Let Us Alone That We May Serve ….

When the Israelites saw them in pursuit, the Bible says, “…They were sore afraid…” In that fear they turned to Moses and said something that was very disturbing.

We read, “…And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, LET US ALONE, THAT WE MAY SERVE THE EGYPTIANS? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

If we read between the lines, it sounds like they are saying, they will take freedom from bondage, only:

• If it does not require any sacrifice on their behalf

• If it does not inconvenience them

They said, “LET US ALONE, THAT WE MAY SERVE THE EGYPTIANS...”

(A) THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES TO YOUNG CHRISTIANS

The Lord miraculously delivers them from the bondage of sin. Once they are delivered by the grace of God, sometime afterward, when the journey gets rough, they say, “Whoa! I thought that once you accepted the Lord Jesus your luck started to change for the better and you lived happily ever after.”

HERE IS THE PROBLEM!

They start to think:

• I did not know that once I became a Christian it was going to cost me some friends as I walk the Christian journey.

• I did not know that once I became a Christian it was going to cost me my popularity as I walk the Christian journey.

• I did not know that once I became a Christian it was going to cost me some dates as I walk the Christian journey.

And some of them make that bad choice and reach the conclusion, “Let me alone, I will serve the gods of Egypt.”

(B) THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SOME LOST PEOPLE

There are lost people perhaps in this congregation, who would like to accept the Lord today, but due to circumstances in your life it is not convenient.

That is, some of you have other gods in your life that you are not willing to forsake, such as:

• Some like to take the Lord’s day and play golf

• Some like to take the Lord’s day and go to the beach

• Some like to take the Lord’s day and watch the car races or the football game

• Some like to lay around and sleep on the Lord’s day

And as much as they would like to accept the Lord and become a Christian, these other things in their life mean more to them than accepting the Lord.

Illus: This is how Felix felt when he heard Paul give his testimony to him in Acts 24:25 “…Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

In other words, Felix was saying, “Paul, what you said sounds great, but I am a politician, and if I take a stand for what is right, my numbers in the Gallup poll will tumble. Maybe later when it is more convenient I will ask you back and will accept the Lord. But at the present time it is not CONVENIENT!”

This is the problem that many have. They know we are saved by grace when we are saved from sin.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE SAVED FROM SIN!

GUESS WHAT? To accommodate the ungodly, the modernists have come up with a way that they propose you can have the SAVIOR and SIN. It is threefold. That is:

• They teach a salvation where you acknowledge there is a God and that makes you a Christian

• Once you acknowledge that there is a God, you can go back and live the old evil lifestyle you have always lived

• You can avoid judgment because they teach that God is love and that He is an understanding God

But the Bible does not teach such a salvation.

Look at John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

Look at the word “Believe”, this is the Greek word “Pisteuo” which means to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ), to commit (to trust)

This is the kind of belief the Bible talks about, not just knowledge. It starts with the mind, but it enters the heart. And once it enters the heart, we are willing to commit our life to Christ.

Illus: The story is told in New York City of a tight rope walker. He tied a tight rope between two buildings. A large crowd gathered on the top of the building with him to see him walk across. But before he did-