This week we will be introducing our nine-week study on the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-31).
Cubits. Curtains. Cherubim. Goat hair. Ram skins. Onyx stones. Ephods. Lamp knobs. Golden rods.
What in the world are we supposed to do with all of this?
Exodus 25-31 reads more like a construction manual than a Bible story. It is easy to have your eyes roll back into your head as you try to understand what these chapters are talking about. Most people skim over these chapters and move on to other things.
But God spends one-third of the book of Exodus talking about the design and construction of the tabernacle. He spends 7x more chapters on the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 25-31, 35-40) than He does on the creation of the universe (Genesis 1-2)!
So the tabernacle is obviously important in God's eyes.
So what does the tabernacle teach us? And what does it have to do with our daily lives?
Over the next nine weeks we will dive into this section of Scripture and learn the meaning behind the tabernacle. The tabernacle teaches us about the heart of God and His unapproachable holiness. It also teaches us about God's redemptive plan and the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.
As we take this journey through the tabernacle, we will prepare our hearts to worship the One who came down from heaven and tabernacled among us (John 1:14).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the tabernacle! And we are His priests today!
May God open our eyes to understand His truth and empower our hearts to follow His Son!
Pick up volume 4 of our Exodus study guide this Sunday (or download it online at 516church.org/digitalresources). A donation of $5 will cover the cost of printing the study guide.

Welcome to the our 5:16 Podcast series: "Understanding the Ten Commandments."

This podcast is a ministry of Community Bible Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As we move through our Exodus series on Sunday mornings, we hope this podcast serves as a fun and helpful supplement alongside what's happening in the life of the church and aids you in diving deeper into each commandment.

In this episode, Pastor Steve Foster and Pastor Zach Benton discuss the 10th Commandment and review the series as a whole.

Guest Speaker Dr. Charles Dyer teaches on the rapture.

Pastor Bill Young teaches on Matthew 19:16-30

Welcome to the our 5:16 Podcast series: "Understanding the Ten Commandments."

This podcast is a ministry of Community Bible Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As we move through our Exodus series on Sunday mornings, we hope this podcast serves as a fun and helpful supplement alongside what's happening in the life of the church and aids you in diving deeper into each commandment.

In this episode, Pastor Steve Foster and Pastor Zach Benton discuss the 9th Commandment.

This week we will be exploring Exodus 24:1-18, Ratifying the Covenant.
The nation of Israel has heard God speak the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and Moses has received the additional laws and commands in the Book of the Covenant. Now it is time to ratify the covenant.
There are so many things which make Exodus 24 an amazing chapter.
Moses writes and reads these laws to the nation of Israel. This is the beginning of literacy and language among a whole nation of people. In fact, many scholars believe that Hebrew was the first alphabet in history. (And I agree!)
This is the beginning of the idea of the "consent of the governed." God reveals all of His laws and commands before inviting Israel into covenant. No king on earth at that time had done that. Yet, here is the God of the universe, the true King, inviting His people into covenant with Himself.
In this chapter, we also see one of the most interesting scenes in all of Scripture. The seventy elders of Israel, along with Moses and Aaron and Aaron's two sons, eat a covenant meal with God! It is a hard scene to imagine...and even harder to describe. But this covenant meal shows God's heart to dwell with His people.
And finally, Exodus 24 reminds us that we are pretty self-deluded when it comes to our own self-righteousness. After hearing all of God's commands and laws, the people say quite confidently, "All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient!"
And yet, before Moses even gets off the mountain, they had practically broken every one of God's laws!
And we are as self-willed as they were.
And that's why we all desperately need a Savior!
May God overwhelm us with His holiness and amaze us with His grace as we study His Word together!

Welcome to the our 5:16 Podcast series: "Understanding the Ten Commandments."

This podcast is a ministry of Community Bible Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As we move through our Exodus series on Sunday mornings, we hope this podcast serves as a fun and helpful supplement alongside what's happening in the life of the church and aids you in diving deeper into each commandment.

In this episode, Pastor Steve Foster and Pastor Zach Benton discuss the 7th Commandment.

This week we will be exploring Exodus 22:21-23:33, Living Out the Law's Priorities.
We will finish up the second half of the Book of the Covenant this week. And, as you saw last week, these are not always the easiest chapters to cover!
But the second half reminds us of some of the priorities of God's law. There are less laws about "if your ox gores someone..." and more about "You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child" (Exodus 22:22).
This gets to the heart of God's righteousness.
Bottom line, He calls us to love Him and to love our neighbor.
The Great Commandment shines through in these verses. We are even called to love our enemies, which is not just a New Testament command, but at the heart of God's abundant grace and mercy toward us.
There is a lot to cover in these chapters but I promise it won't be as long as last week...Lord willing 🙂!
May God open our eyes to understand His truth! May we be a people fed by His Word and led by His Spirit for His glory and our good!