Welcome to the sermon. Last week, we explored Moses's question, "Who am I?" Today, we tackle the other great question from the burning bush: "Who are you, God?" We're diving into Exodus 3 to explore the profound meaning behind the name God reveals for Himself—a name full of mystery and power, which is ultimately and most clearly revealed in the person of Jesus.

Scripture References

• Exodus 3:13-15: Moses asks for God's name, and God reveals Himself as "I AM WHO I AM."
• John 8:56-59: Jesus declares, "Before Abraham was, I AM," identifying Himself as Yahweh.
• Hebrews 12:29: "For our God is a consuming fire."
• Colossians 1:15-20: A description of Jesus as the supreme and exact image of the invisible God.

Key Points

1. Why Moses Asks for a Name

Moses wasn't just asking for a label. In a world of many gods, he needed more than a title; he was asking for God's character and power. He needed to understand who this God was so he could confidently lead the Israelites. It was a request for a deeper revelation of God's very nature.

2. The Mysterious Name: "I AM" (YHWH)

God's answer is a profound riddle: "I AM WHO I AM." This reveals His personal name, YHWH (often translated as "the LORD"), which points to His self-existence, His eternal and unchangeable nature, and His power as Creator. Like the burning bush itself, God's name is both inviting and holy—the fire draws us in with fascination but also warns us with its power. It's an invitation to spend a lifetime getting to know this mysterious, all-powerful God.

3. Jesus is the Answer to the Riddle

The mystery of God's name finds its ultimate answer in Jesus. In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly uses "I AM" statements ("I am the good shepherd," "I am the vine," etc.) and makes the staggering declaration, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). He wasn't just pointing to Yahweh; He was identifying Himself as Yahweh in the flesh. If the name YHWH was the introduction, Jesus is the full story.

Conclusion

The name of God, Yahweh, is not just an ancient fact; it's an invitation into a relationship with the self-existent, all-powerful Creator. Jesus is the final and clearest revelation of this name. He is Yahweh in the flesh, the perfect image of the invisible God, making the mysterious known. To truly know the great "I AM," we must know Jesus.

Calls to Action

1. Bow to Jesus: If you have never surrendered to Him, recognize Him today as the one true God, Yahweh in the flesh.
2. Ask for the Fire: If your faith has grown stagnant, pray for the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn away your boredom and fascinate you with God's presence anew.
3. Go Deeper: Move beyond knowing facts about God to pursuing an experiential relationship with God through Jesus.

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Welcome to the sermon. Today we're in Exodus 3 & 4, exploring one of life's most foundational questions: "Who am I?" Through Moses's encounter at the burning bush, we'll confront the shame and insecurity that so often writes our life's story. We'll see how God's answer to our feelings of inadequacy is profoundly different from the world's, shifting our focus from our weakness to His powerful presence.

Scripture References

• Exodus 3:1-14: The Burning Bush, God's call, and Moses's first question, "Who am I?"
• Exodus 4:1-17: Moses's excuses, God's provision of signs, and His promise of help.

Key Points

1. Unredeemed Shame Writes Our Story

Our behavior is rooted in what we believe about ourselves. While guilt says "I did something bad," shame says "I am bad." If this shame isn't redeemed, it becomes the author of our story, creating vows that dictate our actions. Moses was crippled by shame: he felt he belonged nowhere, was a failure rejected by everyone, was too old, and was disabled by a speech impediment. His shame was about to make him miss his destiny.

2. The World's Answer vs. God's Answer

How does God respond to Moses's crippling insecurity? Our culture—and even AI—advises self-reflection, validation, and positive reinforcement. The goal is self-love. God's approach is completely different. When Moses asks, "Who am I?", God doesn't list Moses's qualifications or tell him "You've got this." Instead, He gives a radically different answer that changes the entire equation: "I will be with you."

3. God's Presence is the Antidote to Pride

God's answer isn't a non-answer; it's the only answer. Focusing on ourselves leads to one of two places: pride ("I am adequate") or insecurity ("I am inadequate"). Both are forms of pride because they are self-obsessed. The way out is to stop looking inward, which leads to depression, and to look at God, which leads to rest. God's presence, not our adequacy, is the foundation for our calling.

Conclusion

God's promise, "I will be with you," is the definitive answer to our deepest insecurities. He doesn't call the adequate; He makes Himself present to the inadequate. Even God's anger at Moses's final excuse was the protective love of a Father, angry for him, not wanting him to miss his destiny. God wants to take the pen from the hand of your shame and become the true Author of your story.

Calls to Action

1. Identify the Script: Recognize where shame, rather than God's truth, is writing the script for your life.
2. Shift Your Focus: When you feel inadequate, intentionally shift your question from "Who am I?" to "Who is the God that is with me?"
3. Rest in His Presence: Stop striving to become adequate. Instead, receive the promise that He is with you as your all-sufficient help.

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Welcome to the sermon. Today we're in Exodus chapter two. We often think of the Exodus as a "movement of the people," but it's not an uprising. The people are stuck. This is a move of God. He is the one who steps in to rescue the oppressed. As we study the life of Moses, remember this: God will do something in you before He does something through you. Moses's life is a mini-exodus that sets the pattern for the entire nation.
Scripture References

• Exodus 2: The birth, rescue, failure, and flight of Moses.
• Acts 7:21-22: Describes Moses's education and power in Egypt.
• Hebrews 11:24-26: Explains Moses's faith in choosing to identify with God's people.
• Song of Songs 8:5: "Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?"

Key Points

1. God Delivers the Deliverer

Against the dark backdrop of infanticide, God sovereignly rescues Moses. His mother places him in a basket—described by the Hebrew word for "ark"—and he is saved through the very waters meant for judgment. In an incredible twist, the Pharaoh who ordered Moses's death ends up paying for his upbringing. God was preparing a deliverer right under the nose of the enemy. This is a move of God, not of people.

2. God Gets Egypt Out of Moses

Moses, mighty in the wisdom and power of Egypt, tries to be a deliverer in his own strength. He murders an Egyptian, only to be rejected by his own people. This failure teaches a crucial lesson: our own strength, status, and timing are not enough. God led Moses out of Egypt and into the wilderness to get the pride and self-reliance of Egypt out of him.

3. The Wilderness Teaches Dependence

The wilderness is where we learn the prayer, "He must become more, and I must become less." For 40 years, the prince of Egypt became a humble shepherd. The wilderness is where God strips away what we lean on so that we come out leaning only on Him. He uses these mundane, difficult seasons to prepare us for what's next.

Conclusion

Moses's story points to Jesus, the greater Deliverer. Moses saw his people's suffering; God saw and knew. Moses identified with his people at great cost; Jesus identified with us by leaving heaven. God's goal is not just to get you out of bondage, but to bring you to Himself. He is leading a cosmic exodus to rescue you from sin and bring you into a covenant relationship with Him.

Calls to Action

1. Embrace God's Sovereignty: Recognize that your salvation and deliverance are a move of God, not your own works.
2. Trust the Process: Allow God to work in you, even in frustrating seasons of preparation, before you expect Him to work through you.
3. Lean on Him: In your wilderness, ask God what props you're leaning on and learn to lean on Him alone.

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Welcome to our first sermon diving deep into the text of Exodus! Today, we're in chapter one, asking the right questions to unlock its meaning. We'll explore why Israel is in Egypt, why the mighty Pharaoh is unnamed, and how two overlooked midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, become the unlikely heroes of the story.
Scripture References

• Exodus 1: The enslavement of Israel in Egypt.
• Genesis 12:1-3: God’s promise to make a great nation from Abraham.
• Genesis 46:3-4: God’s command for Jacob (Israel) to go to Egypt, promising to be with him.
• Genesis 1:28: The creation mandate to "be fruitful and multiply."
• Genesis 3:1, 15: The "shrewd" serpent and the promise that the woman's offspring would crush its head.

Key Points

1. Israel in Egypt: An Act of Obedience

The book of Exodus starts like a sequel, connecting directly to Genesis. The Israelites are in Egypt not by mistake, but because God led them there during a famine, promising to be with them. This is a crucial reminder: following God often leads us into hard places, not just easy ones.

2. The Unnamed Pharaoh: A Symbol of Evil

Pharaoh is left unnamed for three reasons:

• It’s an insult: "May his name be forgotten," while the Hebrew midwives are named forever.
• He’s a symbol: He represents the oppressive evil of every empire built on exploitation.
• He's the serpent: He acts "shrewdly" (the same word used for the serpent in Genesis 3) against God's people, who are fulfilling the Genesis 1 mandate to be "fruitful and multiply." This is a cosmic battle, not just a political one.

3. The Midwives: A Blueprint for Greatness

Shiphrah and Puah are the heroes because they show us what true greatness looks like in God's kingdom. They were servants to the servants, yet their actions changed history.

Conclusion

True greatness isn't found in power, status, or worldly authority like Pharaoh's. It's found in the quiet, courageous faith of the overlooked. The midwives feared God more than the most powerful man on earth, and that reverence produced a fearlessness that allowed them to defy evil, serve others, and suffer well. Their legacy is a testament that God esteems the humble and uses the seemingly weak to overthrow the proud.

Calls to Action

1. Serve the Servants: Look for opportunities to serve those who are overlooked. Greatness starts with humility.
2. Fear God, Not Man: Let a holy reverence for God be the driving force that frees you from the fear of human opinion or authority.
3. Practice Righteous Resistance: When instructed to do evil, practice civil disobedience for the sake of others, not for personal gain.
4. Abandon "If/Then" Thinking: Don't wait for perfect circumstances to be obedient. Serve, give, and act now, right where you are.
5. Suffer Well: When God feels distant, don't let your reverence for Him fade. Trust Him even when deliverance seems far away.

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Welcome to the sermon! We're continuing our study of Exodus, seeing it as the key pattern for our lives and all of Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Renewal. Today’s point is simple: you can't truly understand Jesus without understanding Exodus. It's the backdrop for His entire life and ministry.

Scripture References

• 1 Corinthians 10:1-11: The Exodus story was written as an example and warning for us.
• Luke 24:27: Jesus explained how all Scriptures, starting with Moses, pointed to Him.
• John 5:39: The Scriptures testify about Jesus.
• Jude 5: It was Jesus who saved a people out of the land of Egypt.
• Hebrews 3:1-6: Jesus is the greater Moses, a son over God’s house.
• Matthew 17:1-8: Jesus discusses His "exodus" (departure) at the Transfiguration.

Key Points

1. Jesus' "Cameos" in the Old Testament

Like a director making a cameo in their own film, Jesus appears throughout the Old Testament. We should read it looking for Him through:

• Prophecies: Predictions of His coming.
• Progenies: Genealogies that point to His arrival.
• Prefiguring: Types and symbols, like the Passover lamb or the manna from heaven.
• Personal Appearances: Pre-incarnate appearances like the "angel of the Lord" who accepts worship.

2. Jesus is the Greater Moses

Jesus’s life recapitulates and fulfills the Exodus story.

• His Birth: Like Moses, born under a tyrannical king slaughtering infants.
• His Baptism: Passed through water (baptism) and was tested in the wilderness, succeeding where Israel failed.
• His Teaching: Delivered the New Covenant ethics (Sermon on the Mount) from a mountain, just as Moses delivered the Law from a mountain.
• His Death: Crucified during Passover week as the ultimate, perfect Lamb of God.

Conclusion

Jesus is leading a new, cosmic Exodus right now. This is a present-tense reality. He is making a way out of our bondage to the cosmic pharaohs of Satan, sin, and death. The way out is not a plan, but a Person. Jesus declared, "I am the Way," and He is leading His people into freedom and new life.

Calls to Action

1. Follow the Leader: Recognize Jesus as the one leading you out of bondage.
2. Join the Migration: Choose to leave the kingdom of darkness for the kingdom of light.
3. Come to the Table: Participate in communion to celebrate your part in this new Exodus.
4. Receive Prayer: If you feel stuck, humbly ask for prayer.

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Intro
Good morning! Today we want to introduce our new series: a deep dive into the Book of Exodus. Just as songs like Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" or Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" borrow from earlier melodies, the Bible has a recurring melody line: the Exodus story. It’s a deliverance archetype that influences the entire biblical narrative, from Genesis to Revelation, making it essential to understand.
Scripture References
Exodus (all of it), Deuteronomy 31:9, Numbers 12:3, Luke 24:25-27, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, John 1:14, Matthew 10:28-29, John 20:21
Key Points

• Exodus is the Bible's Foundational Story:
  • An Archetype for Deliverance: The Exodus story—God’s rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt—is a pattern for every major story of deliverance and redemption in the Bible. It's not just a standalone account but the source material for the whole biblical symphony.
  • Jesus's Exodus: You cannot understand Jesus without knowing Exodus. His baptism, wilderness temptation, teaching on a mountain, and death during Passover are all intentional echoes of the Exodus narrative.
  • Re-hitching the Testaments: We must reject the heresy of Marcionism, which separates the Old and New Testaments. Understanding Exodus provides the context that makes the New Testament "technicolor" and helps us appreciate God's holiness and love.
• Seven Goals for the Series:
  1. See Exodus Echoes: Recognize the themes of creation, bondage, redemption, and renewal woven throughout the Bible.
  2. Re-hitch the Testaments: Grasp that the Old Testament is essential to understanding Jesus and our faith.
  3. Understand the Sacraments: See baptism as a re-enactment of the Red Sea crossing and communion as a memorial of the Passover Lamb.
  4. Grasp the Law's Missionary Heart: Understand that God gave the law not as a set of arbitrary rules but as a distinct way of life to showcase His wisdom to the nations.
  5. Grasp God's Holiness: Appreciate the profound privilege of God's presence dwelling in us.
  6. Find True Freedom: Recognize that true liberation isn't found in a life without a master but in a "blessed bondage" to God. Like a fish in water or a train on tracks, our freedom is found in our created purpose: to worship Him.
  7. Find Yourself in the Story: The story of Israel's journey is an example and warning for us (1 Cor 10:11). Just as they were led from slavery to a wilderness, we have been delivered from the dominion of darkness into this life. We must learn to trust God through its trials, not mistaking the wilderness for the promised land.

Conclusion

The Exodus story is our story. We were once enslaved to sin and death, but have been delivered by Jesus into the "wilderness" of this life. Though the journey may feel like it takes 40 years instead of 11 days, we have hope for the Promised Land.

Calls to Action

• Find Yourself: Ask God to reveal where you are in the Exodus story this week.
• Trust: Pray for a heart to trust God in the "wilderness" of your current life.
• Worship: As we continue our worship, let's sing about our chains being broken, recognizing that our ultimate freedom is found in Jesus.

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AI, Technology, and The Church

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Watch the video of this entire conversation here

Welcome to a thought-provoking conversation on the Radiant Church Podcast, where we explore the intersection of faith and technology. In this episode, host Eric Riley and his guests — David Janssen (Data Analytics Coordinator), Matt Flummer (Philosophy Professor), Tim Harms (Pastor & Business Owner), and Glenn Power (Teacher & Bible Scholar) — tackle the profound questions posed by the rise of artificial intelligence.

We'll define key terms like AI, AGI, and Large Language Models, and separate the hype from the reality. More than just a tech discussion, this episode brings the conversation back to the foundations of our faith, exploring what the Bible says about humanity, sin, and technology.

Key Discussion Points

• Understanding AI: The team breaks down what AI is, from its simplest form as predictive text to the complex models that power today's chatbots like ChatGPT.
• AI's Promise and Peril: The conversation dives into the "gospel of AI," exploring its promises of progress, utopia, and even immortality, and contrasting this with the biblical narrative of creation and human nature.
• Biblical Foundation: We turn to scripture, including Genesis 1-3 and the Tower of Babel, to understand our identity as humans created in God's image and our inherent desire to be "like God." The discussion highlights the importance of trusting God over human inventions.
• The Cost of Convenience: The podcast explores the hidden costs of AI, from the environmental impact of data centers to the ethical implications of data scraping and the human toll on those who train these models.
• Faithful Living in the AI Age: The episode concludes with a practical call to action, offering insights on how Christians can live wisely, discern the spiritual implications of technology, and draw a line between using technology for good and trusting in it for salvation.

Resources & Recommendations

• The Life We're Looking For by Andy Crouch
• The AI Revolution by John Lennox
• The Convivial Society Substack by L.M. Sacasas
• Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth
• Made for People by Justin Whitmel Early

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Intro

Good morning! My name is Ken, and I serve as one of the elders here. I haven’t delivered a sermon in nine years, but I’ve been serving in ministry the whole time—from pastoring to managing a condo complex. I’ve wondered if my work was spiritually significant, a feeling many of us share. Today, we'll explore the big idea that God desires to be glorified in our work, no matter where we are.

Scripture References

Proverbs 8:22, Proverbs 3:19-20, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:17-19, Proverbs 26:13, Proverbs 6:6-11, Colossians 3:23, Romans 12:11, Ephesians 4:28, Proverbs 22:29, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 16:3, Ephesians 2:8-9

Key Points

• Work is Divine and Human:
  • God is a worker. Creation is the result of His masterful, intelligent design (Prov 3:19-20). He works wisely, and so should we.
  • Humans are made to work. God put man in the Garden "to tend and keep it" (Gen 2:15). He infused in us a yearning to explore, create, and develop. We find purpose and provision through labor.
• The Fall and the Two Dangers:
  • Sin cursed the ground, making work toilsome (Gen 3:17-19). This led to two extremes: laziness and workaholism.
  • Laziness makes excuses ("There's a lion in the road!" Prov 26:13).
  • Workaholism makes work an idol and our identity. We trade our souls for success, but our true identity is as God's child, regardless of our job title.
• Four Characteristics of Working Wisely:
  1. Work by Faith: Do everything "as unto the Lord," your unseen supervisor (Col 3:23).
  2. Work Diligently: Like the ant, don't be a sluggard (Prov 6:6). God has provided what you need, so go get it. Everyone must participate.
  3. Work for the Colony: Ants have two stomachs: one for themselves, and a second to bring food back for the colony. Work not only to nourish yourself but also to have something "to give to him who has need" (Eph 4:28).
  4. Work with Excellence: Do your work well, not just heartily (Prov 22:29). Whether you're a CEO or a burger flipper, strive for excellence because you are working for God, not men.
• The Pulpit of Your Work:
  • My own experience as a pastor-turned-drywall-worker taught me this: "That job is your pulpit." We can minister in whatever "garden" God has placed us in. When we commit our work to the Lord, our thoughts and purpose become established.
  • Joseph is a model for working diligently and with excellence, even in the worst circumstances. God vindicated him and promoted him from prison to the palace because he stayed faithful.

Conclusion

What if reaching the world was as simple as going to work? We can glorify God in our everyday jobs and minister to those around us. This is a sacred calling.

Calls to Action

• Commit your work to the Lord: Today, pray and put your job in His hands. Ask Him to change your thoughts and perspective.
• Do a self-check: Where is your identity? In your title or in Christ?
• Receive the Gift of Grace: We cannot earn salvation through our work; it is a gift from God. Come to the communion table and receive the gift Jesus has prepared.

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