"I will"s of Salvation
Notes
Transcript
I am the Lord
I am the Lord
Bob (played by Bill Murray) is Dr. Marvin’s lovable but troubled mental patient in the film What About Bob? He is so needy that he clings to Dr. Marvin at every turn—stopping by his office for unscheduled visits, telephoning him at home in the evening, showing up unannounced at his house, and generally making a nuisance of himself. As Dr. Marvin prepares to take a family vacation, he starts to wonder how he is ever going to get rid of Bob. Finally, in desperation, he tells his patient to do what he is doing himself and take a vacation. “A vacation from my problems,” says Bob. “What a great idea!”1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 171.
Bob decides that if he is going to take a vacation from his problems, he might as well take it with his psychiatrist. To Dr. Marvin’s dismay, Bob shows up at the family’s resort and brings his problems right along with him.1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 171.
“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
He assured Moses that no matter how desperate the situation became, he still had things under control (Exod. 6:1), and he had not forgotten his covenant (Exod. 6:2–5).1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 172.
Exodus is a God-centered book with a God-centered message that teaches us to have a God-centered life.1
“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
Brevard Childs writes, “The whole focus falls on God’s revealing of himself in a majestic act of self-identification: I am Yahweh.… To know God’s name is to know his purpose for all mankind from the beginning to the end.”1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 172.
God of all Salvation
God of all Salvation
seven “I wills” of salvation: “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord’ ” (Exod. 6:6–8, emphasis added).
Without getting lost in all the details, it is important not to miss the main point, which is that salvation belongs to the Lord. From beginning to end, every aspect of the exodus was accomplished by God, and by God alone.1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 175.
‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’ ”
As we listen to Exodus, we hear the first strains of a melody that becomes a symphony in the Gospels. When Jesus said to his Father, “Here I am … I have come to do your will, O God” (Heb. 10:7), he was gathering up the “I wills” of salvation and making them his own. Jesus was saying, “I will save you. I will deliver you. I will redeem you. I will make you my own. I will you give you a glorious inheritance.”1
1 Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 175.
Along with the 7 “I Wills”
4 promises
Liberation (6)
Redemption (6b)
Adoption (7)
Possession (8)
These are the same promises he makes in our salvation also
Israel’s “I wont”
Israel’s “I wont”
So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.
the people did not listen to Moses. Instead of being excited for the salvation that God offers them, they say that they “wont” be a part of it. They turn it down. God has not shown enough power to them.
they don’t want his salvation, his grace, his help. They did not even want to know his name.
like many who hear the gospel for the first time, they don’t want it. we have to keep pursuing them and reaching them with the truth.
Their slavery kept them from being saved.
The deep impact of sin can blind us from the reality that we need salvation
Take this as knowledge when having a gospel conversation.
Total Re-call (10-12)
Total Re-call (10-12)
Moses discouraged
offers excuses again
I am not good enough, send someone else
discouragement can keep us from going and doing the work God has called us to
when it gets hard…and it will…we tend to fall back and say I can’t
but it is God who works through us
Don’t let your mind tell you that you can’t, let your faith guide you to the work!