Series: Route 66 Exodus Ex 2:23-25; 14:14-16; 19:3-6; 40:34-38 BL: God brought them out, that He might bring them in

Transcription

1 Series: Route 66 Exodus Ex 2:23-25; 14:14-16; 19:3-6; 40:34-38 BL: God brought them out, that He might bring them in Intro Frame It: Most people a century ago would ve laughed at the possibility of traveling from England to France via a tunnel underneath the English Channel. Fill It: One engineer, Albert Mathieu, proposed boring a tunnel in 1802 For centuries, people sailed across the channel but Albert envisioned a better way an unexpected path that for 180 years seemed impossible. But in 1988 working from both the English side and the French side of the Channel, eleven tunnel boring machines began to cut through the chalk marl to construct two rail tunnels and a service tunnel. At the peak of the construction, 15,000 people were employed with daily expenditures of about $3 million a day. The construction of the channel tunnel also claimed the lives of 10 people. But after six years, in 1994, the tunnel was completed. Focus It: Today, thousands of people travel 31 miles through a tunnel that most believed was humanly impossible. Undoubtedly, the Channel Tunnel is one of humanity s greatest accomplishments!!! Transition Human ingenuity is undeniable think about the past 200 years.

2 The human race has journeyed to the unknown, we have explored the depths of the universe, we ve built structures that have defied comprehension. And over the past 100 years, we have built roads that no one knew was there! But no matter how much we accomplish or how far we think we can go, it will never compare to what God has done in the past, continues to do in the present and what He will do in the future. Amplify God has a way of doing the impossible and making a way where there seems to be no way. An OT personality named, Asaph, writes of God s ability to carve out unexpected roads Psalm 77:19-20 Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters- a pathway no one knew was there! You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds. TURN to BODY: Asaph is referring to the divinely led migration recorded in the Book of Exodus. Our Route 66 series leads us into the second book of God s Word Exodus meaning deliverance or the way out is one of the most exciting and inspiring narratives in the Scriptures. This book reveals a divinely orchestrated event that became the focal point for the Jewish Nation. There are so many spiritual lessons to learn from EXODUS each movement through the narrative provides valuable insight to our own relationship with God.

3 The children of Israel LIVED the Exodus but we can LEARN from the Exodus 4 Lessons to be LEARNED from this EPIC EVENT: 1. Wherever God LEADS you, He will never LEAVE you. (Ex 2:23-25) Intro The book of Exodus begins where Genesis ends God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation but He also told him in advance that his people would suffer great affliction in a strange land. Between Genesis and Exodus, the patriarchal family became a nation numbering between two and three million. They had settled in Egypt because of Joseph s journey and his rise to power. But through the years, Joseph was a distant memory to other Egyptian rulers so God s people were enslaved by a tyrannical pharaoh. Amplify During this time, we can assume that God s people believed that God had forgotten about His promise. I m sure there was much skeptical talk on the street without a doubt as they were whipped, beaten and treated inhumanly by the Egyptians, the people of Israel didn t have much faith in a promise given to Father Abraham

4 God doesn t love us he has turned his back on us where is God now we ve been slaves for years God doesn t care...he has abandoned us. For 400 years, God s people suffered in slavery, desperate for DELIVERANCE, wondering if God would ever intervene. Covenant, please hear me today God will never break a PROMISE. Verse 24 reveals that God heard the prayers of His people and He never abandoned His promise I love the last statement in verse 25, and God acknowledged them. Are you glad today that God is willing to acknowledge you? This section of scripture is more applicable today than it was for the people in Egypt God is the same yesterday, today and forever He hears us, he sees us and his love acknowledges us Apply Both the people of God in Exodus and God s people today must never forget that wherever God LEADS us, He will never LEAVE us! One of the greatest statements in all of scripture is God will never leave us nor forsake us. Joshua rested upon this promise in Deut 31:8 and the author of Hebrews reiterated it in Hebrews 13:5. As a child of God, you are not where you are by accident wherever you live, it is probably in some form or fashion EGYPT God has either directed you to where you are or He has allowed you because of your own choices, to be where you are.

5 And regardless of where you may find yourself this morning, whether it is in a time of prosperity, a time of persecution, a season of pain or uncertainty, God not only knows where you are, but wants to use your circumstances to move His plan forward and bring glory to Himself. This is true in the life of individuals, it is true for families, it is true of churches and it was true of the nation of Israel. One of the main truths of Exodus is that God never breaks a promise and wherever He LEADS us, He will never LEAVE us. Transition Let me share with you another important LESSON from Exodus 2. Because God is POWERFUL, change is POSSIBLE. (Ex 14:13-16) Intro Let this sink in Covenant family, You re life and my life is going to consist of a series of battles but remember God always has a man with a plan that leads to victory.

6 It might not be a plan that we envision who could ve imagined that God would ve used a man named Moses who had fled Egypt and who also had spent 40 years in the desert as a shepherd. But that is exactly what God did not only did God INTERVENE on behalf of the many, His INTERVENTION included one man. God invaded the life of Moses he occupies a very prominent place on the pages of scripture. He is one of the most important of all Bible personalities, his name occurring about 720 times. Amplify And God would use this hermit from the desert to become one the greatest leader s history has ever known. Moses had learned from his encounter with God that anything is possible because of God s power For the circumstances to change for God s people, God was willing and able to unleash His power on the most dominant nation of this time period the mighty hand of God was going to fall upon Egypt! Moses confronted Pharaoh to let the people go free but he resisted and God unleashed 10 plagues upon Egypt frogs, locusts, sickness, darkness, but the last was the most dramatic. God struck down the first born of all the Egyptians and Pharaoh finally released God s people over 2 million people, led by Moses, fled Egypt to the banks of the Red Sea I stood in the Red Sea Can you imagine a multitude of people leaving enslavement and arriving at the edge of a massive body of water? Can you hear the people saying, now what?

7 But Moses had an answer from the Lord don t be afraid, stand still, hold your peace God is going to fight for you! God is about to show up in a mighty way he was going to provide a way where there seemed to be no way God divided the water and His people crossed over to the other side and Pharaoh and his army made every attempt to catch God s people but the hammer fell upon the Egyptians ending the 400 year enslavement BECAUSE GOD IS POWERFUL, CHANGE IS POSSIBLE! All God wanted Israel to do was move FORWARD in FAITH! Apply Covenant, God can create roads where we see only obstacles when the way ahead of us seems uncertain, it s good to remember what God has done in the past. He specializes in any circumstances, pathways that point us to His love and mercy. When those people reached the Rea Sea, they were in danger of putting life into reverse, despite the many miracles God had performed, they longed for Egypt and failed to trust that God could move them FORWARD! Covenant, we need to keep moving FORWARD in FAITH don t back up press on let s trust God that He can make our paths straight God s way is always better than our way the focal point of the OT is the Exodus from Egypt and I don t think any of those people would ve ever imagined God showing up the way He did.

8 But even more astounding, Covenant, who would ve thought that God would become one of us Moses was a man with a plan for redemption in the OT but friends Jesus was the man with the plan in the NT the CROSS of CHRIST is our focal point AMEN! Because of God s POWER at Calvary, change is POSSIBLE! Transition The narrative of Exodus shows us that God will never leave us where he leads us. It also illuminates how change is possible because of the power of God. But notice a third movement in the Book of Exodus 3. Our first INTENTION should be to obey God s INSTRUCTION. (Ex 19:3-6) Intro God saved them from slavery but now he desired to sanctify them at Sinai. Remember, Covenant, God not only wants to save us, he also desires to shape us. There was no turning back to the old way of life in Egypt it was to be left behind

9 forever Not all the experiences which awaited Israel after their redemption were pleasant, but all were necessary. God intended to mature His people before bringing them to the Promised Land God desires to mold and mature His own. Amplify God led his people to Mount Sinai where He would instruct his people. Israel would be given the Law! Not only did God want to lead his people out, He wanted to lead his people in He wanted to lead his people to victory but victory would only come through obedience GOD MOVES HIS PLAN FORWARD THROUGH OUR OBEDIENCE! Often times, we want to make our own way but the Word of God teaches us that steadfast obedience to God s agenda is the only way to success. The chief purpose of the law given at Sinai (ten commandments), was to expose sin and paint in most vivid colors the fearful, blazing, dazzling holiness of God. Salvation was given to the people but God was also concerned for their sanctification remember, salvation is free but sanctification is costly! Hear me Covenant It PAYS to OBEY! Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. The Exodus was not just a get out jail free card God wanted the nation of Israel to become what He wanted them to be you can t have one foot in Egypt and another in Canaan. God made it clear, you can t follow me and expect to also follow the gods of Egypt. Apply

10 The same is true for us we can t expect God to be pleased if we love the culture more than Christ. How can we expect God to use us when we refuse to deny ourselves? During the Exodus, the people were to conform to the law but for us, we must allow the Holy Spirit to conform us to Christ! Our priority should be to OBEY GOD! Transition There is one final lesson to learn from Exodus 4. If you really desire to WALK with God, you must first learn to WAIT on God. (Ex 40:34-38) Intro A large part of Exodus is devoted to a description of the tabernacle. Actually some 50 chapters in the Bible relate to this important structure.

11 Here is a replica of the tabernacle I visited in Israel the tabernacle was the focus of the national life of Israel in the wilderness every tribe encamped around it in an orderly fashion. The tabernacle was where God dwelt with man in those days God has always been interested in having a relationship with us He has always wanted to be intimate and present with humanity We do not serve an absent God; we serve a present God The tabernacle was a mobile structure used by Israel for 500 years as a meeting place later on, it would be replaced by the Temple. The tabernacle was moved 30x the glory cloud of God s presence would hover over the Tabernacle a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But then the cloud would raise and would begin to move God s people (8,500) would tear down the tabernacle and follow God s presence until it stopped Then they would re-erect the tabernacle again and the glory of God would descend upon the tent of meeting! Amplify There is a lesson in this for us as a church and as individuals. Many times we move and get ahead of God! We should never blaze a trail for ourselves Our plans and programs should never include, Come on God, follow us and get on board! We need to find out which way God is moving, and all we have to do is FOLLOW! We make it far too complicated as we try to think tank our way to success. God has already made the plans He knows the way thru the wilderness we just need to fall in line.

12 I m all for making plans and seeking the best in life but the fact remains that God knows best and if we only put half the energy we put into trying to make a way for ourselves into finding and following God s way just imagine what God could do? Conclusion: Today, Route 66 led us through the Book of Exodus don t make the mistake Covenant by looking at Exodus as just another Bible story the narrative of Exodus reveals much about our own journey We might not be enslaved physically but we all are born slaves to sin spiritually the good news is because of God s great love, God provided a means of redemption he desires each of us to experience the victory of Canaan! We need to thank God for the miraculous ways He worked in the past and remember His power and faithfulness when we can only see trouble and difficulty God is not slack on His promises!!!!