Blog Archives - Hillcrest Church

1/31/2019

Leviticus 5-7

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I tell you what, after reading these chapters, I’m hungry for some BBQ! As the High Priest of Hillcrest I’m looking forward to all of you bringing your offerings because I’d like to have a little breast and right thigh for supper. I especially like the peace offering; because I get actual loaves of bread made with actual yeast…yumm, yeast! Seriously, have you been wondering what the point is for all the regulations and detailed instructions for these sacrifices? Don’t eat fat, half the grain in the AM and half in the PM, this animal for this and that animal for that, it all seems so strange.

Tell me what you think, but I suspect that the regulations have more to do with us than God. I think God might want his people to have to pay attention to these offerings and for them to dictate the way people do life. I don’t think that was supposed to change after Christ’s death (the final sacrifice). I think following Christ should be just as all encompassing. It should dictate the way we do life and the way we spend our time. It’s just my thought, what do you think?

1/30/2019

Exodus 40:17-38; Leviticus 1-4

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The purpose of all of these offerings was God providing a way for the people to demonstrate total dependence on him, and by offering various sacrifices, depicting a yielding life. Each offering was for a different reason.

The Burnt Offering was done when the person realized that they had sinned. When they realized it they went and performed the Burnt Offering…it was a choice that the sinner made. A bird was used for those that could not afford a larger animal.

The Grain Offering acknowledged God’s sovereignty over all things. It was a way to give back to God, a portion of a person’s labors.

The Peace Offering or sometimes called the Thank Offering, was not to appease God, but was done simply to seek God.

Sin Offerings were done on a regular basis to cover sins that we unintentionally done.

Obviously on this side of the resurrection, we now understand that Jesus is the sin offering. Think of what it would have been like to have all those ministries of the Tabernacle. Jesus covers it all.

-Pastor Doug

1/29/2019

Exodus 38:1-40:16

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As I said in an earlier post, the tabernacle is a physical illustration of heaven and a visual illustration of the coming Messiah as well as a visual illustration of the Christian life (how to be holy before God). If you want to understand Spiritual formation, it is lived out in the design and ministry of the Tabernacle.

1 Corinthians 6:19 states that we are the Tabernacle…God’s dwelling place
1 Peter 2:5, 9 state that we are part of the priesthood, the one belonging to Aaron in the text today.
Hebrews 10:19-25 is used to show a pattern of worship in the Tabernacle, prescribed by God.

There is something supernatural about this Tabernacle. It is an illustration of things we can hardly get our hands around. Following the plans and living in its pattern of ministry is a holy process. As you take time to study the Tabernacle you will discover more about the past, present and future of the God that made a way for you.

-Pastor Doug

1/28/2019

Exodus 35:30-37:29

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Of all the things said in the Old Testament, the one I’ve never heard is the one in Exodus 36:6, “Stop giving to the church project, we have more than enough!” (my paraphrase) Now there are two sides to this coin (no pun intended). The first side has to do with our giving. Since this is a blog and those of you reading it are going to be less offended, the truth is that giving is pitiful in the church today. The Church is doing only a small portion of what God desires it to do because the majoritie (not all) of people give out of excess and are more interested in financing their own comfort and lusts. If people gave the way God wants them to, the church could do so much more for the cause of Christ and the Gospel.

But there is another side of the coin. Most churches (not all) waste the gifts and are poor stewards of what they do get. Churches are just as guilty of financing their own comfort (buildings, coffee shops, etc) and lusts. If churches spent money the way God wants them to, the church could do so much more for the cause of Christ and the Gospel. So what kind of giver are you? What kind of Church do you belong to?

-Pastor Doug

1/27/2019

Exodus 33:1-35:29

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God didn’t want to “go” with the people because they were living in a way that didn’t acknowledge him as their God. He did not like their attitude towards him and as a result he did not want to go with them. Moses is an interesting character. He doesn’t always come across as honorable to me. It’s not in the text (unless you read into it) but Moses seems to whine and snivel. “Go with us” or “Let me see you”. God tolerates this guy and I’m not sure why. God even says that he looks favorably on him and knows him by name.

I’m a bit of a whiner myself. I’m not sure if God looks favorably on it, but I do want God’s blessing to be on his people. I want God to go with us and for people to see God’s power lived out through us. Don’t you want this in your life? Don’t you want God to work powerfully through you and in your family, so God gets the glory?

There seems to be a fine line between acting like Moses and acting like the people in this story. God looks favorably on one and wants to abandon the other. I guess I better keep my attitude and motives in check!

1/26/2019

Exodus 30-32

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When God is taking longer than you expected or longer than you want, to bring healing or redemption to a situation you care about, do you make a golden calf? I do. I have been known to force an issue or hurry something along because God seemed to be taking too long. Over the years I've learned to see it and address the issue. It’s a way of trusting in my own type of god, rater than the real God. Some of us don’t give because we worship the god of economic fear or material pleasure.

You can look at this golden calf many different ways, but the truth is that we all have a golden calf now and then. We make lies and justify its existence (it just popped out of the fire!). God wants us to trust and obey in his timing and his plan. It reminds me of the old hymn my grandfather used to sing to me. “Trust and obey for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”…sing it Lonnie!

-Pastor Doug

To hear the old time hymn, click below
Trust and Obey

1/25/2019

Exodus 28-29

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Two chapters on the dress and dedication of the priests. I've always wondered what would happen if I showed up on a Sunday in this garb...I'm sure I would get some strange looks to say the least. It is interesting that many pastors/priests still wear something to separate them from the congregation, something like this outfit that sets them apart (holy) from the group. I am not your priest and I do not need to be holy from you for we are a holy people together. Jesus is our priest and he is set apart. I am one of you. Now God has given me the gift and privilege to teach...but it could just have easily been you. there is nothing more holy or extra special about me.

The part of these chapters I like the best, as well as the part that has always intrigued me, is the Urim and Thummim. These are two stones that the priest used to determine God’s will. That is so cool! I seriously wish I had a set of those. I mean to toss some dice to see if God would give a yes or no…that would be awesome. The problem is I’m not your priest so I’ve got no magical dice. Jesus is our priest and he stands in the gap for us. He is the one who hears our prayers and mediates on our behalf. Now I don’t think he is up there tossing the Urim and Thummim around like a giant game of Yahtzee, but he is hearing and answering your prayers. Is it time to take a moment to talk to your priest today?

-Pastor Doug

1/24/2019

Exodus 25:10-27:21

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What a seriously precise set of instructions! The Tabernacle was no willy-nilly construction project; I mean it was way more in depth than the Coleman Family tent we bought at a garage sale that I spent 3 hours trying to set up with no instructions until I discovered we were missing a key support pole! A new life rule for me is to never buy a tent from a private party that I have not seen set up. Sorry, I got off track there. The thing is, if I felt that way about a small tent, how would Moses feel about a tent that was 150’ long and built as a house for God? The price tag would have been in the $10,000,000 range!

The cool thing about the Tabernacle is that is is a copy of something more substantial. The tabernacle is a model of heaven…it’s heaven on earth. It’s also a visual symbol of the life of faith. It shows us how to be righteous before God. Lastly, the image of Jesus is throughout the Tabernacle. When you study the Tabernacle, a whole new world opens up in the way you see God and our lives in relation to him. If you would like more on the Tabernacle, check out the teaching series we did on Exodus at the end of 2008, especially the message on 11/2/08 titled “Blueprints for God’s House”.

-Pastor Doug

1/23/2019

Exodus 21:22-25:9

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10 Laws and a ton of “regulations”. God is concerned with social justice and wanted to make sure the people knew how to treat one another. Here in these regulations is the message of doing good and owning up to the things you do wrong, intentionally or unintentionally. To care for the widows and orphans and if for no other reason, because God will strike you down if you don’t! But there is also the promises of protection and a land all their own. A land filled with people that God will drive out, little by little, until the people of Israel are large enough to take it.

God has his way of doing things and when we get onboard we find ourselves in the “right” place. When we push against it, it’s like trying to push against a locomotive. We get tired and God is unmoved. In fact if we push against him long enough, we get run over by the train. It is my challenge to live life in line with God, to care about what he cares about and to trust that he has a place for me on the journey.

-Pastor Doug

1/22/2019

Exodus 18:1-21-21

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The Ten Commandments were an interesting thing. They were God’s laws for his people. They were to guide life with him and life with each other. The first 4 related to God and the last 6 related to the community (though some see honoring father and mother as another God one, but I don’t really get that). God’s law’s for God’s people grew to 613 laws in the next few books, all smaller laws of these foundational laws. Each law was not supposed to be a limiter but a way of pointing and encouraging people to the opposite good we could do as God’s people. To not commit adultery is to honor and love your spouse.

I find it strange that we fight to have the Ten Commandments displayed all over the place, but the truth is that they are not displayed in the lives of many of the same people that fight to show them. Lay Leno did a funny Man on the Street a few years back and no one even knows the Ten Commandments. I think it’s great to display the Ten Commandments but only if they are there to remind a people who display them in their lives.

-Pastor Doug

About

This blog was originally written by Pastor Doug Bartel of Hillcrest Church, starting in Spring 2009. Keep that in mind if you read anything that doesn't quite add up to the time of year.

Come journey with us as we read through the Bible in a year. It is our desire to hear what God wants from us and to know his promises as well as warnings. Each day we will read a text and together we will share what we are learning and encourage one another to finish the goal!

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