Ready For Change Series

READY FOR CHANGE

Exodus 1.1-22

S: Change

Th: Movin’ On Up!

Pr: BE READY FOR THE CHANGE GOD DESIRES TO BRING.

Type: Inductive

I. THE PAST

II. THE SMALL PICTURE

III. THE BIG PICTURE

IV. FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Understand that the blessings of the past don’t automatically apply.

• Have faith in God’s view of the bigger picture.

• Fear God over man every time.

• Be ready for change.

Version: ESV

RMBC 03 February 08 AM

INTRODUCTION:

Today, we are starting a new series based on the book of Exodus.

And the series is titled “Movin on up!”

Perhaps you remember that theme from this TV show.

Well we’re movin on up,

To the east side.

To a deluxe apartment in the sky.

Movin on up

To the east side.

We finally got a piece of the pie.

The Jeffersons dreamed of moving on up to the east side.

It was time to get away from the middle class way of life next to Archie and Edith Bunker and experience the change they longed for.

It was, in their opinion, the Promised Land.

Which brings us to this principle…

1. Change can be a welcome and needed event.

It reminds me of the time when someone…

ILL Change (H)

…dialed a wrong number and got the following recording: “I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.”

Change is a part of life.

And granted, sometimes the changes come at us so fast, it gets our head spinning.

But there is a danger in how we react to this.

We don’t want to overreact and settle in and oppose change.

2. Let’s not be stuck.

That machine in the picture is stuck.

It is getting nowhere.

And sometimes, as individuals and as a church, we are like that.

We get stuck.

We are stuck in the mud.

And whether we realize it or not, we are missing a lot.

ILL Change (H)

A man appeared to be on his last legs. He constantly gasped for breath and his eyes popped out. The mystified doctors weren’t hopeful, so he decided to live it up.

He went on a shopping spree. At an expensive haberdashery, he pointed out a dozen silk shirts in size 14.

"Your neck looks bigger than 14," said the clerk. "You need a 16.”

"I know my size," the man insisted. "I want the shirts in a 14."

“I’ll get them for you,” replied the clerk. "But I want to warn you - if you wear a 14 you’ll gasp all day and your eyes will pop out!”

That can be so true of us.

We are stuck on what we used to be.

We so long for what it used to be like, that we fail to see the joy that is coming our way, if would just let go of 14 and try 16.

Our challenge today is to…

3. Let’s get our hearts wrapped around where God wants us now.

To do so, we are going to consider the story in chapter one of Exodus.

OUR STUDY:

I. THE PAST

4. At one time, the Hebrews were appreciated guests in Egypt.

It all began with a man named Jacob with twelve sons, his favorite being Joseph.

But Joseph was hated by his jealous brothers, and was kidnapped and sold as a slave to a passing caravan bound for Egypt.

Through time and a chain of incredible events, God greatly honored this young man and promoted him out of slavery, out of the bowels of an Egyptian dungeon, to the right hand of Pharaoh himself. [Swindoll]

Against all odds, this Hebrew became prime minister of the most powerful nation in the ancient world. [Swindoll]

As a result of performing brilliantly in this position, the pharaoh gave to Joseph’s family – Jacob and his eleven sons – Goshen, the best land in the land!

It was a relationship based on gratitude.

And…

5. God had blessed their stay.

It says in the text…

But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Forgive me for saying it like this, but they were breeding like rabbits.

The blessings had been coming in various forms.

Year after year, they were moving forward from being a small clan to a nation of people.

II. THE SMALL PICTURE

Things were changing, though.

The text tells us…

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

Joseph was completely forgotten.