The God Who Makes Us Wait

James Rochford

Exodus 32:1-34:35

As the Israelites grew impatient, waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain, they demanded Aaron make them a golden calf to worship. God often makes us wait to hear from Him. The pressure of waiting can lead to spiritual growth or it can lead to idolatry.

God Parts the Red Sea

Conrad Hilario

Exodus 13-15

God is sovereign and does not always explain His plans to us. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He took them on a curious route, not a direct path, to the the Promised Land. We need to depend upon God for His direction and His protection, even when we don't understand His plan.

The Divine Justice of the Plagues

Conrad Hilario

Exodus 7-10

The ten plagues of Egypt were not just God's judgment against Pharaoh but also against Egypt's many gods. Each plague revealed the impotence of each of their gods and the power of the one true God. God was very patient with Pharaoh and gave him many chances to humble himself but Pharaoh remained prideful even to the very end when he lost his firstborn son. Although he allowed the Jews to leave, he then pursued them to the Red Seas and perished there with his whole army.

The God Who Is Just

James Rochford

Exodus 7:1-10:29

The plagues God inflicts upon Egypt were designed to demonstrate the reality that Egypt's gods were no gods at all. Pharaoh's main problem was absence of humility. Pharaoh refused to humble himself before God in spite of the numerous demonstrations of God's superiority. God is a just god. He will not tolerate sin forever, but He is merciful and gives numerous opportunities to repent.

The Calling of Moses

Conrad Hilario

Exodus 2:11-4:20

For the first forty years of Moses' life, he thought he was a somebody. God used the next forty years to teach Moses he was a nobody. When God was ready to use Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, He did not make Moses adequate for the job, but told him He would be with him. God's ways are different from our ways. If God can use Moses' rod, He can certainly use us.

The Plagues

Dennis McCallum

Exodus 7-10

The series of plagues that God inflicted upon Pharaoh and his people were designed to demonstrate how impotent the Egyptian gods were and how powerful the true God is. Each of the plagues was designed to expose the worthlessness of a particular Egyptian god, culminating in Pharaoh, a self-proclaimed god, unable to save his first-born son from death. This demonstration of God's power was part of a bigger plan of rescue.

The Mystery of Christ

Conrad Hilario

Ephesians 3:1-11

God created man with freewill which led to a dilemma for God. He is both loving and just. He loves us but His justice demands he punish us for our sins. His enemies make accusations against his character. So, God kept secret His plan to resolve His dilemma for a time. At the right time, he revealed that Jesus would be the perfect substitute to pay for man's sins. Thus, He demonstrated His great love but also satisfied his justice.

How Does God Help When it Hurts?

James Rochford

1 Peter 4:12-19

The Bible warns us that suffering in this world is inevitable. The question is will you suffer as the world suffers, with surprise and complaining or will you suffer with joy and gratitude that you have received mercy instead of justice? Why is gratitude the right response to suffering? Gratitude gives us a "mental break" and places suffering in the correct context. Gratitude also reminds us we are not imprisoned victims of our circumstances. The real question is do you believe God is trustworthy or not?

Faith Is Not Wishful Thinking

James Rochford

1 Peter 3:15

Atheistic scientists in the world cannot explain the origin of the universe, nor the fine-tuning we see in the universe or the reality of objective morality or free will. Only the Bible gives a satisfying and reasonable explanation for the complexity we see all around us.