Peoples Church | Fresno, Ca

Moses was taking the people of Israel on a little road trip. It was intended to be an eleven-day journey but ended up lasting 40 years. This period of time in their history is called the “Wilderness Wandering.” It was a time of testing (Deuteronomy 8:2) to reveal the disposition of the people of God. It was a time of humbling for them to cure them of self-reliance. It was a time of teaching (Deuteronomy 8:3) making sure they were reminded that we need more than food to keep us alive and thriving.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “First World problems?” It is when we complain about something inconvenient in our comfort-saturated world. It is a “problem” the rest of the world doesn’t have. Likewise, the Israelites should have been content with how God was providing supernaturally for them, yet, they weren’t. (All started with Adam and Eve, I guess. They had EVERYTHING and weren’t satisfied.)

Dale continued his overview of the Old Testament, Sunday’s message was from Leviticus. If you have ever read it through, you deserve a medal. It explains how God deals with our sin. It seems barbaric, yet there are some powerful things to understand why God doesn’t just forgive us and let us off the hook. The word Atonement was a key word in the message. The idea of covering for or paying for someone’s debt is a powerful idea.

We all have heirlooms in our family. Items that are exceptionally precious to us. The way we feel about heirlooms is how God feels about us. Pastor Dale talked about the Ten Commandments and the years leading up to their creation. It may surprise you to find some of the observations he has when it comes to Chapters 19 and 20 as it relates to why we should keep the Commandments.

One of the universal struggles of life is dealing with injustice – particularly when it happens directly to us. Dale continued his study in the book of Genesis. He is teaching from Genesis 37-50 today, the story of Jacob and his son Joseph who had to deal with more than his share of injustices.

Do you remember the times in your life when you ran into some random person you happen to meet, and find out you are connected to that person in numerous ways. The phrase we use at that moment is… “It’s a small world.” We use it to express how connected the human race is despite the size of the planet and population growth. An individual unknowingly infected with Ebola in West Africa can fly to America and eventually instill fear in an entire nation. We are more connected than we think.

Dale begins the series, "In With the Old".