Let Go of Egypt

VETERANS DAY!

One balmy evening in the South Pacific, a navy ship spied smoke coming from one of three huts on an uncharted island.

Upon arriving at the shore, the crew was met by a shipwreck survivor. He said, “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been alone on this island for more than five years.”

The captain replied, “If you’re all alone, why do I see three huts?”

The survivor answered, “Well, I live in one and go to church in another.”

“What about the third hut?” asked the captain.

“That’s where I used to go to church.”

Today I want to encourage you to “Let it go” - I’ll explain exactly what I mean after I read our scripture for today.

Exodus 1:7–14 CEV

7 the people of Israel became so numerous that the whole region of Goshen was full of them. 8 Many years later a new king came to power. He did not know what Joseph had done for Egypt, 9 and he told the Egyptians: There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are. 10 If we don’t outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt. 11 The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, where the king could store his supplies. 12 But even though the Israelites were mistreated, their families grew larger, and they took over more land. Because of this, the Egyptians hated them worse than before 13 and made them work so hard 14 that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields.

Studying the Bible is so cool, it’s God’s way for communicating to people. There is a science to studying the Bible. There is a field of study called “hermeneutics”. That’s a cool word that really just means: the science of biblical interpretation.

There are many hermeneutical principles that can help us find the proper meaning of any portion of scripture.

Principle of FIRST MENTION

One of those principles is the “principle of first mention”. It means that how a subject is used when it is first mentioned in the Bible determines its usage throughout the Bible.

What I read to you this morning mentioned Egypt. If we apply the principle of first mention to the land of Egypt, we have to go back to Gen. 12:10–20. In those verses, Abraham went to Egypt because where he lived there was no food. The problem was that God hadn’t told him to go to Egypt. So, Abraham made mistakes, lied to the Egyptians, and was kicked out! It was a NEGATIVE experience.

The FIRST MENTION of Egypt in the Bible was negative and it sets the tone for how Egypt will be viewed throughout the entire Bible.

“Egypt” is a Bad Place

Egypt itself represents living outside the will of God. In the old testament we see that to be true for the people of God. When they lived there they were in bondage, and led to death under an evil tyrant.

For us as we read scripture, we should find our Egypt. What places are we outside the will of God and experiencing bondage, death, and evil.

If you study Egypt in the Bible, it is fascinating to see the strange pull it had over the lives of the people of God. For instance, Abraham went down to Egypt during a time of famine, Gen. 12:10–20. His grandson Jacob did the very same thing, Gen. 42:1–3. When Hagar wanted a bride for Ishmael, she took him a bride from Egypt, Gen. 21:21. And, even after they had been delivered from terrible bondage in that land, the children of Israel longed to return to Egypt.

It’s easy to get on a high horse when you read the stories of the people who wanted to return to the place of terrible bondage. But before we look down at such people as Abraham and Jacob, maybe we should admit to the fact that we too experience a strange pull from our Egypt, the world.

In truth, many of the Lord’s people spend a significant amount of their lives either looking back to Egypt, or actually living there full time. You and I do not have to live defeated, cold, carnal spiritual lives. We can, by the grace of God, walk in victory and power.

I’ve got four points for you today. They are easy to see in the scripture, but maybe harder to seen in our lives. The lens I want you to view this scripture today is the lens of your own life. In this scripture make Israel YOU, and Egypt the WORLD.

Israel is US & Egypt is the WORLD

Egypt dominated them, God delivered them. WE could all give a testimony of how our lives were before Christ touched us, we were dominated by sin. BUT God set us free.

The problem with Israel is the same problem we have - they looked back. For whatever reason, they forget about the destruction and death in Egypt and they wanted to turn from God.

Israel was Dominated by Egypt

Exodus 1:13–14 (CEV)

13 …made them work so hard

14 that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields.

The pain and suffering endured by the Israelites was almost unimaginable. They were slaves! This pictures the bondage endured by those who are captives of this world system. Even if you play by the world’s rules, you’ll still end up dominated and left with the feeling of something missing.

I shared a scripture last week, that I want to share again this week, because it illustrates the condition we’ve all found ourselves in, and maybe even the condition we find ourselves in today!

Ephesians 2:1–3 CEV

1 In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God. 3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.

Being out of the will of God should never be viewed as a pleasure trip. It is a time of severe bondage, darkness and enslavement.

The lie of the world is that things will get BETTER. The first time you take a drink of alcohol it was probably in a fun social setting. No one ever wants to become dependent on alcohol, but that’s the enemies plan for your life!

Israel went to Egypt for help, and for a time they found help, but bondage is bondage. After time, the bondage felt by Israel grew worse instead of better.

This is always the way when we are trapped in the world. Our attractions grow stronger over time. Our addictions grow stronger over time. We find ourselves more deeply rooted in the world than ever.

The only way to break the bondage of the world is to be delivered.

Israel was Delivered from Egypt

I told Stacy that this is what I was going to talk about today and she sent me a note from her commentary on this scripture that I wanted to share with you today:

When we are burdened or mistreated, we may feel defeated. But our burdens can make us stronger and develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future. We cannot be overcomers without troubles to overcome. Be true to God in hard times because even the worst situations can make us better people.

God’s plan IS deliverance. EVEN though we go through hard times God can deliver us!

God’s plan to deliver Israel was Moses. Moses was born and God raised him up as the leader to bring salvation to the people who had been enslaved for 400 years. God unleashed His wrath against Egypt and delivered His people in a tremendous display of power. He redeemed them by His great ability.

If Egypt is a type of world, then we can see God’s plan for humanity for today. He wants us to be delivered from our bondages too.

The plan of salvation that delivered you and me from the bondage of sin was not thought up as an after thought when Jesus died on the cross. God KNEW exactly what He was doing when He offered His Son as our redeemer. Salvation does not come about by human reasoning, human goodness, or human deeds. Salvation is solely the work of Almighty God. He formulated the plan. He supplied the blood. He calls the sinner. He saves the sinner. He keeps the sinner. He does it all without our aid or intervention.

When you SURRENDER your heart and life to Jesus as your Lord, you can and will be delivered from the bondage of sin and death.

Israel Looked Back

Even though they had experienced such a great deliverance from their bondage in Egypt, the people of Israel continued to experience a strange pull back to that land of slavery, bondage and death.

I see the same thing in our lives as believers. Even though we have been set free, there is still a continuous pull back to the world and its attractions.

Exodus 14:10–11 CEV

10 When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the Lord for help. 11 They also complained to Moses, “Wasn’t there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway?

In Egypt, they were slaves, but if they did their jobs, they were safe and they knew what to expect. Pharaoh may have been their enemy, but at least he wasn’t trying to kill them! Now, he is in hot pursuit of Israel and he intends to put them to death!

It is a shock to a new believer when the first spiritual battle takes place. Satan, the old master, does everything in his power to defeat those who are committed to serving Jesus, the new Lord. Sometimes, these spiritual battles and the battles with the lusts and desires of the flesh overwhelm the believer and he or she desires to return to Egypt.

It feels safer to just go along with the crowd. Jesus makes us uncomfortable.

On Friday, I was invited to the Slavens “Bring your Pastor To School Day”. It was cool, but the person in charge asked all the Pastors to come down to the front. He said, “The Bible tells us to be ready to preach in season and out of season”. I immediately got nervous because I was drawing a blank! Thankfully, he just asked for our name and where we serve. I was uncomfortable.

That’s a SIMPLE illustration of being uncomfortable, but what if God calls us to stand up against people who can really hurt us?

In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these three young men stood against King Nebuchadnezzar's decree to worship a golden idol. Their faith cost them their freedom and nearly their lives, yet their stand was a testimony to unwavering faith. They believed that God would save them; and even if He didn’t, they would still choose Him. Their courage not only glorified God but brought a miraculous outcome. Walking in faith means trusting God amid challenges, sometimes facing the heat, but He is always with us.

We have been delivered from Sin and we can’t look back. One stand out in a book that I’ve been reading is a quote from AW Tozer: If Jesus doesn’t have ALL of you, then He doesn’t have ANY of you.

A true Christian commitment to Jesus cannot be partial; if you are not fully devoted to him, then you are not truly devoted at all.

Every aspect of our life must be yielded to his will.

Israel Died to Egypt…

I want to finish the message today with two thoughts:

We can die with Egypt in our hearts:

Numbers 14:3 CEV

3 Is the Lord leading us into Canaan, just to have us killed and our women and children captured? We’d be better off in Egypt.”

The nation of Israel had been delivered from Egypt, but they still doubted God. Because they refused to walk in the plan of God and they decided that their way was better than His, He allowed them to wander in the wilderness until they had all died! For 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, longing for the pleasures of Egypt.

they had forgotten that they were slaves in Egypt.

they had forgotten the sting of the taskmaster’s whip upon their backs.

they had forgotten the mindless work that produced nothing for them but more bondage, more labor and in the end death.

What they looked back on with such lust was not what really existed! But, because Egypt was so deeply rooted in their hearts, they were prevented from entering the promised land of victory. They died with Egypt in their hearts, and it was only at their deaths that they truly died to Egypt.

Many people in the Lord’s family are in the same sad shape today. They are so enamored with the world and with what they long for there, that they are never able to overcome the pull of the world and they die in defeat, never having walked in the victory of the Spirit. That is a sad way to live, and it is not what Jesus saved us for!

We can die longing for the world. We can die with Egypt in our hearts

OR

2) We can LET GO of Egypt and POSSES the Promises of God

Numbers 14:29–30 CEV

29 You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted me, and none of you men who are over twenty years old 30 will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own—only Caleb and Joshua will go in.

Only two men who had left Egypt as adults were permitted to enter the promised land of victory. They were allowed to do so because they looked forward instead of looking backward. They wanted what God had for them out there instead of what they had left behind back there. They saw Egypt for what it was and wanted nothing more to do with that land. They wanted the best God had for them and they received it from the hand of the Lord. By the way, it is interesting to note that after Israel crossed Jordan and entered the promised land, there is no mentioned on anyone longing to go back to Egypt.

Just like Caleb and Joshua, victory over the pull of Egypt is possible for you and me today! The way to achieve this is laid out for us by the Apostle Paul in Phil. 3:13–15

Philippians 3:13–15 CEV

13 My friends, I don’t feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14 I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15 All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you.

The secret to overcoming the past lies in reaching forward in faith for the things God has for you out there in the future.

You can leave Egypt behind forever, but it will never happen until you want it to!

Egypt will always be a problem in your life until you admit it is a problem, that is why confession is a POWERFUL weapon against the enemy. It’s a form of surrender that aligns us with the supernatural ability of God.

1 John 1:9 CEV

9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

God is faithful to meet us at the point of our surrender. WE must desire His will above our own and die to our flesh when the enemy comes knocking on our door.

How do you do that? By putting some distance between you and your Egypt! You have got to let go of that land and all that is holds for you and promises to you, 2 Cor 6:17

2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

Overcoming the strange pull of Egypt in your life will never be easy. But, it can be accomplished by faith the Lord and by putting some distance between you and those things that draw you back. If you are battling the pull of Egypt in your life, why don’t you come before the Lord today and find the help you need?