Not Very Far
Exodus 8:28
Exodus 8:28
28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.
You know, it’s really always been the plan of the enemy. And his strategies haven’t changed very much. It’s never so cut and dry. It’s never BLACK or WHITE with the devil. Satan loves to meld the extremes to muted shades of gray. He loves to see the distinct become ambiguous, and the clean-cut become hazy. There is a fiendish strategy to it; a diabolical design.
“Pharaoh, we’ve been commanded by God to take a three day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God…” That’s BLACK AND WHITE. It was cut and dry for the Lord, and for Moses His servant. “We WILL go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.” (Exodus 8:27)
But for Pharaoh… it wasn’t so. “I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away…” That’s vague. That’s what the devil always does. He’ll give a little. He gives you a false sense of security that somehow you’ve gotten one up on him. You’ve gotten some leeway. But in getting THAT step up, there is only a shallow victory, because it’s not what God commanded.
So he says, “I’ll let you go, only I don’t want you to go all the way.” I’ll let you go part way. “I will let you go; only ye shall not go very far away…” He still does it today. Tonight, we’ll explore this idea, “NOT VERY FAR.” Places where the enemy will allow you to take a step, but not go all the way.
I. The first area where the enemy doesn’t want you to go VERY FAR is into the area of EVANGELISM.
The enemy works feverishly to HIDE the Gospel.
2 Cor 4:3
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
He mutes its relevance. People get a plethora of different answers, rather than the piercing truth that there is only one way to heaven.
2 Cor 4:4
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
And what’s more, he works to keep us from sharing it. He puts people under the burden of fear, and shame. People afraid to tell anyone what they believe. Now, don’t get me wrong. Satan doesn’t mind the Gospel. He doesn’t mind it, as long as it is hidden the walls of the church. It doesn’t bother him, as long as the Gospel stays in your vessel and doesn’t spill out. As long as your Gospel is only affecting YOU, it’s fine with Him. As long as your Gospel doesn’t take you TOO FAR, you can have it. As long as your Gospel doesn’t carry you anywhere, it’s fine with the devil.
And you can almost hear the devil’s words resound in your ear when you start talking about the Gospel. “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far. “ That’s the first area where the devil doesn’t want us to go very far… EVANGELISM
II. The second area where the enemy doesn’t want us to go very far is into FELLOWSHIP
The author of Hebrews is unknown. Many view the style and candor of it like that of the Apostle Paul. However, Paul’s customary authoring generally included his own introduction –something like he said in Ephesians:
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:”
So most agree that it is unlikely that Paul wrote Hebrews. However, it is believed to be amongst one of the earliest written Epistles. It’s in Hebrews where we find this exhortation:
Heb 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Don’t give up getting together. Don’t cease in fellowship. Don’t stop spending time with one another. But that’s exactly what has happened. People have abandoned smaller churches with intimate fellowship, and have frequented the Mega churches where one can fall in and disappear.
I personally believe Satan doesn’t mind superficial fellowship; the fellowship where we just get the shallow “Hi, how ya doing?”
That kind of fellowship doesn’t bother the devil. You can go into fellowship, but don’t go to far. Don’t go to the kind of fellowship where you become accountable to one another. He doesn’t want you in the kind of fellowship where you can confess sins to one another, for prayer. He doesn’t want the kind of fellowship where you can spur one another on toward love and good works. Don’t even mention the kind of fellowship where every man, woman and child sit equal in Christ around the Lord’s table regardless of age, sex, race. Don’t try to encourage the meeting of people’s principal needs and concerns. Don’t foster a fellowship that meets the needs of those infirmed, neglected and despised.
Oh, the devil doesn’t mind you going into fellowship… just don’t go too far. He doesn’t want more than a handshake, and a casual hello. But if your fellowship is deeper, more loving, more concerned… forget about it. “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.”
That’s the second area where the devil doesn’t want us to go very far… FELLOWSHIP
III. The third area where the enemy doesn’t want us to go very far is into the area of MINISTRY
As long as you’re just doing a worship service three times a week, that’s fine; that’s far enough. But when your ministry begins to become more personal. When you stop DOING MINISTRY, and start BEING MINISTRY, that’s then the devil puts up a stink. That’s just too far. When you decide that you are going “to be His hands extended, reaching out for the oppressed…” That’s when Pharaoh raises a stink. That’s just too far. If you start meeting people’s needs, you stepped too far out of your bondage. You’ll start to feel your freedom. If you start feeding the hungry, and ministering to the broken, that’s too far for the devil. That’s too much like Jesus’ ministry. You start seeing sick people healed, hungry people fed, and their emotional needs met. That’s just too far. “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.”
That’s the third area where the devil doesn’t want us to go very far… MINISTRY
IV. The fourth area where enemy doesn’t want us to go very far is into the area of DISCIPLESHIP
Our primary directive given by the Lord; It wasn’t to solicit penitent prayers on some perfectly padded altar. It wasn’t draw tears out of a listening crowd. The primary directive was to MAKE DISCIPLES. We can’t save anyone, friend. Salvation doesn’t belong to us.
Ps 3:8
8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD:
I can’t give you what doesn’t belong to me.
My children have a habit of finding something, and asking ME if they can have it, even if whatever they’ve found doesn’t belong to me. I have to respond, “Baby that belongs to so-and-so. You’ll have to talk to them.”
I can’t give you what isn’t mine to give. I can’t give you eternal life. I’m a sales rep for it, but God holds the patent. He’s the manufacturer. He owns it. He’s the AUTHOR of it.
Heb 5:9
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
That word AUTHOR literally means “the CAUSER” or the CATALYST; the active element that made it start. He’s the One that kicked this whole salvation thing off. If it BELONGS TO HIM, and HE AUTHORED IT, I can’t give it to anyone. No, what He told me to do was MAKE DISCIPLES.
GO… TEACH… BAPTIZE… Teach them everything I’ve commanded you, and I’ll be with you always while you’re doing that. If salvation is given, it’s given by HIM. We then become purveyors of the message, and DISCIPLERS. And Satan will have a MELT DOWN if we start going too far into DISCIPLESHIP.
He doesn’t want people educated in their faith, or knowledgeable about the Word. You can have cute little Sunday School. You can have an hour of church here and there. But don’t go any deeper than that. Don’t disciple people. Don’t carry them farther with God than the DEVIL wants them to go. After all, God’s people are PERISHING for a lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6) “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.”
That’s the fourth area where the devil doesn’t want us to go very far… DISCIPLESHIP
V. And finally, fifth, the enemy doesn’t want us to go very far into the area of WORSHIP
Sure, sing, as long as it’s just a song. Sing, as long as it’s just a form, and lacks power. Sing, as long as it’s just words and not of significant meaning. Sing, as long as it’s a show, and not directed heavenward. Because when you worship, HE INHABITS the praises. (Psalm 22:3)
We know that if He is lifted up, He’ll draw all men unto Himself. Some would argue, “That’s a reference to the cross, not to worship.” But the Greek word used for “LIFTED UP” there can actually be translated, “to EXALT.” When we EXALT HIM; when we place Him at the highest place, He’ll draw all men unto himself.
Keep it superficial; nice songs, a little clapping, praise is great – BUT NOT WORSHIP. Not true, genuine worship. That’s just TOO FAR. If you REALLY start worshipping, someone might get freed up. If you REALLY worship, there might be a victory in the heavenlies. If you REALLY worship that’s just TOO FAR. Satan doesn’t want that. Real worship opens heaven’s windows, and segues to the anointing. Real worship will break chains and bondages. Real worship will bring about a victory that cannot be taken away. Real worship will liberate a slave, and cause the man in bondage to breathe free. “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.”
That’s the fifth area where the devil doesn’t want us to go very far… WORSHIP…
The children of Israel were not under Pharaoh’s limits. His mandates didn’t mean anything. Their circumstances still spoke of slavery, but their freedom had already been spoken in heaven. Pharoah said, “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.” But he didn’t have any right to say that; just like the devil doesn’t have any right to say that to us today.
I want us to go into Evangelism without a fear or hesitation.
I want us to go into Fellowship, rejecting all superficiality, and clinging to the deeper relationships that change lives.
I want us to go into Ministry, beyond DOING ministry to BEING ministry.
I want us to go into Discipleship; forget about saving people, that’s HIS JOB. It’s our job to make disciples.
I want us to go into Worship, not the phony, shallow singing of songs; but the GENUINE HEART WORSHIP that breaks the yoke of bondage.
But I want us to go on THE LORD’S TERMS, and NOT PHARAOHS!
Are we going to let the devil dictate it to us? “I’ll let you go… only I don’t want you to go off too far.”
