Logos #3

We picked back up with our study of the Bible with Pastor Anthony and Brother Larry this week.  In this study, they looked at the story of Abraham and his descendants leading up to Moses and the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.  Lots of great ideas presented here.  Let's dive in.

Faith and Obedience

There were two primary themes of this week's study: having real faith in God and His Word and true obedience to God and His Word.  In both the Abraham and Moses sections of the study, Larry Clark and Pastor Anthony Mangun drove home the idea that the faith and obedience of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the faith and obedience of others connected to them is what allowed them to establish and further God's covenant with His people.

Abraham showed faith and obedience by listening to the voice of God and taking his family into an unknown land.  He showed faith and obedience in God when he took his only son up to be sacrificed, knowing that God would return Isaac to him somehow.  Moses' mother showed faith when she set her son adrift in a basket, hoping for God to use him to deliver Israel from the hands of tyranny.   Moses exhibited faith when he abandoned the palace and teachings of Egypt to obediently lead a downtrodden people to the Promise Land. 

This shows us that it takes great actions, not just words, to prove our faith and obedience to God.  James said, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).  Just as Abraham stepped into the unknown and Moses mother set her son adrift on faith, we will have to step into the unknown and trust God to be there.  Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son and Moses sacrificed his crown, we must be willing to sacrifice things in our lives because God has asked.  Sometimes, God will stay our hand and provide a substitute.  Other times, he will accept our sacrifice and lead us into a greater calling.  Faith and obedience are needed to accomplish these things, and we will have to either choose to believe and act on the Word and God's leading or not.


Quick Notes and Quotes:

"If God be for you, who can be against you?  If God be against you, it doesn't matter who is for you."  Brother Larry on how God kept his hand on Joseph throughout his time in slavery and prison.

"We don't know what would have happened had they done it differently, but because they did it the way God told them to, they were spared."  Pastor Anthony on the Passover. 

Both Pastor and Brother Larry were passionate when it came to following God's plan and exhibiting faith beyond just words.  It was probably the most anointed that both of them had been during the entire series. 

Brother Larry talked about the act of circumcision and how it separated Abraham and his family from the world, but he also addressed that Abraham's name was changed as well.  He also shared a great scripture that offers us all the promise of Abraham by taking on the name of Jesus (Galatians 3:29)

Both Brother Larry and Pastor Anthony pointed out that Abraham was called to sacrifice his only son.  This shows that, while God blessed Ishmael, he was not considered by God to be a part of the covenant. 

Brother Larry pointed out that it took a lot of faith and obedience for Isaac to let his daddy sacrifice him. 

Joseph's mercy towards his brothers was triggered by seeing their change of heart when it came to Benjamin. 

We hope you enjoyed this week's review of LOGOS.  If you missed watching the lesson, you can watch it here.  There's also a handout you can download on the same page. Email us your thoughts on the lesson.  We look forward to hearing from you and further sharing our thoughts on LOGOS.

LOGOS: A Bible Study Experience Lesson 3