Does God keep His promises?

Main Point: God delivers His people so that they might live in His presence and live out His purposes in the place He is sending them

Exodus 6:6–8 ESV

6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”

Discussion

What were your biggest take aways from the readings this week?

What are two questions you have coming into this week’s group session?

Prayer Assignment

Let’s read three

Sovereignty of God and Sabbath

What was your experience?

Was this assignment difficult? Why or why not?

What did you learn about God and about yourself?

How can you incorporate this spiritual discipline in everyday life?

Does anyone want to reshare their “Life Story”?

For generations, the story of the exodus was passed down as a remembrance.

What is the story of the exodus?

What is your biggest “Aha!” story of the exodus?

God has established a covenant with His people to restore them as His people to a particular place and purpose.

Why does God rescue the Israelites from Egypt? What attributes of God are demonstrated in this act? Who benefits?

God’s redemption and rescue of Israel is a fulfilling of promises—very specific promises that God made to Abraham.

God tells Abraham that this is going to happen.

“It’s going to look like I’ve forgotten forgotten these promises—but I haven’t.”

This is what make makes the exodus very exciting because we’re not just seeing God remember, but seeing God fulfill.

Exodus 2:23–25 ESV

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

God is going to keep and hold His promises, even when it seems like the odds are stacked against His people.

When it feels like theres no way, God fulfills His promises.

How are the covenants with Abraham and Moses related?

It’s a continuation/expansion of the Abrahamic covenant.

Abraham received an unditional promise of God that He would establish His people.

Moses receive a conditional agreement with how that people was to live in order to be with God harmonious relationship.

In the house, there has to be rules.

Silas knows what I expect so that he can live in my joy and not my judgement.

When the rules are followed, everything flows harmoniously.

When the rules are broken, the relationship is still there—but not so enjoyable.

Exodus 19:5–6 ESV

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

God relates the whole story of the exodus back to the promises given in Genesis 3 and 12-22.

God goes all the way back to Eden—”You’re going to be my people who re-Edenize the world because I’m bringing my Kingdom through covenant.”

10 plagues

God could have sent judgement on Egypt in many ways. How are the plagues a fitting instrument for displaying His sovereignty and compassion?

God shows His superiority over the false gods of Egypt.

The plagues line up with the gods of Egypt, and the Lord knocks all of them out to demonstrate His sovereign superiority over them.

Remember the arrogance of Pharaoh?

Exodus 5:1–2 ESV

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

God reveals Himself to Egypt through judgment

Exodus 7:1–5 ESV

1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

“The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord”

This is the purpose of God’s judgement—that He will be made known to the world through His people.

Transition

Do you see a connection between the 10 plagues and the 10 commandments?

First commandment—You will have no other gods before more.

The 10 plagues are a direct hit on any other god that claimed to be over the Lord God.

One of the central promises of the whole story is that God’s presence will dwell with His people, so we should always be looking for signposts in Scripture where it feels like His presence is in the midst of the people.

The Law

Do Christians have to keep the Ten Commandments? Explain your answer (with Scripture if you can!)

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

How has Jesus fulfilled the covenant with Moses?

Jesus lives perfectly according to the Law.

Jesus atones for humanity’s disobedience through His shed blood

He establishes a new covenant.

The New covenant allows for reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus, rather than strict adherence to the law.

Does the law come before grace? Do we obey before we receive grace?

Galatians 3:1-14

“The law is actually a means of grace in the life of the believer, because it shows us what is pleasing to the Lord” - Jen Wilkin

What does the Law show us about God’s character and kingdom?

The Law shows us the heart of God and how He intends for His kingdom to be operated in holiness.

“This is the way of the good life.”

Not begrudging obedience, but joyful holiness near the heart of God.

Pre-work for 12.3.25

Turn and Tell: With whom can you share something you learned in this session? What do you plan to share with them?

Continue Prayer assignment

Be prepared to read it.

Read Judges 1-5; 1 Samuel 1-2; 8; 12-17; 31, 2 Samuel 5-12.

Read “Covenant with David: The Kingdom Expected” in Remember and Rehearse

Christian Formation Assignment: “Prayer”

One of the richest ways tfor us to live out both our doctrine and affections in the Lord, rightly view ourselves, and effectively love our brohters and sisters is through prayer. Pray is a multi-faceted practice; there is room for both intimacy and reverence, both individual and community focus, bot communion with the Lord and requests for the Kingdom.

The reigning King of all creation bends His ear toward us, His children.

Assignment

In order to strengthen your understanding of prayer, you will carefully craft your own written prayer. The goal with this assignment is that you will pause, examine your prayer life, and exercise different muscles than you’re used to. Additionally, I want you to begin thinking about your prayer like the psalms—written from an individual perspective but in a way that can benefit the community and be used together in a gathering of the saints, whether that’s with a few friends or in a Sunday service.

Expectations:

Spend time reading through prayers that model and give careful though to writing your prayer.

Pick a genre of prayer (praise, confession, thanksgiving, confidence, lament, remembrance, etc.)

Pick a topic (creation, providence, salvation, peace, work, parenthood, anxiety, marriage, the Lord’s supper, baptism, mission, etc)

Limit the length of your prayer to a paragraph at most; it can even be just a few sentences. Work on the economy of words—few, but rich.

RESOURCE: VALLEY OF VISION