These chapters contain some of the Bible’s most difficult and misunderstood laws — laws about slavery, servants, foreigners, widows, debt, and justice. But beneath these case laws we discover something surprising: the heart of God for the vulnerable. In this sermon, we explore how these laws applied the Ten Commandments to everyday life in ancient Israel, how they restrained exploitation in a broken world, and how they ultimately point us to Jesus Christ — the One who became vulnerable himself to rescue sinners and make us reflect his heart in the world.

We were created for fellowship with a God whose presence we cannot endure. How can we — who are unholy because of sin — enter into the presence of a holy God? We’ll need a Mediator, who can represent God to us, and us to God; a Mediator who can make us fit for his presence.

Ephesians 2 shows that apart from Christ we are spiritually dead—enslaved to sin and separated from God—but in his great mercy, God has made us alive together with Christ. Through union with the risen Jesus, his death becomes our death and his life becomes our life, restoring us to God and securing an eternal future of his love. This salvation is entirely by grace: not something we earn but a gift we receive by faith. Because we are now alive in Christ, we don’t live for love anymore—we live from love, walking in the new life God has given us.

Because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, Christian hope is not wishful thinking but a present, powerful reality grounded in truth; like firstfruits guaranteeing the harvest, the resurrection assures us that what God has begun he will complete. This makes our hope reasonable (rooted in eyewitness history), powerful (freeing us from sin and giving us real ability to change through the risen Christ), and purposeful (ensuring that our labor, even in small and costly acts of faithfulness, is not in vain). In a world marked by brokenness and despair, the resurrection anchors our lives in a future that is already breaking into the present—giving us strength to repent, endure, and live with meaning, because Jesus is alive now and his victory over sin and death is certain.

Holy Week begins with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, while being hailed by many as the King, the son of David. The questions would should be asking ourselves are: What kind of King is he? And what kind of welcome have we given him? In this week’s sermon, we’ll see that Jesus is meek, and Jesus is not just able to save — but he wants to. King Jesus delights in saving you. That’s a king we can sing “Hosanna!” to.