common grace

God is so good! He gives humanity so much common grace. Listen to this encouraging episode today and be reminded anew of God's goodness to you. 

Sermon 42 in Series

Exodus 18:1-27

[1] Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. [2] Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, [3] along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), [4] and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). [5] Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. [6] And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” [7] Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. [8] Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. [9] And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

[10] Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. [11] Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” [12] And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

[13] The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. [14] When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” [15] And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; [16] when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” [17] Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. [18] You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. [19] Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, [20] and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. [21] Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. [22] And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. [23] If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

[24] So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. [25] Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. [26] And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. [27] Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   What is the background for the relationship between Moses and Jethro? What has happened since they last saw each other?
2.   Why does Jethro visit Moses? What does he learn when he arrives?
3.   How does Jethro respond to Moses’ report? What does it mean to say that we are like Jethro every time we read the Bible?
4.   What advice does Moses receive from his father-in-law? How do we know that it is given and received with God in view?
5.   How do the qualities listed in v. 21 help God’s people in cultivating and selecting leaders?
6.   What practical lessons can we glean from the giving and receiving of advice in this chapter? How does it call us away from folly and pride?

References: Deut 25:18; Exodus 2:16-22; 4:18, 24-26; Psalm 145:3-6; Exodus 12:12; Proverbs 12:15.

In the light of Matthew 7:23, "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you,'" guest speaker Pastor Doc Shell discusses three substitutes people make for salvation.

Dr. Tim Muehlhoff, Professor of Communication at Biola University, Codirector of The Winsome Conviction Project; and speaker and research consultant for the Center for Marriage and Relationships,  joined Brian and Aubrey to talk about his new book, “Eyes to See: Recognizing God's Common Grace in an Unsettled World.”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Nate Claiborne and Benjamin Kandt discuss a Christian approach to the field of psychology. Using the category of common grace, Christians are able to commend what is good, true, and beautiful in a field of study like psychology. Using the category of "antithesis," Christians are able to critique what is evil, false, and ugly in that same field. The error for many is to only do one or the other. Liberalism leans toward only seeing the good, fundamentalism leans toward only seeing the evil. With all this in mind, Ben explains what it would mean to "baptize" secular psychology.

This NAIDOC week Meredith Lake hands over the mic to guest presenter Brooke Prentis. Brooke is a Wakka Wakka woman who was born on Yidinji country, grew up mainly in Gubbi Gubbi country, but now lives on Gadigal land in Sydney. She's also an Aboriginal Christian leader and she shares about her journey of faith, the Aboriginal Christian leaders that inspire her, and what she's up to in her current role as CEO of Common Grace, a Christian movement in Australia.

Brooke is an Aboriginal Christian Leader from the Wakka Wakka peoples and CEO of Common Grace - an Australian Christian justice movement that exists to inspire and organise Australian Christians to think, speak and act like Jesus (and less like jerks) for a more just world!

Before stepping into the CEO role with Common Grace in Feb 2020 Brooke had been volunteering as their Aboriginal spokesperson and as the Coordinator of the Grasstree Gathering - which is a national, inter-denominational and non-denominational event which brings together emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders from across Australia and from across denominations and churches with a vision to celebrate, encourage, equip and inspire an emerging generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders.

Brooke works ecumenically; speaking on issues of Justice affecting Australia and sharing a message of Reconciliation as friendship.

Brooke has also co-written and written a number of theological papers over the last few years that have been presented in Australia and Internationally and is a founding board member of NAIITS Australia - an indigenous learning community - and is currently studying a Masters of Theology through NAIITS, in partnership with @whitley.college and the University of Divinity.

Brooke is a scholar of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture and a much sought after speaker and writer who is a community pastor and advocate with a vision "to build an Australia built on truth, justice, love and hope"...
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The Steeple Church Podcast is recorded on Wurundjeri land in the east suburbs of Naarm - that you will find on a map as Balwyn in Melbourne, Australia.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of these lands, the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and we pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Sovereignty was never ceded.

You can view the full Steeple Church Acknowledgement of Country here.
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If you would like to know more about Steeple Church or connect with us you can do so by checking out our website on-the-line at steeplechurch.com.au or by following us on all the socials...

Instagram
The Facebook
Youtube

.
The Steeple Church Podcast is recorded on Wurundjeri land in the east suburbs of Naarm - that you will find on a map as Balwyn in Melbourne, Australia.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of these lands, the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and we pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Sovereignty was never ceded.

You can view the full Steeple Church Acknowledgement of Country here.
.
.
If you would like to know more about Steeple Church or connect with us you can do so by checking out our website on-the-line at steeplechurch.com.au or by following us on all the socials...

Instagram
The Facebook
Youtube

“The Evangelical movement right now is like a cruise liner that has been hit by a bunch of torpedoes.” Political theologian Vincent Bacote wants to be part of a movement that not only proclaims good news, it performs good news. 

Stephen sits down with Vince to be schooled in the ways of the politician and theologian Abraham Kuyper. We find out what drew Vince, an evangelical African American academic and rock fan in the present age to Abraham, a Dutch Reformed prime minister of the Netherlands who died in 1920. Along the way the conversation takes in Calvinism, common grace, KISS and Iron Maiden. We ask: are elections the hinge of history? Can people of diametrically opposite views ever work together? 

Vince is the Associate Professor of Theology and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College. He is the author of several books on public theology and a signatory of Christians Against Trumpism.

You can find out more about him and his books HERE

You can become a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

The twenty-third sermon in a sermon series on Genesis 1-11, Genesis 9.1-17.