Sermon Central
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Deliverance Not The Movie
Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Oct 5, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: What calamity do you face today? Could you use a little deliverance in your life? Have you been taken prisoner in some way by some oppressive power or influence? Do you feel burdened by chains that tie you down to a life of mindless toil? God can help
Deliverance Not the movie
Moses
Have you ever been invited to a friends house for a visit or special occasion only to end up feeling like you are a prisoner to the events surrounding you?
Hey I know lets watch the video of the trip we took last summer. Or You dont mind giving me a hand moving the contents of my home into that truck outside do you?
Suddenly you realize there is no escape and you will have to endure this forced confinement. Maybe you sat there hoping that someone would come to your rescue so you could escape?
Well in a manner of speaking this is what happened to the nation of Israel as it grew larger and larger in the land of Egypt after Joseph brought his family there.
In all there were 70 family members of Josephs who settled in Egypt in a place called Goshen.
After Joseph died and more and more generations were born to Israel and they became about 2 million people. But through the change in political power over the years the Pharaohs of Egypt forgot why the Israelites were a blessing and turned them into slaves.
They built those ancient cities of Rameses and Pithom. They spent more than 400 years as slaves building the monuments of Egypt.
Most of you have seen the movie The Ten Commandments by Cecil B DeMille. It is a dramatization of the Biblical account. In the movie we see the great oppression that the Israelites were subject to.
People were crying out to God because of their oppression and suffering. Keep in mind these were Gods people His chosen people who were to inherit His promise of becoming a great nation.
God always hears the cries of His people.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
So God once again sent them a deliverer. So far we have met several men used in this capacity.
Noah delivered his family from the flood with the Ark.
Abraham delivers his family out of idolatry to a relationship with the living God
Joseph delivers his family and the entire land of Egypt out of a seven year famine
Now Moses will be the reluctant deliverer to free Israel from slavery
Time and time again we see our Heavenly Father delivering us from one calamity after another through His messenger and deliverer.
What calamity do you face today? Could you use a little deliverance in your life?
Have you been taken prisoner in some way by some oppressive power or influence?
Do you feel burdened by chains that tie you down to a life of mindless toil? What can the Lord free you from today?
Our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Bible says
6 I the LORD do not change
In this biblical account of rescue and freedom we see our God challenged by the society of the day and the gods of the times. Neither the human powers nor the spiritual powers of the time are able to overcome our Gods plan.
Friend if you are a Christian today then this truth is something you can hold on to and trust.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
6 This is what the LORD says-- Israels King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Society is still trying to enslave us with the gods of our present age. Greed, lust, selfishness call them what you will our enemy is still trying to enslave us. The unseen spiritual enemy of Gods people is trying hard to enslave our spirits as well as our bodies.
But know this our God wants His people to be free. Free in mind, body and spirit to follow Him.
Have you ever had God get a hold of you for a spiritual spanking? Man that can hurt but it can also save your eternal soul. Sometimes God will use the rod on a spoiled child in order to bring him back into fellowship with him.
