One Small Step Pt. 3: Leave Without Hesitation

Intro

Are you a fan of a good story? How many ‘classic’ movies have to watched growing up? What if I were to tell you that every good rom com, every good cartoon, every good action movie all share something in common? The thing that they all have in common is the structure around the story. From the ancient world, we have noticed a pattern when a story is involved. It’s a step-by-step to writing a good narrative or story. You can find this plot in the Lord of the Rings, Star-Wars, Barbie Movies, Shrek, The Avengers etc. Movies that have flopped in recent years in the box office usually don’t follow this method. For instance, The Marvels didn’t follow it, Ant Man and the Wasp didn’t follow it, and Going Red almost ignores it completely. These “Box office flops” weren’t enjoyed as much because of the plot (as to most critic reviews). On the other hand, the greatest films all seem to follow this structure closely. I’m going to use the classic “How to Train Your Dragon” as an example of how this ancient storytelling method works:

Ordinary World: The hero's normal life before the adventure begins.

Call to Adventure: The hero is presented with a challenge or quest.

Refusal of the Call: The hero hesitates or refuses the challenge due to fear or doubt.

Meeting the Mentor: The hero encounters a mentor who provides guidance and support.

Crossing the Threshold: The hero commits to the adventure and leaves the ordinary world.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies: The hero faces challenges, makes friends, and confronts foes.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: The hero prepares for a significant challenge in the adventure.

Ordeal: The hero faces a major crisis or challenge, often confronting death or their greatest fear.

Reward (Seizing the Sword): The hero overcomes the ordeal and gains a reward or insight.

The Road Back: The hero begins the journey back to the ordinary world, often facing more challenges.

Resurrection: The hero faces a final test, using everything learned to overcome it.

Return with the Elixir: The hero returns home transformed, bringing something valuable to share with others.

Now what does this story telling method have to do with anything? Well the story we’ll be journeying through tonight is the Story of Moses. The really exciting part about Moses’ life in the book of Exodus is that he writes down the real events in history in the format of the Hero’s Journey!

The Ordinary World: Moses is born a Hebrew slave in Egypt, a people oppressed and suffering under Pharaoh's rule. His "ordinary world" is one of hardship and injustice.

The Call to Adventure: Moses witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and, in a fit of rage, kills the Egyptian. This act, while well-intentioned, forces him to flee Egypt, disrupting his life and setting him on a new path.

Refusal of the Call: Initially, Moses might be seen as refusing the call when he flees. He's trying to escape the consequences of his actions and build a new life for himself in Midian. He's not actively seeking leadership.

Meeting the Mentor: In Midian, Moses encounters Jethro, a priest, and marries his daughter. Jethro, and his experiences in Midian, provide a period of reflection and preparation for Moses' true calling. More importantly, God himself appears as a burning bush, directly mentoring Moses and giving him his divine mission.

Crossing the Threshold: Moses' acceptance of God's command to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery marks his crossing the threshold. He leaves the relative safety and normalcy of his life in Midian to face the powerful Pharaoh.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies: Moses, with his brother Aaron as his spokesperson, confronts Pharaoh multiple times, each encounter a test of faith and courage. He faces Pharaoh's stubborn resistance, the plagues sent by God, and the fear and doubt of his own people.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: Approaching The final plague, the death of the firstborn, is the "approach to the inmost cave." It's the most devastating and decisive plague, forcing Pharaoh's hand and paving the way for the Israelites' departure.

The Ordeal: The Passover becomes the big moment in the story. The angel of death comes and all of the Israelites who put the blood of a lamb over their door post were spared.

Reward (Seizing the Sword): Pharaoh releases Israel to leave. They gain wealth and the freedom and begin to journey towards the Promised Land.

The Road Back: Journeying back, Pharaoh decides to take Israel back. So the chase begins. All of a sudden Israel comes to a giant body of water, the Red Sea. Trapped. Nowhere to go.

Resurrection: God OPENS up the Sea, granting Israel a passage across! When Israel gets to the other side, God sends the sea rushing back and wiping out the pursuing army. Israel made it across.

Return with the Elixir: Moses, now leads the Israelites towards the Promised Land with their newfound freedom. If you want a physical “Elixir,” Then you can see it in the 10 Commandments which Moses will bring down the mountain, but in this case, the freedom is the prize or the elixir they fought for.

The author of Hebrews emphasizes what our Big Idea will be when they write in chapter 11:27,

Text

Hebrews 11:27 CSB

By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.

Our Big Idea comes from this passage to end off our series. That idea is to:

Leave Without Hesitation

Where we’re going to spend most of our time today is in the Ordeal, and the Road back.

In the story of the Exodus, Moses is battling against Pharaoh. He’s struggling but persevering. He continues to fight for freedom even though Pharaoh is angry and trying to get him killed. The big ordeal comes around, God pulls the biggest UNO Reverse card on Pharaoh and he leads Israel to freedom. Slavery is *as he thinks* behind him. There’s a problem however. Pharaoh comes after him and changes his mind, he wants the Israelites to be slaves after all! Moses in this case could easily turn back and say, “You know what? It’s easier to surrender than continue running and resisting.” He even could’ve gone back to Pharaoh and been like *fingers touching* I’m sowwy.

Moses leads Israel to this beach, they’re completely surrounded! But in a miraculous way, the Sea parts, and they find this land bridge waiting conveniently there to cross this sea. They don’t hesitate, they leave. They see freedom on the other side! The go for it. They seize it. They leave slavery behind. God closes the sea up and the Israelites follow the Lord through the desert, attaining that Elixir of freedom.

The great inventor Thomas Edison faced countless failures before he succeeded in creating the light bulb. When asked about his failures, he famously said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." His perseverance turned millions of failures into a brilliant success that changed the world! This reminds us that even when we struggle, our efforts can lead to amazing breakthroughs if we keep pushing forward—just like Edison did!

Bringing it Together

If you’ve been following this series on how to Obey without Objection where we learned to follow God’s commands (including the Bible) even if they seem insane, to Leave without Destination where we focus on who we’re journeying with rather than the small details of where we’re going, then you’ve been taking the right steps. You’re walking in the right direction! That’s awesome! You’re in the midst of your Hero’s Journey being written! But many of us are at a point in our lives where we’re facing these tests. Maybe you feel like you’re at your inmost cave. Your biggest weakness is being tested. Maybe it’s a friend group where it would be easier to comply with shady activites. Maybe it’s a relationship where your boyfriend or girlfriend is trying to make you do something you don’t feel right doing because you’re afraid of conflict or abandonment. If you’re like me, it could be facing things in your past. It could be facing your own self-worth. Maybe this cave is questions about God. Maybe you doubt if He really cares about you or if He even exists at all.

Conclusion

Whatever your cave may be, you don’t need to feel ashamed of it. It’s a part of your journey. If you’re facing a cave like this, don’t give up. Don’t turn back. You’re so close to attaining the reward! You’re so close to making it farther than most of the people in this world would ever go! Rely on the allies you’ve made on this journey! Look to the mentors in your life and ask them for help! Remember the blood of Jesus that was shed so you can continue! You are a hero story in the making! So when you are faced with the dilemma whether or not to continue to struggle forward to stroll back to your old ways, don’t go back. Like the Red Sea, cross it, leave the old ways behind! Leave without Hesitating!

Pray