Sermon B-Sides - Coram Deo Church

After God delivers his people from Egypt, he teaches them to rely on him as their Father by providing food and water in the wilderness. In chapter 17, the people grumble because they are without water again. This time, God provides water by instructing Moses to strike the "Rock of Horeb" with his staff. After this, God's people enter their first military conflict, but the way they win is through M...

The Exodus isn't just about delivering the Hebrews from slavery to the tyrant Pharaoh; it's also about delivering God's people from the tyranny of sin. This is why the story doesn't end after the slaves are free from Egypt. They are then brought into the wilderness where God reveals their sinful grumbling through testing. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how...

When God's people are finally delivered from their Egyptian enemies, they respond by singing a song of praise. They praise God for bringing judgment on the Egyptians, for casting the horse and rider in the sea, and for establishing his people. It is not the kind of worship song that most evangelical churches are used to today. Why is that? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor R...

The Red Sea crossing is one of the most celebrated acts of God's deliverance in the entire Bible. In an epic way, God saves his people from slavery by crushing the final threat of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. But this story also shows us that God's act of rescue was also meant to confront and cure Israel's cowardice. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how God rem...

What does it mean that the firstborn sons of Israel were to be consecrated? Some critics of the Bible claim that the Old Testament originally commended the sacrifice of the firstborn sons, but what we see in scripture is actually the exact opposite. The firstborn sons were redeemed and consecrated for a special calling. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss Exodus...

Throughout Scripture, God divides days and seasons. He gives us holidays and feast days, and he gives us the Sabbath day. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how God marks time according to his works of creation and redemption. They discuss how God uses seasonal liturgies to disciple Christians and form their imaginations. They also discuss why only the circumci...

Rebelling against God makes you stupid. We see this principle in Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go free when his son's life is on the line. Today, one way we see this principle is in the teaching of intersectionality, which Exodus 11 utterly rejects as a worldview. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how those who reject God become futile in their think...

The family is the fundamental building block of society. Pagan tyrants feel threatened by Christian family and the Church because they represent a future contrary to their rule. This is why, in Exodus 10, Pharaoh goes after the women and children. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the importance of the family for the discipleship of God's people. They discuss...

What does it mean for God to be sovereign? The story of the Exodus reveals the answer to that question. God demonstrates his sovereignty through the plagues he brought upon Egypt and by hardening Pharoah's heart. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how the sovereignty of God is clearly taught in the book of Exodus. They discuss the difference between Calvinism a...

Why does God judge? Why does God send ten different plagues to Egypt? Why frogs? Why flies? Why gnats and other swarming things? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how the particulars of the plagues are not accidental or arbitrary. They discuss how the plagues against Egypt reveal that God is the true Creator, how his judgment is a form of de-creation, and how,...

What happens when a nation abandons the truth? What lies do people start to believe? Why do nations who abandon the truth always seem to become more coercive? In this episode of Sermon B-sides, Pastor Rusten and Pastor Jon discuss Exodus 7 and the culture of ancient Egypt. They discuss how the choice facing a people is always Christ or chaos. They discuss tyranny, idolatry, the demonic, and sorcer...

Why does God allow setbacks and roadblocks to the things he has called us to do? How do Christians fight despair? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss Moses' confusion and frustration after confronting Pharoah for the first time results in failure. They discuss how setbacks are part of God's plan. They also discuss how Christian hope for the future fights despair...

Is there a conflict between feasting and reverence? Is the worship of the Church supposed to be joyful and triumphant? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss feasting in the Bible and how God desired to free the Hebrews from slavery so they would hold a feast to him. This feast is not only joyous; it is also an act of spiritual warfare. The Lord has set a table for...

Sometimes the Bible is weird. Sometimes we rush past things too quickly to understand how the Bible is speaking to us through meaningful signs and the strange events in the story. Exodus 4 is a good example of that. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the meaning of Israel being God's "firstborn son," the meaning of signs, and one of the stranger events in Scrip...

Why does God reveal himself to Moses through the burning bush? How does knowing God prepare Moses his great and difficult task of confronting Pharaoh? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how knowing and fearing God gives Moses, and us, the courage we need to face any of our fears. We hope you enjoy, and as usual, if you have any questions for Sermon B-Sides—or a...

In the midst of conflict and tyranny, God raises up his man. While Pharaoh decrees forced abortions for all the new baby boys born to the Hebrews, Moses is born and set apart by God to deliver his people from slavery. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss God's pattern of raising up men during times of conflict, and how these men are often not accepted by those wh...

In the opening chapter of Exodus, Egypt, the nation that used to know the God of Joseph, has become serpent-like. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the strategies of Egypt's tyranny and consider the ways that Christian families and strong Christian men are threats against tyrannical rule. We hope you enjoy, and as usual, if you have any questions for Sermon B-...

We have been emphasizing that the book of Daniel is guide to Christian resistance. But we need to remember that Christian resistance has the goal of glorifying Christ in every square inch of life. Statism, on the other hand, tries to rob Christ of his glory as Lord. Christians resist statism in hope that the culture and the state would find their hope and joy in King Jesus. In this episode of Serm...

Do you ever wonder why Nebuchadnezzar set up the golden image to be worshipped? Or why so many nations in the past required religious uniformity and unity? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten consider how tyrants try to strengthen their state through the use of religious unity, particularly how Nebuchadnezzar tries to do so in Babylon. They also talk about modern Christ...

In Daniel 2, God reveals his plan for history to King Nebuchadnezzar, from the time of the kingdom of Babylon to the coming of the kingdom of Christ. The kingdom of Christ destroys the kingdoms of the world and grows to fill the earth. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the ramifications of this revelation and what it means for us today living under the kingdom...

Historically, tyrants like Nebuchadnezzar have targeted young men when conquering a culture. They do this because young men are often the future of a culture. Capture the men, weaken the men, turn the men, and you can turn an entire culture. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how Nebuchadnezzar uses this strategy. But they also discuss how Daniel and his compan...

We are living during a time when authority structures have been widely deteriorated and are now being actively subverted. How are Christians to respond to this trend in light of the scriptures which teach that relationships of authority and submission are designed by God and are to be honored under Christ? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten consider the way that the sc...

What does it mean that we have died in Christ? What does it mean to live in Christ? What does it mean to "put on" Christ? What happens to Christians immediately after they die? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten consider how Christians objectively have a new life in Christ and how this has ethical implications upon our lives. We hope you enjoy, and as usual, if you ha...

Paul often uses the terms "elementary principles" or "elementary spirits" in his letters. What in the world is he talking about? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how elementary principles were part of God's plan for maturing the world before Christ came. Now that Christ has come, however, they are obsolete and actually a hindrance. They also discuss how the w...

In the coming of Christ, God revealed the great mystery that the Gentiles would be brought into the people of God. God promised this to Abraham and hinted at it throughout the Old Testament. But when Christ came, he fulfilled it. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss what it means that Christ is the Lord of all the nations. They also discuss how the Gospel brings...