On August 16, 2015, the adult Sunday School class reviewed Exodus 31:12 through 32:6.
In the last section of Exodus 31 the LORD gives Moses further commands regarding the Sabbath. The LORD had provided commandments regarding the Sabbath before in chapters 16, 20, and 23, but three additional issues are provided at this point. The first is that “above all” the Sabbath is to be kept during the construction of the tabernacle. The verses immediately preceding identified the artisans responsible for the construction, so here the LORD commands that there will be rest on the Sabbath. Second, these verses reveal that the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant and that its observance would result in increased knowledge of the LORD. Finally, for the first time a penalty is identified for failure to observe the Sabbath. That penalty was death.
We too are to rest on the Sabbath and engage in corporate worship and learn more on that occasion about the LORD through Bible study and worship. Fortunately the penalty of the civil law has been suspended (else our population would be greatly reduced). But the penalty highlights how serious the LORD considers faithful Sabbath observance even in our day.
For the New Testament church, the Sabbath is observed on Sunday recognizing that something equally important to creation rest has occurred: the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week.
Also reviewed were the opening verses of Chapter 32 which detail the Israelites’ impatience with the long time Moses was spending on the mountain and their resorting to the making of a golden calf. This and the consequences of their sin will be reviewed next week.–Chuck Cain
Listen to Sabbath Commands and the Golden Calf (Exodus 31:12-32:6) at mcopc.org.
Mid-Cities Presbyterian Church Library 
A Witness Unto Himself (John 8:13-20)
Jesus’ words are trustworthy and true. Because he came from the Father, he will safely lead sinners like us to the Father.
1. Fleshly Judgment—When Jesus speaks, he speaks his Father’s words. His testimony is true, for it simultaneously represents the testimony of the Father and the Son. The Pharisees judged according to human standards; in accordance with their sinful natures in opposition to the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t judge according to the flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit.
2. True Judgment—Because Jesus speaks his Father’s words, his testimony is necessarily true. If you really trusted that Jesus cannot lie, then you would never worry. Worry betrays your lack of trust that God will keep his promises. When we doubt the promises that God has made, we associate ourselves with the doubt of the Pharisees who made Jesus Christ out to be a liar in their skepticism.
3. The Truth Made Known—How does God make himself known to his creatures? If God did not condescend to us, we could not truly know him. He did not have to, but it is his nature to reveal himself to his creatures. If Jesus’ testimony is rejected, then there is no way of knowing God as revealed in creation. Jesus publicly shamed the Pharisees, but his hour had not yet come, so he was not arrested. Nothing happens to Jesus before the Father’s perfect timing. Healthy skepticism is necessary in the world. Much information out there is untrue, both in the world as well as in the church. We must know God’s word well enough to spot error when it is asserted. But skepticism is inappropriate when it comes to the Bible. Lay your doubts to rest. Jesus is the truth and the only way to the Father. He may be believed because he always tells the truth.
Listen to “A Witness Unto Himself” (John 8:13-20) at mcopc.org.
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