FHBC Sermon Notes

One week ago a survey was release that said 74% of Americans believed in God. However, this was down 8% from four years ago.  How does such a drop occur?  What does this say about how we believe in God?  What does it mean to believe in God?

In our society, we are often told that our belief in God is a personal matter, that it is authorized and revealed by our own assessment.  However, that is not what as Christians we believe.  Our belief is not the result of self analysis and revelation, but is instead the revelation of God. God is making himself known to human beings.  So that we may know that he is the Lord.

This is the focus of this story in Exodus.  The people had in this time run away from God, and decided that they wanted to write their own story.  So what does God do.  First he picks a man out, Abraham, and begins a story of His own.  God, the creator could have started over, just made a new creation, but no, instead, God pursues man to redeem a people for his glory, for his name.  God makes outlandish promises to Abraham, saying that the he would bless all the peoples of the world through him.

Here in Exodus, we see the descendants of Abraham, now in slavery in Egypt.  They have forgotten the promises, but God begins a great miraculous effort to make himself known to these people. So we ask this question.  How does God make himself known?

God declares them to be his special people, set aside from all the other people of the earth.  It is to this event of deliverance that the prophets, the Psalmist and much of the Old Testament points back to as the example of God might and love.

What does it mean though to be delivered? First we must be delivered from something.  In the first half of Exodus we see the answer.  First they are delivered from slavery.  As seventy people Jacob and his family had come to Israel, yet know they were millions, and Pharaoh was threatened by their presence. So Pharaoh made their life miserable. After Moses first declaration from God, to "let my people go", Pharaoh responds by says, "I don't know God", and instead makes their work harder.

When thinking of this, we might respond, "that is nice, but I'm not enslaved by anyone.". But, this is not true, we are enslaved by our own sin, by our own rebellion.  We are laid low by it, and it is from this, from sin, that we are delivered.  We are God's special people, his holy nation, for on the cross Jesus broke the bonds of our slavery to sin. What a true and awesome freedom we now have in Christ.

Judgment is the final result of rebellion.  Enslaved to Pharaoh, this declaration appeared to Pharaoh as rebellion and he judged them, and increased their work.  However, through the plagues God instead judged Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  But God also delivered his people from these same plagues.  

What about ourselves? Frankly, we are a lot like Pharaoh.  We so often choose to make ourselves our own king, and so we bare his  judgment as well. But there is hope. God sent his own Son, who died on a cross, sinless in our place. We are not judged because God has already done it in Jesus. He is our rescuer from the wrath of God.  Praise God.

The last plague, the death of the firstborn, was the worst of all.  By the death of a lamb, God spared the Israelites, but our redemption is now found in Jesus. Jesus on the cross, was our lamb.  They were delivered on that day of Passover, so also, we are delivered by Jesus, for he is our Passover lamb. And as he rose from the dead, so in Christ will be also rise again.  How amazing is this knowledge!

The thing that is perhaps most noteworthy, is that Israel did nothing to deserve such grace. And neither have we!  Who can make the sea part, only God.  Who can raise from the dead, only God.  By his grace we are delivered.  Amen.

The word covenant is seen throughout scripture.  God uses it as the way of describing his promise, his blessings to come, if only they will obey his will.  It simply means a mutual agreement. God in this covenant tells us a lot about himself. Let us see.

It seems that the Israelites in Egypt really didn't know that much about God.  And it was through the covenant that God made himself first know. He began first by revealing that they cannot worship any other gods.  No gods of the sun, or cats, or cows.

God is the one who rescues. Not ourselves, not others.

We live in a society very concerned about self-esteem. Everyone is special. We give every kid a trophy, despite the outcome.  But as God's children we are not special because of self, but because we are chosen by his grace.  God is the one doing it, not ourselves.

 But this chosen status is not to be disregarded and devalued, for this does require something from us.  God asks for us, who are purchased in Christ as his chosen people, the same thing He asks from the Israelites, our faithfulness.

This story because of Jesus also applies to us.  Through Jesus we come to God.  We are rescued, we are a chosen people, a holy nation.  So, therefore, as new covenant people let us live in the same faithfulness that Israel was called to, for we are God's chosen people in Christ. 

Amen!