I got everything I need (Exodus 13.17-20 and John 10.7-18)

I got everything I need

Exodus 13:17–20 NRSV

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle. And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, “God will surely take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.” They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.

John 10:7–18 NRSV

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Intro Topics:

You will at some point spend some time in the desert………..

The Israelites did it………40 years

Moses did it………….40 years

And Jesus did it………………….40 days

(pause and expound - optional)

- The desert is not a place to take what you need from you……..

Things lost in the desert are supposed to fall off………..

Anything that falls off is no longer necessary………….

(pause and expound - optional)

The desert is the same place that you gain your abundance

God places us in the desert for intimacy with God…….

God places us in the desert so that God can prove to be provider….

(pause and expound - optional)

But we will never truly appreciate our desert experiences………..without understanding limitations are not equipped to cancel resources

(pause)

So sometimes God has to force us to see God’s abundance in limited environments, or situations……………

Look at it now…………….

Review Exodus 13.17-20

According to the text………….

God examines the perception of the Israelites…………….

(slight pause)

or maybe I can say it like this,

God LOOKS at their mindsets…………

(slight pause)

Now......

I want you to think about that for a moment.....

Because.......

I don’t believe God handles us carelessly!

(slight pause)

But I believe......

Whenever God wants to deal with us......

God does it.....

Carefully!

CARE........

......to feel concern or interest; to attach importance to something.

FULLY......

.......Completely or entirely

(pause and expounded)

And as God carefully deals with the people of God here in the text....

God determines that if they took the shortest route…………..based on the difficulties that were………

...…on the road and around that road……

……..they would never walk away from what God has freed them from……

(pause)

You see………

…based on the history of the text………

…….the territory of the Phillistines led along the Mediterranean Sea which was the military roads of the Egyptians………..

(pause)

And God understood…………

...........that if opposition comes on a short route…………

..........the Israelites did not have the fortitude to get out of Egypt……..

(pause)

And some of us are the same way…………

We would rather be comfortable and barely surviving on the shorter route……………

than stepping out on faith………..and trusting God on the longer route…………..

But because God has carefully examined us.......

..........sometimes God has to force us into these desert

(pause and shift)

When I thought about this text…………….in my spiritual imagination…………

I understood that somebody in the camp knew that this was not the shortest way to go……………….

(pause)

Somebody had to be telling Moses………………..

“Moses don’t you think it’s quicker……………if we go the other way”

Or…………

“Moses…………why in the world are you taking us this way……..when we could be going that way………”

(pause)

But what they failed to realize………

…..is that Moses………is not guiding you out of Egypt on his own……….

(pause)

Because Moses…………..is only there based on the fact that God told him to do it………….

and he operates based on God’s voice……..

(pause)

And because God knows God’s people…………

God tells Moses to take them the long route……….because they have minds that are built to turn around instead of overcome………..

(pause)

And sometimes God being God…………..has to use a Moses………

…..to take us the long route through our desert experiences…………..

(pause)

Because we have minds…………..that turn around…..

…….instead of staying the course…………

(pause)

So God says………..

“It’s better that I take you through this desert……………….for your sake!”

(pause)

I wonder if there is anybody in here that understands that sometimes God has to do some things……………..in our lives……………that don’t feel good………..

But they make us better!

(pause)

So now the question becomes……………….

How does the desert make me better?

And……………….

If the desert is supposed to make me better…………..than tell me how?

(pause)

Because I don’t see anything in my desert…………

And…………

The desert is not a place that is able to produce………

…….it is indeed classified as barren……………and dry…………

So……….

What is it for me to gain…………..in the desert…………..

(pause)

I’m so glad you asked me that question………….

Look at it now……………

Review John 10.7-18

John 10:7 NRSV

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

John 10:8 NRSV

All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.

John 10:9 NRSV

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

So Jesus says……….

I am something very special for a particular group of people…………..

(pause)

Notice………..Jesus did not say………..I am the door for the goats……….or the dogs…………or the mules………….

(pause)

But Jesus says………..

I am the door for the SHEEP…………

And when the sheep enter through me…………….they gain access to the Father which is in heaven………

(pause)

So what Jesus is really saying is that………….I’m available for anybody who wants me…………..

but you can’t walk through me………….unless you are willing to be guided by your faith………

Because your faith is going to make everything you need accessible!

(pause)

Not only that……………but Jesus also says in verse 8……………

There has been a lot of things that have happened before I came………..

(pause)

There have been some things and some people that tried to come into your life….

(pause)

But they did not come out of love……………and righteousness

(pause)

But they came as wolves in sheep’s clothing……………..

(pause)

Freedom watch this.......

Some of you have been in the desert………………

and because you have been looking for the abundance………….

you have been getting mistreated…..

(pause)

Because you’re trying to get your victory……………from a thief……

(longer pause)

But I wish I had somebody in the house that understood……………

you can’t gain victory…………..from a thief………….

I don’t care how bad you want it…………

(pause)

Jesus said…………….in verse 9

“By me……..if any man enter in………..he shall be saved……..and shall go in and out………and find pasture………”

In other words……………………

The difference between………………what Jesus brings to the table………..and what the thief brings to the table………….is the fact that…..

(slight pause)

Jesus…………..gives you enough of what you need…………..and because Jesus has an overabundance…………….and never runs out………..

(pause)

You can………….go in…………….and go out……………and the abundance is still in the house……………

(pause)

That’s why God told Paul…………….concerning the thorn in his flesh…

“MY GRACE…………….IS SUFFICIENT”

(pause)

And then Jesus says in verse 10………………

“Stick with me…………..Because I got everything you need ”

John 10:10 NRSV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

[Note: LET IT RIP……]

“THE THIEF COMETH……….not but to steal……….kill and to destroy….”

The enemy wants to tear you down…………………

Let me tell you how to identify a thief......

A thief is selfish

A thief has destructive mindsets

(barrel: how the thief tore up the doorframe and we had to spend several hours ReFRAMING the door)

.............Stop trusting a thief for an abundance that they don’t have!

(PAUSE AND EXPOUND)

But Jesus says……………

I am the ANTITHESIS of a thief!

“I am come that you might have life”

I’m not here to HURT you…………..

I’m only here…………so that your best can happen

Listen........

Jesus says,

Your BEST.............

...........is through me!

(PAUSE and EXPOUND)

And the text says......

“And that you might have life……………..more abundantly”

And when the text says “more abundantly”………………

...........its explaining how,

“To have or live life in all of its FULLNESS!”

And so Jesus says,

I did not come to you for you to live and still be NEEDY in your mindset!

And the DESERT is not there to DRAIN everything from you.......

The desert is so that I can take my time adding into your life

.......and preparing your mindset in such a way that says

EVEN in a Desert...........

..........I got everything I need!

(pause)

And in my spiritual imagination I hear God saying......

“But I came........

.........to bring FULLNESS to your life!”

And God sent me to tell somebody.......

There is an ABUNDANCE………..in your DESERT…………because JESUS………….gave you

EVERYTHING YOU NEED!!!!!