Sojourner

Slide 1 – EXODUS: SOJOURNER When I was growing up, I always wanted to be able to fly. I still remember a dream I had when I was 6 or 7 years old. In that dream, I was running across my primary school playground. Horfield Church of England School in Bristol, England. That was the name of the school. My playground was at the top of this grassy hill and in my dream I was running towards this hill and when I reached the end of the tarmac, I jumped and instead of rolling and tumbling down the grassy hill, I flew right out of the school playground, over the gate and out of the school itself. It was the coolest dream ever! No more maths, no more English and no more bad school dinners! But…….., and I know this isn’t news to many of you, but mankind has already figured out how to fly. I was hearing just last week that British Airways has just set a new record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean from New York to London in 4 hours 56 minutes. 3500 miles or 5600 km in less than 5 hours. More than a 1000 km an hour. We can do flying already. It’s not a dream anymore. Mankind has made such advances in technology in so many ways that other things that seemed out of reach or just a dream a few years ago are now available to you in the palm of your hand on your smartphone. However, underneath all of these advances in technology lies a bit of a dark secret. We wanted to be able to fly, we solved it. We wanted to go to space, we did that. But, still it doesn’t satisfy. Technology and comfort has numbed many of us to the fact that our souls are still so restless. We enjoy our air-conditioned cars and our computers in our pockets. We can fly from here to the other side of the world and suddenly the world seems so much smaller than it used to. Technology and the ingenuity of man has meant we are more connected to the world than at any time in our history. We can speak to a family member or a friend on the other side of the world in an instant. And yet, studies time and time again have shown that despite all man’s greatest achievements and advancements, as a people we are also more anxious, nervous, depressed and alone than at any other time in our history. All of the advances in technology, all of that ingenuity and all of that connectivity has actually made us numb to the fact that this progress has done nothing to change the human condition that ultimately makes a wreck of any progress we make. Because, here’s the truth of it: Slide 2 For all of its creativity, ingenuity and willpower, mankind will not be able to solve the problem of mankind, because mankind is the problem. (LET ME REPEAT THAT) Let me give you just one example of that, and it points back to the message Manie gave a couple of weeks ago here at Embassy. We live in a time where there is a cry going up around the world to end sex trafficking and quite rightly. And yet, any one of us could reach into our pocket right now and find pornography on the internet quickly and easily if we wanted to. One thing we quite rightly see as horrific is being fueled by the very advances in technology that allow us to engage in something else which so much of the world sees as a perfectly acceptable pastime. It’s seen as normal for many in the world to view pornography on our devices and yet we’re walking in protest to end the trafficking of women and children for sex! The human condition is stuck and broken. And when He came into the world, Jesus started to speak to His disciples and put his finger on this very issue. He came to speak into and address the broken and stuck condition of mankind. Up to this point the disciples had grown up in a culture where the way to be right before God was tied to the law. If you obeyed the law and did everything that was right in the eyes of the law, then you were considered right and you were considered in. God delighted in you and loved you and was for you because you were obedient to the law of the Lord. At least that was their belief. And then Jesus comes, and He turns this whole thing on its head. He starts to say in Matthew 5:20 "Your righteousness has to supersede, (to surpass) that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law." This is a radical statement because no one was considered more righteous than the Pharisees. They knew the law, they followed it to the letter, they tithed, they did everything they should do. Or at least that was the image they portrayed to the world. And the disciples get more than a little shaken up by this – it’s impossible they cry out; so they ask in Matthew 19:25-26… 'Who then can be saved? and Jesus looks at them and says, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" That sentence right there gets to the very issue of the human condition. The very issue of the human heart. And that is something we cannot solve with technology or ingenuity. With man, this will be impossible. For all of our creativity and willpower and ingenuity, mankind will not be able to solve the problem of mankind, because mankind is the problem. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Sure, we can have a go at papering over the cracks, but we can't fully clean up our own mess. Only God can do that! Yes, Jesus’ teaching massively shook the disciples. But, God’s heart to fix what was broken, to draw us into His presence, to redeem His people, to save His people, has always been there. It has been evident throughout the Bible - the Old and the New Testament. It’s just that over time, Israel’s descent into idol worship and putting other things before God had blinded them to this reality. It’s just as true today as it was then. We have become blinded to the need for God in the world. As we revisit the events captured in the book of Exodus this morning, we know that the stories we find there are amongst the most well known in all of the Bible. Even if you’ve never read the Bible before, it’s very likely that you will have heard of Moses parting the Red Sea as he goes on this epic God-adventure to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Or you will have heard of the time that Moses as a baby was placed in a wicker basket in the reeds of the Nile river to avoid him being killed at the hands of Pharaoh. But, whilst these are good stories and make great movies, Exodus as a book is so much more than a collection of good stories. To limit it to a collection of stories is to miss out on a much bigger picture. If we grasp the theme of redemption in Exodus, we will start to see it running throughout the Bible, the OLD and the NEW Testament. The very heart of God to release us from our chains, our bondage and our slavery to sin that has been present through it all. Before God gave the ten commandments to Israel, the first words He spoke were these in Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery”. It is not that God gives them instructions or commandments and, if they obey the law adequately, then God will save them and deliver them out of slavery. He has already saved them and delivered them! Isn’t that a message that sounds familiar to us as Christians? Whilst we were still sinners Jesus saved us from our wretchedness, our sin and our death and so we walk in obedience to Him. It is not the other way around. It never was! As Moses speaks with God, we hear the word Redemption used in the Bible for the very first time as God describes what He is going to do to bring about the freedom of Israel from slavery. As Pharoah makes plans to wipe out the children of Israel, it is the blood of the lamb covering the doorframes of their houses that saves them. Sound familiar? A lamb slain in their place! When Moses leads Israel safely across the Red Sea, God’s people worship Him in song for the first time. It is in this moment that the word salvation is used for the first time in the bible as well. REDEMPTION and SALVATION. Themes that weave a thread throughout the Bible. We need His REDEMPTION and SALVATION because mankind will not be able to solve the problem of mankind. Why? Because mankind is the problem. We can’t fix it! With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. And, as we get back into the book of Exodus this morning, we're going to see quite a bit of that in today's text. I want to show you in the text how gifted Moses is, and then I want to show you how despite all his giftedness, his skill and his ingenuity; it was not going to be enough. Let's look at this, Exodus 2. We're going to pick it up in verse 11. Slide 3 – Exodus 2:11-22 (NIV) Moses Flees to Midian 11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock for them. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,[a] saying, “I have become a foreigner / a sojourner / an alien in a foreign land.” I want to highlight some things about Moses. The first thing we know about Moses is that at this time he is around 40 years old. We also know from the Scriptures that Moses is mighty in word and deed. The Bible tells us so. We’re told that he was 40 years old in the book of Acts, chapter 7 and Stephen, in this same passage, says this about Moses in Acts 7:22. "And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds." Now I don’t know why Manie asked me to share this message with you today, but I’m guessing and I’m only guessing here, that it might just be because last month, I also turned 40 years old, the same as Moses. Duncan William Toogood, born 14th January 1980. And maybe, just maybe, it’s because I’m also mighty in word and…….I’m joking. I’m joking. I’m joking. Please edit that bit out Peter. Here's what we know. Moses is 40 years old at this point, and he has spent 40 years, according to the Bible, being instructed in all the wisdom of Egypt. He is one of the cultural elite. Moses is of Pharaoh's household. There is no manner of education that he has not been trained in or taught. And he has become mighty in word and deed. He is persuasive and can back it up. He is of a ruling, elite class, highly educated in ALL the wisdom of Egypt. He knows a lot about a lot. Most of us know a lot about something. I mean I know a lot about Manchester United. I’m passionate about Manchester United. If you were to ask me to speak for 10 minutes straight on Manchester United, their history, their success, their trophies, no problem. But ask me to speak about Bolton Wanderers Football Club……….well…………….I couldn’t even find it on a map! Moses knows a lot about a lot, and he is mighty in word and in deed. That's not the only thing we see about Moses. What we also see in this text in particular, is that Moses is extremely courageous and compassionate. Let me highlight that for you. One of the things we know from those who study really ancient history, is that the Egyptians had a way of educating where very early on, they wanted to shape their ruling elite to consider people of the working class, and especially slaves, as being subhuman – less than human. Education and learning and non-calloused hands (so no blisters, no warts and no scars because you’ve never had to work hard in the field for what you have) meant that you were far more human than your workers. In some ancient texts, slaves were considered like donkeys. It is said that the ruling Egyptians were training their elite to consider their slaves as the living dead. They didn’t matter. You can do whatever you want to them. They don't have souls. They're like donkeys. If Moses had been educated in all the wisdom of Egypt, he had sat under this teaching. This empire had tried to shape him by teaching him that his own people were subhuman. This is an oppressive empire that doesn't flinch at dishing out violence towards others. Moses grew up not just hearing this but seeing it play out in front of him. Moses was compassionate and courageous! Why? Because, in acting to defend this Hebrew in Exodus 2, Moses challenged the basic foundations; social, political and religious foundations, of Egyptian culture. In the house of Pharaoh, he embarrasses Pharaoh by siding with the Hebrews. He brings shame on Pharaoh. Their whole educational system says: "These people are less than human. These people are like donkeys. They're living dead. They don't have souls. They don’t matter" Moses rejects that and walks out of the palace and looks upon his people being beaten and challenges it head-on. That's courage! Would we have done the same thing? If we see people around us being oppressed, beaten, spat upon, shamed and disgraced would we act to defend them like Moses did? If we had the choice to keep our power, our comfort, our popularity, our position in the workplace, our standing in our families, in our schools or in our communities; or to speak up for righteousness, for what is right, would you do it? Would I do it? Would I risk everything I have for the sake of something greater? I have some doubts about me. Here's what I think I would do. Moses don’t be silly. Why not use that position, that power, and that influence you have over Pharaoh for their good? I would justify why I could just stand by and watch. Here I am. I'm in Pharaoh's household. I have political clout. I am powerful in word and deed. I am persuasive. I am learned. I am of royal lineage. I could work for the Hebrews from inside the system? Don’t risk losing that Duncan by speaking up and standing out. But here’s what Hebrews says about Moses. Slide 4: Hebrews 11:24-25 NIV 24 By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Moses chose to be mistreated. Moses turned his back on wealth, power, influence, comfort, you name it, and chose to be mistreated. Moses, unbelievably courageous, filled with compassion, mighty in word and deed, rejects the palace and goes out to his people. Did you see while we were reading the first part of this text in Exodus 2 (can we put that back up?). In Exodus 2 and verse 11, within two verses, Moses identified with the Hebrews, not the Egyptians. 11 “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.” Although he has been educated in Egypt, he has been brought up in Pharaoh's household, he identifies and his heart is with the Hebrews. His heart is with his people. He's willing to be mistreated to be with them rather than enjoy the benefits of Egyptian life. This is an incredible human being. God up to this point as far as we know has been in the background. He hasn't come to Moses and said anything yet. God hasn't said a word. He has not come to Moses in any dream. Yet Moses, in all of his learning, in all of his courage, in all of his compassion, begins to take matters into his own hands. Moses launches what looks like the dumbest attempt at freeing people in the history of the world. Here you have Moses, who sees this, and he sees this injustice, and his blood boils. Now, Moses is someone who has a bit of an anger management problem. It ultimately costs him the promised land as we’ll see much later in this series. Here's his big plan when he sees this injustice: Kill this guy. What in the world is that going to accomplish? But still, he murders this man. Not only does he murder this man, but he knows he shouldn't have done it. How do we know that? Because he looks around to see if anybody else is watching. It was a crazy plan. What does this taking matters into your own hands accomplish? Nothing. Moses is cut off from Pharaoh's household and not only that, he also succeeds in upsetting and antagonizing the very people he meant to help - the Hebrews. The very next day, he goes out, and he sees two Hebrews fighting this time, and he says to them, "Why would you strike your brother? Why would you do that?" And their response? "Who has made you ruler and judge over us?" And you might say, well God made him ruler? Didn’t God make him leader of the people of Israel? Yes, he did! But not yet he hasn’t! God hasn’t done that yet in Exodus 2. We don’t get the story of the burning bush until the next chapter in Exodus 3. Moses hasn’t yet received the command from God to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses at this point has jumped ahead of God, working in his own strength, trying to be God himself rather than trusting in God, trying to fix the problem himself rather than looking to the only one who can. We will not be able to solve the problem of mankind. Why? Because mankind is the problem. We can’t fix it! With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. The Hebrew himself says, "You're no prince over us. You're no leader over us." And the result, Moses was left as a man with no home, a sojourner, an alien, a stranger in a foreign land. He wasn't fully accepted in Egyptian life and he certainly wasn't accepted by the Hebrews. Seeing himself as some kind of Saviour, he murders an Egyptian, and then tries to break up a fight among the Hebrews. This murder becomes known, and Pharaoh seeks out Moses to put him to death and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. Here's what I think we need to consider in this text and that it this idea of taking matters into our own hands. And just a warning, depending on how this next five minutes goes, this is where you might pick me up and bundle me in a car back to State Lodge. Let's just talk for a moment about this idea of control and taking matters into our own hands. I’m more and more convinced that as people we can only live life in one of two ways: Slide 5 Either we live our life trusting God or we live our life trying to be God. (REPEAT) There is no middle ground. If you're the kind of person who says, "I believe in Jesus. I believe in God, but I just don't believe everything. I don't think I have to submit fully in this area, you’ve already started down a dangerous road. What have you done except start to take the throne for yourself? Maybe you’re saying in your heart, God you can have this bit of my life, but I’m keeping this bit over here for me. Sport, family, money, drinking, smoking. Whatever it is. It’s my comfort, and I need to control this part of my life. And when we talk about control, what we’re actually talking about is idolatry. For people who like control, your greatest nightmare is uncertainty, and the people around you most often feel condemned by you because they can never be good enough to meet your standards. You have to have control. You're going to control and manipulate and manage everything in your world, so how can anyone ever feel anything but condemned by you? And this idol plays itself out in one of two ways: People who struggle with control are going to really wrestle with either anxiety or anger. Anxiety why? Because it is not possible for you to control everything. You just can't. You can't really control anything actually, but that will not stop you from trying. Before you knock me down, just know that this is one of my biggest struggles – at home, in family, at work - I struggle if I’m not in control. If left unchecked it could easily become an idol in my life. And, the more I feel out of control the more I seek to control everything and everyone around me. When you have a control idol, you will know it, because the more you feel like you have no power, the more you try to exercise your power and authority. And what happens? When you start down this road, you realise that you are not God and you will grow more weary, you will grow more paralyzed with anxiety, or you will grow more angry. How do we deal with this situation? How do I deal with this situation? By knowing I’m not God! You're not God, so you really can't control anything, and as terrifying as that might sound for you, that's one of the greatest and most freeing things when we grasp it. I can't control this situation I’m facing at home, with my kids or at work. I'm not God! If you have children, they should have taught you this already. What do kids do except show you that you're not God? You might be able to manage ok when they’re really young, but ultimately, kids are going to show you that you're not God. You can’t control them no matter how much you try. We’re limited in power, but you know who's not? God. Here in Exodus we’re going to watch Him in future weeks, undo and unravel the greatest empire in the history of the world right in front of our eyes! And, He's not growing weary or tired. God lacks no knowledge. He lacks no wisdom. I am limited in time and space, which means all I know right now is what I can see in this moment. God is not. God is outside of time and space, everywhere at once, knowing all things and how all things play out into all other things finally form this beautiful tapestry for His glory and for all eternity. Yet, even though I know this, I will oftentimes try to be God rather than trusting Him. What we see Moses do here, is taking matters into his own hands, and it disintegrates into Moses being driven out to Midian or the wilderness. He becomes a sojourner, stranger, an alien, a temporary resident in a foreign land. Look back at Exodus 2:16 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.  17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock for them. There's that compassion again. Moses cannot stomach injustice. He saw a Hebrew slave being beaten up, and he killed the man beating him. Now, he's just sitting at a watering hole and these women come up and start taking care of their sheep. Then these bullying shepherds roll in, and Moses is just one guy but he doesn't care. These are guys who kill lions and bears with staffs and rocks for a living, and Moses steps up once again. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,[a] saying, “I have become a foreigner / a sojourner / an alien in a foreign land.” I want to draw your attention to the fact that when Moses takes matters into his own hands God pulls him up and drives him out to the wilderness. He becomes a sojourner. But this is where the beauty of God comes in. It is in the wilderness in the Scriptures where people meet their God. That's what the wilderness becomes, a place where people meet God. It's in the wilderness, in the desert, that Elijah hears the still, small voice of God. It's in the wilderness where John the Baptist preaches repentance. It's in the wilderness where Jesus wins the victory over the Devil. It's in the wilderness that Saul finds Christ. It's in our wilderness times, that we can learn the compassion and care of God for us. Moses the prince of Egypt who probably hasn't had to do a lot for himself, finds himself in the wilderness. What is he going to eat? Where is he going to sleep? What happens next? What happens? In the grace of God, despite him working to be God himself, he finds a home. He finds a wife. He finds a son. He finds a family. The kindness of God, even in the wilderness, despite Moses' desire to be God, is amazing! Here's my question for you just to consider as we close up our time together. Where are you trying to be God rather than simply trusting God? I think this question would be a good one for us to ask one another and ourselves from time to time. There is a constant pull in us back towards wanting to be our own god and refusing to trust God. Don’t believe me. Then just think back. When did you last ask yourself any of these questions? "Will he really come through for me in this situation?” “What if this doesn't happen or that doesn’t happen, then what will I do?” “How am I supposed to?” If you would call yourself a Chirsitan then can I urge you to ask yourself this question: Where is it in your life where you're trying to be God? If you still don't know if what I’m saying applies to you, try this question: What do you get most anxious about or most angry about? Can you answer that one? I think if you can answer those two, that starts to give you some insight about where you are trying to keep hold of control rather than handing control over to God. What makes you most anxious? What makes you most angry? Where is it that you're trying to be God? Where is it that you just can't seem to trust him? And, if you're in the wilderness right now, it just feels dry, and you're like, "Gosh, I just feel so disoriented, so confused. I just don't know." Don't despise the desert. Don't despise it. The Lord is there. You haven't been abandoned. In fact, he does some of his most beautiful work in those spaces. You'll find out when you come out the other side. I promise. Where are you trying to be God rather than trusting him? We cannot fix the problems of man, only God can. Moses tried and failed, but God in His mercy met him in the wilderness. CAN THE BAND COME UP? The Exodus of God’s people out of Egypt has been described by Don Carson as “the greatest redemptive event in all of the Old Testament” and if we understand its significance we will begin to unlock the meaning of the ENTIRE Bible – the heart of God and His plan to redeem us. A plan that ultimately culminates in the most amazing redemptive act in all of history - the death and resurrection of God’s only son in the person of Jesus. God delivering us from bondage through the price paid by our redeemer – Jesus. God has provided a redeemer for us. God redeemed His people in the book of Exodus, by leading them out of slavery in Egypt. And God has redeemed us by sending His son to pay the debt, the ransom that we could not pay, to free us from our sin and our bondage. Through Jesus Christ we can share in His victory, outside of Him the truth is this, life will always just be a constant battle for control and comfort for you. And, if you’ve never given your life to Jesus before, if you’ve never surrendered control to Him before, if you’ve never said Lord, I cannot do this on my own, I believe in you, I need you. Lord will you forgive me for trying to control everything and everyone one around me. Lord, I’m sorry. Will you forgive me for the people I’ve hurt and the wrong I’ve done, then there is an opportunity for you to do that this morning. To put your trust in Him. And as we close, I want to give us that opportunity. If you want to put your trust in God for the very first time and give up control, we would love to pray for you this morning. I want to give you an opportunity to come forward to the front right now and be prayed for. Won’t you come to the front? Please come. Maybe you’re a believer but as I’ve been speaking you know, there is an area of your life where you’ve still not given up control. God wants to deal with that again this morning. He wants you to walk with someone in a discipleship relationship, but it starts with saying, I can’t do this alone. I’m not in control. God is in control. If that’s you, won’t you also come to the front so we can pray for you. Let's pray (Get other leaders to the front to pray for people). Father, thank you for your mercy and grace. Where we're relying on our own power, our own strength, over and above yours, help us. Where we're leaning on our own wisdom and understanding, forgive us. Help us trust and lean into your understanding. Help us in all of our ways to acknowledge you. Thank you that you are everywhere at once and you are working a plan. You are not limited in time and space. Help us see that we are, but you are not. We thank you that you are good when we are not. I just pray, Holy Spirit for a breakthrough on some of these issues relating to control and power, people who are struggling to just trust in You rather than seeking control for themselves, struggling to not take things into their own hands but trust you to work. Struggling to rest, to be at peace as you move and we submit to your will. Be gracious to us, Father. It's in your beautiful name we pray, Amen.