Numbers 1-10, Obedience

In these chapters of Numbers, we see a rare period of Israel’s history when they obeyed the LORD. This period lasted a couple of months until they left Sinai and began to grumble and doubt God. In the meantime, we once again see Israel’s shortcomings and the resulting hunger for the true dedicated man of God who will fulfill all the will of God and bring about the salvation of His people.

Leviticus 17-27, Holiness (Part 3)

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law of God. Whether it is the laws of purification (L11-15), the laws on worship (L17), the laws of sexual purity (L18), the laws of civility (L19), or the laws of appointed times (L23), Jesus is the exemplary keeper of God’s laws. He lived by God’s timeline. He loved neighbor as Himself. He maintained purity of body, heart, and mind. He worshipped and served the LORD God and Him only. By these shadows of the attributes of Christ the Old Testament pointed us to our awesome Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 1-7, Holiness (Part 1)

God’s presence among His people required holiness on the part of God’s people. This meant first and foremost proper sacrifices to make atonement sin and propitiate the wrath of God. All of this looked ahead to Jesus Christ and the fury of God that His death would one day satisfy in the place of sinners. Leviticus was God’s picture book for the precious sacrifice of Jesus and its outcome, reconciliation and peace with God. The LORD is the divine artist who has drawn for us a colorful portrait of Christ in the OT sacrifice system.

Exodus 25-40, God Dwells Among Men

With the tabernacle instructions, God reveals His stunning plan to have His presence to dwell among men. But all of this was jeopardized when Israel corrupted themselves and worshipped idols, thus, violating their covenant with Him. But even with this, the LORD was advancing His plan to bring His presence on earth through the Son of God incarnate in whom all His elect would become the holy dwelling place of God in the Spirit and in the end they will forever have God within and God without, His glorious presence inside and out.

Exodus 13-24, A Royal Priesthood

The LORD brought Israel, a seed of Abraham, out of Egypt to make them into His own possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They would enter a covenant for this privileged relationship with the holy God, and they would do so on His terms, the law. Although they entered this covenant with their eyes wide open (informed and aware of the solemnity of this covenant), they failed to be faithful. They violated this covenant and demonstrated that they needed a new heart by the grace of God (Deut. 30:6). Though they failed to be God’s true son (4:22), that holy and royal priesthood, Jesus fulfilled. He became all that Israel should’ve been and thus fulfilled the Father’s plan for the ultimate seed of Abraham who blesses all the nations as their priest and king, and how Peter applies this reality to the church is most stunning.

1 Timothy 4:6-11, Men of Discipline

Godliness is the need of the hour for the church of God. How does the Holy Spirit work godliness in His church, especially, among the fathers of our church? He does so through the means of self-discipline. In this passage, Paul identifies this trustworthy principle of Scripture that godliness is the product of discipline. Godliness does not plop down from heaven onto our laps. It is the product of spiritual discipline and exertion. In this Father’s Day sermon, we examine Paul’s exhortation to Timothy meant for the church that we would be a people of discipline. We must be men of discipline. Men bless their homes to the extent that they grow in godliness and thus become a conduit of divine blessing upon their wives and children.