“Out of Egypt”
Matthew 2:13-18 and Exodus 14
Needless to say, 2020 has been an interesting year. Too much tragedy, illness and isolation and most of us will really be happy when we are able to move forward. One of the things adults mention often is a reference to their glory days. Those days when for one reason or another things seemed to be better. Perhaps we felt as though we understood life and things were just not as complicated. And we long to go back to a time when things were simpler. In the song Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen describes his past and in doing so he mentions his father who for 20 years worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company. After 20 years they let him go and Springsteen was only 9 years old but later he says all his Dad ever did after that was sit on a bar stool and talk to his buddies about the Glory Days…you know the Good Ole Days when everything was simpler and better.
As one man put it you know when you’re getting older if all you talk about is the past. And it’s true. For some that happens way too early in life; we give up, we lose hope; we think we have nothing to look forward to --- the best is behind us rather than in front of us. In the OT, God speaks the phrase “Out of Egypt” 186 times. Out of Egypt refers to a place where:
• God’s people were hurting
• It is the place where the 10 plagues took place
• It represents an old way of doing things
• None of us can forget how God called the Israelites out of Egypt and there they stood before the Red Sea—looking behind them, about to be slaughtered by the Egyptians but instead He parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry ground. Incredible. And this is what I believe. God still wants to move his people out of Egypt---not tomorrow but now.
In the passage I read the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream; tells him to get up, take Mary and Jesus and get to Egypt because Herod is going to search for Jesus and kill him. So he leaves and takes Mary and Jesus and stays there until Herod dies. As a result the scripture from the prophet Hosea is fulfilled “out of Egypt I called my son.” It seems that everyone has an Egypt experience—a time when life is not all we had hoped. But here’s a truth we really need to capture and apply…..
God still calls his people out of Egypt.
There is still a promised land waiting for all of us.
And I’m ready for mine. ? In this passage God calls the Holy Family out of Egypt just in time, as Herod realizes the Wise Men have out smarted him—I mean isn’t that why they’re called wise men? Herod is furious and orders for all males under the age of two to be killed. In that way Jesus would be included. But now that time has passed; those who were attempting to kill Jesus are now dead and gone. They go to Nazareth and another scripture is fulfilled and that was spoken through the prophets. “He will be called a Nazarene, referring of course to Jesus of Nazareth.
I’m not sure I have ever preached a sermon with ten points but I am today. Let me add; ten brief points for us to better understand why we have an Egypt experience and how God plans to move us to Canaan if we will just listen. So let me give you what we might call The Red Sea Rules. Rules to live by if you wish to move out of Egypt.
1. Realize that God has a reason for you to be in Egypt. You think, why would God want me to be where I am right now? Things are broken in my life---COVID has changed everything. I’m stressed---worried---losing hope. God is a good God. Why would he want me here? Listen to what C.S. Lewis says: “pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain. Pain is his megaphone to rouse a world that is not listening.” The apostle Paul put it simply, “All things work together for God to those who love the Lord.” Romans 8:28. You may not understand it now, but God does have a reason.
2. Show more concern for God’s glory than your personal relief. When you and I experience pain and heartache, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Hard to focus on anything positive, hard to stay optimistic and frankly it’s hard to keep our eyes on Jesus. Why? Because pain insists on being attended to.
3. We must acknowledge the enemy but keep our focus on Jesus. I have heard people who are misguided, from time to time, say things like:
• Satan doesn’t really bother me
• I don’t really feel tempted
• Had one individual tell me he had not sinned for the past 30 days. And he said it with pride.
All of that is what we consider stinkin’ thinkin’. Just one thing wrong with it; it’s a lie. If Satan is not bothering you, it is likely because the two of you are walking in the same direction.
4. Pray. And when you finish, pray some more. This is what Paul meant when he said to pray without ceasing. Doesn’t’ mean we are on our knees 24/7 but Paul also said, “every time I think of you, I thank God for you.” If God puts some thing or some one or some opportunity on your mind, pray. And when you think you’re all finished, pray some more.
5. Be confident. Give God time to work. Most of us have learned by now that God’s timing is not the same as ours. The Bible says “one day is as a thousand years in the eyes of the Lord.” God takes His time doing His work because He has a linear view of time. He looks at the thousands of years of history and looks into the future for thousands of years and sees time in the BIG picture. As a child we would go annually to see the Christmas parade on Main Street in our hometown. But I could never see quite as far as I wanted to know everything that was coming our way. I always wished I could climb up on top of one of the buildings so I could see it all---everything that was coming and everything that had passed. This describes God’s view.
A man cried out to God and asked God, “what’s a million years to you?” And God said “a minute.” Then the man asked, “Well, what’s a million dollars to you?” And God said “a penny.” Then the man asked, “God can I have a penny?” And God said, “Sure, in a minute.” Stay confident, God is at work.
6. When you have doubts, take a step of faith. Be careful here but often when doubt is present, it is there because we lack faith. It is as though we have this vacuum in our lives and it can only be filled with faith or with doubt. And it’s up to us to decide. When Peter walked on water he started looking at the waves, the water lapping up around his feet and it was then that Jesus reached out his hand and took hold of Peter but also he said to him, “what little faith you have!” There is room for faith or doubt. We decide which one it will be.
7. Envision God’s presence all around you. I said earlier, acknowledge you are in a battle with Satan but keep your focus on what God is doing, not what Satan is doing. Satan will always be up to no good. And God will always be up to Good. Working for our good. Never forget that.
8. Trust God to do something unique. As we look across the stories of the OT we quickly see that we serve both an amazing God as well as a unique God.
• He made water flow from a rock
• He caused a donkey to speak
• He made time stand still in the day of Joshua
• He spoke from a burning bush
Over and over God was working. But He never did the same miracle twice. You don’t see Moses writing a book title “My Burning Bush Experience and how you can have one too.” Would have been at the top of the NY Times bestseller list. But God only did it once. God still does things that are unique and wants to do so in your life today. Trust Him to do it!
9. Allow Egypt to be a time of faith building for the future. It would be great if we could just somehow learn from the mistakes of others. But we don’t. WE think we’re bulletproof. We say, I know it went bad for them but it doesn’t mean it won’t work for me. Then we fail also. We must recognize that God has a purpose for us right where we are. He has things to teach us. And some of us require more time to learn. God has to spend more time on us. So before you move out of Egypt, learn what you need to know.
10. Give God the glory. When God moves you out, remember it was only because of Him that you got to move. Don’t think ….. I did this. Pulled myself up by my own bootstraps. Look at me! Instead point people to God. Make sure He gets the glory. All of it. J. S. Bach said, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God. In every song he wrote he placed the initials: "J. J." "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus help me." He ended every song with "S. D. G." "Soli Dei gratia" which means "To God alone the praise."
We need to live the same way. Jesus help me and when He does say to God alone the praise.
The ten points are taken from the book "The Red Sea Rules." The content within the points is mine. :)
