Where He Leads

WHERE HE LEADS

I want to talk to you (today) about following the Lord. To me, this is what being a Christian means. Following Jesus means we are a disciple of His. Jesus explained this when He came to Peter and Andrew, in Matthew 4:19, and said,

"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

This is an important part of our relationship with the Lord.

Jesus wants you to know HE is calling you, and to know where HE is leading you.

The problem today is that many Christians only:

· Think they know where they are going, but (in fact) they are not really certain.

· Think they have been everywhere they can go with the Lord. (we old timers have seen it all)

Other (younger) Christians are overly concerned, and worried about making the wrong turn. They are convinced if they miss hearing God, they will be punished for being so foolish.

And still others see themselves as Dorothy on her way to seeing the Wizard of Oz. They believe that if they just stay on that yellow brick road, they hope that (someday) they will find God. Maybe someday they will know what it means to follow the Lord.

Perhaps you fit into one of those four categories. I trust the Word of God will show each of us how to follow WHERE HE LEADS. In this day and time, we all are being pulled in different directions. Even if you consider yourself to be a sincere and committed Christian, there are times you simply don’t know where your life is taking you.

Perhaps there are some who are not concerned where they are going this morning. The fact of the matter is we all are going somewhere (in our spiritual lives).

This may not seem important to you, but I know that it is important to God. Because in Proverbs 3:23, the Lord desires this for your life,“…you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.”

I want to make sure we are all going to walk safely and not stumble. I want us all to meet with the King (in heaven) together. There we will be forever and ever. I don’t want anyone of us to be left behind.

Let me remind everyone that as a church, we are all in this together. We are the family of God. There shouldn’t be any stragglers. We are here today for God and for one another.

Text: Exodus 13:21 & 22

Prayer:

Here in Exodus 13, we see that God had led the children of Israel to exactly where He wanted them to be.

This is important because I believe that God is constantly leading you and I both day and night. God wants you and I to know exactly where it is He wants us to be, and where He is taking us.

This morning, we have a specific place with God where He wants to find us. Not just anywhere, but in His perfected presence.

We can find the model of how He will do this with this story found in Exodus. Allow me to outline what has happened.

I. The Book of Exodus - The Redemption of Israel from Egypt

A. In 5 & 6, Moses Confronts Pharaoh with the Word of promise from God. (God spoke to Moses):

“I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you…”

B. In 6 & 7, Moses Confronts Pharaoh with Miracles

God spoke again: "And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and (I will) multiply My signs and My wonders....”

C. In 7 thru 11, Moses confronts Pharaoh with 10 Plagues

D. In 12 & 13, Israel is redeemed by the Blood Sacrifice through the Passover. God Spoke Redemption:

“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you…”

To this day, this is how God chooses to redeem His people.

He redeemed His children with the blood in the Old Testament and He has redeemed His children living in the New Testament.

First, there was sent a Word of Promise. The Word was Jesus.

It was this man, Jesus, Who performed the miracles of signs and wonders. He demonstrated Himself with power, but he finalized the redemption of man by shedding His own blood and dieing on the Cross of Calvary.

When the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and were delivered from the tyranny and oppression of Pharoah, they rejoiced. Today, we have God to thank this morning for sending us His Son to set us free. He redeemed us from sin and death.