Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome/Introduction

Thank you so much for joining us today.

It is our hope that you feel welcome.

If there is anything we can do to serve you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

As we dive into our series, The Exodus, Captivity to Promise.

I sincerely believe that we are all on a journey where we are trying to get grab hold of all that God has for us.

That is what this series is meant to help us recognize what God has for us and give us the faith filled steps to receive it.

Because this is truly, in my opinion, one of the most epic stories in all of scripture, we want to resource you as you take this journey with us.

I hope the journal has been a blessing to you.

If you haven’t got your copy, download a digital copy and hop right in with us.

Our key verse is...

Last week we talked about identity and calling.

We looked at Moses, who is a central character in the narrative and how he had his fair share of issues but God still had a calling and purpose for his life.

In fact, turns out God wanted to use even the flaws of Moses to show how he can truly use our broken pieces for His purposes.

We ultimately walked away with this principle, you are called, but your response determines your reward.

Are you going to answer the call?

We have to use the cross as a ladder to rise above our past.

Last week we talked about identity and calling.

We looked at Moses, who is a central character in the narrative and how he had his fair share of issues but God still had a calling and purpose for his life.

In fact, turns out God wanted to use even the flaws of Moses to show how he can truly use our broken pieces for His purposes.

We ultimately walked away with this principle, you are called, but your response determines your reward.

Are you going to answer the call.

Context

After Moses agrees to answer the call on his life, he is instructed to go and meet his brother Aaron, who will serve as his support and communicate on his behalf.

Sometimes God will send people in your life that are gifted in the areas you are not so that, together you can have a greater impact.

The brothers gather the people and tell them what God’s plan is; that their prayers have been answered.

Their next step was to go to Pharoah and get the Israelites set free.

As we move to the

Scripture

Exod 5:

Transition

As we continue on our journey, I want to talk about wholeness.

This idea that God doesn’t want us partially free.

He wants us completely free.

That is what shalom or peace means, nothing broken, to be complete.

God’s vision for His people is that they be complete, not lacking anything.

Not be fragmented.

In other words, He wants His people to have true peace or shalom or wholeness.

Today I want to take a different approach to this topic by addressing a few things to be mindful of that enemy does to keep us from having wholeness.

Today’s title is: “Everything Must Go”

It’s Not Getting Better

Illustration

After Moses and Aaron have their encounter with Pharoah, not only does he refuse to let God’s people go, he actually makes it worse for them.

They are required to have the same output but no support.

Bricks without straw.

Can you imagine how disheartening it must have been for the Israelites?

They haven’t seen Moses in 40 years, he shows up with Aaron talking about God sent him there to be their savior and the moment they engaged the process, it got worse.

There are moments when obedience escalates opposition.

Over the past 4 years, we have moved 3 times.

I wish I could tell you we have gotten proficient at it but the truth is, it is exhausting.

The process of packing and unpacking is tedious.

Not to mention, what do you take and what do you leave behind.

It’s almost like going to the gym when you hadn’t been in a long time.

When I broke my ankle it was a tedious process of over a year before I was normal enough to go to the gym.

Man, I went the first day and acted like I was 21.

Did my same routine and the next day, I literally thought I was dying.

Each part of my body was in extensive pain.

I couldn’t move at all.

I know how growing pains work but this felt different.

I used muscles that I hadn’t in a very long time and I could feel it.

The same can be said of us when we begin to exercise our faith.

We experience the pain of rejection when we discover that once you remove sin from the equation, you don’t have as much in common with your friends.

The pain of knowing that the vision for your life doesn’t line up with the person that you thought you were going to spend your life with.

The pain of feeling like you don’t fit in with the Christians but God has called you out of the world, Egypt.

Compromise

It’s when we are in this vulnerable place that if we don’t have the appropriate diet and supplements to help us to heal and grow, the discomfort discourages us and we compromise on God’s plan for our lives.

Compromise dilutes conviction.

God’s plan for His people was consistent and clear, let the people go so that they can worship.

We see this played out with Pharoah and the Israelites as he offers three compromises in an effort to keep the Israelites from experiencing true shalom…true peace…true wholeness.

Freedom was connected to bondage.

If you are not bond to Christ, you are bond to the world; there is no in between.

As God begins to judge Egypt, Pharoah wants to negotiate.

We see this played out with Pharoah as he offers three compromises in an effort to keep the Israelites from experiencing true shalom…true peace…true wholeness.

PROXIMITY

So after the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, Egypt was swarmed with flies.

Pharoah couldn’t take it anymore so he summons Moses and Aaron and tells them they can go sacrifice to God WITHIN THE LAND.

Moses retorts and says it would be inappropriate.

Pharoah responds, go a little bit further; ONLY YOU MUST NOT GO VERY FAR AWAY.

In other words, Pharoah wanted the Israelites to still be in close proximity to Egypt.

Pharoah wanted to still be able to monitor and reach them whenever he wanted.

Pharoah wanted to make sure there wasn’t too much distance between them.

Pharoah knew if I keep them close to bondage, they will be far from freedom.

I believe Pharoah knew if they live close enough to their past, they won’t make it to their future.

A few years back my family and I moved 1 mile down the street. 1 day I came home and pulled up at my driveway and noticed a car I didn’t recognize and when I got to the front door, I thought it was odd that my key didn’t work.

I was just about to ring the doorbell when I realized that I was at my previous house.

I was so distracted coming home that I pulled up in my old driveway.

It’s crazy how quickly we can revert to old habits.

How we can pull up in the driveway of our past because our past is such a short drive away.

God’s vision for His people was for them to be set apart.

For there to be a distinct difference.

Pharoah wanted to continuous access and I believe our enemy does as well.

Here is a familiar monologue…go to church but don’t be weird.

Don’t start lifting your hands in worship, that’s weird.

Don’t start going to groups…that’s going too far.

In other words, go but don’t go far.

Our obsession with blending in comes at the expense of us standing out.

It’s like living your life on a leash, we have the illusion of freedom until Pharoah yanks us back to remind us that we are still bound.

We have a form of freedom, but lack transformative power.

Proximity to bondage creates distance from freedom.

We must be uncompromising when it comes to distancing ourselves from the things that keeps the promises of God at a distance.