6/20/10
Time Spent:
Main Idea: God had struck Nahab and Abihu dead for their violation of sanctuary principles
What I Learned about God: We cannot come to God our own way. He is holy.
Summary: After Aaron had been reinstated as priests, the book of Leviticus pans towards a practical application of the priesthood in action. However, it does not portray a positive outworking of the levitical priesthood as both of Aaron's sons are burned for offering an unauthorized fire to the Lord. We cannot postulate what that "unauthorized fire" was, but we can see that it was not pleasing to the Lord. It was because they had decided to come to God by their own terms, which seems pretty silly with all that God had written to them about worship this far. God wants people to worship Him in His own way. It is not open to interpretation.
Application: My worship for God may not always be proper YHWH worship. It's hard to place how we are to come to God in post-revelation times. Everyone seems to want to come in their own way, placing their talents and training as means to worship God. I think the best and safest way to worship God is through what He has said written in the Word. So can we have breakdance ministry? Yes, I think there's a time and place for that, but I don't know if I would go and call that "worship". God wants worship that honors and glorifies Him and thus is the model for our worship
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Leviticus 1-5 Blood and a Pleasing Aroma
6/19/10
Time Spent: 15 min
Main Idea: The 5 major offerings listed in Leviticus 1-5 require blood and a "pleasing aroma".
What I Learned about God: Offerings made for fellowship or for guilt need to take into account the holiness of God
Summary: God has placed us to be holy people. This goes further by the fact that He wants His people to be holy. There are various ways in which people are said to do that. Even sins that are committed unintentionally need to be paid for with the purchase of blood and an aroma offering to the Lord. This requires that something must pay the price. The reason why "blood" wasn't drunk because it was a testament of life to the people. Thus, when blood is being poured out it is stating the life source of the being had been paid. The next thing that priest do was burn the offering as a fragrant aroma to God. Later, Paul will use this phrase to describe both Christ's self sacrifice and Christian giving
Application: An offering entails blood and an aroma to the Lord. When Paul calls us to be "living sacrifices" this means that those two are required in order to give service to the Lord. Any part of service that does not require these two things must not have been the sacrifice that Paul was thinking of. Indeed, Jesus' life is both the payment of my guilt blood and is my pleasing aroma, but I need to remember that my service to the Lord requires my full strength and service. I do not think I gave my full strength to the ministry these past weeks I had a break. Therefore, I want to try even harder by studying and especially praying for the minsitry longer than I usually do
Money Owed $18
Time Spent: 15 min
Main Idea: The 5 major offerings listed in Leviticus 1-5 require blood and a "pleasing aroma".
What I Learned about God: Offerings made for fellowship or for guilt need to take into account the holiness of God
Summary: God has placed us to be holy people. This goes further by the fact that He wants His people to be holy. There are various ways in which people are said to do that. Even sins that are committed unintentionally need to be paid for with the purchase of blood and an aroma offering to the Lord. This requires that something must pay the price. The reason why "blood" wasn't drunk because it was a testament of life to the people. Thus, when blood is being poured out it is stating the life source of the being had been paid. The next thing that priest do was burn the offering as a fragrant aroma to God. Later, Paul will use this phrase to describe both Christ's self sacrifice and Christian giving
Application: An offering entails blood and an aroma to the Lord. When Paul calls us to be "living sacrifices" this means that those two are required in order to give service to the Lord. Any part of service that does not require these two things must not have been the sacrifice that Paul was thinking of. Indeed, Jesus' life is both the payment of my guilt blood and is my pleasing aroma, but I need to remember that my service to the Lord requires my full strength and service. I do not think I gave my full strength to the ministry these past weeks I had a break. Therefore, I want to try even harder by studying and especially praying for the minsitry longer than I usually do
Money Owed $18
Friday, June 18, 2010
Exodus 40:34-38 the Glory of the Lord
6/18/10
Time Spent: 15 min
Main Idea: The glory of the Lord descended upon the tent of meeting and lead the Israelites throughout the wilderness through cloud or fire
What I Learned about God: God-centered living is God-centered leading
Summary: After the lengthy discourse on the setup of the tabernacle, God has now brought Himself into the tent of meeting; dwelling with His people. The big hoop-la that surrounds this book is mainly focused upon God’s exploits to the Egyptians (and make a far more interesting read), however, the real good news comes as God desires to dwell with His people. This is even taking into account the apostasy that Aaron brings upon the people through golden calf worship. The glory of the Lord “dwells” with the people and leads the people and has this two-fold function. The glory of the Lord becomes both an object of worship and of leadership.
Application: The glory of the Lord is a nice Christianese word that we like to throw around. However, we don’t feel the full brunt of its meaning when we neglect the power it has in leading our lives. God had placed Himself as an object of worship in the tabernacle and also the power to lead the people in the desert. I do not think these ideas are mutually exclusive, but rather goes together like peanut butter and jelly. You can’t have God-centered worship if you are not obeying His glory; or you can’t be lead by God unless you are worshiping Him. I try to fix sins in my life by trying to pinpoint the area in which I fall and doing the best I can to isolate and destroy the problem. However, I do not care to think how that it may be a greater problem and that is that I’m not worshiping the Lord. Thus, I need to realize that as I work on my own bouts with sins that I continue to place God-centered worship at the forefront.
Time Spent: 15 min
Main Idea: The glory of the Lord descended upon the tent of meeting and lead the Israelites throughout the wilderness through cloud or fire
What I Learned about God: God-centered living is God-centered leading
Summary: After the lengthy discourse on the setup of the tabernacle, God has now brought Himself into the tent of meeting; dwelling with His people. The big hoop-la that surrounds this book is mainly focused upon God’s exploits to the Egyptians (and make a far more interesting read), however, the real good news comes as God desires to dwell with His people. This is even taking into account the apostasy that Aaron brings upon the people through golden calf worship. The glory of the Lord “dwells” with the people and leads the people and has this two-fold function. The glory of the Lord becomes both an object of worship and of leadership.
Application: The glory of the Lord is a nice Christianese word that we like to throw around. However, we don’t feel the full brunt of its meaning when we neglect the power it has in leading our lives. God had placed Himself as an object of worship in the tabernacle and also the power to lead the people in the desert. I do not think these ideas are mutually exclusive, but rather goes together like peanut butter and jelly. You can’t have God-centered worship if you are not obeying His glory; or you can’t be lead by God unless you are worshiping Him. I try to fix sins in my life by trying to pinpoint the area in which I fall and doing the best I can to isolate and destroy the problem. However, I do not care to think how that it may be a greater problem and that is that I’m not worshiping the Lord. Thus, I need to realize that as I work on my own bouts with sins that I continue to place God-centered worship at the forefront.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Exodus 29:44-45 God-made worship
6/15/10
Time Spent:
10 min
Main Idea: God is the one whom will consecrate the assembly and the priests so that He may be their God.
What I Learned about God: God is the initiator of His covenant people
Summary: God had given Moses an extensive manual on how He wanted His sanctuary to look like, even going as so far as picking out Aaron to stand on behalf of the people and God. This was to show that God had a very distinct process and idea on how His house should look like. There is nothing man-made about this tabernacle, but rather it was God-designed and God-initated from the start. The great "story" of Exodus is not that God miraculously saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. Rather, it is the good news that God had decided to dwell with the people. This idea is heightened by the fact that it is God that will do these things. God will consecrate the tent of meeting, the priesthood, the altar, and will dwell amongst the people. He will be their God and they will be His people.
Application: I am freely justified by His grace alone. God has granted me salvation as HIs covenant heir because of His initiated relationship towards me. It is not in my grades or my seminary degree that grants me access into His presence, but God has bought me and declared onto me "I will be his God, and you will be my disciple". Out of all the various things that I do for God must stem from this very concept. That I am a child of God, citizen of the kingdom of God. Thus, this should shape the way in which I serve the church. God has initiated relationship with me and that's how He'll use the ministry and myself...not as an extension of me, but rather as the source of power.
Time Spent:
10 min
Main Idea: God is the one whom will consecrate the assembly and the priests so that He may be their God.
What I Learned about God: God is the initiator of His covenant people
Summary: God had given Moses an extensive manual on how He wanted His sanctuary to look like, even going as so far as picking out Aaron to stand on behalf of the people and God. This was to show that God had a very distinct process and idea on how His house should look like. There is nothing man-made about this tabernacle, but rather it was God-designed and God-initated from the start. The great "story" of Exodus is not that God miraculously saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. Rather, it is the good news that God had decided to dwell with the people. This idea is heightened by the fact that it is God that will do these things. God will consecrate the tent of meeting, the priesthood, the altar, and will dwell amongst the people. He will be their God and they will be His people.
Application: I am freely justified by His grace alone. God has granted me salvation as HIs covenant heir because of His initiated relationship towards me. It is not in my grades or my seminary degree that grants me access into His presence, but God has bought me and declared onto me "I will be his God, and you will be my disciple". Out of all the various things that I do for God must stem from this very concept. That I am a child of God, citizen of the kingdom of God. Thus, this should shape the way in which I serve the church. God has initiated relationship with me and that's how He'll use the ministry and myself...not as an extension of me, but rather as the source of power.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Exodus 23:12 Holistic Rest
6/14/10
Time Spent: 10
Main Idea: God has made sabbath for rest
What I Learned about God: He is gracious.
Summary: In this seemingly small blurb on the Sabbath, God has made the Sabbath so that people and animals could be refreshed. It was a day off for people to feel recharged from 6 days of working. This may show God's design for how people to work...It is funny how many people suffer burnout in our society today, yet there is no biblical fix of burnout. This may not have been a problem for the people because of their devotion to Sabbath-keeping rules.
Application: My Sabbath day was a day of rest, but I wonder how "restful" it was. I did nothing and even logged 5 hours on a DS game. This was not the type of rest God had in mind. God wants me to take my mind off of work, but not vacation away from loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is sad to see that on my free days that I drift away from Him. I need to learn how to find my rest in Him instead of finding it other things or people.
amount owed: $16
Time Spent: 10
Main Idea: God has made sabbath for rest
What I Learned about God: He is gracious.
Summary: In this seemingly small blurb on the Sabbath, God has made the Sabbath so that people and animals could be refreshed. It was a day off for people to feel recharged from 6 days of working. This may show God's design for how people to work...It is funny how many people suffer burnout in our society today, yet there is no biblical fix of burnout. This may not have been a problem for the people because of their devotion to Sabbath-keeping rules.
Application: My Sabbath day was a day of rest, but I wonder how "restful" it was. I did nothing and even logged 5 hours on a DS game. This was not the type of rest God had in mind. God wants me to take my mind off of work, but not vacation away from loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is sad to see that on my free days that I drift away from Him. I need to learn how to find my rest in Him instead of finding it other things or people.
amount owed: $16
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Exodus 21 God's Social Order
6/12/10
Time Spent: 10 min
Main Idea: God teaching Moses on how to conduct societal living in a godly manner
What I Learned about God: The Christian life is not a privatized life but an all-encompassing life given to God.
Summary: After the 10 Commandments, God goes on to share what He expects from the people. Unlike popular society, it's not to not bother anybody and live your own spiritual life well, but rather God exhorts the people to have a communal society based upon His teaching. In this theocratic nations, things such as theft, slavery, land, and payments are all circumferenced under God's teachings. God is not just part of the private part of their lives, but their lives were to be wholly devoted to God.
Application: My Christian walk in my perspective is gauged based upon doing my QT and prayer. However, it should be a lot more than that. one of the things I realize is I need to stand out as a salt and light to my family even more. This means becoming more involved in work around the house and also being attentive to the needs of my family.
Time Spent: 10 min
Main Idea: God teaching Moses on how to conduct societal living in a godly manner
What I Learned about God: The Christian life is not a privatized life but an all-encompassing life given to God.
Summary: After the 10 Commandments, God goes on to share what He expects from the people. Unlike popular society, it's not to not bother anybody and live your own spiritual life well, but rather God exhorts the people to have a communal society based upon His teaching. In this theocratic nations, things such as theft, slavery, land, and payments are all circumferenced under God's teachings. God is not just part of the private part of their lives, but their lives were to be wholly devoted to God.
Application: My Christian walk in my perspective is gauged based upon doing my QT and prayer. However, it should be a lot more than that. one of the things I realize is I need to stand out as a salt and light to my family even more. This means becoming more involved in work around the house and also being attentive to the needs of my family.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Exodus 16:19 Continual Dependance on the Lord
6/10/10
Time Spent: 10 min
Main Idea: God did not want the Israelites to save up the manna from heaven because He wanted them to trust Him
What I Learned about God: God wants to take care of His people
Summary: The first groans came from the people's need for foods. They complained to Moses and Aaron about how they longed for their lives back at Egypt. God hears their grumbling and brings them manna from heaven. The manna that fell to the ground was not able to be stored because it would rot right away. This was to ensure that the Israelites would continue to depend upon God for their substinence instead of any other thing. Truly, God is the one who provides.
Application: I wonder how much weight I give into my own abilities and my skills that I picked up from Talbot. I realize that I have been spending less time on my sermons that I normally did. This should not take place, but I am learning that I am depending on my skills more than I am depending upon God. This should not be happening and I need to set some things straight. I realize that I need to make it a habit of starting earlier on my sermons and also refining them to allow it to communicate to students instead of confusing them with stuff ripped straight from a commentary.
Time Spent: 10 min
Main Idea: God did not want the Israelites to save up the manna from heaven because He wanted them to trust Him
What I Learned about God: God wants to take care of His people
Summary: The first groans came from the people's need for foods. They complained to Moses and Aaron about how they longed for their lives back at Egypt. God hears their grumbling and brings them manna from heaven. The manna that fell to the ground was not able to be stored because it would rot right away. This was to ensure that the Israelites would continue to depend upon God for their substinence instead of any other thing. Truly, God is the one who provides.
Application: I wonder how much weight I give into my own abilities and my skills that I picked up from Talbot. I realize that I have been spending less time on my sermons that I normally did. This should not take place, but I am learning that I am depending on my skills more than I am depending upon God. This should not be happening and I need to set some things straight. I realize that I need to make it a habit of starting earlier on my sermons and also refining them to allow it to communicate to students instead of confusing them with stuff ripped straight from a commentary.
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