No Such Thing as a. Mountain Life Church Life Pack Man in the Gap November 6, 2011

Transcription

1 No Such Thing as a Mountain Life Church Life Pack Man in the Gap November 6, 2011

2 No Such Thing as a Dead End Sermon Notes November 6, 2011 Exodus I. The Overwhelming Victory A. Egypt is devastated B. Pharaoh is defeated and depressed C. The Hebrews plunder the Egyptians D. Israel is set free! Write any notes from the week here II. God Holds Israel s Hand A. He leads the Hebrews into a dead end B. Pharaoh once again hardens his heart and pursues C. God is not worried D. The theme of grumbling begins here III.Prayer Changes Things A. God commands Moses to lead the people forward!!!?? B. The rod of Moses = Prayer in Jesus Name C. The sea opens for the people 1. The people walk across on dry ground 2. The Egyptian army pursues them D. The sea comes back and drowns the Egyptian Army 2 19

3 Table Talk Teens Meal One: As a family read Exodus 14-15, then ask these questions: In verse 14:10-11, the Israelites sarcastic remarks to Moses (and hence to the Lord) that there were no graves in Egypt showed a lack of faith. Share some of your behaviors when you are lacking in faith. IV.A Double Minded People A. All out worship B. Grumbling about the water V. The Spiritual Significance of the Exodus A. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed! B. The enemy has been defeated! C. GeWing out of Egypt is easy. GeWing Egypt out of me is hard! D. Prayer changes things! Meal Two: The Israelites were under great pressure between the waters before them and the armies of Pharaoh behind them. In verse 14:15, the Lord instructed the people of Israel to go forward, not go back and not give up. When you are under great pressure, do you tend to give up and go back to your old ways or do you go forward and trust the Lord? Meal Three: In verse 14:31, when the people of Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt, they were transformed spiritually. The people sang songs to praise the Lord. But in verse 15:24, they began to complain again. We are often like the Israelites, turning from praise to complaint far too easily. Share your reaction to this statement. Agree? Disagree? And why? 18 3

4 Life Group Questions for November 6, 2011 The Man in the Gap Series Message = No Such Thing as a Dead End Ice Breaker: Tell a funny or enjoyable story about a road trip or an experience while driving. Read Exodus Make any observations you see in this passage. 2. What strikes you about the Hebrew s acitude when they see Pharaoh coming after them? 3. Does God ever seem out of control or surprised in this passage? What does this say about God s character? 4. Can you see how Moses character has changed since the burning bush experience? Please explain. 5. Have you ever been at the end of your rope, only to find that God was there ready to save you? Please share about this experience. 6. The people show early signs of wanting to return to Egypt where although it was oppressive, at least it was safe. Do you ever deal with desires to retreat to your old ways? Please explain. 7. What does Pharaoh s demise tell you about how God deals with old enemies in our lives? Does God desire for us to live with a licle victory in our lives, or obvious victory? Table Talk Elementary Day 1: Read Exodus 14 to your children. Ask these questions: 1. Has God ever saved you from a scary situation? 2. Do you think you would have grumbled at God at this point like the Israelites did? 3. Moses rod is a picture of prayer. Can you think of a time when God answered your prayer in a powerful way? Day 2: Read Exodus 15:1-21 together. Ask these questions: 1. What did you notice about this passage? 2. Have you ever just cut loose and worshiped God like the Israelites did? How did it make you feel? Day 3: Read Exodus 15: together. Ask these questions: 1. How do you feel about the Israelites complaining when they couldn t drink the water? What does it say about their character? 2. How do you think God feels when you grumble and complain? 3. What is a better response than grumbling and complaining? Encourage your children to praise God even when things are hard this week. Ask them to tell you when they choose to praise instead of grumbling. 8. Pray for one another. 4 17

5 Table Talk Preschool & Nursery: Most children s Bibles include the story of God parting the Red Sea for the Israelites fleeing from Egypt but you can also tell the story in your own words. The main point for the children is that we should ask God to help us and he will provide the help. 1. Where did God lead his people? 2. What problem happened to God s people? 3. How did God make a way for his people? 4. What happened to the army of Egypt? Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: Bible Verse: And the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Exodus 14:22 INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: Prayer: Help me, God. Teach me not to be afraid to rely upon You. Show me how to accept Your kindness, how to ask for Your help. Teach me, God, that my prayers will bring me closer to You. Amen Activity: Ask God for help when you have a problem. God will make a way. Work with your child during prayer time to ask for God s help. Explain how God helped the Israelites through the Red Sea. ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5

6 Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Exodus This week, we will focus on this part of the Lord s prayer: Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Ask God to bring His kingdom into your life this week, and invite Him to show you what He is doing. Ask Him about specific situations in your life, and ask for His will to be done in those situations. Take 5 minutes and pray for your family for whatever comes to your mind. Memorize Exodus 15: 1. Take 10 minutes to pray for your family, and 10 minutes to pray for people in your life who need the Lord. Memorize Exodus 15: 1-3. Take 10 minutes to pray for your family, and 10 minutes to pray for people in your life who need the Lord. Take whatever time you have left to pray for your church leadership. Memorize Exodus 15: 1-7. Exodus show us again the power of prayer. God purposely leads His people into a dead end where they are pursued by an angry Egyptian army. Look at it again. God purposely led them into a dead end! Have you ever thought that God allows dead ends in our lives so we will call on Him? Day Five Remember, Moses rod is a picture of prayer in Jesus name. Whenever Moses lifts up that rod of prayer through King Jesus, stuff happens! The people see the pursuing Egyptians and cry out. That s when God says a funny thing to Moses: Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Exodus 14:15, NLT. Did you catch that? Tell the people to get moving... where? Do you want them to swim? Sometimes our perspective needs to be stretched by the living God. He sees things differently than we do. He knows that if we will pray, miracles will happen. The very next verse goes like this: Use your shepherd s staff--hold it out over the water, and a path will open up before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on dry ground. Exodus 14:16, NLT. Prayer changes things. It opens up the sea. It brings water out of a rock. It brings manna when we are hungry. The staff of God is a symbol for you and me. When we lift up our prayer in Jesus name, dead ends become opportunities. Father, I see the dead ends in my life, and I thank You that You are not worried. I raise my heart to You in prayer, and ask for You to make a way where there is not a way. In Jesus name, Amen! 6 15

7 Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord from your heart. Enjoy Him thoroughly before moving into a time of thanks. Thank God for all the good things He s done for you lately. 2. Take time to pray for God s kingdom to come and His will to be done in the lives of your friends and in the lives of three unchurched friends. Day One The day of deliverance has arrived! God has set His people free! Moses probably asked, Lord, where to now? On our way to Sinai to worship? God gave specific orders... Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in. (Exodus 14:2, 3, NAS95). Misquoting Maxwell Smart, Moses probably said, Oh, the ol camp at a dead end and make the enemy think we re lost, trick, eh? But Lord, this is Your voice, right? At this point, I would want to make sure I was hearing God. Purposely leading a couple million people into a dead end and making it look like we re easy pickins for the enemy is not one of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. 3. Ask God to teach you about submission today. Is there an authority (boss, teacher, parent, etc.) in your life who is difficult to respect? Tell God that you will choose to respect that person, even though they are not very respectable in your eyes. Write their names here. Let s face it. This is a real test of Moses faith. God was commanding Moses to lead His people into what looked like sure death. Moses has officially entered big boy land. Before this, his decisions affected only him, his family, and his father-in-law s herd of sheep. Now he is leading a couple million people through treacherous territory and the stakes are high. But Moses seems to be supremely confident. He enjoys such rest in the arms of his Deliverer. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. Father, draw me into a place of total confidence in Your love for me. When You say, Go, I choose to be willing! 14 7

8 Day Two 1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God and thank Him for all He s done in your life lately. Then praise Him for who He is. 2. Read Exodus 15 slowly. Day Four As I read the narrative in the book of Exodus, I m amazed at Pharaoh s arrogance and hardness of heart. His country has been completely devastated by the ten plagues. His people have very little to eat and no livestock. His own son, as well as all the first born sons in the country, have died in the night. So, in a moment of weakness, he lets the Hebrews go. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? Exodus 14:5, NAS95. So, the king rounds up his last remaining resource - his army, and rides out to route the Hebrews. 3. Pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven... for each of your family members today. As God shows you what He is doing, agree with Him, and ask Him to have His way in your loved ones lives. 4. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. If I was Pharaoh, after seeing my entire country devastated by Moses God, and having my only son die, I would hope that I would get a clue when a pillar of cloud stood between me and the Hebrews... But when the people of Israel walked through the midst of the sea with water on both sides, I know I m a little wimpy here, but I think I d back off! Think about it. What is the spiritual lesson from this passage? The Exodus tells us this: He whom the Son of God sets free is free indeed! (John 8: 36). Using quite graphic pictures, God teaches New Testament saints through this awesome story that His intention is to set us free completely from sin and slavery. But the people of Israel remind us that the battle is in the mind. Though they were free from Egypt, they continued to think like slaves. They could not believe God loved them so profoundly! They could not accept that He would care for them every step of the way. Father, I renew my mind to this fact: You have set me free, and I choose to live in the freedom You purchased for me on the cross! 8 13

9 Day Four 1. Take time to praise God for who He is and then thank Him with a grateful heart for all He has done for you lately. 2. Read Exodus 14 again slowly today. See if the you share the rebellious acitude of the Hebrews and confess it to the Lord. Day Two Moses and God are tight. I m amazed how clearly God speaks to Moses. Many years ago God began to show me that He wanted that kind of relationship with me! I went through the book of Exodus and underlined every instance of God said to Moses. Every chapter was so full of the phrase that I grew weary. Yet, in the midst of my weariness, encouragement triumphed! If God spoke so clearly to a man in the Old Testament, how much more willing would He be to speak to a New Testament saint? Paul points out to us this truth: If the old covenant, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new covenant, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new covenant. 2 Corinthians 3:9, 10, NLT. 3. Take time to pray for your boss and other employees today. If you are a student, pray for other students and your teachers. Ask God for His will to be done and for His kingdom to come into their lives. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Moses stands as a model for us all. He had ears to hear God, and a spirit willing to obey. His secret? I think he lets us in on that when it is written of him: Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3, NAS95. I ve heard many definitions of humility. Here s a couple: 1. NO self image (That s not a bad self image, nor a good one either, it s a complete emptying of self and total focus on God - See Galatians 2: 20). 2. A total willingness to hear God and obey His voice. Father, today I empty myself and focus entirely on You. Give me a willing spirit. I desire to please You in every respect and to obey Your every word! Draw near to me and let me in on Your secrets! 12 9

10 Day Three 1. Take time to praise God for who He is and then thank Him with a grateful heart for all He has done for you lately. Day Three I have always encouraged people to be honest with God, even if it didn t sound spiritual or sanctified. Sometimes, a good yell at, or a cry with God helps us to settle our spirits. David was especially honest with God. He cried out to God in despair. He questioned God. He even asked God to annihilate his enemies. Yet, by the end of most Psalms, David is once again filled with God s perspective, and overwhelmed with worship. 2. Sit quietly before the Lord for a few moments and slowly let Him speak to you. Give Him permission to say whatever he wants to say. 3. Read Exodus 15 again slowly. Thank God that He has overcome every enemy in your life, even if it doesn t feel like it. Thank Him that it is His will to release you from all oppression and sin in your life. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Yet, our honest attitude before God has its limits. The people of Israel began to grumble and complain as soon as they saw the Egyptian army coming after them in Exodus 14. God put up with this attitude at the time. Then, after God had opened up the Red Sea for them and led them onward, the people again grumbled because there wasn t enough water. Sometimes, honesty before God is actually an open display of a hard, rebellious heart that refuses 9 to believe. Even when the people saw God s mighty acts on their behalf, they thought He was actually not trustworthy. This angered God tremendously! God had truly released the people from the slavery of Egypt. He did it through mighty acts and miracles never seen before by these people. God s will for us all is to set us completely free from slavery. Yet, Exodus shows us that God can instantaneously remove us from Egypt, but removing Egypt from inside of us may prove to be an even bigger job. The people were physically free from the bonds of slavery, but the mindset of a slave would prove to be difficult to remove. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1, 2, NAS