Faith (Faith Stories Series)

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 Scripture Passage:  Hebrews 11:7

 The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. - Hebrews 11:7

Faith

1.  Faith must believe.

You cannot have faith unless God speaks.  Faith comes from God.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. - Romans 10:17

God speaks through His word.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14

2.  Faith always obeys.

Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. - Genesis 6:22

3.  Faith gives witness.

And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” - Mark 5:19

 Obey God and then go tell others about all that He is doing in your life.

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At our church, we are in the middle of 21 Days of Prayer.  The 21 days of prayer are divided into three themes.  For the first 7 days, the prayer theme is “Attributes of God.”  The theme for days 8 to 14 is “Change Me.”  The theme for days 15 to 21 is “Use Our Church.”  We are doing this as a church family but as I pray these prayers, I’m thinking the 21 Days of Prayer is a great personal or family challenge.  I’ve been working on improving my prayer life.  I’ve always prayed, but I’m learning to pray more specifically.  Having a guide helps me focus on specifics.  Perhaps you would like to begin a personal journey through 21 Days of Prayer or maybe you would like to start a 21 Days of Prayer challenge with your family.  If so, here are our 21 Days of Prayer.

21 Days of Prayer

Week 1 – Attributes of God

Day 1:  Lord God, you are holy.  I pray that I would be holy as You are holy.

Day 2:  Our God is perfect in all His ways.  Praise the Lord for His infinite perfections today.

Day 3:  We serve a righteous God.  May we surrender to your justice and righteousness as we live for you.

Day 4:  Dear Lord, show me your power and might.  Let me see Your glory today and not the trivialities of life.

Day 5:  Our God is miraculous.  We praise You for the miracle of salvation.

Day 6:  Be gracious to me according to your steadfast loving-kindness.  Help me to love others like you.

Day 7:  Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew my spirit.  Help me to keep my eyes on you.

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Week 2 – Change Me

Day 8:  Pray that God would give you a fresh love for His Word, passionately desiring to spend time in it and apply it to your life daily.

Day 9:  Pray that you will grow in your understanding of and obedience to the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that He will change you to be more like Him.

Day 10:  Pray that God would keep you close to Him and that you would live in righteousness and grow in steadfast love as you seek Him.

Day 11:  Pray that you would reject the delusion of the pleasures of this world and only seek after God as you find your satisfaction in Him.

Day 12:  Pray that you would know continually that there can be no true happiness, no fulfilling purpose apart from a life lived for God’s glory.

Day 13:  Pray for God to help you focus on the needs of the people around you and have a burden for those who need the Lord.

Day 14:  Pray for courage to open your mouth when the Lord prompts you and have a gospel conversation before this 21 day journey is done.

Week 3 – Use Our Church

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Day 15:  Pray that God will work in you and in our church to position us to be used to bring glory  to Him and see souls saved for eternity.

Day 16:  Pray for God’s continued favor as we move into this building expansion and that He would be glorified as we seek Him through this time.

Day 17:  Pray that you personally and our church family would be obedient to follow the Lord in order to see the completion of this vision.

Day 18:  Pray that God’s hand will be on our construction team and the workers who will be on our campus that His light will be evident to them.

Day 19:  Pray that God will use our church to bring your neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family from death to life in Jesus Christ.

Day 20:  Pray that God would use you in ministry at Blackshear Place.  Ask Him to show you how He would have you serve Him.

Day 21:  Pray that the Lord will raise up Godly leaders who will continue to stand firm on His Word and awaken this generation for Christ.

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Two years ago, I shared with you about a book I read that changed the way I pray for my children.  It’s called Pray Big for Your Child.  That book taught me how to pray bigger, bolder, specific prayers for my children.  Recently a friend shared 10 specific scripture verses to pray for your children.  Use these scripture verses as the foundation to pray big, bold, specific prayers for your children.

Scripture Verses to Pray for Your Children

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”-  Acts 16:31

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. – Isaiah 54:13

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.” – Isaiah 59:21

The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you. – Psalm 102:28

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. – Psalm 112:1-2

The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him! – Proverbs 20:7
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. – Psalm 37:25

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. – Proverbs 14:26

I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. – Jeremiah 32:39

Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” – Deuteronomy 4:40

As you can see, the Bible is clear that prayers for our children are powerful.  Write each of the above scripture verses to pray for your children on cards, like index cards, or you can use pretty cardstock papers.  Then, either make a little booklet or post them around your house so that you can pray these scripture verses often, every day, as much as possible.

In addition to scripture verses to pray  for your children, I highly recommend to books which have been pivotal for helping me pray for my kids.

If you’re interested in reading Pray Big for Your Child by Will Davis Jr., you can get your copy here.

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Stormie Omartian has written another great book about praying for your children.  You can get your copy of The Power of a Praying Parent here.

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If you, like me, are the parent of adult children, I recommend Stormie Omartian’s The Power of Praying for your Adult Children.  You can get your copy here.

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Does Your Life Please God? (Faith Stories Series)

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The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

Scripture Passages:  Hebrews 11:5-6, Genesis 5:21-24, Jude 1:14-15

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11:5-6

Does Your Life Please God?

1.  God is pleased when we walk with Him.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. - Colossians 2:6

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.  So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. - Genesis 5:21-24

Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? - Amos 3:3

Make a point to walk with God.  We are not forced.  Either we want to walk with God or we don't.  When we are in a relationship with someone, we walk with them and have conversations with them.  This should be our desire with God as well.

Take time for God. When we give the Redeemer our time, He will redeem our time.

Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden.

Clothes: God's Provison (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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Our last lesson of week two in A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore explains how God’s provision of long-lasting clothes for the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness applies to our spiritual lives today.  God provided physical clothes for his people then.  He provides spiritual clothes for his people today – clothes that last.

Clothes:  God's Provision

In Deuteronomy 8:4 and 29:5, we learn that God’s provision for the Israelites included clothes and shoes that never wore out.  The Israelites had witnessed God’s provision and protection in the form of a cloud and a pillar of fire, food from Heaven (the bread of angels), meat, and now God gets even more personal by making sure the very clothes and shoes they were wearing never wore out.

Beth teaches us that God cares about the clothes we wear.  God often mentions the clothing of people throughout the Bible.  He also mentions heavenly clothing.  In Psalm 93, we read that the Lord is clothed in majesty and that He is girded with strength.

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. – Psalm 93:1

 Psalm 104:1 tells us that He is clothed with splendor and majesty.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. – Psalm 104:1

In Revelation 19:13, we read that Christ is clothes with a robe dipped in blood.

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. – Revelation 19:13 

 Hebrews 9:22 explains the meaning of Revelation 19:13.

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. – Hebrews 9:22

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.  Jesus was willing to wear the spiritual robe dipped in blood so that we would be forgiven.  Because Jesus wore a “blood stained robe,” we, if we receive His gift of salvation, will wear a robe of fine linen, a garment of salvation, which represents the righteousness of the saints.

Please consider completing A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore on your own.  Her complete Bible study offers so much wisdom, knowledge, and insight in to the scriptures.  You will find it here.


Read all posts in this series here.

If you plan to go through the study alone or host the study, you'll need the leader kit which includes the DVDs that go along with the study.  You can get those here.

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Daily Provision: Manna from Heaven (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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In today’s lesson in A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore, we learn about manna, the Israelites’ daily provision.  I’ve read through the story of the Exodus many times.  I’ve always known that God fed the Israelites with manna but there’s a lot more to the story involving this mysterious food.

God's Daily Provision:  Manna from Heaven

The Bread of Angels 

We learn in Psalm 78:23-25 that God calls manna the “bread of angels.”

Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven;
He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven.
Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance. – Psalm 78:23-15

I’ve always pictured little pieces of bread falling down from heaven like snowflakes in winter, sort of like the little pieces of unleavened bread we eat when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, but it was much  more than that.  The Bible tells us that God opened the doors of Heaven and fed the Israelites with food from Heaven, the bread of angels.  The Israelites, here on this earth, touched food straight from Heaven and they ate it.   I can’t imagine what that must have been like and I wonder if the Israelites realized the significance of that experience, the uniqueness and value of their daily provision.


We learned that the Israelites were instructed to gather only what they needed for each day, only their daily provision, except the day before the Sabbath when they gathered for two days.  They used a measuring instrument called an omer.  They discovered that when they measured what they had gathered with the omer, that those who had gathered more had no extra and those who had gathered less did not have too little.  They had just what they needed.  God provided them with their daily provision, each according to what he needed.

God works the same way in our lives today, providing for us daily, providing our daily provision according to our needs.  Beth brought up a good point in today’s lesson.  She wondered, if God provides our daily provision of mercy and grace according to our needs, then why do some Christians seem to fall and fail to recover during or after a trial.  We go on to realize that God always provides our daily provision, but just as the Israelites were instructed to go out and gather their part, we must gather the provision that God provides.

Jesus is our manna for today.  He is our daily provision, but we must receive Him in order to satisfy our spiritual hunger.

In John 6:32-25, Jesus refers back to this ancient story.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. – John 6:32-35

If you have already received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you have received your manna, your bread from Heaven.  Continue to trust God for your daily provision.

If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior or maybe you want to know what this means, I explain how to be saved here.  I encourage you to read it and if you do decide to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I would love for you to let me know either by commenting below or you can use the “Contact Me” tab above.  I would love to rejoice with you but that is totally up to you.

If you would like to go through A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore, you can get your copy here.  To protect Beth’s copyrights, I only summarize what we learn.  You will dig deeper and learn more if you complete this study on your own or with a group of friends.

Read all posts in this series here.

If you plan to do the study alone or host the study, you'll need the leader kit here.  It includes the DVDs to go alone with the study.

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Provision and Ungratefulness (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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 Provision and Ungratefulness

In week 2, day 3 of A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place, we study about God’s provision and the ungratefulness demonstrated by the Israelites.  Our first reaction might be, “Are you kidding?”  He brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery, and you complain?”  But do we not do the same thing?  Do we not often demonstrate the same attitude of ungratefulness?  Are we not sometimes ungrateful for our circumstances even after God brought us out of worse places?

So far, we’ve learned about the Israelites journey through the desert areas of Shur where they were delivered from the Egyptians through the Red Sea, Marah where God turned their bitter water into sweet refreshment, and Elim where they were brought to water springs and date palms.  You would think the Israelites would reveling in appreciation and gratefulness.

However, now they are brought to the land of Sin.  That’s what it is called, Sin.  By the time the Israelites reach the land of Sin, the whole congregation is demonstrating an attitude of ungratefulness.  The people complain to Moses.  They tell Moses that they would rather be back in Egyptian bondage where they would eat well, rather than be led through the wilderness with “only manna.”

Imagine that God has quenched your thirst and provided you with fresh bread after going days without food and water.  He continues to feed you with cold water and fresh bread for days, weeks, and maybe even months.  Without God’s provision, you would have died, but He has provided this for you.  After a while you grow tired so you complain to God.  This is it?!  This is all I get?!  I would rather be back where I was.  I’m so tired of drinking only water and eating only bread every day.  I want to go back!

Hard to imagine?   But it’s what the children of Israel did and it’s what we do all the time.

My favorite Beth Moore quote from this part of this study:

In the wilderness of sin, God set a test before His children.  In essence, He responded to their grumblings like this:  “I have shown you My presence again and again.  I have intervened on your behalf with signs and wonders.  I have healed your bitter water and have led you to the palms.  I have also let you go hungry so that you would know that it is I who feeds you.  Now I will put you through the hardest test of all:  I will let you grow accustomed to My presence.  I will feed you from My table daily and prove who you really are.  Will you grow in awe or will you grow cold? - Beth Moore

When God provides for us daily for a long period of time, will we remain grateful or will we grow tired of His provision and resort to ungratefulness?

To reap the benefits of Beth Moore’s entire Bible study, A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place, get your copy here.

Read all posts in this series here.

If you're doing the study by yourself or hosting it, you'll need the leader kit which contains the DVDs.  You can get that here.

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Bitterness (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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 Bitterness

We begin today’s lesson by learning that while wandering in the desert, the Israelites were thirsty for water.  They were in the Desert of Shur.  They had been without water for three days.  They finally found water in Marah, only to taste its bitterness. Can you imagine?  They had already experienced a long journey, led by a cloud during the day, a fire at night.  They had escaped the Egyptians by traveling through a miraculously parted Red Sea.  They had now gone without water for three days – through a hot, dry desert without water for three days!  They were likely dirty, tired, hungry, and so thirsty. Then, when they finally found water, they tasted only its bitterness.  But here, after such a wearisome journey, God met the children of Israel’s need for water.  In Exodus 15:25, we read that Moses cried out to the Lord and God showed him a tree.  When Moses threw the tree into the water, the water became sweet.  There was another tree that turned bitterness to sweetness . . . many years later . . . at Gethsemane.  Jesus was nailed to a cross made from wood that was once a tree.  At the moment of Jesus’ death, the bitterness of all the sins of the world became sweet as God made a way to once again dwell with His children through the sacrifice of His Son.

He (God) introduced Himself as Jehovah-Rapha by demonstrating His power over the most common disease from which His children would suffer – bitterness. – Beth Moore

Bitterness is a spiritual cancer, a rapidly growing malignancy that can consume your life. – Beth Moore

Only Jesus can heal bitterness.  When he brings us through the barren deserts of circumstances which bring us to the point of forgiveness, His desire is that we not only be healed, but that we meet the Healer who is Jesus Christ.

To experience the entirety of A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore, get your copy here.

Read all posts in this series here.

To complete the study alone or to host the study, you'll need the leader kit which contains the videos.  You can get that here.

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The Wilderness: Bible Study Series by Beth Moore

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We’re in week 2 of our Bible Study, A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore.  Today’s focus is on God’s desire for His children to depend on Him, not themselves.  When the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, God provided for them.  In the wilderness, God showed Himself as their provider and healer.  The children of Israel wandered in a real wilderness – a desert, a barren land, a harsh land that can be compared to our spiritual wilderness.  The same provider and healer who led the children of Israel through their long journey through the wilderness of the Middle East meets us in our spiritual wilderness and shows himself as our provider and healer.

The Wilderness

Some of the main points I took away from this lesson:

God’s supernatural provision for humanity is most recognizable when we find ourselves in a wilderness devoid of self-sufficiency. – Beth Moore

Our own insufficiencies are only invitations to experience the super natural sufficiency of a universally powerful, personally responsible God. – Beth Moore

In Deuteronomy 4:32-40, we learn about several ways God revealed Himself to Israel.

1.  They heard the voice of God speaking in the fire.
2. He took for Himself a nation by trials, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, and outstretched arms.
3. He let them hear his voice.
4. He brought them from Egypt by His great power.
5. he drove out nations greater and mightier than them and gave them their land as an inheritance.

God revealed himself in such supernatural ways because He loved their fathers before them and so that they might know that He is Lord and there is no other but Him.

God intervenes for His people.

He goes before us, follows behind us, safely inside the realm of His protection . . . Everything God did with Israel in the realm of the seen, He does with us in the realm of the unseen . . . The same God who made His presence known to the Israelites in their wilderness is just as fully Jehovah-Shamma, “the Lord is present”, in ours. – Beth Moore

God reveals Himself victoriously to those who allow Him.

I highly encourage you to go through the entire Bible Study, A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place.  In order to protect the copyrights of Beth Moore, I only summarize the the things we learn and certain key points.  You are missing out on so much knowledge, truth, and wisdom if you neglect the entire study.  To get your copy, click here.

Read all posts in this series here.

If you plan to host the study or go through it alone, you'll need the leader kit here.

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Faith is . . . (Faith Stories Series)

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 The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.  By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. - Hebrews 11:1-4

Hebrews 11 is also known as the Hall of Faith.

Faith-problems need a faith-answer.

What is faith?

Faith is NOT a feeling.  It is not positive thinking.  Faith is not a blind leap in the dark.

Faith Is:

1.  Faith is rock solid confidence.  It makes us certain.  It is substance.  Faith is a fixed certain reality.  Faith celebrates now the reality of the future.

2.  Faith is recognizable in our lives.  Our family will recognize it.  A person of faith is quick to obey God.

3.  Faith is the way to righteousness.

Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction. - Romans 3:22

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. - Romans 14:23

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8

We are either walking in faith or we are walking in sin.

Broken Hearts, Broken Ties (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

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If you have purchased your own copy of A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place, you know that between each week’s “homework,” there is a viewer’s guide.  Each week, when we meet with our ladies Bible study group at church, we watch a Beth Moore video.  In each video, Beth leads us through sort of an overview of the study material.  This past Wednesday night, we completed the viewer’s guide titled Broken Hearts, Broken Ties.  Beth is passionate about this particular Bible study.  Once again, she reinforces what we’ve learned about the connection between God’s Heavenly Dwelling, The Garden of Eden, and The Tabernacle.

Broken Hearts, Broken Ties

*Note:  At first I wondered why Beth titled this study “Broken Hearts, Broken Ties” but remember that this is sort of an introduction to this week’s lessons.  It will all come together during our daily Bible study lessons.  God always works his miracles through our broken hearts.  I look forward to studying how He works through broken hearts this week and how Beth will connect broken hearts and broken ties with this historical study, connecting the Garden of Eden to the building of the Tabernacle.

Who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. – Hebrews 8:5

We learned that the word “serve” in Hebrew means “worship.”  When we serve God, we are performing an act of worship. 

We revisited the time when God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve.  He was present on this Earth.  His desire was and still is to walk and dwell with us here.

Read the following Bible passages and then the excerpt from this lesson.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. – Genesis 2:15

They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. – Numbers 3:7-8

But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Here’s an excerpt from this lesson in A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place.

 
Man’s primary commission was to work and take care of his garden home (Genesis 2:15).  Compare Numbers 3:7-8.  “Both terms occur together to describe the charge of the Levites for the tabernacle (Numbers 3:7-8, 18:7), thus again suggesting a relationship between Eden and the tabernacle.  Connect the wording back to Exodus 7:16.

You shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now. – Exodus 7:16

He walks among us.  He walks with me.

The following quote from Beth shows us how to apply the history we’re studying to our current lives, tot he conditions of our hearts.

You may not be in the same place, but I am still your same God. – Beth Moore

Genesis 3:21 tells us that when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and realized they were naked, God made coverings for them.  God made a covering for our sin too.  His name is Jesus.

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! – Psalm 32:1

The enemy says, “Cover up!” But God says, “I’ve got you covered.”

We are here because He was determined to have us here.  I am here because HE was determined to have me here.  YOU are here because HE was determined to have you here.

Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. – Psalm 36:5-8

Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? – Isaiah 66:1

Beth reminds us, “Of all the planets in the universe, ours is under His feet.”

Still need your own copy of A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place?  You need your own copy to go through the complete study and soak in all the wisdom God offers through Beth Moore’s study.  

Get it here.  

Read all posts in this series here.

If you are doing this study on your own, you will need the leader kit which contains the DVDs.  You can get that here.

 

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The Bridge from the Garden to the Tabernacle (Beth Moore Bible Study)

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Today’s lesson in my workbook is titled On the Move.  In today’s lesson, Beth brings this week’s lessons together, completing the bridge between the garden and the tabernacle.  She begins by reminding us to look closely at Abraham’s faithfulness under great testing.  I can’t begin to imagine the heaviness of Abraham’s heart as he handed Isaac the wood for the fire and then the two of them walked to the place of sacrifice.  Yet, he was faithful.  He trusted God in the face of what had to be his darkest moments.

Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. ²² Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. – Romans 4:20-22

Beth briefly summarizes the bridge between Abraham and Moses as we grow closer to God’s instruction to build a tabernacle.  Abraham’s son Isaac had a son named Jacob.  God later changed Jacob’s name to Israel.  Israel had 12 sons.  The 12 tribes of Israel are named for Jacob’s sons.  Israel’s youngest son was named Joseph.  Joseph’s brothers were jealous because Israel favored Joseph so they sold Joseph to a caravan.  Joseph was taken to Egypt and falsely accused of a crime.  Joseph went to prison but found favor with the Pharaoh by interpreting dreams.  Joseph was eventually placed in a position of leadership over the land of Egypt.  Later, famine swept the land and Joseph’s brothers were forced to beg for food from the Egyptian king.  Joseph was discovered by his brothers but this time, their lives were held in Joseph’s hands.  Joseph showed compassion for his brothers and told them that God intended his circumstances for his good. 

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. – Genesis 50:20

The story goes on as the Israelites end up enslaved in the land of Egypt until God instructs Moses to deliver them, resulting in the story of the Exodus.  The Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years before reaching the land which God had promised them.  

The Bridge from the Garden to the Tabernacle

The lesson concludes by summarizing the series of main events bridging the garden and the tabernacle.

1.  God fellowshipped with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
2. God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden.
3. God commanded Noah to build an ark.
4. God scattered the people over the earth.
5. God provided a substitute for the life of Isaac.
6. God gave Abram the gospel.
7. God revealed his presence through a burning bush.
8. God told the Israelites to make a sanctuary so that he could dwell among them.

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