CCPORumble

In Acts 13, Saul, re-named Paul, is deputized by the leaders of the church in Antioch to begin his formal ministry. In company with Barnabas and John Mark, Paul begins the first of his four missionary journeys, traveling first to the island of Cyprus where they encounter the “proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man…who sought to hear the word of God (Acts 13:7 NKJV). As a Jewish sorcerer tries to keep Sergius Paulus from listening to the gospel, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:9-10 NKJV). The sorcerer is blinded, and “the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:12 NKJV). Paul and his companions then sail to modern day Turkey. In Antioch in Pisidia, Paul preaches first to the Jews, showing from their Scriptures (our Old Testament) how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies related to the First Coming of the promised Messiah, including His resurrection. Pastor Kevin explains how this account also gives us important insights about the role of fasting and prayer in the life of the Christian; the historical accuracy of Luke’s account in Acts; how the Cypriot sorcerer is a type of all who oppose the gospel; and why the time markers in Scripture preclude anyone but Jesus from fulfilling messianic prophecies. However, Jesus did fulfill all prophecies related to his First Coming, and Pastor Kevin exhorts us to cling with certain hope to remaining prophecies of the Rapture and Jesus' Second Coming as we watch current events accelerate towards the Last Days' fulfillment. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/full-of-deceit-and-fraud-you-son-of-the-devil-acts-131-41/

Today’s study starts a new division in the Book of Acts, which chronicles the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem and Judea. Pastor Kevin begins with a brief recap of prior divisions, tracing the history of the early church and how God used the early Christians – even through persecution and martyrdom – to begin spreading the gospel to peoples beyond Jerusalem. As the news spread that many Gentiles outside Judea were being saved (without first converting to Judaism), the church leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to investigate. “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.” (Acts 11:23 NKJV). Now Barnabas finds Saul in Tarsus and brings him back to the ministry for the first time since being sent out of Jerusalem nine years earlier. “So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26 NKJV). At the conclusion of Chapter 11, Scripture records how Gentile believers sent relief to the church in Judea during famine, foreshadowing how the primarily Gentile Church would aid and support the Jews and the nation of Israel to the present day. Chapter 12 records how King Herod, likely in partnership with the Jewish religious leaders, resumes persecution of the church in Jerusalem, slays James the brother of John, and imprisons Peter, whom God miraculously delivers from jail. As we reflect on how God used persecution to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to, with grateful and willing hearts, continue to seek the Holy Spirit’s power to preach the gospel in our individual parts of the earth while there is still time. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/persecution-starts-again-and-james-is-murdered-acts-1119-1225

In our study today, we see how God prepares and then directs his willing servant Peter to do what would have otherwise been unthinkable for this righteous Jew – enter the home of a Roman centurion with God’s message of salvation through faith in Jesus. That God was opening the door of salvation to Gentiles without requiring them to first convert to Judaism was a shocking revelation to these early Jewish believers. However, Peter came to see that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34) so that he boldly preached Jesus’ death and resurrection to Cornelius and his family, assuring them that “whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). As Cornelius and others in his home receive Peter’s preaching, “the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word” (Acts 10:44 NKJV). This momentous event marks a pivotal moment in God’s work to transition from the old dispensation of the Law to the new, current, dispensation of grace. Pastor Kevin explains how this account also answers fundamental questions about repentance, salvation, our ability to seek God, and the deity of Jesus. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/god-uses-peter-to-raise-tabitha-from-the-dead-acts-921-42

In Acts 9, we read how the resurrected Jesus encountered Saul of Tarsus while on his way to arrest Christians living in Damascus. As a result, this zealous Pharisee and foremost persecutor of the Jerusalem Christians was radically and forever changed from Saul of Tarsus, the Murderer, to Paul the Apostle. “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20 NKJV). Paul later endured much persecution and eventual martyrdom for the sake of the Jesus he once hated. Drawing from other New Testament passages, Pastor Kevin takes us on a deep dive into Scripture’s account of Saul’s miraculous conversion and encourages us to reflect on our own miraculous conversion. Despite present trials and suffering, may we, like the Apostle Paul persevere in proclaiming the Name of Jesus, that He is the Son of God, while there is still time. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/saul-of-tarsus-the-murderer-becomes-paul-the-apostle-acts-9/

Today’s study examines various passages in Acts and Paul’s epistles to learn about the major events Paul’s life from his conversion on the road to Damascus until he was arrested in Jerusalem at the completion of his third missionary journey, about 23 years later. We discover that the now radically converted Saul first enters a 12-year period of personal discipleship in Arabia and Tarsus, living in relative obscurity, before embarking on his first missionary journey. While Paul is in Arabia and Tarsus, God uses the Apostle Peter as His prominent means to bring about the transition from the old dispensation of the Law to the new dispensation of Grace. In the last portion of Acts 9, we read how God used Peter to heal Aeneas, a man who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years, and to raise Tabitha from the dead, both miracles serving to draw many people to the gospel: “And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord” (Acts 9:42 NKJV). You can find a detailed timeline of the life of Paul here: https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/paul/timeline.cfm. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/god-uses-peter-to-raise-tabitha-from-the-dead-acts-921-42

In this teaching, we learn how Stephen’s martyrdom began a frenzy of Christian persecution to which God used as a launching pad to spread the Gospel outside the city of Jerusalem to Samaria and Judea. Persecution divides the church necessarily cutting away the dross and strengthening what is left. In the fury of persecution in which Saul of Tarsus played a leading role, a fellow Hellenist Christian by the name of Philip, in whom was filled with the Holy Spirit, was sent to Samaria to preach the Gospel and work the gifts of miracles. During a revival in Samaria the Lord decided to send Philip south to Gaza where he divinely happened upon an Ethiopian eunuch whom was dedicated to the worship of the God of Israel and the searching of the Scriptures. Philip the Evangelist takes full advantage of the inspired situation. The Truth prevails as the Gospel goes forth into Gentile lands and peoples.

Within just the first few weeks following the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, those in Jerusalem saw multiple manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power in the Apostles to perform miracles and to boldly testify of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14 NKJV). In today’s passage, we see the religious leaders again attempting to stop their preaching, but God miraculously delivers the imprisoned apostles and commands them to “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20 NKJV). Pastor Kevin draws forth important truths from these few verses about the holiness of God, His high demands for absolute integrity and obedience in His followers, the Personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit as one member of the triune Godhead, and how Jesus’ crucifixion redeemed those who believe in Him from the curse of the law. With the Apostles as our examples, let nothing stop us from proclaiming the life-giving truth of the gospel, and may we ever more earnestly seek the Holy Spirit’s power to do so until Jesus takes us home. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/speak-to-the-people-all-the-words-of-this-life-acts-51-33/

Following the birth of the Church in Acts 2, God continues to pour out His spirit upon His disciples, authenticating their authority as His witnesses by imbuing them with the power to perform miracles and preach with boldness. In today’s passage, Peter, in the name of Jesus, heals the lame man at the Beautiful Gate to the temple. As the people marvel, Peter glorifies God and then points the people to the prophetic Scriptures that prove that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, exhorting them to “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NKJV). For a complementary message on this passage, see Pastor Kevin’s detailed teaching of 31 March, 2024: https://calvarypo.org/sermons/he-presented-himself-alive-by-many-infallible-proofs-acts-31-422/ Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/sins-may-be-blotted-out-so-that-times-of-refreshing-may-come-acts-31-26/

Today, we read the first part of Peter’s sermon to the thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for that first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection. Peter begins his message by quoting the prophet Joel and explaining that what they were witnessing – God’s miraculous impartation of foreign tongues to the 120 who had gathered in the Upper Room to wait for the Promise of the Father as Jesus had commanded – was a fulfillment of an 800-year-old prophecy. Pastor Kevin explains that this Pentecost marked the beginning of the “last days,” the Church Dispensation and fulfillment of God’s plan to bring His gospel to this fallen world. While under the Old Testament economy, God sent his Spirit upon specific individuals, primarily His prophets, now God’s Holy Spirit will indwell “all flesh” - all who believe in His Son: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved' (Acts 2:21 NKJV). As on that Pentecost Sunday nearly 2000 years ago, most people today are uninterested in or outwardly mock the God of the Bible and His Son Jesus. May we continually seek the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to proclaim the most important message anyone can hear. With Peter, we plead with our unsaved friends and family, “Heed these words… Whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved' (Acts 2:14, 21 NKJV). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/peter-preaches-the-gospel-on-pentecost-acts-214-23/

In today’s passage, we see the Apostles appointing spirit-filled men to serve (Greek - deacon) the growing church by solving a dispute about equitable food distribution to both Hebrew-speaking and Greek-speaking widows. Taking this dispute off the Apostles plate allowed them to give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The example of servants being used to free teachers and preachers to maintain the focus on prayer and the preaching of the word of God has provided a model for deacons and deaconesses in today’s churches. We also see the Jewish religious leaders intensify their persecution of the early Christians, but the Apostles, “…did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42 NKJV). In Chapter 7, the persecution culminates in Stephen’s arrest upon a false accusation of blasphemy and his martyrdom by stoning. Stephen’s address to his accusers reveals how proud and rebellious men throughout history have persecuted those whom God sent to proclaim His message of reconciliation. Still, some do respond – Saul, who participated in Stephen’s stoning, was eventually converted and became the Apostle Paul. So, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to “not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” while there is still time. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/they-did-not-cease-teaching-and-preaching-jesus-acts-534-760

Many of the Jews who had traveled from all over the known world for that first Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection witnessed God’s miraculous imparting of foreign tongues to His disciples. As they heard the disciples speak in their own languages, “…they were all amazed and marveled” (Acts 2:7 NKJV). What happened that day that enabled Jesus’ followers to speak in languages they had not learned? Why did God use this specific demonstration of His power on that Pentecost Sunday? Is speaking in tongues a spiritual gift for today? Is speaking in tongues a requirement of all true Christians? Drawing from other Scriptures and his personal experiences, Pastor Kevin answers these and other questions about speaking in tongues, bringing biblical clarity to an issue that has long been a source of confusion and division in the church. As we ponder the miraculous role God’s Holy Spirit has in our lives and His desire to empower us to be His witnesses, we are reminded that all genuine work of the Spirit glorifies Jesus and points us to His Word. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/then-they-were-all-amazed-and-marveled-acts-25-13/

On this Easter Sunday, a day on which most of the Western church celebrates Jesus’ resurrection, Pastor Kevin reminds us that the essential foundation of biblical Christianity is the historical fact of Jesus’ rising from the grave three days after his crucifixion. We see in Acts Chapters 3 and 4 and related Scriptures some of the many proofs of the resurrection, with Pastor Kevin drawing attention to the responses of the people who saw and heard of the risen Jesus. Some responded in repentance and faith in the risen Jesus. However, most still rejected Him, refusing to consider how this profound event would affect their eternal destinies, despite the Apostle Peter’s warning on the Day of Pentecost that, “And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet (Jesus) shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22 NKJV). Describing contemporary signs pointing to Jesus’ soon return, Pastor Kevin exhorts believers to remain unflagging in our mission to share the gospel with the unbelieving while there is still time for them to escape the judgment to come. Have you turned in repentance and faith to the resurrected Jesus? If you are unsure, please see “Normal” Isn’t Coming Back – Jesus is. Are you Ready? Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/he-presented-himself-alive-by-many-infallible-proofs-acts-31-422

In today’s study of Acts Chapter 4, the religious leaders challenge the apostles, “being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2 NKJV), demanding to know "By what power or by what name have you done this" (Acts 4:7 NKJV)? Quoting Psalm 118, the Apostle Peter shows that their rejection of Jesus fulfills yet another prophecy: “the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone” (Acts 4:11 NKJV). In a world that is increasingly hostile to biblical Christianity, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to remember and boldly proclaim, with the Apostle Peter, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 NKJV). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/jesus-the-stone-which-was-rejected-by-the-builders-acts-41-37/

Today, Pastor Kevin introduces a new study of the Book of Acts, written by physician and historian Luke. This book, a continuation of his account of Jesus’ life in the Gospel of Luke, covers the period just prior to Jesus’ ascension until Paul's first imprisonment. In these first few verses, Jesus instructs His followers to remain in Jerusalem, where, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8 NKJV). Pastor Kevin shows from passages in the Gospel of John where Jesus had previously prophesied this coming of the Holy Spirit, an event that would institute a completely new way for sinful human beings to enter into a relationship with a holy God and begin the Dispensation of the Church. Pastor Kevin reminds us that all that Jesus had prophesied about the Holy Spirit and the spread of the gospel has been fulfilled in the 2,000 years since this book was written. In the same way, we know that all that the Scriptures prophesy about events still future to us will also be fulfilled. Pastor Kevin encourages us to take comfort in our security in Jesus and exhorts us to trust Him in these last days, no matter what may come before Jesus takes us home. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/wait-for-the-promise-of-the-father-acts-11-8

As we conclude our study of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, we see the apostle’s emphasis on Jesus’ resurrection. Pastor Kevin points out that the resurrection is an historical fact and one component of our faith that distinguishes biblical Christianity from all other religions. Quoting from Psalms 16 and 110, Peter then shows how both Jesus’ death and resurrection were foretold by King David 1,000 years earlier, proving that He was the promised Messiah and God. Pastor Kevin explains how Psalm 110 also refers to Jesus’ Second Coming, an event still future to us. An accurate understanding of Bible prophecy is as important to us today as it was to those first century believers. As has been the case throughout history, most who heard Peter’s sermon on that Pentecost Sunday rejected his message, but 3,000 did heed Peter’s exhortation to “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40 NKJV), and the Church was born. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-church-is-born-acts-223-47

In today’s message, we study the events of the first Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection. Pastor Kevin explains how the Gregorian calendar used by the Western world has led the church to depart from the biblical dates for the Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and the Jewish Feast Day of Pentecost. As a result, Christians may fail to see how these Feast Days are types of the Person and work – past and future – of Jesus Christ. We see how Jesus’ ascension and other Scriptures provide glimmers of what will happen in the upcoming Rapture of the Church. Pastor Kevin also answers some of the questions Christians have about the Holy Spirit, including: Is there a difference between having the Holy Spirit “in” you versus having the Holy Spirit come “upon” you? What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1 NKJV). May we, like the 120 men and women in the Upper Room so long ago, be diligently and with one accord seeking and expecting the Holy Spirit to empower us to be His witnesses to our world in these last days (Acts 1:8)! Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/when-the-day-of-pentecost-had-fully-come-acts-18-24/

Chapter 25 begins with God’s instructions for constructing a tabernacle as a place of fellowship with Him under the terms of the Old Covenant, which the people have promised to obey. Pastor Kevin shows from both the Old and New Testament that the tabernacle and later, Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, comprised both a copy of heavenly things and a foreshadow of a New Covenant with Jesus as our Mediator. Less than 40 days after promising to worship God only, however, the people grow impatient for Moses to reappear from the Mt. Sinai and cry out to Aaron, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Exodus 32:1). Similarly, many believers today grow weary of waiting for Jesus to return. Pastor Kevin exhorts us to remember that our confidence is not in the world’s systems but in Jesus alone: “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-37). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/we-do-not-know-what-has-become-of-him-exodus-251-11-311-326/

In this final message of Pastor Kevin’s three-part teaching on God’s instructions for building the tabernacle, we see in Exodus 40 the final assembly of the tabernacle nearly one year after the Israelites departed from Egypt. Drawing from related passages in both the Old and New Testaments, Pastor Kevin shows how the tabernacle’s physical layout, as well as the purification ceremonies for preparing the tabernacle and priests for service, symbolized God’s way of access to Him through faith in His Son Jesus. Fifteen hundred years later, Jesus fulfilled every aspect of this typology through His virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death on Calvary, and resurrection. The tabernacle became the center of the Israelites worship for hundreds of years then eventually replaced by two temples in Jerusalem, both destroyed by invading armies. However, the Scriptures are clear that there will be a temple in Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period. Today’s headlines show that the Jews are nearly ready to build this third Temple and purify descendants of Levi as priests, indicators that we are quickly approaching the end of the Church Age. As we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection this year, may we be increasingly mindful that Jesus is returning soon! He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20 NKJV). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-jews-build-the-tabernacle-part-3-exodus-401-38/

In this Part 1 of Pastor Kevin’s two-part teaching on God’s instructions for building the tabernacle contained in Exodus 36 and 37, we look at the construction of the tabernacle itself and the Ark of the Covenant, Table of Showbread, the Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense, contained therein. Why should Christians today care about these detailed instructions for a building constructed more than 3,500 years ago, under the Old Testament? Pastor Kevin draws from other passages in both the Old and New Testament to show how every detail regarding the tabernacle pointed to Jesus and the New Covenant. “…who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5, NKJV). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-jews-build-the-tabernacle-part-1-exodus-361-3729/

In today’s passage, we overhear another conversation between God and Moses as Moses intercedes on behalf of the people after their idolatrous worship of the Golden Calf. What does it mean when Moses pleads with God, “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin — but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written" (Exodus 32:32)? Pastor Kevin shows how this could refer to God’s Book of Life and draws from other Scriptures about the Book of Life to explain what Moses means. We see how this conversation again demonstrates that God has and will keep all His promises to the Jewish people, despite their frequent rebellion and eventual rejection of Messiah Jesus. In the same way, God in His grace and mercy, keeps His promises to those who come to Him on His terms today, which is faith in Jesus. Though we too sometimes fail, He will never blot our name from His Book of Life. So, like Moses, we cry, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight” (Exodus 33:13)! Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/show-me-now-your-way-exodus-3230-3323/

In this Part 2 of Pastor Kevin’s three-part teaching on God’s instructions for building the tabernacle contained in Exodus 38 and 39, we look at the altar of burnt offering, the bronze laver, the curtains of the courtyard, and the priestly garments. Pastor Kevin draws from other passages in both the Old and New Testaments to show how these elements of the Old Testament system of worship reveal how sinful people must approach a holy God and how Jesus and the New Covenant fulfill every requirement for believers today. The symbolism in these Old Testament passages as revealed in the New testifies to the miraculous unity of the Scriptures, which can be explained only by acknowledging its divine inspiration. “Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did” (Exodus 39:32). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-jews-build-the-tabernacle-part-2-exodus-381-3943/

Exodus 34 concludes, “And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again…” (Exodus 34:35). Under the Old Covenant, though glorious, the veil was a necessary a barrier between a holy God, as reflected in the shining face of Moses after spending time in God’s presence, and sinful people. The Apostle Paul tells us that “the veil is taken away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14), because the superior glory of the New Covenant provides believers the imputed righteousness of Jesus and thus free access to God through faith. As a result, we, with unveiled faces, “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In Chapter 35, we have an introduction to the topic of the next several weeks, the building of the tabernacle. Pastor Kevin will show how the tabernacle and entire system of worship under the Old Covenant foreshadowed the Gospel and the believer’s relationship to God under the New Covenant. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-veil-is-taken-away-in-christ-exodus-3432-3535/

In our study today, Pastor Kevin expounds on additional laws governing life in ancient Israel, laws designed by God to help maintain a just and civil society preserve the Jews as His witness people and ultimately to be the people through whom Messiah Jesus would come. Laws addressed in today’s passage include those that helped protect women from male assault and society against the spread of sexual immorality. While the skeptic mocks the Bible, Pastor Kevin explains how these laws executed a system of justice that was far more fair, compassionate, and fiscally responsible than our own. Using contemporary examples, we see the horrific consequences to our lives, families, and society when we abandon them. No one can keep the Law perfectly. We praise God the Father for so loving us that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world so that by believing we can have life in His Name. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/you-shall-not-follow-a-crowd-to-do-evil-exodus-2216-233/ .

In Exodus 34, Moses again ascends Mt. Sinai with new tablets of stone, and God Himself writes on them “the words that were on the first tablets which you broke” (Exodus 34:1). God then renews the covenant with the Jewish people, proclaiming, “I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth… For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you” (Exodus 34:10). The very existence of the Jewish people 3,500 years later, living once again in the land that God promised them, testifies to God’s faithfulness, His awesome works on behalf of the Jewish people, and the truth of Scripture. Pastor Kevin exhorts us to remember that despite the wonder, wisdom, and uniqueness of God’s covenant with Israel, its greatness cannot compare with that of the New Covenant, under which all believers enter into personal fellowship with the LORD God who is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/it-is-an-awesome-thing-i-will-do-for-you-exodus-341-31

Pastor Kevin continues his exposition of laws governing life in ancient Israel. Today’s passage addresses practical applications of loving your neighbor; justice for the poor as well as the rich; bribery; protection of non-Jews living in or passing through Israel; the sabbath for the land; provision for the impoverished; the sabbath day; the three annual feasts for which every adult male was to travel to Jerusalem (and their typology relating to Jesus); reiteration of laws against idolatry and sexual immorality; and God’s command to drive out their pagan enemies from the land that He had given to the Jews: “You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you" (Exodus 23:32-33). We see how Israel’s failure to obey this command led to constant threats from their enemies to the current day. While the application of these laws in modern societies differ, the principles remain the same. Citing historical and more contemporary examples, Pastor Kevin illustrates how individuals, families, and societies suffer when we reject these laws and principles. With our own world increasingly rejecting all that is good (God and His laws/principles) and embracing all that is evil, we anticipate the soon complete disintegration of societies and ensuing chaos that will give rise to the prophesied one world government and global dictator, the Antichrist. Maranatha! Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/they-shall-not-dwell-in-your-land-exodus-2314-33/