Confronting Your Past

Where did we last leave off with Moses?

-God met with Moses at the burning bush.

-God calls him to go back to Egypt

-What happened to Moses when he was in Egypt.

Moses Returns to Egypt

Moses goes back to Egypt. When he left Egypt, He was a murderer and was afraid to be held accountable for what he had done.

Exodus 4:18–20 ESV

Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Exodus 4:18-

What are some things that you realize about this encounter. What does Moses ask his father-in-law. He asks his father in law if he can go to Egypt. But what does he say he is going to do?

His says he is going to go see if his brothers in Egypt are still alive. He doesn’t mention the anything about God coming to him. He doesn’t mention about the signs that God gave him to show the Egyptians about the hand trick or his rod becoming a snake. He doesn’t mention how God spoke to him through that burning bush. All he says is that he is going back to see if his brothers in Egypt are still alive.

After speaking with his Father in law, Moses took his wife and family and began to head toward Egypt with the staff of God in his hand.

Moses was nervous, scared, felt unqualified, but he walked into Egypt with the Staff in his hand. When he looked at that staff he remembered that God was with him.

Moses had to confront his past, before he could walk into what God had called him to do.

Moses had to confront his past!

He had to confront his past before he Got into Egypt. As he was walking back into Egypt remembering who he was when he left.

He left a murderer. He left alone. He left having nothing. He left poor. And God is calling him to go back to the place where he lost everything.

God will make you confront your past before he can take you into your future! You cannot do what God has called you to do until you confront the sins of your past!

How do we confront our sins?

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 john 1:

We have to examine our hearts, and Ask God to forgive us. That’s how we will become able to move forward in what God has called us to do.

Sin will kill you spiritually. It separates you from God. The rewards to sin are death. Sin is anything that God would not want us to do. Lying, gossiping, stealing, lust, disobeying your parents, hating someone, and the list can go on. But those things, even though they may be fun for a little while, will lead to death and will prevent you from following what God has called you do to.

Exodus 4:21–23 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”

Exodus 4:21

God is speaking to Moses as he is entering into Egypt. And he tells Moses about what is going to happen. He tells Moses to show Pharaoh all the miracles that God had enabled Moses to do. And he tells Moses that he is going to harden Pharaoh’s heart.

Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Sometimes God will allow things to take place in order for us to know him more. God revealed his power to all of the Israelites by bringing all the plagues into Egypt.

In these verses God referred to the Israelites as his son. God views his people has his children. It is his job to lead his people, to love his people, to correct and rebuke his people.

It is a parent’s job to lead their children!

God views you as his child. And he holds us accountable for the things that we do. He makes us confront things that we don’t want to confront. But he only does that because he loves us.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

You can’t serve the world and God at the same time. God will make you confront sin so that you will choose who to serve. God gives you the choice. Will you choose the world or will you choose him.

Moses had a choice. He could have not went to Egypt and not confronted of what made him run away from Egypt in the first place. But instead, he did what God wanted him to do even though he really didn’t want to do it.