Monthly Archives: November 2014

Exodus 9:13-25 Early in the Morning 11-30-14

©2003-2014
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Lesson 17
Early in the Morning
Ex 9:13-35
(Orig. 3/23/3 ed. 11.30.14)

Introduction…When things don’t always go according to plan or the way you would have liked for them to have gone or as easily as you would have liked or hoped for them to have gone, how do you react? Do you see these problems or resistances as meaning that you don’t have God’s blessing, or that you are being punished for not having done something right or correct, or even for some past sin or miscue? Do you not expect to see resistance or do you expect resistance? Can God allow resistances to bring him greater glory? If so, why would God do something like this? Also, why can’t life just be tough and we be overly optimistic at times? Why can’t we live or be in denial about just how hard or difficult things can be sometimes…because we want what we want, and therefore, we ignore life’s challenging realities? What about just not being perfect or God enough, and therefore not being able to see the future perfectly? Is all our suffering because we have done something wrong or not completely perfectly? Could God have other purposes…even greater purposes… by allowing things to be difficult? So what’s the key when things are difficult, challenging and painful? Quit and give up, or prayerfully persevere?

Thanks,

Your servant,

Joe Continue reading →

Exodus 9:1-12 Hard and Growing Harder 11-23-14

©2003-2014
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Lesson 16
Hard and Growing Harder…
Ex 9:1-12
(Orig. 3/16/3; Ed. 11/23/14)

Introduction…How hard or soft is your heart? If hard, why is it hard? Has something happened to you to make your heart hard? Do you know of someone you would consider as having a hard heart? Why might there heart be hard? What does it take to soften or break a human heart?

Why do you think that Pharaoh’s heart was so hard? Why would God need to additionally hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not release the children of Israel to go and celebrate a feast to Yahweh God? Continue reading →

Exodus 8:16-32 Lord of the Flies 11-16-14

©2003-2014
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Lesson 15
Lord of the Flies…
Ex 8:16-32
(Orig. 3/9/3; 11.16.14)

Introduction…

Note: the lesson’s title is a word play borrowed from Golding’s dystopian novel Lord of the Flies. While it is not intended to as a reference to the Jewish term for Satan…Baalzebub…Lord of the Flies, paradoxically the religious leadership derogatorily refers to Jesus as the Lord of the Flies. See Mark 3:23 and Matt. 12:25ff.

Ever heard a child scream, cry and plead for a second chance? I promise I will never do it again! I promise! I promise! Please don’t make me sit in time out! Please don’t punish me! I will never ever ever again! You ever screamed or cried this out to God yourself? I promise, God, if you will answer this one request, I will never ask for anything again! And so the parent or God issues a reprieve…a stay of execution, and then what? No pain, no real repentance? Where is the fine line between manipulation and true repentance?

In this story, Pharaoh, the great ruler of Egypt, seems to be doing a great bit of seemingly disingenious whining and crying out to God or Moses to relent from his affliction onto the Egyptians of these back-to-back plagues.

Continue reading →

Exodus 8:1-5 Frogs in the Kitchen. 11-9-14

Introduction…Ever experienced someone that said they were sorry, and then then did or said it again? Ever do it yourself? Ever said you would never do something like that again, and then turned around, perhaps, even in less than a day, and then changed your mind and did it again?

People seem to say or do things all the time, everyday, that they either regret or wish they could take back. It’s human nature. The mouth, and yes, the heart or feeling and emotion, can leap far ahead of the mind or better thinking. I mean, have you ever experienced that—being caught up in the moment, absolutely convinced or persuaded of your position, perhaps in an argument, perhaps persuaded about some fad or wave…I am on board. This is the real deal! This is the greatest thing since sliced bread! And then it turns out NOT to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. And not just once, but repeatedly. I have known many people to do this again and again and again, and in fact, I would have to say, I am perhaps just as guilty. In fact, someone just told me last week that they never wanted to talk to me EVER AGAIN. Two days later, they were texting me, asking me if I would do a favor for them.

What is it about our souls or minds that produce this strange phenomena? Do you think this also happens in a negative way perhaps? Someone says their sorry, but after further reflection, they feel emboldened and rethink their previous apology and now want to take it back? Why? What allows us to do this? What would NOT allows us to do this, so that as both Jesus said and James wrote, let your yes be yes, and your no be no! (Matt. 5:37; James 5:12). Continue reading →

Exodus 7:14-24 The Beginnings of Hard 11-2-14

©2003-2014
Fellowship @ Cross Creek
Life of Moses
Lesson 13: the Beginnings of Hard
Ex 7:14-24
Orig. 2/23/3; Ed. 11/2/14)

Introduction…How hard is hard? I mean how hard is hard? Really? Just go around the room and touch and feel a few things. What is hard, and not so hard? Why? What makes something more hard or less hard? Doesn’t it have something to do with molecular structure—a seemingly big word for order. How tight can you pack the molecules? The tighter the packing, the harder the substance. The looser the packing, the softer the substance, all the way to air. Try out water. Compare to a piece of wood, stone or metal. Now consider air. Pretty soft…

What about people? What about you? Would people say you are a hard person? Why? Been burnt by life or were you just raised or born that way? What about people that are too wiggly…and you can’t really depend upon them for anything?

So what kind of hard and soft are you talking about, Joe? Is there really a spiritual soft and hard? Oh, I think so, but not to man’s will and jive, but to God’s will and truth. So what does it mean to be soft or hard to God? What does this look like? I mean, really, deep down. Is it scary to be soft to God and his will? Is it scary NOT to be soft to God’s presence, truth and will?

Bottom line…just because someone is Pharaoh-like hard, really means nothing. Our job is to be obedient. God will do the breaking in his time. In the end, as I often say, you can bend, break or distort the truth. Oh you may think you can for a moment…or Satan’s great lie…but in the end, the truth always, always, always breaks you. So you can submit to it early and live, or submit late and be crushed. The choice is yours…pay God now or pay him later, but make no mistake about it, everyone pays. Why? Because you can’t change the truth. The truth is the truth, is the truth. Submit and live or submit and die, but the truth never ever changes.