Summit Life with J.D. Greear

As we close our journey through the book of Exodus, we come to a seemingly anticlimactic ending—the construction of the tabernacle. You might think it strange, after all of the crescendos in the book, to end here. The burning bush, the 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, Moses meeting God on the mountain … and this is the happy ending? But as Pastor J.D. shows us, the tabernacle functioned as the center of the Israelites walk with God. Not only that, but through Jesus, it can enrich our daily time with God as well.

We tend to read the story of the Israelites making the golden calf and ask, “How could they?” But we fail to realize that what the Israelites were guilty of, idolatry, is the very thing that is behind all of our other sins. Today, Pastor J.D. shows us not only the danger of idolatry in our lives, but how we can escape it. Ultimately, what is bad news for those who reject Christ is actually good news for those who follow him: You become like what you worship.

In a secular, post-Christian society like the one we find ourselves living in, the Ten Commandments aren’t exactly popular. Cries to “live your own truth” threaten to drown out the absolute truth of God’s law. But how can we expect to love each other well without parameters for what that actually looks like in practice? Today, Pastor J.D. shows us how the Ten Commandments are designed to help us flourish, experiencing God’s creation as it was truly intended to be. True freedom, it turns out, isn’t found in the absence of God’s law, but in the embracing of it.

We all have an important role to play in the body of believers. This truth, though seemingly ingrained in us now, was something that God had to intentionally teach the Israelites. Today, Pastor J.D. takes us through three foundational lessons that God taught the Israelites about life in the redeemed community. In showing them that everything wasn’t meant to be centered around one leader, the people were ultimately better equipped to serve the needs of the community as a whole.

You aren’t likely to find many people who genuinely enjoy tests, but they certainly have a way of revealing where we are lacking in knowledge. Today, Pastor J.D. explains three tests that God walked the Israelites through after delivering them through the Red Sea. These tests, along with the lessons learned from them, were so fundamental that New Testament writers would later refer to them again and again. The truth is, we are no less forgetful than the Israelites, and like them, we need to be continually reminded of why God is always worthy of our trust.