Honor Jesus with Gospel Centered Courage. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel, be willing to suffer for the gospel, and guard the gospel. That is gospel centered courage. As we examine these command and examples, we get a glimpse of the heart of the Apostle Paul. We are also reminded that those who are courageous for the gospel will likely suffer for it. Many around the world endure great suffering and even death for the gospel. Are we willing to do likewise? Do we have that kind of gospel centered courage.
In our pluralistic, relativistic culture, we need churches to declare God’s truth. More people today our concerned with a church’s children’s activities than a church’s doctrine. That’s upside down. Your first concern should be doctrine. Further, I continue to hear about churches who say “we like our pastor but he’s not much of a theologian.” While sound doctrine isn’t the only thing that matters, it’s one thing that a church must have. A pastor must “be able to teach” (1Tim 3) sound doctrine (Titus 1:9). It’s one of the qualifications! Sadly, many have traded the faithful shepherd who can feed the flock for a CEO who can build an institution. Titus and Timothy both call us back to this fundamental need: Healthy Doctrine.
In the Lord of the Rings, Sam asks, “I wonder what kind of story we are in, Mr Frodo?” Everyone wants to know the answer to this. The book of Exodus shows us. We are in THE story, the grand-redemptive story, the true story of the whole world. We look back at Exodus and see the good news, and Exodus points ahead to Christ, and to the end (which is only the beginning). We began our study and said that we were going to see the gospel, and how the story of Exodus, in a sense, is our story. Once we were in bondage to sin, enslaved, under the sentence of death. But by taking shelter under the blood of the Lamb, God has delivered us. Now, God is with us, leading us to the Promised Land. We will face challenges, obstacles and temptations, but we know that God is faithful to his redeemed people. While we journey, we live by grace and forgiveness found not in a tabernacle – but in Christ. One day, we will see Jesus Christ – and there we will behold the glory of God forever. Everyone who trusts in Christ has this hope. Now, let’s move forward in this faith journey.
Israel’s worship of the golden calf idol is what we are looking at today. Perhaps you think, “I don’t struggle with worshiping a cow; I like to eat them too much, but i don’t struggle worshiping them.” Maybe not a cow. But remember this story has everything to do with you because it’s not ultimately about a calf; it’s about the human heart. Stephen says, “in their hearts they turned to Egypt.” Apart from the grace of God, we would be worshiping something or someone other than God. It may be your body, a sport, money, or whatever. But we are all worshipers. John Calvin is often quoted as saying, “The human heart is a perpetual factory of idols…. Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, an expert in inventing idols.” An idol is anything you seek to give you what only Christ can give you is an idol. (joy, security, peace, meaning, significance, identity, salvation). The idol is the sin beneath the sin. This whole chapter points us to one great reality: we need a perfect substitute. We have one who would come from this very people. He would ascend to the cross, and bear the punishment that we idolaters deserve. He took the punishment in place of us, in order for our sins to be covered. Jesus would say, “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” Because of Christ, our names can be written in the book of life!
Samson is not our hero, he himself needs deliverance, but he is pointing forward to the Hero we need. Why is he not? Because the only one that can ascend the hill of the Lord is the man with clean hands and a pure heart… the wages of sin is death and Samson falls short. There will be another whose birth was miraculously foretold by an Angel, who is Spirit-anointed to take on the enemies of God and His people, who is betrayed by his own people and given over to pagan oppressors, who is betrayed by a kiss for silver, who is arrested, not blinded, but blindfolded and mocked and humiliated by a foreign army, who seems to be forsaken by God, who’s victory would crush the heads of his enemies, & would gain greater victory in His death than life. However, this man is no rebel, and this man does not give in to his appetites; this one’s death, unlike Samson’s who’s death killed God’s enemies, will actually rescue and save God’s enemies. This is Jesus of Nazareth!
