Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

If you would each please clear off your desk and take out a writing utensil, I will begin handing out the tests and we can get started…

some of us are having High School flashbacks from years ago, some of us from just last week.

There are few phrases that struck fear into the heart of my high school self than the words “I’ll begin handing out the tests”.

I’ll admit that sometimes it was because I totally forgot about the test and so knew I was not prepared, but other times I remembered but no matter how hard I studied I often found myself feeling unprepared when that piece of paper hit the top of my desk.

Of course my parents response was just that I need to study more, but I remember coming across this sensible and artistic poem that I felt describe well my position on studying.

It goes like this:

Why Study?

Why Study?

The more you study, the more you know.

The more you know the more you forget.

The more you forget the less you know.

So why study?

My parents found it less compelling than I did.

Tension

The truth is the “Test” has been around for a very long time, A VERY long time, and while our minds might go staight to the written exam when we hear the word there are many different forms of a “Test”.

At it’s core, a test is simply

An opportunity for someone to demonstrate their proficiency in some area of life.

(That even sounds like something from a test)

Of course there are a lot of discussions, debates and all out disagreements over the value of certain forms of testing over others, but the idea of providing someone an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in some area of life is what every “Test” is aimed at.

It might be more of a mental tests that includes being able to identify each one of the 26 bones in a human foot.

It might be more an aptitude test where you have to figure out

But what is a test really?

A test at it’s core is simply and opportunity for someone to demonstrate their ability to accomplish a particular task.

Of course there are a lot of discussions and debates over the value of certain forms of testing in our educational system, but the idea of providing someone an opportunity to show their abilities and comprehensions in something is always goal - no matter what path you think will get them there better.

Tests - No one likes Tests

That being said, my adult self has to agree with my parents who told me that tests were an important part of the educational process.

So we are stuck with them, sorry kids, but the good news is that someday when you become an adult…you will still be taking tests.

These tests, however, are less likely to be given on paper and the stakes are a lot higher than a drop in your GPA.

That being said, my adult self has to agree with my parents who told me that tests were a good thing.

Sorry kids.

Some test well and some do not.

(I test well - ACT)

The reason I have brought you all back to your desk in high school is that the title of our message this week is “A Test In the Wilderness”.

We are continuing in our Gospel Project series where we are looking at the entire Bible through the lens of the Gospel.

Remember that in simple terms the Gospel is the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

Or you may prefer as I do, Tim Keller’s more elaborate version which says that “The Gospel is the message that we are more evil than we ever dared imagine, but at the same time, we are more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope.”

So far we have worked our way through the book of Genesis and into the book of Exodus where God had lead his people out of bondage in Egypt through his appointed agent Moses.

Remember back in Genesis God made a promise to Abraham and that promise was re-affirmed to Abraham’s son Isaac, and again the Isaac’s son Jacob, and then Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.

So the promise to the family of Abraham has continued all the way down to the Children of Israel.

That promise to Abraham said that:

1.

Your family will become a People

2. Your family will have a Place

3.

Your family will have God’s Presence,

...and this will bring blessing to both them and to the entire world.

So the children of Israel were given three things:

The Children of Israel were only about 70 people when they were driven to Egypt by the famine, but when Moses went to Pharaoh with the LORD’s message to “Let My People Go” there were more than a million of them.

Of course Pharaoh did not recognize the authority of this God of his slaves, so the LORD YHWY introduced Himself.

And what an introduction.

To show his authority over all things, the LORD sends pestilence, storms, diseases, darkness and even death upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians so much so that they were begging the Israelites to go.

He showed Pharaoh and all of Egypt that everything they were trusting in, inlcuding their false gods, were worthless against Him.

Then last week we read about how the YHWY crushed the last flicker of pride in the hardened heart of Pharaoh.

The most formidable military force in the world was destroyed by just water in the hands of this mighty God.

Egypt now knew the name of the LORD YHWY.

The LORD YHWY sends pestilence, storms, diseases, darkness and even death upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians so much so that they were begging the Israelites to go.

YHWY accomplished his goal of showing their false gods to be useless and to have his name be known.

Then last week we read about how the YHWY crushed the last flicker of pride in the hardened heart of Pharaoh.

The most formidable military force in the world was destroyed by just water in the hands of this mighty God.

So now it would seem that the People of Isreal are free to follow after the Presence of the LORD to the Place that God had given them.

It would seem that way, but things are not always as they seem.

There was more holding God’s people in bondage than just the authority of a cruel and evil King.

They were still enslaved to the attitudes, mindsets and patterns of their slavery in a pagan land.

You see it is one thing to take a people out of slavery, but it is another thing to take the slavery out of the people.

I admit, it takes quite an imagination to try and put ourselves in the shoes of these people.

There is such a huge gap culturally, historically and spiritually between how we see our world today and how they saw the world back then.

But as best as you can, let me invite you try and put yourself in their shoes.

You have just witnessed the wonders of this God YHWY that has the entire world shaking in reverent fear.

Then you find yourself

fearing for your life as you and everyone you know are trapped between the greatest army in the world and the Red Sea and this God comes in an rescues you again.

You walk along with everyone else on a dry sea bed and you can see the waters are walled up on either side of you.

Then you watch in amazement as the waters return, crashing down so hard on the mighty army of your enemy that it seems to be grabbing their chariots and throwing them back into the sea.

What do you do after you go through such emotional lows and highs?

YOU CELEBRATE!

You lift your voice along with Moses and thousands of others in praise this LORD YHWY saying:

Exodus

Exodus 15:

Can you imagine trying to sleep that night?

You are so filled with awe over this incredible God who has shown himself to be LORD over all things…and the next morning you wake up and you are thinking…what?

What are you thinking?

What has the events of the past month taught you?

This is exactly what God wants to know.

What has the events of the past month taught you?

This is exactly what God wants to know.

He wants to give His people an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in responding to His power, His glory and the greatness of His name.

He is the LORD YHWY.

He wants to give His people “an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in responding to His power, His glory and the greatness of His name.”

For He is the LORD YHWY.

Of course He doesn’t have them clear off their desks and get out a pen, but he does say over and over that He will test His people.

I wonder how they will do on that test?

I wonder how we would do?

We are going to take a look at their experience first, and in them I believe we will find many things for us to apply to our lives.

His PresenceWe read all about the incredible wonders and signs that God did in Egypt, especially to combat the people’s allegience to this system of false gods.

God has proven himself to be the LORD, YHWY.

Last week we saw how the Children of Israel had

will learn first from their experience, but then I believe we will see how it applies to our own life.

So if you haven’t already, open up to the last part of :22(page 57) I’ll pray and we will dive into this text together.

Tests are designed to train you - hebrew word means to put someone to the test or to train

God was training his people to trust Him

He was training the slave mentality out of them? the “slavishness” out of them.