Foundations – Exodus God will be WITH them. Exodus 40:1-38 November 25, 2018
I. God SAID and Moses DID. (v.1-33)
A. A NEW BEGINNING. (v.2,17)
B. VERY specific INSTRUCTIONS. (v.2-15)
C. Just as the LORD had COMMANDED. (8x in v.16-32)
After all the action of the wilderness journey today’s text seems to slow down to a snails pace. God tells Moses what to do, step by step. And Moses does it, step by step. While it may feel a little like watching paint dry, this text has a lot to say to us.
1. Kids Question: When have you struggled to do what your parents asked you to do? Why?
2. Why do you think all the detail was so important to God? What was He trying to accomplish in this?
II. The PRESENCE of God WITH them. (v.34-38)
A. This was ALWAYS the PROMISE (Gen 17:7-8)
B. PRESENT yet RESTRICTED. (v.1-36)
C. The WAY God LEADS His people. (v.36-38)
This is the coming of the promise that undergirded all the promises of the covenant that God was making with His people. He would make them a great nation, He would save them out of slavery, He would lead them to a land. But throughout it all He would be with them. He was their God and they would be His people.
3. What does it mean to you to have the presence of God with you? How do you experience the presence of God?
4. Have you ever felt like God was not present? What was that like?
5. Does God’s presence give you guidance for life? In what ways? How does that work?
III. JOURNEYING toward ADVENT…(Heb 12:18-24)
A. God WANTS to give PRESENCE. (Ex. 33:14; Mt. 11:28; Jn 1:14)
B. We RECEIVE presence His WAY. (v.1-33; Rom. 9:30-33; Mt. 6:33)
C. From presence WITH to presence IN. (Jn 16:7; Rom. 5:5; Eph. 3:16-19)
We’ve been walking through the wilderness with the people of Israel as we were walking toward Advent, the retelling of the coming of Jesus that we repeat every year. This story feeds right into Advent, after the Tabernacle was in place, God came. And Jesus did the same thing.
6. Jeff said that God wants to give “presence”. Who do you know in your circle that this would be good news for? How can you be God’s presence to them?
7. Has God ever given you His presence in a way you would not have chosen? What was that like? Was it necessary, from your perspective?
8. What does it mean to you that God live in you? How would you explain that to someone else?