Week 4 - Empowered by God’s Spirit
In Exodus 31, we see for the first time in Scripture that God fills someone with His Spirit—not for a miracle, but for work. This passage shows us that the Spirit of God is not only about extraordinary moments, but about restoring ordinary life to God’s purposes. It helps us understand what it means to be Spirit-filled, how we receive the Spirit, and what happens when the Spirit is at work in us.
1. What does it mean to be “Spirit filled?”
To be Spirit-filled is to have God present and active in us, bringing life and restoring what sin has broken. From the beginning, the Spirit is the One who gives life and order to creation, and in the same way, He brings new spiritual life to us. Being Spirit-filled is not primarily about outward experiences, but about being brought back into relationship with God and living under His influence.
Questions:
When you hear “Spirit-filled,” what comes to mind? How does this passage reshape that idea?
How does the Spirit’s role in creation help you understand His role in your life today?
In what ways has sin distorted or disconnected your life from God’s design?
Where do you currently see (or long to see) God bringing new life or restoration in you?
2. How are we Spirit-filled?
We receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, not by our effort or performance. At salvation, God gives us His Spirit fully, bringing us into new life with Him. From that point forward, we are called to continually walk in dependence on the Spirit, growing in surrender and awareness of His leading in our daily lives.
Questions:
What does it mean that the Spirit is given by grace through faith, not by effort?
What does it look like practically to “walk by the Spirit” in everyday life?
What are some ways we might resist or ignore the Spirit’s work in us?
3. What happens when we are Spirit-filled?
When the Spirit fills someone, He does not remove them from life—He restores and redeems it. In Exodus 31, the Spirit empowers Bezalel with skill, wisdom, and ability to do meaningful work for God’s purposes. This shows us that the Spirit transforms not just our hearts, but also our work, relationships, and everyday lives, redirecting them toward God’s kingdom.
Questions:
What stands out to you about how the Spirit works in Bezalel (skills, craftsmanship, work)?
How does this passage challenge the idea that “spiritual” things are only things like prayer or worship?
In what ways has sin distorted your view of work (identity, pressure, frustration, laziness, etc.)?
How could your work, relationships, or daily responsibilities become a place where you know God and make Him known?
The Spirit of God brings life—and restores what sin has broken.
Where do you most need the Spirit’s life and restoration right now?
What would it look like this week to depend on the Spirit in a specific area of your life?
Week 3 - The Blood of the Covenant
Exodus 24:1–11
After revealing His law in Exodus 20–23, God confirms His covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai. Through sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, the covenant is sealed between God and His people. This moment shows both the seriousness of sin and the grace of God in making a way for sinful people to come near Him.
The chapter ends with a remarkable scene: Israel’s leaders enter God’s presence and share a meal with Him. The goal of the covenant is not merely obedience, but fellowship with God. Ultimately, this moment points forward to Jesus, who establishes the new covenant through His own blood.
1. The Invitation of the Covenant
God speaks through Moses and invites Israel into covenant with Him. The people respond by agreeing to obey the Lord’s words.
Questions
Why is it significant that God initiates the covenant and speaks first?
What does Israel’s response (“All that the LORD has spoken we will do”) reveal about their trust in God?
How does God still invite people today to respond to His Word?
2. The Sacrifice of the Covenant
The covenant is confirmed through sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, showing that reconciliation with God requires the giving of life.
Questions
Why do you think blood was used to confirm the covenant?
What does the sacrifice reveal about the seriousness of sin?
How does this moment prepare us to understand the need for a Savior?
3. The Fellowship of the Covenant
After the covenant is confirmed, Israel’s leaders go up the mountain and share a meal in God’s presence. The goal of the covenant is restored relationship with God.
Questions
Why is the covenant meal an important part of this chapter?
What does this moment reveal about God’s desire to be with His people?
How does this scene help us understand the purpose of God’s covenant?
4. The Fulfillment of the Covenant
Jesus fulfills what the Sinai covenant pointed toward when He says, “This is my blood of the covenant.” Through His sacrifice, Christ secures lasting reconciliation with God.
Questions
Why do you think Jesus used the phrase “blood of the covenant” at the Last Supper?
How does Jesus accomplish what the sacrifices in Exodus could not?
What does Christ’s sacrifice mean for your relationship with God today?
Week 2 - The Law - How to Live Freely with God.
Exodus 20:1–17
As Israel arrives at Mount Sinai, God speaks directly to His people and gives them the Ten Commandments. These commands are not given to earn God’s favor but to teach His redeemed people how to live freely with Him.
God has already rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. Now He reveals how life with Him works. The law is not the opposite of freedom—it is the pathway into it.
Exodus 20 shows us that true freedom is not found in doing whatever we want, but in living according to God’s design.
1. The Intent of the Law
“And God spoke all these words…” (Exodus 20:1)
The Ten Commandments begin with God speaking. This is significant. Humanity was created to hear the voice of God and live in relationship with Him. In the garden, Adam and Eve walked with God and listened to His voice. Sin fractured that relationship.
At Sinai, God speaks again.
The law is not primarily about restriction; it is about relationship. God’s intent is to guide His people into a life lived near Him—listening to His voice and walking in His ways.
Later Moses reminds Israel of this in Deuteronomy 4:7:
“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?”
The law was given so that God’s people could live wisely, reflect His character, and experience His nearness. God’s commands are not meant to enslave His people. They are meant to protect the freedom found in life with Him.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think the passage begins with “God spoke”?
How does the law reveal God’s desire for relationship with His people?
How does understanding the law as a gift change the way we view God’s commands?
Where do you most experience hearing God speak through His Word?
2. The Interpretation of the Law
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” (Exodus 20:2)
Before giving a single command, God reminds Israel of His grace. He has already rescued them. The commandments are not instructions for becoming God’s people—they are instructions for how God’s people live. Obedience flows from redemption. God is essentially saying:
You belong to me.
I have saved you.
Now live in the freedom I have given you.
Jesus later summarizes the entire law in Matthew 22:37–40:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
The Ten Commandments reflect these two relationships. The first four commandments shape our relationship with God:
No other gods before Him
No idols
Do not misuse His name
Keep the Sabbath holy
These commands teach us to worship God alone, honor His name, and trust Him enough to rest in His provision. The remaining six commandments shape our relationships with others:
Honor parents
Do not murder
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not lie
Do not covet
These commands protect life, marriage, truth, and community. When followed, they preserve relationships and guard against the chaos that sin creates. God’s law reveals the design for human flourishing—both with God and with one another.
Discussion Questions
Why is it important that God reminds Israel of grace before giving commands?
How does Jesus’ summary of the law help us understand the Ten Commandments?
Which commandment most challenges your heart right now?
How do God’s commands protect relationships rather than restrict life?
What difference does it make to obey out of love rather than obligation?
3. The Incarnation of the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
The law reveals God’s design, but humanity consistently fails to live according to it. Israel struggled to obey. Generation after generation returned to sin. The law shows us the way to life with God, but it also exposes our inability to walk that road on our own. That is why Jesus came.
In Christ, the Word of God became flesh. Jesus perfectly lived the life the law describes. He loved the Father with His whole heart and loved others perfectly. Where humanity failed, Christ succeeded. Through His obedience, death, and resurrection, Jesus accomplished what the law pointed toward but could never produce on its own. Through faith in Christ, believers are united with Him. His righteousness becomes ours, and His Spirit empowers us to live in the freedom God intended.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:1:
“For freedom Christ has set us free.”
Jesus frees us from the bondage of sin so that we can finally live in the freedom of knowing God. The road that began at Sinai finds its fulfillment in Christ.
Discussion Questions
Why does the law reveal humanity’s need for a Savior?
How does Jesus fulfill what the law required?
What does it mean for you personally that Christ has set you free?
How does the gospel change the way we approach obedience?
Where is God inviting you to walk more fully in the freedom found in Christ?
Closing Reflection
Exodus 20 reminds us that freedom is not found in independence from God but in life with Him.
God rescues His people by grace.
He teaches them how to live.
And ultimately He fulfills His purposes through Jesus Christ.
Because of Christ, we are invited into the same life Israel was called to live—a life of freedom in the presence of God.
Exodus 19:1–6
The Road Into Life With God
Israel’s journey out of Egypt leads them to Mount Sinai. The road out of slavery has ended, and the road into life with God begins. Before God gives the law, He reminds them of grace. Before He commands obedience, He reveals relationship. Exodus 19 shows us the pattern of salvation and life with God: grace, an intercessor, faith, and a life lived in His presence.
1. The Road Begins with Grace
“I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4)
Before Israel obeys, God reminds them that He has already saved them. Long before they earned anything or even existed, God promised to make them His people. Their relationship with God begins with His initiative, not their effort.
Grace always comes first. God rescues, carries, and brings His people to Himself before giving them instructions for living. Salvation begins in the heart of God, not in human performance.
Discussion Questions
Why is it important that God reminds Israel of grace before giving them commands?
Where have you experienced God’s grace in your life before any effort or obedience on your part?
How does understanding salvation as beginning with grace change your view of God?
2. The Road Includes an Intercessor
God saves Israel through a mediator—Moses. They cannot free themselves from Egypt or lead themselves into God’s presence. So God raises up an intercessor to stand between Himself and His people.
Moses’ life mirrors Israel’s journey:
Called out of Egypt
Led through the wilderness
Brought to Sinai to meet God
Moses points forward to a greater mediator—Jesus Christ. Where Moses was temporary, Christ is eternal. Where Moses led Israel to Sinai, Christ leads us into the presence of God forever.
Discussion Questions
Why couldn’t Israel save or lead themselves without an intercessor?
How does Moses help us understand the role of Jesus as our mediator?
In what ways does knowing Christ leads you to God shape your daily life?
3. The Road Requires Faith
God calls Israel to remember what He has done:
“You yourselves have seen…” (Exodus 19:4)
Israel struggled to trust God. They feared hunger, thirst, and abandonment. But God recalibrates their memory with truth. He reminds them that He has carried them, provided for them, and been in control the entire time.
Faith grows when memory is aligned with truth. When Israel remembers rightly, they can trust more deeply. The same is true for us. Looking back at God’s faithfulness strengthens our ability to follow Him forward.
Discussion Questions
Where has it been difficult for you to trust God recently?
How does remembering God’s past faithfulness strengthen your present faith?
Why do we often forget God’s control during difficult seasons?
What practices help you “rightly remember” God’s work in your life?
4. The Road Leads Into Life With God
“If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant…” (Exodus 19:5)
God is not giving Israel a way to earn salvation. He has already saved them. Now He invites them into a life with Him. Obedience is not the path to redemption but the response to it.
The covenant is an invitation into relationship:
To trust His voice
To walk in His ways
To live as His people
Obedience becomes the expression of a redeemed life lived in God’s presence.
Discussion Questions
How does seeing obedience as a response to grace change your perspective on God’s commands?
What is the difference between obeying to earn God’s favor and obeying because you already have it?
Where might God be inviting you into deeper relationship with Him right now?
5. A Kingdom of Priests: People and Presence
“You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6)
God reveals His ultimate desire: people living in His presence. Priests dwell near God and make Him known. Israel is called to be a whole nation of priests—living with God and reflecting Him to the world.
From Genesis to Exodus and beyond, God’s purpose has remained the same: to dwell with His people. Humanity was created for relationship with Him, to know Him, enjoy Him, and reflect His glory.
Discussion Questions
What does it mean that God desires relationship, not just obedience?
How does understanding yourself as part of a “kingdom of priests” shape your identity?
Where do you most experience awareness of God’s presence in your life?
What would it look like to live daily with a greater awareness of being in God’s presence?
6. Fulfilled in Christ: The Road Completed
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” (1 Peter 2:9)
What God began at Sinai is fulfilled in Christ. Through Jesus—the true and eternal mediator—God forms a people for Himself from every nation. By grace, through faith, in Christ, believers become what Israel was called to be: a royal priesthood living in God’s presence.
Jesus leads us:
Out of slavery to sin
Into life with God
Out of darkness into light
Out of death into life
Because of Christ, we are brought into relationship with God and called to make Him known.
Discussion Questions
How does Jesus fulfill what God began in Exodus 19?
What does it personally mean to you that you are part of God’s people in Christ?
How can your life proclaim the excellencies of the One who called you out of darkness?
Where do you sense God inviting you deeper into life with Him this week?