A Romance With Yesterday

(This is not an original sermon, it has been adapted for my style of delivery)

TITLE: A ROMANCE WITH YESTERDAY

SCRIPTURE: EXODUS 2:23 / NUMBERS 14:1-3 / PHILIPPIANS 3:13

Ever caught yourself longing for the good old days? Maybe it’s the Music - The Way People Dressed - How Life Just Seemed Simpler. We do it all the time — thinking back to childhood - past relationships - even a time we never actually lived in.

• It’s called Nostalgia, and it has a way of making the past seem better than it really was

Psychologists say nostalgia isn’t just about missing the past — it’s about finding comfort in it. Studies show that when we are stressed or uncertain about the future, we tend to look back on happy memories. Our brains filter out the bad parts and highlight the good, making the past feel like a Golden Era.

• It’s why old songs hit differently

• Why childhood snacks taste better even though they were probably just regular biscuits

• Why we remember an ex as “the one that got away” instead of “the one who never called or texted back”

While reminiscing can be comforting, it can also be misleading. The past wasn’t perfect — people had struggles, heartbreaks, and bad decisions just like we do now.

• But when we glorify it too much, we risk getting stuck

• Think about it - if you’re always comparing today to some idealized version of yesterday, you might miss out on what’s good in the present

• It’s like watching an old movie so many times that you forget to check out new ones

We find this playing out in our text this morning. Whereas the children of Israel left Egypt through a mighty deliverance, Egypt didn’t leave them. They were out of Egypt, but Egypt remained in their hearts. On their way to Canaan after their exodus from Egypt, they kept referring to Egypt and preferring to return there whenever they faced any challenge. It was as if they never appreciated the deliverance God gave them; they seemed not to value their freedom. Eventually, the majority of those who left Egypt never got to Canaan; they died in the wilderness because of their ROMANCE WITH THE PAST.

Notice the way the Israelites talked about Egypt as if it wasn’t in response to their cry that God sent Moses to go and deliver them from their taskmasters.

• Before Moses secured their release, they blamed Moses and Aaron for adding to their problem in the hands of the Egyptians

Hebrews were treated ruthlessly by the Egyptians. They were -

• Killed indiscriminately

• Criticized

• Ridiculed

• Beaten

• Emasculated

• Abused

• Mistreated

• Plundered and many other things were done to them

Just like we do today. Our minds only remind us of the good times, the good days and we ignore the struggles we went through in the Past. Then, all of a sudden, we want to return to Egypt. Return to what we know. Yes, my brothers and sisters – A ROMANCE WITH THE PAST.

There is no way someone can keep talking like the Israelites did and get to their destination. Just because you have encountered a problem, you are now regretting that you left where you were before. What a wrong attitude!

• You have to leave where you are currently to get to where you are going

• You cannot make progress in your life if you don’t leave and move forward

• There is a certain amount of the unknown going forward

• We can’t get too comfortable with the comfortable and familiar or we will never move forward

I have heard so many say over the course of my life that they “long for the good old days.” What good old days?

• When we had to drink from separate water fountains

• When we had to sit at the back of the bus

• When we could not vote

• When we had to sit in the hallway at the Colleges and Universities and not in the classroom

• When you had to struggle to make ends meet

• A ROMANCE WITH THE PAST

Being in the will of God doesn’t mean that you will not face challenges. Whenever someone doing the will of God faces challenges, they should not talk like the Israelites and try to go back to where they left. You must continue on your journey to Canaan and not contemplate returning to Egypt.

• The Will of God sometimes runs into trouble!

• But ultimately, it shall be established

In this passage, because of a temporary lack of food, which was not a big problem for God to solve, having earlier made the Red Sea part for them in addition to all the plagues He brought upon Egypt to release them, THEY SAID THEY PREFERRED TO HAVE DIED IN EGYPT. If this is what you ‘Preferred’ than why were you Crying out to God By Reason of Your Bondage?’