Tribulation and the People of God [Exodus Pt. 7]

Tribulation and the People of God

“I don’t deserve this!!” I don’t know how many times I have heard these words. God’s job rating seems to be much like that of the president. Most people seem to think,  “if I am not comfortable and happy, He must not be doing His job.” This is so contrary to reality!  This is not to say that trials or difficulties in life are ever easy,  If they were we would call them “easies” and not “difficulties.” Yet the attitude that we bring to them will greatly affect the way we endure them, or not.  

 Tribulation and the People of God  – SERMON AUDIO

We often begin with the attitude that God owes us happiness. This is a far stretch from the Biblical data on the subject!  Every kid that has been in Sunday School knows Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. “The wages of sin is death.” That means God owes it to us. It is what we have earned as sinners. Anything less than hell is God’s mercy to us. In his goodness God does give us good things, not as a testimony to our deserving  it, but as a testimony to His goodness.

Acts 14:15-17  We… preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

God’s goodness is multiplied by our sin. He does not have to do this for us. We have earned our wages and goodness is not among them! Due to the sinfulness of our hearts, we would stand in judgment over God who is good, and claim that He does not measure up to our standards. What hypocrisy! “What does all of this have to do with the Book of Exodus?” you ask. God foretold exactly how the whole situation was going to go.

Genesis 15:12-14  Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.  13  Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.  14  And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Exodus 4:19-21  Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”  20  Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.  21  And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Yet when Moses finally gets up the courage and is ready to go and speak to him, things get more difficult.

Exodus 5:1-9  Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ “  2  And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”  3  So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”  4  Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.”  5  And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”  6  So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,  7  “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.  8  And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’  9  Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”

This lead the people to run to Moses and complain while Moses ran to God and complained.

Exodus 5:20-23  Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them.  21  And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”  22  So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?  23  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

One of our greatest problems is that we tend to believe what we want to about God rather than what He has actually said. Faith that is not in what God says about us, Himself and our relationship, is not faith, but folly! Moses and the people had other expectations and so their faith was challenged even though God was clear about what to expect.

So, “Why did God put them through all of that?” you ask. To increase His glory and move the people away from trusting in themselves and toward trusting in Him. Not due to personal vanity, but because it is what we need as human beings. We need to trust in Him but we naturally want to trust in our own abilities. God had to prove that He is the ultimate power and that we are best off when we trust in Him.  Trials do this for us.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  8  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  9  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It come down to the question, “In whom or what do you trust?” If it is in your own goodness or ability, you will believe that God owes you. If you are trusting in God and His promise through Jesus Christ, you will understand His amazing Grace!   To get the whole concept, I encourage you to listen to the audio of the sermon by clicking on the link below.

Tribulation and the People of God  – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

God and Hard Hearts [Exodus Pt. 6]

Hard Hearts

Most people hate to hear the words, “I will harden his heart” as God speaks to Moses in Exodus 4:21. Yet we know that God is perfectly just in all that He does. Pharaoh did not need God to do anything mystical to make his heart hard. We are all born in sin and rebellion against God. All God had to do was assert His authority and take away Pharaoh’s toys and he threw a fit like any toddler would do under the same circumstances. We often fail to recognize the state of our hearts before God goes to work in them. Our hearts are just like Pharaoh’s because we are all sons of Adam and children of rebellion. As such, God could rightfully allow all of our hearts to grow harder and harder as He exercises His providence in our lives, giving and taking away as He sees fit. He is the Creator and Ruler of all that is and we would continue to resist His power and authority if we were left to ourselves.

Pharaoh’s Hard Heart – SERMON AUDIO

Following what Paul tells the Romans in the first chapter of his letter to the Christians there, Pharaoh has rejected God and set himself up as the ruler of his own domain. As a result, God’s judgment has come upon him, and allowed him to move himself further away from God’s rule and authority.  God’s judgment for those who want no part of Him, or who reconstruct Him to fit their own comfort level, is to give them what they want;

Romans 1:18-24  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,  19  because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  21  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  22  Professing to be wise, they became fools,  23  and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  24  Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves….

The more we reject the true God and make our own gods who fit our personal comfort and accept our sin, the more God “gives us up” to what we want. Pharaoh had taken this to an extreme level as he was considered a god to the people of Egypt and as he tried to consume the people of God for his own selfish ends.  The only thing special about Pharaoh is that he held great power, power which God gave him. He used his power against God in his arrogance.

When Moses came to him to ask, (very politely, I might add) to let the people of Israel go, Pharaoh got snooty with him right off the bat;

Exodus 5:1-5  Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ “  2  And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”  3  So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”  4  Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.”  5  And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”

God know just how he would react and used it to His own advantage and to the advantage of the rest of the world since He free Israel and through them brought Jesus into the world so that He could redeem people from every nation, tribe and tongue. Ultimately, it was God’s love and faithfulness that won the day! He overcomes the hard hearts of people every day. The big question for all of us is this, Does God exercising His sovereign authority in our lives make our hearts hard or does it break them and cause us to fall on His mercy? We need to pray that God will overcome our hard hearts through His mercy and grace. Left to ourselves, we would only continue to harden them when God exercises His authority in our lives. Listen to the audio  of this morning’s sermon and pray that the Lord would soften your heart as you see His power and faithfulness and realize the great mercy of His sacrifice of His own Son to redeem the hard hearts of the rebels who don’t really want to know Him in truth.

Pharaoh’s Hard Heart – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Moses’ Calling; “Who Am I?” [Exodus Pt. 4]

The Calling of Moses

God calls all of His people to serve in some way. Paul tells the Corinthians as he teaches them about spiritual gifts, ” But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11) and “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (1 Corinthians 12:18) God calls, gifts and employs the members of His Church as He wills. The question is, How has He called, gifted and employed you as a member of His Church?

Who Am I? – SERMON AUDIO

As we read Exodus, chapters three and four, we see God’s preparation and calling of Moses to be the leader and redeemer of His people from the slavery of Egypt. God created Him for that very purpose, bringing him through the decree of Pharaoh to kill the male babies of the Israelites, making him a prince of Egypt and putting in his heart to look upon the affliction of his brothers. Yet Moses failed the first time he set out to redeem his people (See previous post, The Birth of Moses and the Providence of God). As we enter the third chapter of Exodus, we see that God has not given up, but was waiting for the appropriate time to call Moses to the task for which He had created him.

Exodus 3:7-10  And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.  8  So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.  9  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.  10  Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Even though God had done everything to prepare him for the task, Moses was too focused on himself and his own failures to see that it was God’s power and authority that would be used through him to accomplish God’s purpose.

Exodus 3:11  But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:13  Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

Exodus 4:1  Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”

Exodus 4:10  Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Exodus 4:13  But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

In a sense, it is good to acknowledge our own weakness and our need for God to do the work through us. Moses takes it a little too far and tries to get God to call someone else. But to each of Moses’ doubts, God answers with His own sufficiency.

• When Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh…? God said,  “I will certainly be with you.” (Exodus 3: 12)
• When he needed assurance that they would receive him asking, Whom shall I say sent me? (vs. 13) God says, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “  (Exodus 3: 14)
• When he says, They won’t believe me!” God answers by giving him miraculous signs to perform (Exodus 4:2-10)
• When Moses complains that he isn’t good with words, God says to him, “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” (Exodus 4:12)
• Only when Moses suggest that God send someone else does God get angry. Yet God supplies him with the help of Aaron, his brother to get the job done. (Exodus 4:14-16)

Likewise, God gifts and prepares all of His servants. Feeling inadequate is good for us, but it is not an excuse to refuse to serve God. We must remember that we are not able or even worthy to serve the living God. But He enables us and works through us to accomplish His purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:25-27  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  26  For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  27  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

This does not mean that we should try to do things that we are not called to do, but to trust God that as He puts it in our hearts to serve in a particular place in the Church, that He will gift us and prepare us to do the work that He has called us to do. We all have the call to evangelize and disciple, to live godly lives in the world. We cannot even do these basic things without God working in us and through us.  We need to count on the I AM to work with the power that we could never produce. There is a lot more to this. I hope that you will listen to the audio of the sermon and search your own heart to see what God is calling on you to do. It will likely seem to big a task for you to do in your own strength so then, once it is done, He alone will get the glory!

Who Am I? – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Birth of Moses and the Providence of God [Exodus Pt.3]

God Remembered His Covenant

What do you think about when things are at their worst? Do you doubt God and His goodness? At times it can be very difficult to keep the faith. However, God never promised that life would always be good and things would always be easy. We live in a world that is cursed by our own rebellion, yet we live in the midst of God’s plan to redeem. As we await the completion of that plan we experience sin, sorrow, suffering and death. Not because God is not good or powerful enough to do otherwise, but because He is just we are all sinners.

God Remembered His Covenant – SERMON AUDIO

As we approach the second chapter of the Book of Exodus, we see God’s plan being worked out in its early stages. He has made a promise to Abraham to use his family to bring about the redemption of those who would believe (See Genesis 12-15). Moses begins the history of Exodus by telling us that it is Abraham’s family that is the object it all. Everything that is done from here on out is a result of God’s promise to redeem in spite of man’s sin and rebellion against Him.

Genesis 15:13-14  Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.  14  And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

The Pharaoh is set against the plan of God and persecutes Israel to the point of killing their newborn sons in order to try and limit their numbers and their power. When things are at their worst, God begins to work (See post, What is the Fear of the Lord?) Here we enter Exodus 2;

Exodus 2:1-4  And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.  2  So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.  3  But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.  4  And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

The writer to the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that this was not done in fear of the Pharaoh’s edict and power. “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. “ (Hebrews 11:23) There are a lot of details that fill in this story when we begin to read and understand it.

• Pharaoh’s Daughter, probably the sister of the reigning Pharaoh seemingly had no son of her own. Her firstborn son had the right to inherit the throne.
• Moses was a “beautiful child.” I believe that this means he was really a good looking kid.
• Amram and Jochebed (Moses’ parents) acted in faith as they put their child in the Nile near where she would be bathing.

God brought all the right things together at the right time, yet this was just the beginning of God working His plan. It would be another 40 years before Moses felt compelled to deliver his brothers (Exodus 2:11-15). Then he would spend another 40 years learning to be a husband, a father and a shepherd in the land of Midian. God was in no hurry, but His timing was perfect. After all of this we read toward the end of the chapter;

Exodus 2:23-25  Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  24  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

It was never that God had forgotten that covenant. He was preparing His deliverer all the time. The people of Israel were not ready to be delivered yet as we see in Exodus 2:14 as they react to Moses’ first attempt to save them. God had governed all things as the appointed day was approaching. We read that “God remembered His covenant…” because that was the basis of His actions and they became evident at that time. Now God is ready to move on their behalf and He will do it in a might way. This begins to take shape in the next chapter.

God not only governs those specific events like the birth and ministry of Moses. Romans 8:28 tells us,  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God governs all things for His good purposes. His goal was not just to redeem the people of Israel, but though them to bring the Messiah, Jesus Christ into the world so that He could redeem all who would follow Him by faith. Just like Amram and Jochebed acted on faith when things seemed hopeless, we cannot assess God’s goodness of faithfulness by our circumstances all of the time. But as we know that He is faithful, we will endure those difficult times looking to His final redemption at the end of the age. He has proved His power in overtaking the most powerful earthly king as His people never lifted more than a staff. He is faithful. He can do what He has promised. The dark times are often the times that faith is the most important.

There is a lot more in the sermon. I encourage you to listen to the audio by clicking on the link below!

God Remembered His Covenant – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

What is the “Fear of the Lord?” [Exodus Pt. 2]

Fearing the Lord

Have you ever asked yourself whether you would be able to stand in the face of persecution? Every week we pray for Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith. This week in our Voice of the Martyrs prayer update we read of a pastor who lost an eye when Islamic extremists threw acid in his face for his evangelism efforts. We also read of a church in China that meets outside because the police discourage those who would rent them a space from  doing do. Yet they continue to meet outside, year around, facing persecution and inclement weather.

What is the Fear of the Lord? – SERMON AUDIO

For the people of God, facing persecution is nothing new! Since 64 AD and even before it has been going on. Peter tells his readers in Asia Minor exactly this as he writes to them at that time;

1 Peter 4:12-13  Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  13  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Yet even before this, the people of God were persecuted and threatened with extinction. All the way back in Exodus, about 1,500 years bef0re Peter’s time, we see that Pharaoh had very strong ideas about what he would like to see happen to them;

Exodus 1:8-14  Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  9  And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;  10  come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”  11  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.  12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.  13  So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.  14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage–in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

Despite his greatest efforts, the children of Israel grew stronger and increased their number. That is when he stepped things up to the most despicable of actions against them.

Exodus 1:15-16  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;  16  and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the known world at this time. He was regarded as a god among his people and was king over the mightiest empire in the land.  He simply told the midwives what to do and I am certain that he was not used to being ignored. Yet.

Exodus 1:17-18  17  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.  18  So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

These women stood against the most fearsome king in the world and refused to do his bidding. But we read, “But the midwives feared God….” They did not respect the power of the great king when it was compared to the power of their God. They had seen Him multiply His people in the midst of their enslavement. I believe that they knew the promise of God to Abraham, to multiply his descendents. They had been faithful to protect and care for his offspring, faithful to their people and to their God. Fear really comes down to respect of power. We can fear men or we can fear God. With the fear of God also comes honor of His Person.

I believe that these ladies were faithful and feared God (respected His power and His Person) in the small things from day to day. When the day came for them to be tested, by the grace of God, they passed! Their faithfulness to His faithfulness allowed the covenant people of God to continue until the one who would redeem those people was born (See Exodus 3). God’s timing impeccable! So, to answer that question about standing in the face of persecution. If I was the pastor who’s eye was burned out by acid would I continue to preach the Gospel? If I had to go to church outside because the local government refused to allow me a place to worship, would I show up? If the government ordered me to perform an immoral act, could I refuse like Shiphrah and Puah? The Grace of God is at the heart of it, yet, our own faithfulness our “fear of God” will also play a part. If we are not faithful in the little things that we encounter day by day, I do not believe we have much to hope for on that day.

There is much more to be said on the subject. I encourage you to listen to the sermon audio by clicking the link below to hear it. Before I stop typing this out, I need to ask you, how are you doing in the little things? Are you faithful when the world tries to impose itself on you? Do you fear men and their opinions or do you fear the Lord?

What is the Fear of the Lord? – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Faithful Redeemer [Exodus Pt. 1]

The Faithful Redeemer

What does a story about a bunch of cranky slaves being freed from bondage in Egypt have to do with me, a Christian living in the 21st century? Well it has as much to do with the God who delivered them as it does with our own need for redemption. Remember last time when we noticed that the Apostle Paul pointed to Ancient Israel as a type for us to consider in 1 Corinthians 10:11.

The Faithful Redeemer – SERMON AUDIO

As Exodus begins, we are introduced to the family of a man named Israel and we are told that they all arrived safely in the land of Egypt. This are the subject of God’s blessing and His promise to a man named Abraham who lived a couple of generations before them. We need to begin with these men and their names in order to be assured that what follows is in line with God’s covenant. It is a demonstration if His Word being good and it work among the sons of men. Read more »

The Journey Begins [Exodus Preface]

The Journey Begins

It is time for a fresh take on the old way of life. There is so much going on, so many obstacles, setbacks and mundane details that we often get lost in the routine and forget the purpose of the journey. As Christians we are saved, not just to be kept from hell, but to be conformed to the image of Christ. The questions we need to ask are; Is God in it, is He faithful, does He care when we are caught in the rugged, day to day issues of life? This is where faith becomes most evident.

The Journey Begins – SERMON AUDIO

But before we run off to Egypt and discover all of the lessons we can gain from the Nation of Israel and their journey, lets put things in a bit of perspective. After all, how can I relate to a four thousand year old story of slaves being liberated from the tyranny of oppression? The New Testament actually speaks to that very issue and gives us a strong correlation;

1 Corinthians 10:1-6  Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,  2  all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,  3  all ate the same spiritual food,  4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  5  But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.  6  Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians Christians that we are really not that different from those ancient Israelites.  They were redeemed, we are redeemed. They were baptized and took communion too! But Paul also says that many who were among them, were not true believers. Yet, this nation is “our example.” The Greek word for example here actually tupos or a type. They are a picture of how God deals with those in His covenant community and a demonstration that all who are in that community are not true believers. Jude says it this way in his epistle, “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 1:5)

Before we begin the journey, we need to ask whether we are really trusting in God? Do we believe that in spite of the difficulties of life and things going contrary to our expectations that God is in charge and will complete what He has begun? The evidence is really shown in our obedience and our attitudes;

1 Corinthians 10:6-11  Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.  7  And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.”  8  Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;  9  nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;  10  nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  11  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

See, the unbelievers among the Nation of Israel were more concerned about creature comforts than faithfulness (READ NUMBERS 11) (Vs. 6). They were willing to change the way they saw God and try to make Him over so that they could be comfortable in their sin and rebellion (READ EXODUS 32) (Vs. 7).  They were carried away by the culture into sexual immorality (READ NUMBERS 25) (Vs.8). They were persistent in their sin (READ NUMBERS 21) (Vs. 9). and never ceased to complain (READ NUMBERS 16) (Vs. 10).  Again, these events were recorded for our admonition, the Church of Jesus Christ. Everyone who professes faith and hangs out with Christians is not really a Believer. Unbelief here is demonstrated by mistrust of God, disobedience to His commands and complaints about our own situation. But, it does not have to end here!

This is what it looks like when we focus too much on the journey and not on the destination.  We need to change our focus. We need to remember who God is and what He has promised. He did not promise our best life now! He did promise to bring us through the difficulties of life and form in us the image of His Son. It is when we focus on the right things that we are able to walk in true faith.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The journey is not about us gaining worldly possessions or accolades. We do not stand on our abilities or successes but on the faithfulness of God! The journey is a success when we realize this and count on Him rather than ourselves or our circumstances. He will bring you through the difficulty, but don’t expect Him to reward you with temporal blessings, expect Him to accomplish His purpose in your life! The journey is easier, more exciting and you will find more joy in it.

Check out the audio from the sermon preached on Sunday, January 1, 2012 for more.

The Journey Begins – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin