“ not a hoof shall be left behind”–Exodus 10:26 (ESV)

My Beloved Family in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Perhaps each of us has one verse of Holy Scripture, or even a fraction of a verse, etched uniquely and indelibly into our minds. Even this very moment you might be recalling the comforting words of our Savior when He said to the disciples, “ Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). Or it may be those memorable and courageous words of Joshua that are now echoing in your soul: “ But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

On this new Monday let me suggest that you add one other portion of a verse to your list. It is the words that I have quoted above, which have been extracted from a series of conversations between Moses and Pharaoh.

Of course, the historical setting is the time right before the exodus, when there was a sequence of interactions between these two men, one the great earthly king, and the other the chosen representative of the Sovereign, Eternal King.

As you will recall, Moses had been commissioned by the Lord to go directly to Pharaoh in order to demand the release of the captive Israelites. In chapters 8-10 of Exodus we find four such encounters, each of them recording Pharaoh’s clever attempt to get Moses to make compromises regarding the unequivocal ultimatum to free the covenant people.

In the first encounter, Exodus 8:25, Pharaoh offers to ‘free’ them to worship the Lord their God, but only if they remain “ within the land” of Egypt.

The second interaction is in Exodus 8:28 where the Egyptian potentate declares that he will allow them to depart, but only if they “ do not go very far away.”

In the third conversation, found in Exodus 9:27-28, Pharaoh claims that, due to the judgments of God that had come upon his kingdom in the form of the plagues, he had finally gotten himself right with the Lord:

“ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’”

Of course, this was simply a bald-faced lie, as the narrative makes clear in verse 35:

“ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.”

Then, in the climactic final transaction, Pharaoh once again agrees to free the Israelites, but if and only if they leave their “ flocks and herds” behind in Egypt (10:24). It is then that Moses utters those very memorable words quoted above: “ not a hoof shall be left behind”!

It is in this bold announcement that we discover our sweet encouragement for this new day.

Let me now ask that you consider yet another line from the sacred Word of God:

“ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

The connection between these two verses, though separated by over 1400 years of history, is that both reveal to us what true liberty, or “ freedom,” really is.

When Moses uttered those words to Pharaoh, he was making it clear that, for the Old Covenant people, there could be no true freedom to serve the Lord unless every last fraction of their lives, including all of their possessions and worldly goods–even every last “ hoof”–were fully at their King’s disposal. There is no such thing as partial worship or fractional service when it comes to the one true and living God! It is all or nothing, literally!

This follows naturally from the fact that the God of the Israelites, our God and Father, is sovereign over all things. His omnipotent reign extends to every fraction of space, and even to the smallest details of our lives. To belong to Him, by definition, means that He is the Owner and Lord of everything, without exception.

Then, the Apostle Paul reminds us that when our Lord Jesus came, as the Greater Moses, He appeared for this one holy purpose: to secure our true and eternal “ freedom.” But, it is precisely here that the enigma of discipleship confronts us.

As people of the New Covenant, we are only ” free” when all that we are and all that we have are employed in the worship and service of our Lord and King. We cannot be ” free” until we have placed everything in His hands, even down to the hooves on our cattle! Our Savior is Lord of all, literally!

And only as we recognize this fact, and submit to such an infinitely extensive reign as His, are we liberated in the way that Jesus has intended.

True “ freedom” in Christ is having nothing, because all that we once had has been freely given over to His Lordship! To quote our Savior yet again, we discover our life only when we lose it for the sake of His service:

“ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).

So, let me encourage you to give your ‘hooves’ to the Lord today! Tell the tempter that you will never serve the Savior partially. Declare to the malevolent “ principalities”and“ powers” (Romans 8:38) that you belong to your gracious King, totally! There will be no compromise for you! Not even a single “ hoof shall be left behind”!

And then, be “ free”! Enjoy the blessed “ freedom” for which your Lord has “ set you free.”

I love you with all my heart!

Mike

Sermon Preview:

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Hebrews 10:19-25 contains some practical exhortations for all Christians, which are to be understood and applied in the light of the Second Advent of our Savior. We have already examined the first one in previous sermons from this text: “ let us draw near” (v. 22).

Two other commands are set forth in this passage: “ let us hold fast” (v. 23), and “ let us consider” (v. 24). Verses 23-25 read this way in the ESV:

“ 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Two facts should move us to be faithful in carrying out these sacred duties. The first is that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest who has fully paid for our sins, offered to the Father His own perfect righteousness on our behalf, and opened up for us free and permanent access to God’s throne! Secondly, this same Great High Priest, our Savior Himself, will certainly come again! And this great “ Day” is “ drawing near”!

Let’s pray as we prepare to hear the Word of our Father proclaimed!

Also, I look forward to resuming our study of Romans 1-11 in our Adult Sunday School Class. Our focus this week will be upon Romans 1:18-32.

I love you all so very much!!

Mike

Announcements:

Youth Group:

Youth Group meets May 16 at 4:30 PM at the church house.

Children’s Ministry:

Our first event this summer will be our Summer Bible Club (modified VBS) on June 10th and 11th. We will spend time studying the themes in the book of Joshua, where godly characters like Joshua, Caleb, and Rahab, lend themselves well to teaching our Olympic “Athletes” who God is, what it means to be on God’s Team, and how to run the race of faith. The story of the people of Israel in the Bible is the story of how God loves and cares for His Team! Registration is OPEN. Cost is free but we ask for a donation towards the t-shirts. And they are AWESOME! Click HERE to see our registration page – both for children and volunteers (for your t-shirts). Payment links are there as well.

Nursery:

We are so excited to have had an increased number of children in our nursery! We now feel the need to have a flex volunteer to assist our nursery workers during church service on any given week. The volunteer should arrive at the nursery after Sunday School and help welcome the children in. When service begins, if there are three or fewer children, the volunteer may then go to worship (or stay if you’d like). With more than three children, we ask that you stay and assist our workers in any way needed (this usually means playing with our sweet babies!). Any Chris Pres woman or young lady (12 and up) who would like to serve our parents and children in this capacity can sign up at the link below. We plan to continue this system through the summer and will prayerfully return to our regular two nurseries in the fall.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C48AEAD2DA3FA7-sunday

Thank you for being such a wonderful body that loves and cares for our parents and children so well!

Women’s Ministry:

Monthly Lunch: Our next monthly luncheon will be on June 3 beginning at 11:30 at the Timbers Edge Clubhouse located at 1 Timbers Main, Brownsboro. It’s potluck – feel free to bring a dish or just yourself.

Wednesday Summer Fellowships: Make plans to join other ladies in the church for fellowship throughout the summer. Our goal is to connect across generational lines and encourage one another. All ages welcome! Groups will meet on Wednesdays at 10:00 am at Sharon Daughtry’s (5726 Jones Valley Drive, Huntsville 35802) as well as at 6 pm at Panera Bread on Airport Road. Contact Denise for more information.

Career/Singles:

The weekly bible study and fellowship for career/singles meets at 5:30 PM Sunday evenings at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry.

Senior Fellows:

The Senior Fellows will resume their in-person breakfast meetings on Tuesday, May 11. The first breakfast will feature Jack Loose presenting his testimony and life story. All church members are welcome to attend. Breakfast will be at 9:00 AM, and Jack’s program will start at 10:00 AM. Please notify us at seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org if you plan to join us for breakfast.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Sharon O’Neil, Dave Angotti, Dustin and Katie Jackson, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, and Elizabeth Holton.
Expecting: Please pray for the Deans, expecting in July, and the Prizingers, expecting in November.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica Williams (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.

Online Donations:

If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:

Emails:

general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org

Address:

288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763

“ Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore”–Psalm 125:1-2

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord,

As I have shared with you before, I have a great love for mountains. If I were forced to choose between the beach or the mountains for a permanent summer vacation spot, the nod would always go to the mountains.

Perhaps like many of you, I have my favorite mountains here in the southeast, particularly in the Smoky Mountains. Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by one great peak in far eastern Tennessee, Mount Le Conte. This majestic mountain stands at over 6500 feet in elevation. Its striking prominence, that is, the elevation of the summit above the surrounding mountains, is over 1300 feet.

As you travel toward the National Park, you’ll easily spot this beautiful peak if the weather is clear. And if you visit the resort town of Gatlinburg you’ll get the feeling that this huge hunk of stone is standing watch over you, looking down upon the town from high above. In fact, Wikipedia (for whatever it’s worth!!) claims that, “ The difference in elevation between the city [Gatlinburg] and Mount Le Conte is one vertical mile, which is the largest contrast of its type in the eastern half of the country.”

A few years ago one late winter day, I happened to be flying from Charlotte back home to Huntsville. Our flight was routed westbound right over Le Conte’s summit, which was blanketed in deep snow, the sun reflecting off the surface like a welder’s torch! My heart was moved to quietly lift my voice to the Lord in praise for such a wondrous testimony to His power and sovereignty!

If you had lived in ancient Israel with the Old Covenant patriarchs, you would have certainly had a great fondness for Mount Zion. Of course, this is the location of the city of Jerusalem. And if you were to travel those fourteen miles from Jericho going south towards Jerusalem, your ascent would be somewhere in the vicinity of 3400 feet (from 864 feet below sea level, to 2510 feet above sea level!).

But unlike Mount Le Conte, to the distant observer Mount Zion would be somewhat obscured by the hills and peaks surrounding it, all of which were higher in elevation. It would appear as if these other mountains were posted as royal guards, encircling the Holy City where Yahweh was worshipped.

It was this very scene that served as the background for Psalm 125, one of the “ Psalms of Ascent” chanted by Old Testament worshippers on their way up to Jerusalem. The image it sets forth is truly amazing as you begin to grasp it.

As you can see, the Psalmist is describing those “ who trust in the Lord.” They are also identified as “ His people.” More significantly, the Lord’s holy and beloved “ people” who are always placing their “ trust” in Him, are likened to “ Mount Zion.”

Then, added to this, we learn here that those who belong to the Lord “ cannot be moved,” and will abide “ forever”! And the reason this is true is that, just as there are other mountains standing guard over Jerusalem on all sides, the Lord Himself “ surrounds His people”!

If we interpret this blessed passage from a New Covenant perspective, we discover that our security as the Church, as the eternally loved and elected Bride of Christ, is never in doubt! However, we must remember that we are safe and secure not because we are strong and faithful all the time and in every situation, but because our Father always stands guard over us!

There is never a moment in our lives when we are not completely surrounded by His mighty power, His majestic presence, and His steadfast love! The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is always encircled by the One who towers above all things! This fact, and this fact alone, is why we can rest in peace and security each moment, knowing that because we are enfolded in His care we “ cannot be moved” and we will live with Him “ forever”!

The enemies that assail us, and will do so until Jesus comes, are no match for the awesome omnipotence of our Great God! From the lofty heights from which He reigns, He always sees us, hears us, and knows our every move! His gracious gaze is ever upon those whom His Son has redeemed. He is jealous for us, committed to us, and ever seeking our ultimate good! No enemy can touch us without His permission. And even when adversity is in His plan for us, it is always fully under His control, and will accomplish only that which advances our holiness as we become more like our Savior!

So, let me put it to you this way: Today, like every day, we are surrounded on all sides, but not by enemies! We are securely encircled by our Great and Holy God and Father, “ from this time forth and forevermore”!

Our duty, then, is to keep looking up! We must always see Him who not only reigns over us, but reigns for us!

I pray that each of you will know what it means to be “ like Mount Zion”! To contiually be, “ steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I love you all so very much!

Mike