Tag: Discipleship

Numbers 1-8: Preparation

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1) Preparations must be made for the people to move from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land.  First, they must get an idea of how many men are available for battle.  How does this census point to the fulfilling of the Abrahamic Covenant?  How would this encourage the people?

How does God prepare and encourage us for our own battles?

(2) The second preparation is to organize the camp.  What is the camp organized around?  What does this suggest for Israel?  For us?  What would this look like in our church?  In our families?

(3-4) The third preparation is to assign duties to the Levites.  How is the way God does this similar and different in the church?

(5) The fourth preparation requires the removal of impurities from the camp so God will go with them.  How does each of the three instructions in this chapter relate to this theme?

How does this theme point to the necessity of church discipline and unity today?

(7) The fifth preparation was to provide the necessary items for the service and transportation of the tabernacle.  How does our giving today prepare for church ministry?

(3, 8) The sixth preparation was to cleanse the Levites, separating them for service to God.  What words or phrases do you find in 8:14-18 and 3:11-13 that point to the Levites’ separation unto God?

We too have been cleansed and belong to God (I Peter 2:9-10, etc.).  What does that mean for our lives?

Reflections on Leviticus 26-27

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

God will bless obedience and punish disobedience.

  • God’s Presence – God promises to bless the people if they will obey the covenant.  One of his greatest blessings is that he will dwell with them (26:11).  One of God’s greatest blessings to us is that he dwells with us by his Spirit.
  • Punishment – God will punish the people if they forsake the covenant.  God takes disobedience seriously.  Unfaithfulness to God is a serious affair.  In a world that scoffs at sin, let us be careful to obey God faithfully.

Semon Songs: Ephesians 4:15-16

On By BrianIn Ephesians Hymns

MusicNotes

Now tell the truth with loving speech
To build up the Body
Speak the gospel in love to reach
The world for His glory

One another now serve in love
Enabled by Jesus
That we might be like Christ above
The Head of all of us

In truth and love now let us grow
And into Christ our Lord
Draw near to Him – His love to know
His grace to us out-poured

 (To the tune of “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”)

Reflections on Levitiicus 23-25

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage today continues to give laws that teach us some very important lessons

  • The Lord’s Name – One of the people blasphemed the name of God.  The penalty was death, and he was stoned.  Here is a reminder of how serious God is about how we treat his name.  While the punishment is part of the Mosaic Covenant, the command comes from the Third Commandment – a universal law.  How do you treat God’s name?  Do you use it as a curse?  Do you treat it poorly?
  • The Poor – Chapter 25 reveals God’s concern for the poor.  How does your heart match the heart of God?  How are you helping those in need?

Leviticus 23-27: Worship

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(23) The people were to gather together regularly throughout the year.  What was the purpose of each of the holy gatherings (or feasts) that God appointed?  How might each one point to Jesus?

  • Sabbath (Matthew 11:28-30) –
  • Passover / Unleavened Bread (I Corinthians 5:7) –
  • First Fruits (I Corinthians 15:20-23) –
  • Weeks / Pentecost (Acts 2) –
  • Trumpets (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) –
  • Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:12, 24-26) –
  • Booths/Tabernacles –

How might the Lord’s Supper fulfill many of the same purposes of worship for us today?

(24) Worship includes not only public celebrations, but how we live our daily lives. What do you learn about our speech (v10-16)?  What would it look like to apply this principle to all of our lives?

(25) What was the purpose of the Sabbath year and the year of Jubilee (v4, 10)?  How does the year of Jubilee point to Jesus (Luke 4:16-21)?

What was the reasoning behind these special years (v2, 23, 42, 55)?  What do these reasons suggest about how we should live (see also Psalm 24:1)?  Be specific.

(27) This chapter deals with voluntary and required gifts.  Why is giving an important part of worship?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

4 Ways to Cling to the Lord – Sam Storms (Crossway)
The temptation to forget God is always present. But there is a way to maintain one’s devotion to the Lord. Joshua’s counsel in Joshua 23:6-11 is especially helpful and can be summarized using four As.

How to Resist Temptation’s Mirage Moment– Jon Bloom (DG)
Temptation is a disorienting, defiling experience when evil is presented to us as good. Destruction comes dressed up to look like happiness.

5 Things You Can Give to God Every Day – Tim Challies
The heart of productivity is glorifying God by serving others. It is carefully and deliberately considering the things God calls us to do, and deploying all that we’ve got for his glory and the good of people made in his image. It is giving back to him what he has entrusted to each one of us.

Don’t Be Embarrassed by Your Ordinary Church – Erik Raymond (For the Church)
Is your church ordinary? Small? Well, my Christian friend, if it is preaching the gospel and endeavoring to help others to know and follow Jesus then it is not insignificant. It is powerfully important and surpassingly glorious.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your ordinary church and your extraordinary God!