Only way out is obedience

Sometimes people study the Exodus and when they apply the principles to modern lives, the idea of freedom is misunderstood. It is indeed for freedom that Christ sets Christians free, just as God rescued the Hebrews from slavery. Yet that freedom is only operative when understood as an opportunity to enjoy and obey the Lord.

Please don’t misunderstand. The Jews did not earn their deliverance by obeying, any more than Christians can earn justification. All is by grace. And that grace is to be exercised in obedience to God’s word. Otherwise, the inevitable result will be recapitulation to some form of slavery.

Here lies the true way out – doing what God has commanded by His grace and for His glory. Anything less is a step back into shackles.

God bless,

Wayne

Protection

As we study Exodus, the brutality and evil of the fallen world hits like a ton of bricks made without straw. Along with millennia of others, we cry out, “In the face of such wickedness, what can possibly be done?”

Nothing. In one sense, there is no temporal solution. To eliminate all evil is beyond human scope – something even utopians, Stoics, and Leroy Jethro Gibbs have been forced to admit. Unlike pagans, we have the wonderful scriptural hope that God is working all for His good purposes. Beyond what we can fully see, there is a plan unfolding that will lead to a complete freedom from evil.

Everything. In another way, there is much that should, can, and must be done to battle wickedness. As we learn along with Moses, God empowers His people to stand up. We are to lead toward freedom, risking ourselves in confidence of both His provision and the rightness of the struggle.

God bless,

Wayne

Way out
This week we began a new podcast/radio study of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. I’m not sure who in our wonderful organization chose the order, but it rather tickles me that we just completed a series titled “God’s Way” (on the last chapters of 1 Corinthians) and are following that with “Way Out.” Truly, God’s way is both the only way out! Further, God’s way is always (cue surfer voice) “way out, dude!”

If you wish to study further on your own, my short bibliography and personal preparation notes can be access here.

God bless,

Wayne

Preparing the way
As we close out our study of 1 Corinthians, one paragraph is worth another glance.

^{1 Cor 16:10} If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear while with you, because he is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. ¹¹ So let no one look down on him. Send him on his way in peace so that he can come to me, because I am expecting him with the brothers. ^CSB

Paul smooths the path for his young helper Timothy. He employs his massive influence to remind the often-persnickety Corinthian Christians to treat Timothy with regard. This is one of the important things we can do for each other – use our connections to blaze a trail for the young, those lacking connections, and the unknown.

Without co-dependency
This does not mean we become enablers, working like what are popularly called “snowplow parents” that remove all obstacles and do all the work for their charges. Timothy is responsible to manage his own interactions. Paul may prepare the way, but Timothy must walk it himself. That’s why a few years later, Paul reminded Timothy:

^{1 Tim 4:12} Let no one look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity. ^NET

God bless,

Wayne

God’s Way

The final section of 1 Corinthians reads like the discussions I have with friends about the opportunities, problems, and pressures of today. In chapters 11-15, Paul lays out God’s way of handling these situations. As we study these chapters on the podcast and radio, you may find my study notes useful. You can access them via this link.

God bless,

Wayne

The Gate

The Gate
As we close out our podcast and radio study of the Sermon on the Mount, this post from our social media team is worth remembering. May we keep sharing the good news that there is a gateway to heaven – in Jesus alone.

Here, Jesus exposes the traumatic truth that very few people find the way that leads to life. “The gate” appears to be describing justification – being made right before God. It’s about entering the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God. #thenarrowgate #sermononthemount

God bless,

Wayne