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NOTES

Lessons From the Wilderness
“The Law and the Lamb”
Carl Nichols

The Covenant of God:
1. God’s Standard: The Commandments

Exodus 20:1-2
And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

The Ten Commandments aren’t rules to manage; they're a mirror to expose.

The Ten Commandments don’t just tell you what to do; they reveal what you’re not.

2. God’s Heart: Your Heart

Jesus:
“You have heard it said…but I tell you…” (Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28)
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Jesus doesn’t lower the standard—he raises it to the level of your thoughts, motives, and desires.

The Pharisees cleaned the outside of the cup, but Jesus went after the bacteria inside.

Jesus isn’t just calling us to avoid sin—he’s calling us to become different people.

3. God’s Mercy: The Cup of Punishment

Exodus 32:20
He took the calf… burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

Monumental Takeaways:

Internalization of Sin

Bitterness of Rebellion

Public Shame

Foreshadowing Substitution

Matthew 26:39
(Jesus) “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…yet not as I will, but as you will.”

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In Exodus, the guilty drink their own sin. In the Gospels, the innocent drinks everyone else’s sin.

God didn’t sweep your sin under the rug—he poured it into a cup and handed it to his Son.