30 Pharaoh arose in the night …
and there was a loud cry in Egypt …
31 Then he summoned Moses … and said,
“Rise up, go away from my people …
Go, worship the Lord …
32 Take your flocks and your herds
… and be gone …” 34 So the people took
their dough before it was leavened …
35 [A]s Moses told them … they had asked
the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold …
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses
to Succoth, about six hundred thousand
men on foot, besides children.
40 The time that the Israelites had lived
in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.
Exodus 12
Step Four to freedom is THE JOURNEY.
That’s what we talked about yesterday … and as we said yesterday, we all really wanted step four to be a magic wand, didn’t we?! “We have Jesus – the Deliverer – shouldn’t we now be instantly free?”
Yes, our victory is won … but we all know instinctively that we have to walk it out.
Now, it can take just forty days to start a new habit and taste the fruit of the Promised Land – that’s about how long it could have taken to journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Instead they stayed in the wilderness for forty years.
That was yesterday’s message: Don’t be a hapless wanderer! It’s your choice! You can choose to stay in bondage – refusing to take the journey because it might be hard. Or … you can believe that the God who rescued Israel will help rescue you.
And that’s today’s message.
I know that freedom isn’t easy. And so do you.
In fact, I know all the big and little barriers to freedom. I’ve tripped over most of them. You know them too. But – here’s the good news – the Lord who ultimately delivered Israel victoriously from Egypt, knows them too … and will help you fight through them!
Your barriers to freedom are the same as the Israelites …
· They rebelled. As you’re breaking free, some corners of your heart will rebel too. Keep marching. And keep trusting. Remember: if God stuck with Israel, he’ll continually stick with you.
· They complained. A lot. Nevertheless, God still stuck with them. Indeed, it was often when he heard even their cries (grateful or ungrateful) that he fed them with manna from heaven and water from a rock. Thanksgiving is a much more powerful cry than complaint, but don’t be afraid to tell God how hard the journey is … and then watch for his provision.
· They thought they knew better. Be honest … so do you. You’re going to want to do this “freedom thing” your way. Fortunately, God is patient. When you fall and flail – and finally turn to him for help – that is when he’ll pick you up and help deliver you.
· They made golden idols and worshiped false gods. And you’ll be tempted to turn to false answers to deliver you too. It hurts God. It angers him. But he still stuck by his promises and he’ll stick by you.
· They were unprepared for obstacles. One of my favorite verses along the journey is Exodus 13:17-18a – “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 …” Your journey to freedom may be a straight line; nevertheless, trust God to lead you correctly. (And by the way, when the going gets toughest, trust God to fight for you. He did that plenty for the Israelites too.)
· They wanted to turn back. In moments of difficulty along this journey, you’ll likely cry like Israel, “16:3 If only we [stayed …] in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpot and ate our fill of the bread.” They would have traded a future flowing with milk and honey for the ease of turning back – forgetting the bondage that once held them. Refuse the easy path back to slavery. Instead, trust in God to sustain you when the going gets tough. He did it for them. He’ll do it for you.
The journey to freedom can be hard. It does take commitment and effort. Don’t turn back! Keep remembering that the God who cut the chains in Egypt and journeyed with them powerfully all the way to the Promised Land, is available to journey powerfully with you too.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy whose number
in football used to be “40”
(Lord, let the number of
my journey to freedom be 40
– and let it be measured
in days rather than years!)
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