Israel-God's set up for Deliverance

And that's what this multi-week thing is. All about. Israel really is a microcosm of faith and it is how God works with us as people and individuals. And you can see in Israel's personality as a nation. You can see all of our traits and all of our of foibles and stuff. You know, God teaches us everything that we need to know in order to walk with God. We are so fortunate Israel didn't have anything but this guy Moses telling them so we got to cut him some slack. We really do you and I have all the experiences of the Old Testament. We have all of the New Testament that gives us what we need to guide us and tell us about how God works and even then it's still hard to be obedient even then. It's still hard. But you know, what's interesting about the history of Israel. And today we're going to look at the Exodus set of out of Egypt. There is no archaeological evidence at all of Israel ever being in Egypt the people of Israel there is no and it's one of the great frustrations of Christian theologians and archaeologists. There's some very good circumstantial evidence that there is no direct proof that Israel was ever in Egypt as slaves and there's also no direct evidence for the Exodus of them coming out of Israel out of Egypt. There's not And God doesn't for a reason like we're going to we're going to take this either by faith or by fact and faith is the is the engine of what God works with the evidence. We have of the existence of Israel. I think there's a slide Cairo museum at the Stella it's called and I think the next slide says it he can't see it very well, but right at the bottom of that that rock which had all these hieroglyphics in it, the Egyptian pharaoh of the time was bragging about how he had gone up to what is now Palestine and Israel and it defeated all these countries and one of the countries that he defeated or the people said he defeated it says right here. were the Israelites so we know the Israelites were there at that point and that was about 1200 BC how they got there. What is modern-day Israel? We have no archaeological proof, but the Bible tells us that came through Egypt. That's how they got there still it's good to know that you know, we're not talking about complete mystery here. There is some archaeological proof, but what we learn from The Exodus if it shows as something very dramatic about God's ability to protect his children and to deliver his children. It's a it's a powerful thing. He'll never forsake us and it's also a wonderful example of God strategically sets our lives up for Glory to be displayed in our life as he did with Egypt. And so the crossing of the Red Sea has some very Vital Information for us about how God works and what our attitude should be in our life when we're walking with God through a difficult situation. So we don't know we don't freak out. So here's God setting it all up in Exodus 14 1/2 18. This is what this is crazy. Then the lord gave these instructions to Moses Israelites adjust come out of Egypt Pharaoh. Let them go. And I like to I like the statement of you reading the text. It says they left Egypt with Fists in the air. It's powerful, right? It made me remember it made me think of those guys. We back in the Olympics remember years ago those black guys that stood up and put their fists up when they were getting the gold medals and it was kind of this Defiance. We are leaving and so then the lord gave these instructions to Moses turbo 3 days out of Egypt and he says this to them order the Israelites to turn back and Camp I buy hair off. Between McDowell and the secant there along the shore across from balls Efron. Ben Farrell will think the Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness. And once again, I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will chase after you I have planned this in order to display my glory through pharaoh and his whole Army after this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. So the issue lights Camp there as they were toll so God setting this up like he's really setting something up. I think we have so this is as always there's about 5 or 10 different places. They crossed the Red Sea or whatever. It is. Something gets up there. Something gets there something gets up. There. It is kind of funny. I believe it's down here if you want to show the next one Sean. This is another idea of seeds with one thinks that it happened up there. But why would they be Crossing out of Egypt and going back into Egypt Let's cross over and go right back into Egypt. So this is the Sinai Peninsula and this is where they say the traditional Mount Sinai was I was there and climb that crazy Mountain. It's really not Mount Sinai Mount Sinai is over here, but that's one of the routes they think I think there should be another slide Sean. So here's what God said. He said come on down here. He said go up here to offend them and then turn around because you can see they're all locked in by the mountain. So God brought them. They brought them down here. And if you see the topography in their eyes looking at it this week, you can't get through there with all mountains. So far to go up there then turn around and come back and Camp there which they did for 8 days. So there cuz Egypt pharaohs coming this way. They can kill this way. God did it on purpose or you that God is setting you up? At some point in your life either has is happening right now or is going to happen where you're going to be put in a situation where you're going I can't get out of this. Like I have no control over the situation anymore. I have to totally depend on God. So there they are looking over there. What's the next flight on I forget what it is. Yes. This is the view they had looking across towards where they were supposed to go a lot of water. That's a lot of water and there they are and they know the Egyptians are coming after them. Sounds like God has a plan and then we getting such a fret when things look Dyer and how often have weed doubted God in the middle of a situation. I mean, come on, right we get better at it God willing but I haven't if we lose a job for some reason. I've seen some Faith go down the tubes pretty fast when someone is lost been laid off for some reason and all the sudden Where's God or they miss an opportunity or there some kind of a medical situation that all of it that you weren't expecting and all the sudden you're going or like Where's God and it's Times Like These we have to remember he might be setting us out. You might be putting us in the future and you know if they had the camp there for 8 days. 8 days they're waiting for feral to come get them. If they knew there was nowhere to go there looking across this water and things are getting forgetting pretty dire, right? So I mean last week we learned about Farrell and a remote Abraham. I mean, we really have to digest this. We really have to understand. This is the way God can be sometimes he can tell us to do something that makes no sense at all. No sense. It's like Willie saying this morning. It doesn't seem like it fits but I'm going to say it anyway and what you have is his balance and the other day and we got a whole story out of it and ask us to do things that just don't make any sense. That doesn't mean that God's not in it and we may be in the middle of a situation. That doesn't make any sense. But this time God was putting them directly in a trap. And in both cases with Abraham and with these guys, there's only one thing you're left with in that situation. That is Faith. That's what we're going to learn from. Israel is faith. You know, we'll get later on and we'll get into the whole Israel. Do you know modern state of Israel and what's going on there? But right now we're learning from its travels because it's so important for you and I right now that we learn these basic fundamentals of what our faith is all about. It's not about a feeling. It's not about everything going great. It's not about our prayers are being answered. It's not about miracles and healings. It is about having faith in God and in both cases. God had a plan. I don't know why they do. I mean God would deliver them. I don't know why just picturws, you know, just picture how you would have felt not knowing not knowing what was going on. But God has a plan Jeremiah says it to us you've heard the scripture a thousand times for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord they are plans for good and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. That's it really is you may not be living the life right now that kind of reflects but I'm telling you it is the purpose for what you were in the difficulty. You might be in the challenges that you may be facing. It is all because God is working this out. It is a good plan. It's not for disaster. We think it's going to come to a disaster. But God says no, it's not for disaster that this is lined up. You may think that you made a mistake. You may think that you may think the world's making mistake, but God controls it all and he has a good plan for your life. We have to grab hold of this when everything in the world comes out as telling us differently when you look at what's going on in the world right now, you would just feel like cashing in the chips and running. I mean, I don't know how many people probably said in the last 2 months. God take me home when they look at what's going on in the world around them and we've got a good here. When you look at what's going on in the Middle East in Africa, Africa is about to go into one of the worst. Yeah famines and since the 1940s there something like 20 million people that are in Jeopardy right now in Africa of starvation. It's not so go to put them in a situation where they could not win with. Oh God intervening.

So get ready. Get ready. I mean if we want to be people of faith if we want to display the power of God in their life, if we want to be vessels for the glory of God. This is what it looks like very often this is and if you look at the rest of the Old Testament God was constantly putting his people in situations. They could not get out of without him. And we don't like that. We like being self-sufficient. We like having the answers. We like being able to figure out how we are going to get out of the situation how we are going to pay the rent how we are going to solve the situation and God saying well we doesn't include me. It's how is God going to work this out? It doesn't mean we park our brain at the door. You know, it doesn't mean that we just sit there and go God's going to do something. No, it's a combination of going God. I know you have a plan. Let me know what I need to know about it. And let me know what I need to do in it, and then we'll figure this out and we'll get through it.

And there's no human possibilities. There are God possibilities. And the thing is like I've been saying when we humans get in those situations in this we have to be okay with this. First of all, you got to be okay with yourself some slack. I'm not saying that we're going to walk out of this place today and we're going to run into situations and we're going to go well now I can handle this. This is going to be great and I have total Faith. Now, you're still a human being you're going to be a human being until you die. And I guarantee that that that fear button that oh my Heavens button or what's going to happen. But those buttons are going to be pushed. You're going to feel all those things. It's just the it's just part of being a human being as I said as we get older in our face some of us are getting a little bit better at not completely freaking out when something bad happens. We're able to go. Well, okay. Well, this should be okay. That's about as good as it gets all this should be. Okay, I think but most of us get on the phone. I need your prayer somebody pray for me. But if you're praying for the agreement of the success, then that's a different kind of prayer. If your friend some last-minute Peter screeching prayer sinking in the ocean. That's a different kind of thing. And hopefully we can graduate this is exactly the way the Israelites reacted in Exodus 14 it goes this is what they said to him in 11 to 14 and they said to Moses you can just picture them and this wasn't a few this is 600000 not counting women and children. This is a malt. Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?

Remember someone who got they came to their face that was years ago. And as soon as I came to their face, they got so sick. They got to every illness you could get her knowing months and she said how is this bringing glory to God? I said I don't know but I don't know so I could die. Now I see you're on Facebook now and she just preaching the gospel like a crazy person. Weren't there enough grades for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? We set it to God what happened while we were still in Egypt gods trying to deliver them to get them into a this wonderful place. He has for them and the text is telling us is that while he was doing that they were going you know, it's not going to work, you know, it's not going to work God. There's no way this is going to work and that is so Well, there's no way this is going to be able to work. I mean we're too small or we don't have this isn't going to work for some reason we're doing it. Anyway, we're going to go ahead anyway later on it became a much bigger problem in the end of spending 40 years in the desert because of that kind of attitude. Said leave us alone and let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness. My heaven, but Moses told the people don't be afraid. There's it's starting the single most common statement in the direction in all of the Bible to us. God says this more than anything else in the whole Bible. Don't be afraid. Because it is what we mostly are afraid Don't Be Afraid just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today be still and know that I'm God the Egyptians. You see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. There's the directive just stay calm. Yeah, like Ron and Sheila whenever we're doing this, it's all good. That's their main thing. It's all good, which is another way of saying just stay calm like just take it easy. Most of time. We we blow up and we go crazy and we run around with her hair on fire be still and know that I am God of God today. It's be still and know that I am God. I'm with you take care of you. I know you're in some difficult situations. I know it feels like you've been abandoned like Bill was saying I know it feels like you're been orphaned by God is just saying be still and know that I am God, he's made some promises to you and he's going to he's going to fulfill them. They had zero Faith. They would have rather stayed with the devil. They know than the god. They didn't trust and very often. That's what we can do. We can stay with what we know what we're comfortable with instead of stepping out into risk growth and the unknown. A lot of us would rather stay a slave to fear and mediocrity. I don't know where you are in your face. I really don't I don't know but I'm at a point in my face and have been for a few years now where I'm going for bust like it's Buster nothing here. We've been in it for a while and you either going to say I'm believing this thing and we're going to go and take the world. Whatever world it is a god want you to take or you go well. Whatever and you just come to church every Sunday, what up terrible way to live what a terrible way to live, you know God, but you ain't following God. Mediocrity it's a horrible Place mediocrity eventually turns into bitterness. It turns into an unsatisfying staleness. That starts eating away at joy and hope and other people success and taking risk and do it all at some point. They will find fault with them. Because they're doing what they know they should be doing we should be trying something new moving out of terrible relationships and situations. Like I think of my mother, you know, and you know situations like a my mother who I grew up. She wasn't a Christian and she was an alcoholic. My father was an alcoholic and my father beats her and I don't say touche my father because my father came to his face about three months before he died and you know, thank God but none the less my mother, you know at the hands of this man the things that she had to suffer and why Why didn't she leave well, they say in those days women didn't have options if you have God you have options. She didn't have God. That's what you didn't have. She had options. She just didn't have God to tell her that she had the option. So she stays hoping maybe somewhere down the road things might get better and on her deathbed when I was 17 2 or 3 days before she died. She said about Dad whose name was Keith. Also. She said, I think he really love me.

You do do you? But God took her home mercifully. He took her out of the situation. She got wonderfully staved and God took her home, but we do not have to sit in situations that are below are calling. So many of us are living below our calling. Well, I have this problem and I have that problem and therefore, you know, I just have to sit in my apartment all day and do nothing. No, that's not God. That is not God. I guarantee you. That's not good. That's us. God will lift you up if you have the faith and the will just stand out and he will move you into a place of Effectiveness power and influence. He will do that. If you want to stay someplace and just collect a check every month. No problem, but have to do that. I am not saying that's a bad thing. But what I am saying is that when we allow it to tell us what we can do our social economic situation telling us, this is all you are. This is all you'll ever be that's not God. I mean, there's people out there doing amazing things with far far far far less than what you and I have far less than what you and I have and they are changing the world. It's an amazing thing to see because in most cases they know who God is and they know what God is capable of doing. God is not calling you to just sit and just be he's calling you to be and do to do something. I don't know what it is, but he's definitely calling you to do something. So God may have our back against the wall of life so that we will somehow allow his power to flow. It's unfortunate that we have to duck got us to do that. But that's what he has to do. And even with all the Miracles that he did in Egypt they still like they had seen all the Miracles but they still said that's not going to work. It's not going to work. It's not going to work and it's a word for us. Remember, we're no better than the Egyptian for the Israelites were it's not like worse time. Holy float it down at a heaven Saints price. We're just like them and God has done stuff in our lives and we really should have a book of remembrance.

We really should I found one of my old journals when I was going through all the real worst of the anxiety and stuff and I read it and I was done by the faith that was in it. I was done by then I said, who is that person? He was amazing and sometimes I don't know how many journal or keep track of things. But when God does things for you to write it down so that you can get in those valleys and go back and go. No, I remember God doing this and this and this and this And so that it'll take us to believe that God is able to do even more with our life what we are capable of does that mean that we have to all go out and become, you know, kings and queens and all these that know but there are dreams in your heart. There are possibilities in your life. There are next steps of growth their next steps of employment their next steps of relationship. God never sit still if you're a Christian, you should never be spiritually emotionally psychologically sitting still you should be moving on into new things. Unless we don't want to get something else, but I guarantee that God is maneuvering in your life. Philippians says in 1/6 and I am certain that God who began a good work in you will continue as work until it is finished on the day when Christ Jesus return. So God, it says he's not going to stop working on you until Jesus returns or until you go to him so I can safely stand here and say regardless of your age your experience. God is working in your life. He is determined to continue doing the good thing that he planned in your life. I mean that's exciting stuff. Really. I mean it really is I mean, I know it could be preacher Hub love love love love love and another sermon album blah blah blah, but when you're really sit down and think about it, you're going unless you really don't want to do anything with the rest your life and then it means nothing but if you look at it and go well, I'd really like to try this and like I'd really like to maybe do this more. I'd like to learn about this.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm with you on that until you die. I'm going to be working with you if you want to work with me. So there's all kinds of possibilities the final scripture for a close. Not on the screen, but it's this what God says to Moses. Then the Lord said to Moses or the Egyptians. The fire is holding them back. The Lord's got a pillar of Fire by night and smoke by day so that they can't get through to you think that would have given them some encouragement. But anyway, oh by the way, see that 40 foot thing of fire over there. It's not going to work. It's not going to work for us for you. And I think about it what we've been through some of us have been through a few fire and we've seen God come through. What does he have to do? Why do we have to have our face in our hands in a pleading with God and worried and crying and being all full of anxiety. And if you've been 20 30 40 years in the Lord and get your face in your hands and you're all full of anxiety. You need to check where you are with Jesus. You really do need to check where you are with Jesus. Do I bring it says that we're supposed to do that were supposed to check whether or not we're in the faith. And when I see someone is 30-40 years in the face and they're all freaking out full of anxiety and worry and going on. I'm going man. You got some theological problems. You might be saved, but you got some theological problems. That's causing you to do that. So God says the same thing. Why are you crying up to me? Well, I got 600,000 people want to kill me and I got some Egyptians over here who are just trying to figure out a way around to that that cloud and eventually they're going to figure it out and we got a notion right there. And then tell the people to get moving. I love it. Tell the people to get moving and that's God's word for you today. Get moving. I wish God was with me stop with all remember the Glory Days 70 years ago. No. No. Get moving get going. There's a future ahead. Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea / the water. So the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground and I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians. So he sang if you look at their so you saying you do something and I'll do something. You make a step of faith, and then I'll Harden Egyptian hearts. The people say will wire the Egyptians. That doesn't seem right God hardening is hard she likes and then they all get killed, you know Paul's response to that was in the New Testament. Who are you? Oh man to talk back to your maker. God will do what God will do. I don't understand that. I don't understand why God hardened Pharaoh's heart. It sounds quite unfair to me actually, like you never gave the guy half a chance, but God said, I'm going to show my glory through him. I guess I'll take it up with God when I get there. What was that whole Egyptian thing about like didn't seem very fair there proof. God has a plan and he's waiting for us to get movable when stepping into a new job leaving an old one leaving an old situation that is just a way of thinking a way of perceiving yourself a way of looking at your future. Leave it leave it. And get moving and watch what God will do. So Israel is a pretty interesting group of people and we're still if you look at them today, we're still learning from Israel 1948. This country happened after 2000 years 2000 more years of not being in their Homeland all the sudden. They're back in their Homeland. Well that is in the darndest thing. God works to Israel. And so anyway father. We thank you for your word today. We thank you for your grace. And your mercy help us Lord to know how to get going. Help us to know what it is 5. Next step that's going to take us one step closer to you. Show us father God that it's not over show is Father God that there's nothing that can stop us where there be an ocean or a spirit or whatever. It is Father God there is nothing that's going to separate us from the love you have for us in Christ Jesus and all the promises that Jesus died to give us if you are here today it is because God is telling There's a tomorrow. There is a tomorrow. There is possibility doesn't matter what the illnesses doesn't matter what the past is being doesn't matter what people instead doesn't matter what you put on your life doesn't matter. What mistakes have been made God is saying we are moving on and we are going to go and be everything that it is on us to finish until Jesus comes. Amen.

So we going to solve Sean.

Answer key to the dishes.

Oh, I do that.

It's foolishness. I know.

Wendell, NC

I can see y'all.