Redemption, holiness and Mission

In the movie Liar, Liar, Max Reede is having maybe his 10th birthday party... but he’s waiting very nervously for his Dad to show up. His father is both a compulsive liar and successful lawyer, and he has promised... promised that he will not miss Max’s birthday.

But Max has heard all of this before.

Sure… for this birthday his Dad did seem to put an extra promise or two on top of what is usual… but he seems to always be too busy to be on time for Max.

When it is time for Max to cut the cake and make a wish, even though Dad still hasn’t shown up, he wishes that his father would just tell the truth.

His wish is instantly granted… and his father has a very hectic day telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

God our Father knows that lying destroys relationships!

Sure, truth without grace is brutal.

And grace without truth is so wishy washy it’s useless.

But truth with grace is beautiful.

And our God is a God who cannot lie… and is full of tender mercy and lavish grace!

But we cannot avoid his truth—those who reject His mercy receive justice.

Pharaoh is about to learn just what that means.

Justice from pure holiness to rebels is tough, eternally tough.

Justice means that what you’ve given, you now receive.

Lk 6:38 “38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.””

For those who give good, that’s great.

For those who give misery, that’s misery indeed!

God’s Great Turnaround!

When we started our journey through Exodus, we quickly became aware of a few things.

Israel was being blessed by God.

In fact, God was doing a new work of creation.

The Israelites were breeding like rabbits!

But they are also being held captive in Egypt.

They are enslaved, they are being beaten, oppressed, miserable, murdered… and crying out in their misery.

And their cries rise up to God… and…

Exodus 2:24–25 NIV84

24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

God called Moses in the wilderness and told him to confront Pharaoh

Ex 4:22-23 “22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ””

By the time we get to Ex 12:29, Pharaoh (and Egypt) have now suffered nine blows/plagues from God.

Egypt has a dead river, and dead frogs;

their land has swarmed with gnats and flies;

their livestock have got sick and died;

the people have been covered in boils;

there has been a hailstorm like no other hailstorm before or since;

a plague of locusts to devour anything that green that wasn’t destroyed by the hail…

and that was followed by a thick black darkness.

Each blow and the whole series of blows is a portend, a taste of what will come if grace and mercy continues to be refused.

God has partially de-created Egypt.

Darkness, disease… and death are filling the land and is all pervasive.

Pharaoh has been warned… time and again.

Pharaoh has wavered… but every time after the plague has passed has stood up tall and defiant again and again.

So our God has given truth and grace… time and again.

But in the end, mercy continuously refused means that now justice will prevail.

And in two terrible verses we read of the final stunning blow inflicted on Pharaoh and his land.

Ex 12:29-30 “29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.”

Pharaoh finally admits defeat.

He calls the despised Hebrews by their proper name; he calls the God who defeated him by his proper Name and he does what he should have done… and could have done before.

Exodus 12:31–36 (NIV84)

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”

Bless me? I’m sorry Pharaoh.

That offer was made months ago. You refused and hardened your heart… now it is too late. (As will be shown by the Sea when Pharaoh tried to take them back!)

God’s Great Turnaround!

It’s no wonder movies have been made about this.

It’s no wonder to speak of a plague of Biblical proportions is understood all around the world.

God has picked the richest, the most powerful and proud and stubborn of human beings... and God and man have stood toe to toe and slugged it out… and man has been humbled and beaten.

But notice there is no celebration, no gloating, there are no parties in the street.

There is just a sadness that the crowning pinnacle of God’s creation, the man made in his image has refused mercy and grace and has suffered justice.

God’s makes offers to lions and kangaroos and trees and shrubs that they can’t refuse.

They just do what comes by instinct.

Animals are not moral creatures.

But human beings are moral creatures that make choices that really count.

Pharaoh and Egypt had received nine offers that they steadfastly refused.

God cannot be mocked. Pharaoh reaped what he sowed.

It was Pharaoh’s choice to reply, “Who is the Lord? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” has had consequences.

So we are left with this picture

We started with God’s people beaten, whipped, dying and crying.

And now we have Pharaoh and Egypt beaten and whipped, dying and crying.

We started with Israel enslaved and serving Pharaoh.

We now have Israel redeemed, released, set free, gloriously free… to serve the God who made them and redeemed them and loves them.

The God who told them the truth and has given them mercy and grace to be his chosen, covenanted people.

God’s people have been released by God… liberated from a the most powerful tyrant who had no thought for their welfare, who used and abused them at will.

And they have been liberated with absolutely no effort or participation from them but simply God working through his prophet Moses.

God’s People Liberated

What the movies that have been made don’t tell us is that this story is a type, it’s a pattern that helps us see for ourselves what God will do in the greatest liberation story of all time.

That is the story of another prophet named Jesus of Nazareth confronting the greatest power on earth to liberate God’s people from their slavery to Satan, sin and death.

In the story between God and Pharaoh and the question of who shall God’s people serve… we are reminded of the story of Jesus and Satan and the all-powerful presence of Rome… and the question of who shall God’s people serve?

God’s people cried out to God to be liberated from Roman occupation… but God had a far greater liberation story to work out.

Rome is more a symptom than the problem… the Bible repeatedly tells us that behind all that opposes God’s plan and oppresses God’s people is Satan himself.

Like Israel enslaved to Pharaoh, we too were enslaved by a harsh taskmaster that cared not a wit about us.

And we were just as helpless against him.

He has no conscience about subjecting us and leading us into sin slavery and misery and pain.

Substance abuse,

over work/under work;

over eat/under eat;

using people and loving things,

conflict, war, diseases…

come through various agents and circumstances, but behind it all is Satan himself.

If you want to see Satan’s heart have a read through the book of Job.

He is without conscience, he is cruel, and merciless.

Causing God’s people misery is his greatest delight.

Like Israel in Egypt, enslaved to sin and Satan we were entirely, 100 percent helpless against his power.

God sent Jesus to release God’s people from the hold that Satan had on us.

And so Jesus shed his own blood for us on the cross.

He is our Passover Lamb.

God’s people sheltering by faith under his blood are safe.

When Jesus deals with Satan on the cross he liberates God’s people so we can love God and serve God and when we die, not face is terrible wrath but enjoy a rich welcome into his glorious presence.

It is a learned skill to start reading these OT stories through the lens of the stories of Jesus.

But those who practice and persevere see aspects of Jesus, his person, work, character, promises that make us appreciate afresh time and again of the wonder of our liberation and wonderful Saviour.

Finding our Place in God’s Story

But we also need to be aware, that our liberation, like Israel’s, is not yet free from the wiles of Satan.

We read in 1 Pet 5:8 “8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

God didn’t set his people free to go and do whatever they liked!

God set his people free to come and love and serve him.

At the minister’s association meeting last week a couple of ministers were saying that some people have enjoyed having worship services available online. They can enjoy their Sunday’s swimming and leisure and catch up and do church when they get home.

God doesn’t say to his people if you find a bit of spare time, I’d appreciate if you could check in with me!

We’ve already in Exodus seen the command of God to celebrate the annual Passover.

We see in Ex 12:43-50 what to do with outsiders and who’s to celebrate and who’s not.

In Ex 13:6-10 “6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder that now God has rescued you out of Egypt, he wants you to leave Egypt behind and come and follow him.

Getting caught in addictions and busy-ness and missing church and Bible studies and unresolved conflict and relationship difficulties and materialism are all ways that Satan uses to trip us up.

You need me… and I need you, we need each other to walk this narrow, rocky path to eternal glory.

If… when we find ourselves serving Satan we go back to our great and wonderful Liberator, confess our sin and ask again to be set free. Remind ourselves of the Passover Lamb and the shed blood that protects us.

Teach our children Ex 13:8 “8… tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’”

When life gets too messy and overwhelming and complicated, we look for the hand of Satan in it all and remind ourselves of the glorious, wonderful, big liberation we have received…

and we commit to pouring contempt on our pride and seeking the help of God and his people to enable us to overcome and prevail.

Our Glorious Hope for the Future

And we never, never, ever forget that he’s totally committed to us.

Look at Ex 13:5 “5 When the Lord brings you into the land ...

Ex 13:11 “11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers,”

Have you got a growing, maturing, exciting, alluring picture of life in the land flowing with milk and honey?

Israel looked forward to a bit of land in the Middle East where they could have God dwelling in their midst and they could be his people and he would be their God.

They would dwell in plenty and safety and security, free from the threats of enemy invasion and devastation from drought and flood and pandemic.

My goodness how Jesus has enlarged that picture for us.

When Jesus returns he will clean and renew this planet, he will remove all the sexually immoral and the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Rev 22:15).

And the earth and heaven will be joined together forever and God will again walk among his people and be our God and we will be his people.

Whatever we face this week, look back and rejoice again in our liberation and the God who overcame the one who enslaved us.

Look forward with hope and joy to that day when everything is put right.

And tackle this week in dependence on Jesus, the gospel and his people;