Exodus 34

God loves to restore and renew – so Moses went up the Mountain to get two new tablets of stone. We have God’s words written on our hearts, not tablets of stone.

The glory cloud came down over Moses, who received a revelation of God’s character – “proclaimed the name of the Lord” – the nature of God given here is…

• Merciful
• Gracious
• Slow to anger
• Abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
• Forgiving iniquity and trangsression

Visiting inqiuity of the fathers on the generations is an interesting one – is this generational curses or are people responsible for their own sin only. In the 10 commandments,Ex 20:5 says “of those that hate me” – where each people who hate God of each generation are punished. Note the specific sin is idolatry too! These verses are about generations of Israelites who practiced idolatry and hated God! They are not about curses that go down generations at all!Looking for curses that are holding you back leads to a really fragile faith – causing us to step off the solid rock of Jesus and onto the shifting sand of circumstances. So stop it!

Proverbs 10

“Whoever winks with the eye causes trouble” Enough said!

John 13

Jesus is heading for the climax of the cross and resurrection. First he celebrates the passover meal and washes the disciples feet. Peter refuses this act of servanthood – until Jesus says he must! Interestingly he only needs his hands and feet washing! Coming to Christ is a bath that washes us clean, when we sin, we need to wash our hands – symbolically we never loose our salvation by sinning, and we are forgiven eternally – but repenting of sin is like washing your hands again!

Judas’ heart is rotten, he was already shown to be a thief and now Satan enters into him for the worst betrayal – Jesus.

Followers of Jesus are marked by their love for one another.

Ephesians 3

“In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is ‘mysterious’ is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different, however. Although still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open . . . More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God.” (Stott)

The mystery revealed is that Gentiles get to be part of the people of God! It’s a manifold or multi-coloured wisdom!

Paul prays that the believers would be rooted and grounded in love – “Two expressions are used: ‘rooted,’ like a living tree which lays hold upon the soil, twists itself round the rocks, and cannot be upturned: ‘grounded,’ like a building which has been settled, as a whole, and will never show any cracks or flaws in the future through failures in the foundation.” (Spurgeon)

Know the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love “In this measurement may you and I be skilled. If we know nothing of mathematics, may we be well-tutored scholars in this spiritual geometry, and be able to comprehend the breadths and lengths of Jesu’s precious love.” (Spurgeon)