Concordia Sermons

When Moses spoke with God, his face glowed. But that glow faded. We need a face that will not just temporarily shine on us, but eternally shine on us (Numbers 6:25).

At the same time God is giving Moses a command to worship only Him as part of the Ten Commandments, the rest of the Israelites are building and worshipping a false God because Moses has been conversing with God for so long. At those times where God’s presence seems absent and His word and will seem distant, we must not fall into the temptation to look for another god.

God promises to be with His people, enthroned on the Ark of the Covenant. At the center of the Ark is a mercy seat, which covers the Ten Commandments kept inside the Ark. When we break God’s commandments, mercy covers us!

God gives His people Ten Commandments not to burden them, but to free them by guiding them. When God gives commands, He does so with our best interest at heart. Divine commandments not only reveal God’s will, but His tender heart toward us.

The Israelites just faced too much water as they stared down the Red Sea. Now they face the danger of too little water as they swelter in a desert. God provides water from a rock, which Paul says is nothing less than Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).

God has provided for Israel through rescuing Israel from their slavery. But no matter what God does for the Israelites, they always seem to want more. In Exodus 16, God provides bread from heaven, which prefigures God’s provision in Christ as the Bread from heaven (cf. John 6:51).

No matter what obstacle we may face, God can make a way! When the Israelites believe they are backed up against a sea, God parts the sea. In what area do you believe there is no way out? Even if there is no way out, God can give you a way through, just as He does with the Israelites.

God has judgment against sin, as is seen in His judgment of Egypt. But He does not treat Israel as their sins deserve. Instead, He passes over them because judgment for them has fallen on lambs. God also passes over our sins because judgment for them has fallen on the Lamb.

God reveals His glory to Egypt in a series of ten plagues, many of which directly confront elements of the false Egyptian pantheon of Gods. The Nile, for instance, was considered divine and life giving. But the true God takes what gives life and turns it into a place of death. In His Son, however, He takes a death and turns it into life!

When the Israelites are in Egypt, they are not only oppressed, they are disparaged. When sin oppresses us and people disparage us, we can trust that God is right there, working for our rescue and good!

After Moses grows up, God appears to him in a burning bush. God first reveals to Moses who He is before He gives something to Moses to do. In order for us to do the right things in our lives, we must first become intimately familiar with who God is so we trust Him to have our best interests at heart.

The story of Moses’ birth is one that is fraught with peril. Yet, God rescues one man so that, through him, God can rescue many men. Likewise, when Christ is born, God rescues Him from the murderous intents of Herod (cf. Matthew 2:13-15) so that through one rescued man, God can rescue many men!

Solomon concludes his book by inviting us, instead of learning the hard way, to trust and obey what God has revealed. Solomon has learned the hard way and does not want us to fall prey to his same mistakes. This book, then, though it can at times seem depressing, is ultimately written in love for those who will read it.

Our culture loves and desires money. Greed, however, will never be satisfied. It will always leave you wanting more. Being content with what you have is key to fulfillment!

Some people center their lives around their careers. They define themselves by what they do. Solomon says such a path is folly. Defining yourself by your work often leads to refusing to trust God for rest. And our work, for the most part, simply does not last. Only God’s work endures, which is why we trust in Him.

Some people can be educated beyond their intelligence! Learning about complex mysteries without understanding the simple arc of life and death only results in foolish, because such learning fails to answer the most fundamental foundations and fears of people’s lives.

Many people think that life consists of chasing your passions, because we believe that our passions can lead to pleasure. Solomon reminds us that chasing our passions, when our passions are not formed by God, will only lead to pain.

Does life actually have a purpose? Is history headed somewhere? It can feel as though we can be caught in a cycle, doing the same things over and over again. These cycles, at the same time they can be cumbersome, can also be blessed.

One of the most basic questions of our existence is this: what is the meaning of life? In Matthew 25, Jesus reminds us that even seemingly menial meaningless tasks take on great significance when we come to understand that by serving and loving others, we are really serving and loving Christ.

The saws say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” or, “A leopard can’t change his spots.” With Christ, however, real and lasting change is possible. If Christ can take a person from death to life in salvation, He can also help us fight nagging addictions and habits to His glory and to our benefit.