Exodus Archives - Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel

Kurt Steinbrueck February 28, 2020

Blog Death is Defeated, Exodus, fogiveness, freedom, Music, praise, Songs

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What’s Your Favorite Praise Song?

What's your favorite praise song?

“Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.” – Exodus 15:6

What is Your favorite song of praise to God?

This passage from Exodus is part of Moses’ song after God led His people out of Egypt through the Red Sea. God had just freed the people of Israel from slavery in a mighty and miraculous way. Moses recounts with great joy what God had done for them. It reminds me of A Mighty Fortress.

This passage can be ours as well.

God’s majestic power has freed us and destroyed our enemies, sin, death, and the devil. Jesus’s death and resurrection have won our salvation and defeated our enemies!

The enemy, now, has no power over you. Jesus has defeated Him. Praise the Lord!!

Almighty God,

You have defeated all my enemies. I fear no evil for my enemies have no power over me.

Amen.

What is your favorite song of praise? Take a few minutes to sing/listen to it and praise the Lord!

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck December 17, 2019

Blog Burning Bush, Calling, Exodus, God Equips Us, Moses

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God Calls Moses

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

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.”

-Exodus 3:11-12

Moses had a unique history. He was a Hebrew born in Egypt, but after he was born, in order to save his life, his mother sent him down a river in a basket which Pharaoh’s daughter found. She adopted Moses and he grew up in the palace. The first few years his own mother cared for him.

When he was grown, he saw an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew slave and killed the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Hebrews fighting and tries to stop them, but one says,

“Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Realizing people knew he killed someone he flees to Midian where he ends up meeting the daughters of a priest of Midian and saving their flock. He soon after marries one of those daughters, has children, and begins tending sheep for the priest.

All the while, the slavery for the Hebrews in Egypt was getting worse. Pharaoh was abusing them badly. So, God decides to free them from Pharaoh’s hand. He chooses Moses to lead the way.

The Burning Bush
One day, while tending the flock, Moses sees a bush burning but not being consumed. He goes to investigate and God speaks to Him through the burning bush. He is terrified. God tells him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let His (God’s) people go. So, Moses said, “Sure! Sounds like fun.”…not really. Moses wasn’t interested and begins coming up with excuses.

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
“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?”
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
“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.”

If that weren’t enough, when God patiently answers all of Moses’ excuses, Moses just flatly says what he’s really been thinking,

“Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Moses didn’t think he could do it and was probably afraid to go up against Pharaoh. None-the-less, God sends Him and through Moses God frees the Hebrews.

You really can’t blame Moses. That’s a scary task God sent Him on. We can look back and say,

“Geez, Moses, just trust God and go!”

However, how many times have we backed away from something God told us to do because we don’t feel qualified or are just plain afraid?

I’ve had a few conversations pretty similar to Moses’ conversation with God. “But God, I don’t know how.” “I’ve never done anything like that.” “No one is going to listen to me.” “Look, I don’t want to do it!!”

God shows Moses great patience in hearing and responding to his excuses. He also goes with Moses and does the heavy lifting. “Geez, Moses, just trust God and go” is little unfair, but it’s probably what we need to hear sometimes (except with your own name).

So, next time you think God is telling you to do something remember Moses. He didn’t feel qualified either. He was afraid, too. God still worked through him. He can work through You, too.

Sidenote:
Have you ever asked God for a sign? “God, if you really want me to do this, give me a sign.” I love the sign God says He’ll give Moses. “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.”

How about that for a sign? AFTER YOU HAVE DONE WHAT I ASKED, You’ll know it was Me who sent you because you will worship on this mountain.

Dear Jesus,

Open my mind and my heart that I would be willing to go where You send me and do what You ask. Thank You for being faithful so I know I can trust You to lead me through anything You send me to do.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 4, 2019

Blog believe, Christ, Exodus, god, jesus, liar, lies, trust, truth

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How Can I Believe You?

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16

We’ve all lied. I watched a TED Talk video by Kang Lee the other day about some research that was done on children and lying. They brought each child into a room and put two playing cards in front of them. They then told them that if they can guess the numbers on the cards correctly, they would win a big prize. Then, right before the adult had them guess, they gave an excuse and left the room for a few minutes. They left the cards lying on the table but told the kids not to look at the cards.

Would the child look?

Hidden cameras showed most did. However, that wasn’t the purpose of the research. They were researching lying. So, when the adult came back in the room, they asked the child if they peaked and waited to see if they confessed or if they lied.

What they found is that age played a big role, but sufficed to say, for children at least 4 years old, almost all lied.

People lie for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes they know they are doing something wrong and sometimes they think they are doing something good. (Have you lost weight?)

Lying can cause several problems. Some can be fixed rather easily by confessing the truth. One thing that is very difficult to fix is the loss of trust.

Have you ever known someone who lies regularly? You don’t know when to believe them. You come to a point where you doubt anything they say. It can be a very difficult and long process to recover from that.

God doesn’t lie.

The reason we can trust God and trust His Word is because He never lies. He never bends the truth. He never tells little white lies. He never lies. He always speaks the truth.

What an amazing gift that is! You can trust whatever Jesus says because He always speaks the truth. You can have faith in His promises because you know He will fulfill them. When He says you are forgiven, you know you are . When He says you are His child, you know you are. When He says He loves you, you know He does.

Amen!

Dear Jesus,

You always speak the truth. Thank you. Help me to trust what You say. Help me to trust Your promises.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

If you’d like to check out the Ted Talk, click here. It’s really interesting.

Kurt Steinbrueck April 2, 2019

Blog blog, catechism, Christ, Commandment, Exodus, god, jesus, Luther, lutheran, shall not steal, steal

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It’s Not Really Stealing, Right?

“You Shall Not Steal.” – Exodus 20:15

“What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.” – Luther’s Small Catechism

Most of us know that stealing is wrong. If we walked into a department store, we wouldn’t take a product off the shelf and just walk out. We wouldn’t walk into someone’s home and steal their wallet. If we did, we would at least recognize it’s wrong, even if we didn’t care it was.

However, there are many other ways to come into possession of someone else’s property that is just as dishonest but may not seem to us like stealing.

Just after college, I did several jobs as a temp worker. At one company, I was doing some monotonous work along with several other temp workers. It wasn’t fun but produced a paycheck. I didn’t really follow how much work the other temps were completing each day. I just did the work I was able to get done.

One day, one of the other temps came over to me and asked me to slow down. Confused, I asked him what he meant. He said I need to take it easy and take more breaks because that’s what the other temps were doing. By not doing that I was making them look bad. Also, since the work we were doing was a single project that would eventually be completed, by working quicker, the project would be done sooner and we’d be out of our jobs.

That other worker may not have realized it, but he was stealing. He had agreed to do a job for an hourly wage. It was expected that he would do his best, but by intentionally working slower and taking more breaks, he was making the job take longer. This would cost the company more money which would end up in his pocket.

Conversely, the principle behind this Commandment would not only have us working diligently but if we saw a way to make the work more efficient and thus benefit our employer, we should share that. We aren’t to simply not steal, but also to seek to help our neighbor protect and improve their property.

What I love about that last part is it takes our focus away from just following the letter of the Law and puts our focus on loving our neighbor. I don’t want to just not harm them, I want to help them.

This is what God does for us. He provides for us. We can trust that He will take care of us. So, we don’t need to steal and we can help.

Heavenly Father,

You provide food for the birds. How much more will You provide for us whom You love? Thank you. Help me to trust Your provision. Help me love my neighbor as You do.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 28, 2019

Blog adultery, catechism, Commandment, Exodus, marriage, purity, sex, temptation

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Do Not Commit Adultery

“You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14

“What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.” – Luther’s Small Catechism

I imagine this commandment has always been a challenge, but today it seems that challenge has reached new heights. Temptation seems to lurk around every corner, in every book and magazine, in every movie and song, and on the Internet. If that weren’t enough, provocative dress is the norm, sexual promiscuity is not only no longer shameful, but glorified in our culture, no sexual practice is taboo, and premarital sex is considered a “wise” way to see if a couple is compatible.

The great irony of our culture today is that it champions all this as sexual “liberty”, when in fact, it is actually slavery. Addictions run rampant among both men and women. Marriages and families are torn apart. Depression and loneliness are common. And human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, where it is estimated that 80% is related to sex. (find stats)

Sex, itself, isn’t bad. In fact, it’s good. God created it good. He commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. However, He also created it to be within certain boundaries, the bonds of a loving marriage between. When it is taken outside those bonds, it is not only sinful, but destructive. However, like all sin, when we obey God’s commands and avoid sexual sin, we find the loving and compassionate blessing that God intended.

Heavenly Father,

Today, the world is upside-down and inside-out when it comes to your gift of sex. Please protect me from the temptations that surround me everyday. Please forgive me for the times I gave into the temptations. Keep me from being influenced by false messages of our culture and may Your truth reign in my life.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 26, 2019

Blog catechism, Commandment, Exodus, god, harm, help, murder, physical, spiritual

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Thou Shalt Not Kill

“You shall not murder.” – Exodus 20:13

“What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in His body, but help and support him in every physical need.” – Luther’s Small Catechism

There is an idea among some Christians that seeks to separate the spiritual from the physical. They emphasize the spiritual affects and blessings of God and downplay the physical, even to the point of saying that we need to deny our physical selves, needs and wants, an only seek the spiritual.

God, however, created us as physical and spiritual beings. Both parts of our being need to be nurtured, cared for, and protected. We see this in the 5th Commandment where we are commanded to not harm others physically as well as care for and protect them.

We also see this in how God cared for Israel in the wilderness (manna, quail, water, their shoes didn’t wear out, etc.). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said not to worry about what you will eat and the clothes you wear, not because they aren’t important, but because God knows you need them and will provide them for you.

We are physical and spiritual beings. Both need to be protected. Both need to be nourished. Both need to be cared for. Let us seek this not only for ourselves, but for our neighbor as well.

Dear Jesus,

Help me not to worry about my physical needs and trust that you will care for me. Keep me from harming my neighbor and help me also to be your hands and feet so that I care for and protect the physical needs of my neighbor.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 21, 2019

Blog Ephesians, Exodus, first commandment, god, gratitude, honor, jesus, love, prayer, respect

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I Love You Mom and Dad

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12

God provides for us and cares for us and He typically does this through His creation. One of the best examples of this is parents. Through a child’s mother and father, God provides food and shelter. He gives comfort and nurturing. He teaches and admonishes. Because of this God has given parents a special place of honor.

As children (even adult children), we are to honor our parents. This means we are to love them, treat them with respect, listen to them, and obey them. This isn’t always easy, but it is good for us and for society. This honoring comes with a promise as Paul points out in Ephesians 6.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'” – Ephesians 6:1-3

There are both spiritual and earthly aspects of this blessing. On the one hand, God promises to bless us as we honor our parents. That is the spiritual aspect of the blessing.

We also see several practical earthly blessings. These include gaining wisdom for life, having an orderly society, and (hopefully) learning about Jesus and being raised in the faith as we grow up.

To be sure, parents aren’t perfect. Paul even recognizes this in Ephesians as he immediately follows the previous passage with, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Our parent’s sins can, at times, make it more difficult to honor them, but their sin doesn’t change the command for us to honor them. Yes, there may be times when we can’t fully obey them if they demand something against God’s Word, but we can still show love and respect and give forgiveness. That love, respect, and forgiveness can lead to opportunities for restored relationships and the opportunity to share Christ.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for my parents. Help me to love and honor them. Help me to forgive them when they sin.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 19, 2019

Blog blog, Exodus, Matthew, observe, rest, Sabbath

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Remember the Sabbath

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11

I remember a time back when I was in college when I had a major project due for one of my classes (music composition). It was the night before the project was due and I still had a lot of work to do. After I had been working on the project for several hours that night, I said to myself, “I need to rest.” So, I took a break and tried to get some sleep.

Unfortunately, the sleep wasn’t very restful. My mind knew I still had work to do. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I got up and finished the project. That afternoon, I came home and took a nap. Those were some of the best hours of sleep I ever had.

What was the difference?

The first time I tried to rest, it wasn’t very restful because there was unfinished business. The second time, everything was done.

On the first Sabbath, God rested. He had been creating for 6 days, had completed His work, and everything was “good.” This rest was more than just a break from the work. Everything was done. Everything was holy. There was a perfect relationship between God and His creation.

Then mankind sinned.

One way to look at the Bible is as a narrative of mankind getting back to that Sabbath rest. The Sabbath is not just about a break from work. It’s about having peace with God. That is true rest. Until we have peace with God it’s like trying to sleep when you still know there’s work to be done on a project. It’s not truly restful.

In Matthew 11 Jesus said,

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'” – Matthew 11:28-30

It is in Jesus that we find our true rest. He is our Sabbath. This is not just a rest from the work of our daily labors, but a rest from our supposed “works of righteousness” with which we may try to seek God’s favor.

Our works can never make us right with God. So, there is no rest if we trust in our works. However, Jesus work on the cross can. As we trust in His work, we can rest in true peace knowing the work has been completed and we are made right with God.

Hear the words of Hebrews 4.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10

This is why Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, when He defeated death and hell, and His work of redemption was completed. We gather together in worship to hear the Word of God which creates and strengthens our faith and gives us rest.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Your Son to die for us. We could never earn forgiveness. We could never have true peace and rest on our own. Thank you for giving us that true rest through Your Son, Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Exodus

What's your favorite praise song?

God Calls Moses

How Can I Believe You?

It’s Not Really Stealing, Right?

Do Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Kill

I Love You Mom and Dad

Remember the Sabbath

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL