From Wilderness to Promise: Jesus' Final Exodus

Whatever you do, do not forget that God has already led you out of Egypt. Egypt is your former life. You're not there anymore. You are in the wilderness. You are in transition to the promised land. So when life gets hard, do not say, I'm happier before I followed God seriously. Say, just because it's familiar, does not mean it's freedom. It may be hard, but I know it's not the end of it. It may be hard, but it's not forever. It may be hard, but I know that God is changing something in me. [01:07:31] (40 seconds)  #FamiliarIsNotFreedom

See, complaining is not the issue. It's rebellion. It's discontent. It's rejection of God's grace. What God is asking us in this wilderness season is to trust him. Trust that he's able to lead us to the promised land. And the more we trust God, the more we become like God in his holiness. One of the easiest ways to fall into spiritual frustration is to keep doing what worked before, even when God is calling you for fresh obedience. See, yesterday's bread is already done. That's why in the prayer, we pray, give us this day our daily bread. And you're meant to pray it every day. Just like obedience, obedience must be every day. [01:08:12] (51 seconds)  #DailyObedience

But they did not arrive in the promised land the next day. It took them forty long years. Forty long years means they got kids, they got they married their kids. A lot of things happened in forty years. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years. You see, the wilderness journey isn't a detour. It was not an accident. It was actually the whole point. God could have led them by way of the sea which is easier, quicker, shorter, but he did not. [00:32:28] (28 seconds)  #WildernessIsPurpose

See, at this point, Moses undermined the authority of God when he struck the rock because that was not the instruction. The instruction was to speak to the rock, To treat God as if his word is not final is contempt. To act as if his word is optional is contempt. To speak to the Israelites as if he is God speaking to them was clear and unequivocally contemptible. Listen. God's holiness is nonnegotiable. God is holy. If you hear me, God forbid, or any pastor or any religious figure speaking like he is god, commanding you and saying, you have to do this or you will go to hell, you better run. [00:50:08] (48 seconds)  #GodsHolinessNonNegotiable

But notice this, they're not just thirsty for water. They're thirsty for a version of the past that no longer exist. That is Egypt. So they look at the desert and they see graveyard. But they look at Egypt and they see a paradise. It's a good thing. In Egypt, we have all this and that and this and that. We have these luxuries. But here in the wilderness, we have nothing. We hate this place. We hate this formation. We hate God teaching us to trust him. We don't like this. We wanna go back. [00:39:46] (33 seconds)  #PastIsntParadise

Jesus is the source of water. In Revelation 21, in the new Jerusalem, he's the one that will satisfy your thirst. Question is, are you thirsty? Are you thirsty for God? Are you thirsty for the move of God in your life? If you're in the wilderness right now, if you're in a season of testing, it's always so tempting to give up. And you would say, pastor, it's hard. I've been going through this trial for a long time now, and I don't see any way out. I'm being hope I'm getting hopeless. It is so tempting to blame god for the lack of water, for loneliness, for your sickness, for your suffering, or broken relationships. [01:06:41] (51 seconds)  #JesusIsLivingWater

When Moses snapped, he forgot that he is an under he's not the main shepherd. He's the under shepherd. There's only one main shepherd, Psalm 23, the lord is my shepherd. Moses forgot his nap. He called them rebels and then he struck the rock. He forgot his place in the kingdom. He may be the leader. He's been the leader forty years. Yes. But he is under God. So with this, God responds in verse 12. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not trust in me [00:47:10] (39 seconds)  #RememberYourPlace

While I'm the pastor of the church, I still have a boss, the true shepherd according to first Peter chapter five. You are ultimately God's flock, not mine. That's why Peter tells pastors like me to not lord over the church. Pastors are not to lord over the church. We are not the lords. We are servants. Let me quote first Peter chapter five verse two. Peter said, be shepherds of the flock. He's talking to pastors like me. [00:46:23] (30 seconds)  #ShepherdAsServant