Cross My Heart Ministry

Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
Exodus 28:30

As God continues to provide the blueprints for the Tabernacle to Moses, He also gives instructions for the priestly garments to be worn by Aaron and his sons who will serve. The “Urim and Thummim” are found only a handful of times in Scripture and they are first mentioned here in Exodus 28 as part of the wardrobe for the priests.

Their purpose was to assist Aaron in making decisions. Some commentators have suggested they could have been one black and one white stone – and whichever the priest pulled out would provide the answer. Others put forth the idea of special stones that might shine in just a certain special way to provide the sought-after answer.

But these are only possibilities and ideas – we cannot know for sure because God does not reveal it in the Scriptures.

What we do know is they were the means of making decisions. Perhaps you read that and think, “I would love to have a decision aid like the Urim and Thummin to pull out when I need it!”

Are there weighty decisions to be made in your life today? They may be financial, medical, relational, or vocational. Some are fairly straightforward – those times we know what we should do, but just keep dragging our feet because of the painful consequences or time required to walk in obedience. It’s not so much knowing what is right—it is the doing of it.

Other times, we just are confounded by the best course of action. What is the right thing to do in the situation? Where is that Urim and Thummim for the 21^st-Century believer?

We have something better than Urim and Thummim.

We have the Holy Spirit.

And rather than living over our heart (where Aaron kept his decision maker), we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit abiding within our hearts.

As followers of Christ, we can look to the Holy Spirit to provide illumination for the decisions we must make. We can also ask Him for the courage to follow through with the guidance He provides.

Would you pause now and ask the Holy Spirit to be your decision maker in the weighty decisions you are facing today?

When we see the American flag waving, it most likely fills us with a sense of thankfulness and a good kind of pride. We love our country. We are grateful for the freedoms, privileges, and great blessings that come with being born an American citizen.

The Flag is not America itself, but it represents America. Whether flying above a ship, being displayed by the gold medal winner on the Olympic podium, or being draped over the coffin of a deceased solider, the flag points to America. It identifies the country to whom the navy or the athlete or the deceased soldier belongs.

It’s elements point to something about our country:

• There are 50 stars – one for each state.
• There are 13 stripes – one for each of the original 13 colonies.

Even the colors have meaning:

• White suggests purity and innocence
• Red represents hardiness & valor
• Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.

All this symbolism points to America.

There is a great deal of symbolism in Exodus 25 and 26, where God provides blueprints for the construction of The Tabernacle: every single furnishing in the Tabernacle points to the person of Jesus Christ.

 You can follow the link below for a discussion of each of these elements and how each both points to Jesus and calls us to worship Jesus. (The remaining elements are covered in the next lesson. They also points to Jesus.)

Worship is why we are here – it’s the reason we were created. In heaven we will worship King Jesus. So, perhaps as we worship Him here on earth, our worship is a taste of heaven!

Hebrews 8:5 refers to the Tabernacle as “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” A shadow is not the real thing–it only represents it, or points to it.

Just like our flag is not America itself, but represents and points to our country.

When we see the flag, we are prompted to honor it by standing, placing our hands over our hearts, removing our hats. In essence we are honoring the country our flag represents.

Each element in the Tabernacle represents something about our Lord Jesus Christ. It prompts us to ask, “How have we honored Him in our daily lives? How do we worship Him?”

 We would be surprised and shocked and perhaps even angry if we witnessed someone refusing to stand for the singing of the national anthem or talking and laughing while the pledge of allegiance is recited.

But have we considered that sitting while others stand…or refusing to sing while others worship…talking or laughing while others worship….is dishonoring to Jesus?

We were created for worship.

Psalm 67:3 says:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us
…that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

 In quoting this passage, John Piper reminds us that worship is both the fuel and the goal of missions. Missions exist, he says, because worship doesn’t.

How does the Tabernacle – and all its elements – point you to Jesus and prompt you to worship and praise Jesus?

We were created for worship. And we will get to spend eternity worshipping Jesus. As we worship Him here, perhaps that’s a taste of heaven on earth.

The Tabernacle points to Jesus and calls us to worship. How are you being called to walk in worship today?

Here’s the link for the this week’s teaching lecture on Exodus 25 and 26:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-15-laura-macfarlan-1-22-15/

Exodus 20-24: The Law & the Danger of Living to Keep It

As we study the Ten Commandments and their amplification in the book of the Covenant, it’s good to pause and be reminded that the law was not given to save us, but to show us our need for a Savior. Paul says it well:

“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24

The law is like a mirror – revealing we are spiritual dirty and showing our need to be cleaned up. But it’s the kind of cleaning we cannot do for ourselves. We need Jesus. The law leads us to Jesus.

Before we knew Jesus, we were all law breakers. We lived devoted to doing it our way:

• If it feels good do it.
• You have to make your own happiness.
• YOLO – you only live once.

We’ve heard – and even been seduced by– the pop culture’s recipe for finding happiness.

As women of God we can intellectually reject that form of addiction to self and living a life of reckless abandon apart from God. We want to live to please God by obeying His commands. Our danger is not so much in rejecting the law as much as it is in being overly consumed with keeping the law. That is legalism. And it can be just as dangerous to our spiritual health as rejecting the law altogether.

In his book Jesus + Nothing = Everything, Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham, defines legalism this way:

“Legalism happens when what we need to do, not what Jesus has already done, becomes the end game.” Tullian Tchividjian

 Tchividjian warns us that our rules can become our substitute savior and keeping those rules our self-salvation project.

The law conveys God’s Holy and righteous requirements.
The law reveals that we are unable to keep those righteous requirements.
The law shows we are need of a Savior.

John Newton, the slave owner turned Christian and writer of Amazing Grace said it well:

“I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” John Newton

 That is the Gospel. And without the law, we would not see our need for it.

But our danger is not so much in rejecting the law (as those who are lost and apart from Christ), our danger is being consumed with keeping the law –being seduced to make it our idol. That’s legalism.

We were saved by the gospel. We were saved by grace. And it’s through the gospel and by grace that we can live victorious lives as women of God.

We were saved in Christ alone….and we must live in Christ alone. That’s grace. That’s the gospel.

 The woman of God finds hope, not in keeping the rules, but in Christ alone.

 You can follow the link below  for the complete teaching lecture for this week:

The 3Rs: Rules, Righteousness, and Rest

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-14-laura-macfarlan-1-15-15/

And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 19:10-12

God issued very specific instructions for the people to follow as they prepared to hear from Him at Mt. Sinai. The time of physical preparation – bathing, changing clothes, getting ready – created a sense of honor towards God. Bathing wasn’t something done often by desert travelers. But coming into God’s presence – even from a distance and if only to hear His voice – required a cleaning up to be ready. This day would be different from all those other days trudging through the desert.

You and I do that spiritually when we confess our sin and get clean before God. I John 1:9 says – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Getting clean before God brings such freedom! And how amazing that we only need confess. As we move on to study the laws for sacrifices, we will see that forgiveness was not so easy for the Israelites. Animals had to be slaughtered. Blood had to be collected and sprinkled. A priest had to be involved. But because Jesus became the “once and for all” sacrifice, getting clean for us is just a confession away.

Have you confessed to God today…or this week? Are you experiencing the fresh clean feeling of a spiritual bath that comes when you claim I John 1:9 –when you confess your sin and are purified from all unrighteousness? If you are feeling a sense of distance of separation from God, perhaps a time of confession and cleansing is in order.

Hearing from God in Exodus 19 also meant keeping a physical distance. Moses shared God’s clear instructions about keeping their distance from the mountain. There was a reverence and a respect cultivated by this barrier. And then the storm-like physical phenomenon when God descended. Surely, it must have been like witnessing a volcano erupting! There was smoke and fire and the mountain trembled.

Because of Jesus, we don’t have to keep our distance. We don’t have to wait for the mountain to tremble. We most likely will not see fire and smoke. But we know we are His. We can talk to the same God who descended on that mountain before the people.

Isn’t that extraordinary? I have coffee with Him every morning! I can approach Him. I can talk to Him. He loves me. The same God who entered into that covenant with the Israelites…knows me and He loves me!

We have access to Him in a way the Israelites could never have imagined. But to have that opportunity and fail to keep the appointment? Why? Are you standing God up? What could possibly be more important than spending time with our great God?

The woman of God can approach God because of Jesus.

And she DOES approach Him. What do you need to set aside to keep your daily appointment with Him? Good Morning America? Fox News? Live with Kelly and Michael? Re-runs of Matlock?

During this Thanksgiving week, perhaps we can all renew our thankfulness for the privilege of coming to God – having full access to Him – and then commit to exercise that privilege.

The audio for this week’s teaching lecture can be found here:
http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-11-exodus-chapter-19-laura-macfarlan-11-20-14/

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Exodus 15:23-24

The desert became a classroom for the Israelites in their journey to the Promised Land. God chose Moses as His professor and mouthpiece to teach them His truth. He sent tests to examine their faith and give them opportunity to behave they like they believed. This passage includes one of many tests the Israelites will be given in their desert classroom.

Desert travel would not be easy. Our text tells us the Israelites had traveled for three days without water. They are understandably thirsty. And when they finally find water, someone must have scooped it up, swallowed, and then spewed it out quickly –choking and grimacing, and declaring it bitter. Marah means “bitter,” so this place was called Marah for a reason.

Have you even gone through a bitter circumstance? Maybe you are living through one right now. Difficult journeys will come….the unexpected will reveal itself. We will all have Marah Moments as long as we live in this world. The question is – how do we respond to those Marah tests? Can we keep our wits about us long enough to see them as not only great physical challenges, but as great spiritual tests?

Our response to hardship reveals much about the depth of our faith.

The Israelites fail the test in the classroom called Marah. They respond in a human way to a spiritual challenge camouflaged as a physical challenge. They grumble and complain and they blame Moses. Long forgotten is the praise and worship of God three days before. (See Exodus 15:1-22).

But Moses passes the test. He cries out to God and God responds. God shows His power over the most common disease that will continue to plague the Israelites: bitterness. We see God’s loving provision as the bitter water is made sweet. We see God’s abundant grace as the next stop on their journey is Elim – where they find twelve springs and seventy palm trees. A place of blessing and rest and provision.

Will they remember the lesson learned at Marah? Will they be ready for the next pop quiz? Will they trust God when the next test comes?

What is your Marah moment? Are you surprised and taken off guard when life’s classroom brings something unexpected and bitter– like a student when the professor comes in and announces a pop quiz? As 21^st century believers living in the relative ease and comfort of the western world, it’s easy for us to adopt a spirit of entitlement– to think that because we follow God, life should be comfortable and easy.

But one of the blessings of growing older is that we come to realize that it’s the hard things in life that really hone us…teach us…and have us learning to lean into and onto our great God. We come to realize we are not here so much to be comfortable or even happy (although those things may or may not come)…but we are here to bring Him glory – to walk with yoy this journey of faith –to know Him and to make Him known.

He is so good and kind. He brings, as Mr. Wierbse (one of my favorite commentators) says, “enough blessings to encourage us…and enough burdens to humble us.” The question is, are we woman enough to accept both? Can we lift up praise to God for the blessings…and also cry out to God as we learn lessons in the burdens?

The woman of God cries out to God when life is bitter.

The audio for this week’s teaching lecture can be found here:  http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lessons-9-and-10-laura-macfarlan-11-13-14/

…He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:1-2

An experience like the parting of the Red Sea calls for – it demands – a pause in the journey to worship, acknowledge, to praise their deliverer – a time to stand in absolute of AWE of the magnificence of Almighty God, the El Shaddai – God Almighty. And that is exactly what the Israelites do. In verses 1 and 2 of Chapter 15, the Israelites sing with Moses and Miriam, “…I will exalt him.”

The Hebrew word for exalt means, “to rise, grow tall.” It’s not that God had gotten bigger– He is absolute. He is eternally majestic. Perhaps this means His people are finally beginning, as it says in Ephesians 3:18, “..to grasp how wide and long and high and deep..” is the love of God for them. They are in AWE of Him.

In verses 1 and 2, the Israelites exalt the Lord as they sing to Him. They praise Him as their strength and their song. What does it mean to EXALT God?

In his book, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” John Piper uses the analogy of a microscope and a telescope to illustrate what it means to magnify – or to exalt – God. One is wickedness and the other is worship, He says. A microscope is used to make something very tiny look bigger than it is, while a telescope makes something unimaginably huge and great able to be seen. In terms of worship, a microscope would be wickedness, but a telescope is worship.

Piper said, “We waste our lives when we do not pray and think and dream and plan and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life.”

We are here—placed on this planet – to make much of Him. To bring glory to Him. To let others see Him in us. How does my love for God reflect His greatness to others? Is my AWE of Him – my love for Him – evident to others? Is yours?

A heart that is full and grateful overflows in love, devotion, and praise.
A heart that is thankful expresses itself in gratefulness to our great God.
A heart that is filled with wonder and anticipation – praises God.

That’s what the song of Moses and Miriam is doing. And that’s what the song on our tongue and in our heart should be doing.

How might you push pause on life and praise Him today?

The woman of God exalts God.

Teaching lecture for Exodus 15:1-21 —
http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-8-laura-macfarlan-10-30-14/

“…They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
I Corinthians 10:1-2

 Exodus 14 concluded with the incredible miracle of God parting the Red Sea and delivering His people.

The Israelites have just seen God do the unimaginable for them, the undeserving.
They have witnessed the faithfulness of God to them, the unfaithful.
They have seen Him make a way…where there was no way.

Paul refers to the passing through the Red Sea as being “baptized into Moses.” When we hear the word baptism, we think water, but the Israelites went through on dry land. No water was involved in their baptism as they passed through.

This tells us that baptism is about more than getting wet – it’s about identification. An acknowledgment of authority. It’s about submission. The Israelites acknowledged the authority of Moses, as they submitted to his leadership and followed him through the Red Sea.

And when we choose to be baptized into Christ, we are choosing to do more than just get wet. We are immersed in Him. Identified in Him. We are choosing to identify with Christ – choosing to acknowledge his leadership and to be subject to him.

Hebrews 11:29 says, “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land…”

Belief prompted action for the Israelites. They chose to trust God and He delivered. You and I can do the same! Where is God calling you to lift up your foot, by faith, and step forward where He is leading?

What “Red Sea” moment are you facing? Will you call upon Him…and trust Him through it? You may not have all the answers, but you have Him. If you have placed your faith in Christ, you are identified with Him – baptized in Him!

Exodus is full of symbolism. God’s dealing with the Israelites as a nation points forward to our individual relationship with Him. As they passed through and were baptized into Moses, our baptism into Christ identifies us with Him.

Egypt is on the other side. They are now separated and protected from the bondage and slavery of their former life. And our identification with Christ has us eternally separated from the bondage our sin would bring. We are HIS! We can live FREE! We can live LOVED!

The woman of God, by faith, is identified with Jesus Christ.

Teaching lecture for Exodus 15:1-21 — http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-8-laura-macfarlan-10-30-14/

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea…
Exodus 13:17-18

We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but God’s route for leaving Egypt was to lead the people the LONG way around rather than the shortest.

The short route would have taken them through Philistine country. He chose to avoid this potential danger. God knew the people were weak-hearted, easily frightened, and lacking in resolve.

But He protected and redeemed them anyway.

He knew the first sign of struggle could have them scurrying right back to bondage in Egypt.

But He protected and redeemed them anyway.

He knew that the first struggle would find them completely forgetting about the many miracles that had led to their release from bondage.

But He redeemed them anyway!

Their weakness, fear, lack of conviction, and short memories would serve as a backdrop to make God’s glory shine brighter, His grace be all the more remarkable, and His love more unfathomable!

God saves, loves, and redeems the weak and the undeserving. That’s the Israelites…and that’s you and me, too.

God gave them the easy way because He knew they weren’t ready for the hard way …yet. He chose to protect them from the danger called the Philistines and lead them to a place where retreat will not be an option. A place where they would be completely hemmed in – the Red Sea in front and Pharaoh’s army behind. A place where they could only look up and look to Him.

God will faithfully lead and direct where they are to go. They begin to learn (and will need to re-learn) the lesson of trusting Him.

Are you trusting Him today? Are you re-learning to trust Him with your “Red Sea” moments? Is He calling you to, “Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

Audio teaching lecture for Lesson 7, Exodus 13-14, can be found here:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-7-laura-macfarlan-10-23-14/

When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
Exodus 12:23

The Passover of Exodus in the Old Testament clearly points forward to Jesus, our Passover lamb, in the New Testament.

The lamb had to die before its blood could be smeared on the doorposts of the Israelite home. The lamb of God, Jesus Christ, had to die for his blood to smear out our sin.

By an act of faith, the Israelites smeared blood on the top and sides of their door frame.

Exodus 12:50 says, All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Their faith led them to obediently follow God’s commands.  And their faith resulted in their salvation. They were set free from bondage. Their exodus to freedom is recorded in Exodus 12:51, And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt…

And on the very day that you by faith accept Jesus as your Passover lamb, allowing his blood to cover your sin, you will be set free spiritually just as the Israelites were set free physically.

Romans 8:1-2 says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Jesus is our Passover lamb.  Our exodus from bondage to sin is assured because of Jesus.  Have you, by faith, trusted in his shed blood to cover the doorposts of your heart?

By an act of faith, the Israelites believed God.  By an act of faith, we believe God.

Have you accepted, by faith, Jesus as your Passover Lamb?

Link to audio teaching lecture for Exodus 12: http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-6-laura-macfarlan-10-16-14/

I would love to go to Rome, to the Vatican City, and visit the Sistine Chapel where I would stand and look up and behold this fresco painting by Michelangelo in person.

This painting is called the Creation of Adam and it was painted around 1511–1512. It is part of a series of nine scenes illustrating the book of Genesis.

Next to the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, it is most likely the most famous work of art of all time.

There is much symbolism in this painting:

• God’s right hand extending out and Adam’s left – suggesting a mirror image– and illustrating the truth that God created man in His own image and likeness.
• God is clothed, while Adam is nude – symbolizing God is all sufficient and complete, while man begins as nothing and is on a journey.
• God, the creator and giver of life, points toward Adam. He is above Adam – not his equal.
• God is the Creator, Adam the created.

Michelangelo used a painting technique called fresco when he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Fresco is defined as painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. This method was chosen by artists because it was more permanent than painting on dry plaster. The finished product is not just on the wall, but becomes part of the wall.

The challenge, of course, is that the artist must work quickly – before the plaster dries and hardens. There is a finite amount of time. The artist must make his decisions and paint his strokes…tell his story…while the plaster is wet. Once it hardens, it cannot be changed.

Our lives on earth can be compared to wet plaster. We, too, have a finite amount of time to make our choices and our decisions before we breathe our last and the plaster of our life is set and our destiny for eternity is determined.

Throughout history every individual is given time to choose. The mighty Pharaoh himself was given his opportunity to decide. He allowed the plaster of his heart to harden towards God…and then it became too late. God gave Him over to his own choices.

If you are reading along with us this year, perhaps Exodus chapters 7-11 also finds you grappling with some hard questions as I am. Questions like:

• Did Pharaoh harden his own heart…or did God harden it for him?
• Why can God hold Pharaoh responsible for his hard heart…when the Scripture says God himself did the hardening in some instances?
• If God is sovereign and planned to free the Israelites, then why were the plagues even necessary?
• Pharaoh confessed his sin, but then hardened his heart – what, then, is real confession?

I pray that this week’s teaching lecture will help answer some of these questions for you. You can follow the link below.

I am also praying that you and I are spurred on to keep our hearts soft and pliable and teachable before God.

Our lives on earth are for a finite amount of time. We have a seemingly short opportunity to respond to the call of Christ — to repent and bow to Him. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…”

If you have not yet opened the door of your heart to Jesus, why not make today the day that you respond to Him.

Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Is your heart soft toward God? As a woman of God are you cooperating with God – allowing Him to paint your story as a part of His story…so that it is so adhered to Him that it cannot be separated? If you love Jesus, you are permanently and completely and forever His. You are a woman of God!

Here’s the link to the teaching lecture for Exodus 7-11 (Lesson 5 of our study):

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-5-laura-macfarlan-10-9-14/

Graphic attribution and background information on the painting:  Wikipedia.com