In Exodus, the focus was on coming out of Egypt.  Numbers recorded the wandering in the desert between Egypt and the Promised Land.  Deuteronomy was preparation for entering the Promised Land.  In Joshua, we read of the fulfillment of God’s long-standing promise to give the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The corresponding call of the book is for God’s people to be faithful to keep his commandments.  Although the book ends on a pessimistic note about their ability to obey, it also points forward to another Joshua who would finish the work.

In Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of what is called the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses, we have three sermons that Moses gave to the people before his death and before the people were finally to enter the Promised Land: one focused on the past, one on the future, and one on the present. A summary of his message is: God loves you, so trust and obey him. Along the way, Moses touched on important themes that run through the whole Bible and find their fulfillment in Christ.

Who would have thought that a book called Numbers would contain interesting stories that are applicable to our lives today?  Actually, the Jews call the book In the Desert, which is not only a more engaging title but also more descriptive of the history the book records about the wanderings of the people of God in the desert between Egypt and the Promised Land.  The New Testament refers several times Numbers in order to point us to Christ and to call us to persevere in faith until we reach our Promised Land.  If you need some encouragement for the journey, it’s Numbers to the rescue!

While Leviticus makes for difficult reading for people today, it contains a simple message that everyone needs to learn: God is holy, so we may approach him only in the manner he determines. In the context of Leviticus, God determined that his people approach him through a holy priest offering a perfect sacrifice.  However, the fact that the people had to offer many sacrifices through many priests over many centuries indicated that none of the sacrifices finally took away their sins.  It turns out that the whole system was pointing forward to Jesus, the only truly holy priest who offered himself as the only perfect sacrifice.

We left off the story at the end of Genesis with Joseph’s coffin in Egypt and his words about God visiting his people in the future to bring them up from Egypt.  In Exodus, we pick up the story some generations later when the Hebrews found themselves enslaved and calling out to God for rescue.  He heard them and did indeed rescue them through the agency of a man named Moses.  However, things did not go smoothly in the aftermath, which points to the fact that this visitation was not the ultimate one.  Exodus points us forward to a greater visitation and a greater rescue.

In our new series, “Building Blocks for Life,” we began at the beginning, with Genesis, the book of beginnings.  This first book of the Bible records the beginnings of the universe, humanity, marriage, the family, the 7-day week, work, rest, sin, and redemption.  It also introduces the patriarchs whose lives shaped ancient biblical history.  In its story form, Genesis answers the big questions of life: “Who is God?  Who am I?  What is my purpose?  What’s wrong with the world?  What’s wrong with me?  Why do we all have to die?  Is there any hope for me?

For Easter Sunday, we reviewed Acts 2:22-36, part of the first Christian sermon ever preached, in order to discover what are the essential points of the Christian message.  We found that it is the announcement of events that happened, not instruction about commandments to keep.  In other words, it is good news, not good advice.

In Matthew 21:1-10, we read about what is traditionally called the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which set the stage for the events that rapidly developed over the final week of Jesus’ life on earth, because this event holds a key to understanding the events that unfolded after it.  In fact, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was the event that set the other ones in motion.

From Colossians 1:24-2:7, Dr. Jim Garretson explained the nature of the gospel ministry, applying lessons from Paul’s ministry to our situation at Florida Coast Church, reminding us to give thanks for faithful pastors, and calling us all to remain true to God’s purpose for the church in taking the gospel to others and building each other up in our faith.

We concluded our series with I Peter 5:1-14, in which Peter described the three ways in which God cares for his people: through the elders of the church, through the other members of the church, and directly.  The letter also ends where is began, with concepts that sum up the Christian faith and life: grace, love, peace.