Obstacles

Exod 19:5 Distinctiveness Obstacles What do you value? What is important to you? (Exod 3:12) “How does this verse speak on identity?” God’s intent is clarified in chapter 19. What kept Israel from embracing their identity and fulfilling their purpose? What is holding you back from embracing their identity and fulfilling your purpose? I. Obstacles A. Egypt as a physical power was not Israel’s problem nor its obstacle. (Exod 14:27-28). B. Israel’s belief and vision had been formed by a lifestyle of slavery. C. Let’s look at what Scripture reveals about their belief and view of themselves. 1. (Exod 5:19-21). 2. (Exod 14:12). 3. (Exod 15:24). 4. (Exod 16:2-3). 5. (Exod 17:2-3). 6. (Exod 32:1, 4-5). 7. (Num 13:27-28, 31-33) – “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked that same to them.” D. Each of these passages Scriptures reveal something about Israel’s position. 1. They were always looking backwards, to their past. 2. Israel’s belief and perspective were defined by their past. 3. They always saw themselves in light of Egypt. 4. They could not believe that God loved them and that He really was making them His treasured possession to Himself. E. Can I be honest with you? 1. Understanding that my identity is grounded in God’s presence … 2. Embracing that truth has been a struggle … 3. Here lies the problem. 4. I allow my hardships and how I see myself to form my reality. Close: What about you? What obstacles are standing in your way preventing you from embracing your identity and fulfilling your purpose? Do you see yourself in view of your past, shaped by your weaknesses, your failures, or are you seeing yourself in light of what God has done for you and what He declares about?