No preachers.

No people.

No problems.

Someday – all that without the problems.

Just imagine.

Jason Moore

The End of the Beginnings

Song: Redeemed

Scripture: Genesis 50:1-26

One fourth of the book of Genesis is devoted to the story of Joseph. His story was the story of Israel. In a few generations all Israel would be enslaved like the favored son of Jacob had been. The story of God’s deliverance and exaltation of Joseph should have inspired their hope that He would someday redeem the entire nation from captivity also.

Genesis ends with that note of promise. Jacob was buried in Canaan in anticipation of Israel’s return. By faith, Joseph too gave instructions for his bones to be carried to Canaan whenever Israel should depart from Egypt.

Several of the promises to Abraham have seen at least some partial fulfillment at the close of Genesis. The sons of Jacob are on their way to becoming an innumerable host. Abraham’s fame is known in Egypt, a world power, and Jacob is given the burial of a pharaoh. A king, or near king, has emerged from Israel in the person of Joseph. And as promised, Israel is sojourning in a foreign land.

The book of beginnings ends with the theme of the Bible: redemption. Jacob’s sons fear that, with the death of their father, Joseph will seek revenge. Joseph explains, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to… preserve many people alive.” The same words could be put in the mouth of Jesus. It is the theme of redemption, and a foretaste of the salvation to come.

Jason Moore

The Patriarchal Blessing

Song: How Shall The Young Secure

Scripture: Genesis 48:1-22

Each of the patriarchs in Genesis before their deaths pronounced what has been called the “patriarchal blessing” upon their children. Noah, Abraham, and Isaac each pronounced a blessing upon their sons. Jacob pronounces a special blessing upon the sons of Joseph, before calling all of his sons together to receive his blessing.

It is apparent here and elsewhere that the patriarchal blessing was more than just a wish for the well-being of one’s offspring. The blessing had a prophetic quality. Even if the patriarchal blessing was customary among ancient societies, it took on a new dimension with the patriarchs God called.

It appears that God inspired the fathers with prophetic vision so that when they blessed the sons, they predicted the future courses of their seed. That explains why Isaac told Esau that the blessing he had given Jacob could not be revoked. While the blessing was supernatural and prophetic, it seems that Jacob’s family erroneously thought of the blessing in a superstitious way. Rebekah thought that by tricking Isaac they could guarantee Jacob’s good fortune—as if Isaac’s blindness also blinded God! God had determined to bless Jacob before his birth, but the blessing came with much heartache!

Wouldn’t it be something if we could see the fortunes of our children, and reveal to them their futures? Perhaps it’s better not to know, and just prepare them in faith for whatever the future hold.

Jason Moore