“A Snake against the snakes” (Exodus 7:8–13)

“A Snake against the snakes” (Exodus 7:8–13)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, July 23, 2017
 
Exodus 7:8–13, NIV
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
 
God prepares his servants for skepticism and unbelief: He equips them with words and wonders (8–9).
God uses his obedient servants to display his power: He transforms creation and brings life out of death (10).
God’s plan is not thwarted by the threat of cheap imitations: He mocks the futility of man (11).
God demonstrates his supremacy over all authorities and powers: He conquers and defeats his foes. (12).
God utilizes the hard-heartedness and stubbornness of the unbelieving in the display of his greater glory: He hardens as he wills (13).

​“God’s Calling Renewed” (Exodus 6:28–7:7)

​“God’s Calling Renewed” (Exodus 6:28–7:7)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 16, 2017Exodus 6:28–7:7 NIV28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?” 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” 6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.Exodus 6:12–13 NIV12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” 13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.Exodus 4:10–17 NIV10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” 13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”1. The weakened confidence of God’s chosen deliverer (6:28–30).2. God’s gracious renewal of Moses’ commission (7:1–7).      a. Renewal of Moses’ and Aaron’s roles in the mission (1–2).      b. Reminder of the mission’s challenges (3–4a).      c. Reassurance of the mission’s ultimate success (4b–5).      d. Response to the mission’s mandate (6).      e. Removal of normal human limitations (7).Main Idea: When we are most discouraged, let us look to God to remind us of our purpose and mission and be reassured of his strength and victory.

“The Deliverer’s Family” (Exodus 6:13–27)

“The Deliverer’s Family” (Exodus 6:13–27)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, July 9, 2017
 
Exodus 6:13–27 (NIV)
13 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
14 These were the heads of their families:
The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.
These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.” 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.
 
The Lord uses ordinary people as a part of his redemptive story.
 
The Lord extends his grace to ordinary people.
 
The Lord often chooses an ordinary person out of an ordinary family to serve a larger role in his redemptive story.
 

“Moses’ Distress and God’s Assurance of Deliverance” (Exodus 5:22–6:13)

“Moses’ Distress and God’s Assurance of Deliverance” (Exodus 5:22–6:13)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 2, 2017Exodus 5:22–6:13 (NIV)             22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”             6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”             2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.             6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”             9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.             10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”             12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”             13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. 1. The Servant of the Lord Is in Distress over Apparent Failure of the Mission (5:22–23).
2. God Reassures His Servant that the Mission Will Ultimately Be Successful (6:1–13).            a. The mission will succeed because of the power of God (1).            b. The mission will succeed because of God’s zeal for the glory of his own name (2–3).Duane Garrett (247–248):Refrain          6:2c    I am YHWH.Stanza 1.1      6:3a    And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.                        6:3b    As El Shaddai.                        6:3c    But my name is YHWH.                        6:3d    Did I not make myself known to them?Stanza 1.2      6:4a    And also I set up my covenant with them,                        6:4b    To give them the land of Canaan,                        6:4c    The land of their sojourning,                        6:4d    In which they sojourned.Stanza 1.3      6:5a    And also I heard the groaning of the Israelites,                        6:5b    Whom the Egyptians were enslaving,                        6:5c    And I remembered my covenant.                        6:6a    Therefore, say to the IsraelitesRefrain          6:6b    I am YHWH.Stanza 2.1     6:6c    And I will bring you out from under the heavy labor of the Egyptians,                        6:6d   And I will deliver you from their service                        6:6e   And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm,                         6:6f    And with great judgments.Stanza 2.2     6:7a   And I will take you as my people                        6:7b   And I will be your God.                        6:7c   And you will know that I am YHWH your God,                        6:7d   Who brings you out from under the heavy labor of the Egyptians.Stanza 2.3     6:8a   And I will bring you to the land                        6:8b   That I lifted my hand [in an oath]                        6:8c    To give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,                        6:8d    And I will give it to you as a possession.Refrain          6:8e    I am YHWH.            c. The mission will succeed because God is faithful to his covenant promises (4).            d. The mission will succeed because God listens to the cries of his people in distress (5).            e. The mission will succeed because the Sovereign Lord has determined that it will (6–8).            f. The mission will succeed in spite of his people’s doubts, excuses, and complaints (9–13).Main Idea: In our service to Christ, we will face distressing times, failures, delays, and resistance from unbelievers, but we can be assured of the ultimate success of God’s mission. So, let us not delay or shrink back from participating in God’s gospel mission.

“Darkness before the Dawn”

“Darkness before the Dawn” (Exodus 5:10–21)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 25, 2017
 
Exodus 5:10–21 (NIV)
10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
 
The Deteriorating Conditions for God’s People (10–14).
 
Application: When the name of God is being proclaimed in an unbelieving world, God’s people may endure greater hardship and opposition from the world (10–14).
 
The Appeal to Pharaoh for Justice and His Rejection (15–18).
 
Application: Appealing to an unbelieving world for justice and mercy is often spurned and is instead met with hostility and slander (15–18).
 
The Blaming of God’s Servant-Leaders for Their Miserable Conditions (19–21).
 
Application: God’s people may be tempted to blame God or God’s servant-leaders when worldly opposition grows more hostile, but this response is near-sighted and misdirected.
 
“…someone who speaks the truth cannot be blamed when evil people respond to the truth with violence.” (Duane Garrett)
 
Main Idea: When the message of God becomes more unpopular and is met with more resistance from the world, the solution is not to blame God or his messengers or withdraw from our mission. The solution is to trust God, faithfully speak his message, and wait for his salvation.
 
 

Psalm 5

Psalm 5
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
 
1 Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6     you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
7 But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5, NIV)
 
Willem A. VanGemeren proposes the following structure for Psalm 5:1
 A.  Prayer for God's Justice (vv.1–3)
           B.  Affirmation of God's Hatred of Evil (vv.4–6)
                     C.  Hope in Fellowship With God (v.7)
A'. Prayer for God's Righteousness (v.8)
          B'. Affirmation of Evil (v.9)
                    C'. Hope in God's Righteousness (vv.10–12)
 
[1] Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991), 87. Unless otherwise indicated, all commentary is from VanGemeren.
 

“Who Is the LORD?”

“Who Is the LORD?” (Exodus 5:1–9)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 11, 2017
 
Exodus 5:1–9 (NIV)
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
 
The Lord’s Messengers Deliver His Word (1, 3).
 
The Lord’s Word Is Rejected by the Hard-Hearted (2, 4–5).
 
The Lord’s People Suffer Persecution at the Hands of the Hard-Hearted because of the Lord’s Word (6–9).
 
Main Idea (application): God’s messengers must boldly represent God and his Word to the world. We should not expect the world to immediately recognize the authority of God, and we should not be surprised by lack of initial success. But in the end, God will accomplish his purposes.

Psalm 4

Psalm 4
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? 
3 Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4, NIV)
 
1.  A prayer for relief and mercy (v. 1).
Answer me…hear my prayer.
Give me relief…
Have mercy on me…
2.  A call to fear the LORD and trust in Him (vv. 2–5).
Honor the LORD’s chosen servant: David, the King (vv. 2–3).
Fear the LORD and turn from sin (v. 4).
Worship the LORD and trust in Him (v. 5).
3.  A prayer for blessing and joy (vv. 6–7).
LORD, grant your grace and favor (v. 6).
LORD, grant joy (v. 7).
4.  An expression of personal trust in the LORD (v.8).
Peace in the midst of trouble…
Comes from firm confidence in the LORD.
 

“Back to Egypt”

“Back to Egypt” (Exodus 4:18–31)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 4, 2017
 
Exodus 4:18–31 (NIV)
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”
Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”
19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
27 The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.         28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.
29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
 
Receptive to Divine Guidance (18–20).
 
Reckoning with the Divine Plan (21–23).
 
Averting Divine Wrath (24–26).
 
Praising Divine Faithfulness (27–31).

“Here Am I, Send Someone Else” (Exodus 4:10–17)

“Here Am I, Send Someone Else” (Exodus 4:10–17)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, May 7, 2017
Exodus 4:10–17 (NIV)
10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
 1.    God powerfully overcomes our inabilities for the sake of his mission (10–12).2.    God graciously accommodates our weaknesses for the sake of his mission (13–17).
 

“See the Signs” (Exodus 4:1-9)

“See the Signs” (Exodus 4:1–9)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 23, 2017
 
Exodus 4:1–9 (NIV)
4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”
 
1.  The One True God Has Power over the Animal Kingdom (2–5).
 2.  The One True God Has Power over Human Life, both to Destroy and to Heal (6–7).
 3.  The One True God Has Power over the Forces of Nature (vv. 8–9).
 4.  The One True God Has Called His Servant and Invested Him with Power to Demonstrate that He is the Lord’s Representative (1, 5, 8).
 

“I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:7-22)

“I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:7–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 9, 2017
 
Exodus 3:7–22 (NIV)
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”
1. The God Who Is Compassionate (v. 7).2. The God Who Rescues (v. 8).3. The God Who Sends (vv. 9–10).4. The God Who Is Patient and Gracious (v. 11).5. The God Who Is Present (v. 12).6. The God Who IS (vv. 13–14).7. The God Who Remembers (vv. 15–17).8. The God Who Is Victorious (vv. 18–20).9. The God Who Transforms (vv. 21–22).

“Called by Fire” (Exodus 3:1-10)

“Called by Fire” (Exodus 3:1–10)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 2, 2017
 
Exodus 3:1–10 (NIV)
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
             1.  God brings Moses to his holy mountain (v. 1).
              2.  God appears to Moses in a holy fire (vv. 2–3).
              3.  God calls Moses on holy ground (vv. 4–6).
              4.  God reveals his holy compassion for his people (vv. 7–9).
              5.  God commissions Moses with a holy calling (v. 10).
 
Main Idea: God is a holy God, who summons his servants to fulfill a holy calling: rescuing those in bondage from their oppression to become God’s holy people for his glory.

“40 Years in the Wilderness” (Exodus 2:15-25)

“40 Years in the Wilderness” (Exodus 2:15–25)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 26, 2017
 
Exodus 2:15–25 (NIV)
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,  saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to act for justice in the right way.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to live as a stranger in a foreign land.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to lead people by first being tested for 40 years in the ability to lead sheep.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning that God never forgets his covenant promises, and will always act in keeping with those promises.
 

“In God’s Time and in God’s Way” (Exodus 2:11-15)

“In God’s Time and in God’s Way” (Exodus 2:11–15)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 19, 2017
 
Exodus 2:11–15 (NIV)
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
 1.  The unfolding of God’s plan often seems very slow to us (11).
 20 "At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family.  21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.  22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. (Acts 7:20-22, NIV)
 
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.  3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?  4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.  (Psalm 6:2-4, NIV)
 
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Gal. 4:4-5, NIV)
 
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40:28-31, NIV)
 2.  We must identify with our God and his covenant people, even if that means trading the pleasures of the world for the temporary sorrows of this life (11).
 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Heb. 11:24-26, NIV)
 3.  In our pursuit of God and his kingdom, let us not rashly rush ahead of God’s timing and pursue the right things in the wrong way (12–15).
 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. (Acts 7:25, NIV)

“The Birth of the Deliverer” (Exodus 2:1-10)

“The Birth of the Deliverer” (Exodus 2:1–10)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 12, 2017
 
Exodus 2:1–10 (NIV)
1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
 
God provides a deliverer for his people in bondage (2:1–2).
 
God protects and delivers the deliverer from death (2:3–4).
 
God providentially guides the deliverer to an unlikely caregiver (2:5–6).
 
God prepares the deliverer for his future mission in the palace of his people’s captors (7–10).
 
Main Idea: In God’s perfect providential timing, he accomplishes his redemptive purposes by raising up a deliverer for his people.

“Preservation through Persecution” (Exodus 1:8-22)

“Preservation through Persecution” (Exodus 1:8–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 5, 2017
 
Exodus 1:8–22 (NIV)
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
 
God’s people may face times when our kindness is repaid with ingratitude and jealous hostility (8–10).
 
God’s people may face times of intense trial and persecution (11, 13–14).
 
God’s people can be assured of his continued preservation through persecution (12).
 
God’s people must act wisely and courageously to honor God’s law, even when it defies man’s law (15–19).
 
God’s people who act faithfully and courageously will receive abundant blessing from the Lord (20–21).
 
God’s people may face the most intense suffering and persecution just before the Lord comes to their aid to deliver them (22, cf., 13–14).

“Multiplied Blessings” (Exodus 1:1-7)

“Multiplied Blessings” (Exodus 1:1–7)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 26, 2017
 
Exodus 1:1–7 (NIV)
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
 
The Lord is there even when you cannot see his presence, and he is working out his purposes.
 
The Lord does not forget his covenant people, even after the passing of many generations.
 
God abundantly blesses his covenant people beyond what they can imagine or expect.
 
God is faithful to his promises and fulfills them infallibly.
 
God is making a new people for himself by his grace, and he will use them to fulfill his original creation mandate to populate the earth and rule over it for his glory.

“Intended for Good”

“Intended for Good” (Genesis 50:15–26)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 19, 2017
 
Genesis 50:15–26 (NIV)
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23 and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. 
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
 
Fear of Retribution (15–18).
 
Assurance of Peace (19–21).

Peace flows from the heart of a person who understands his role in God’s sovereign plan.
Joseph acknowledged his place of humility.
He acknowledged his brothers’ sin and wrongdoing: you meant to harm me.
He acknowledged the sovereignty of God: God intended it for good.

 
Hope for the Future (22–26).
Enjoying the blessings of God during his life.
Looking to the future blessings of God.

 
Main Idea: Those who trust the Sovereign, Faithful God can live in confidence (not fear), can offer peace and reconciliation to others (not vengeance), and can look with hope and faith for the future.

“The Death of Jacob”

“The Death of Jacob” (Genesis 49:29–50:14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 12, 2017
 
Genesis 49:29–50:14 (NIV)
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.
12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
 
People of faith can end their lives with confidence for the future because of the sure promises of God.
 
People of faith conduct themselves with integrity, which causes others to respect them, including those who do not fear God.
 
People of faith honor the commitments and the promises they have made, even at great personal cost and sacrifice.
 
Main Idea: People of faith can live lives of integrity, garnering the respect of others, and they can keep their commitments at great personal cost and sacrifice, because their hopes are anchored to the future fulfillment of the promises of God.