God Leads His People Series

“GOD LEADS HIS PEOPLE” Ex. 13:17-22

FBCF – 5/16/21

Jon Daniels

INTRO – What do all these have in common?

- Hide & Seek

- Kickball, Wiffle ball

- Four Square

- Kick the Can

- Duck, Duck, Goose

- Freeze Tag

- Red Rover

Children’s games. Played everyone of them at some point in my childhood. Especially loved Red Rover when you could clothesline someone who was running to your side!

There was another kid’s game we played – “Follow the Leader.” Here are the official rules that I found: “One player, the Leader, begins moving around with actions that the rest of the players must mimic. Anything — including wildly flailing his hands or furiously scratching his head — that the leader does, the others must follow. Those players who disobey, or lag behind the leader’s motions are out of the game. The last person standing becomes the new Leader.” (https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/games/follow-the-leader/)

Today’s sermon could’ve been titled, “Follow the Leader.” But it has nothing to do w/ a kid’s game, nothing to do w/ silly movements like “wildly flailing his hands,” & nothing to do w/ someone else becoming the leader. The context of this sermon & the passage of Scripture that we are going to look at today is that there is only one Leader that we must follow, & that Leader is God. One writer said this: “Follow the Leader isn’t just a kid’s game. Knowing who you are following & who is following you is important. We are witnesses of Christ.” (https://intentionalbygrace.com/follow-leader-isnt-just-kids-game/)

Moses knew this. He knew that if he was going to be successful in leading the people of God out of bondage in Egypt, he had to let God lead him. What an important principle for us all to follow!

- If you’re going to lead your family the way God would have you lead them, then you must let God lead you

- If you’re going to lead a Life Group in our church, then you must let God lead you.

- If you’re going to lead in a servant role as a deacon in this church, then you must let God lead you.

- If you’re going to lead in a staff position in this church, then you must let God lead you.

- If I’m going to lead as Pastor of this church, then I must let God lead me.

And the good news for all of us today is that God leads His people.

EXPLANATION – Exodus 13:17-22

God is with His people. He always has been & He always will be. This is a central message that is reiterated all throughout the Scriptures. He wants to be in relationship w/ us & one of the ways He makes this known is through His presence.

- Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong & courageous. Do not be frightened, & do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is w/ you wherever you go.”

- Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am w/ you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you w/ my righteous right hand.”

- Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am w/ you always, to the end of the age.”

- Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears my voice & opens the door, I will come in to him, & eat w/ him & he w/ me.”

God was w/ His people, the children of Israel, even during their days of trouble & captivity, their heartbreak & oppression. They may not have thought He was & even felt that He had abandoned them at times. But He was w/ them throughout it all.

- He was w/ the infant Moses as he was placed in the river to spare his life.

- He was w/ the people when they were being heavily oppressed by Pharaoh & were crying out to Him

- He was w/ Moses during the 40 years he was in the wilderness as a shepherd

- He was w/ Moses when He called him from the burning bush & commissioned him to go tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go

- He was w/ Moses when he confronted Pharaoh w/ God’s demand to let His people go

o Showed His presence through the courage He gave Moses, the abilities He gave Moses, the miraculous signs He gave Moses

- He was w/ Moses & the people when the 10 plagues came through Egypt. He shielded & protected them while the Egyptians suffered the judgment of God.