Behold The Power of The Lord! - But not in the pub..

IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT!

Please note that we will NOT be in the Roebuck this Friday but meet at the usual time (7.30 for 8pm) in church (St Mark's Utley) to watch a movie version of the story we have been telling.
The film lasts about 80 minutes so a prompt start at 8pm will mean we will not be too late for bedtime!

Over To the Other Side

LAST NIGHT we got the Israelites safely to the other side of the Red Sea.

The Lord once again showed his mighty power; He rescued the (moaning) Israelites and finally defeated the armies of Pharoah, in the process closing the door on a return to Egypt - once the waves returned there was no way back.

The most striking verse comes in Exodus 14v14:

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still"

Those who missed the evening may wish to catch up by reading Ex 13 and 14.

My notes for the story (for what they're worth) are below...

Firstborn male consecrated
Feast of unleavened bread (not even seen)
- seven day festival
- end with celebration
"Tell your sons"
Lord led them to Red Sea
- avoiding the Philistine road
- avoiding conflict
Moses took Joseph’s bones
Succoth to Ethon
Lord as pillar of cloud/fire
Turn back & camp at Pi Harioth
- by the sea
Pharaoh will think you’re confused
- I will harden his heart
- for my glory
P - 600 best chariots + others
- key officers
Israelites looked up - terrified
No graves? What have you done?
Didn’t we say leave us alone
to serve the Egyptians?
Better to live as slaves than die in desert
Don’t be afraid - Lord will fight for you
- just be still!
Raise your hand, Moses
Angel stood between
Moses raised hand
Waters divided, wall of water
Pharaoh pursues
Lord creates confusion
Chariots stuck
Stretch out hand
Water flowed back
When Israel saw they..
- feared the Lord
- trusted him
- trusted Moses his servant

Our God Is Bigger

The theme in Exodus so far seems to be God's revelation of himself as the only true God - a case of "our God is bigger than your god"

This seems very primitive - as though God is showing off?

Is that what is really happening?

PS: Click on the picture to get the idea....sort of...

What About Pharaoh?

It still seems that we haven't got to the bottom of the Pharaoh question.

Why does the Bible say God "hardened his heart". So if that was God's doing... why is he judged and condemned? Any suggestions?

(Video clip from Prince of Egypt. Let us know if this infringes copyright and it will be removed.)

Why not watch the movie sometime to see the full story?

Through The Sea?

This week on Friday Night we will hear how the Israelites escaped the chasing army of Egypt.

Do you believe it really happened as it is told in the Bible?

Why?

God Gets Tough

Join us on Friday for the last and worst of the plagues (there's a line you don't see very often...)

We will hear the story of God's final and most terrible proof of his power to Pharaoh, the story of the Passover, which Jesus would later celebrate with his friends on the night before God's only son died on behalf of us all.

So we will also share communion together... 7.30 for 8pm in the pub. Hopefully the guy in the picture won't be there.

Meanwhile... share your thoughts on the plagues, Moses, Pharaoh and what this might have to teach us. Comment below, please!

Battle of The gods!

Seems the weather probably put off a few last night but the six of us who made it had a fascinating time as Simon unpacked the first nine plagues(!) and showed how they were often misunderstood.

1. They are clearly an act of mercy and grace - God could have just destroyed Egypt but the plagues were a sign and a call to repentance.

2. The pagues are an attack on the false (unreal) gods that Egypt worshipped - each plague dealing with one or several of Egypt's deities.

See http://www.padfield.com/acrobat/history/gods_of_egypt.pdf for more detail if you missed last night - it's worth a read!

More news about next week soon - watch this space.....