Journey of Faith: From Slavery to Spiritual Flourishing

Sermon Summary

In our spiritual journey, the transition from slavery to freedom is instantaneous, yet the process of removing the remnants of our past, akin to taking Egypt out of the Israelites, is a lifelong journey. Salvation by grace through faith is immediate, but sanctification is a continuous process until we meet Jesus. This journey often involves traversing the wilderness, a metaphor for the trials and tests we face, which God uses to teach, test, and transform us. Unlike academic tests that measure worthiness, God's tests are designed to grow us, much like a parent teaching a child to drive, ensuring readiness rather than exclusion.

God's purpose for His covenant people, as seen with the Israelites, is to reflect His nature to the world. This requires a deep understanding of His justice, power, grace, and mercy. Our participation in community events, like the Pregnancy Network's Walk for Life, is a way to reflect God's character to the world. In the wilderness, God provides what we need to flourish, even when we grumble and complain. His provision is not just physical but also spiritual, teaching us that man does not live by bread alone but by every word from God.

The daily practice of seeking manna symbolizes our need for daily spiritual nourishment. Just as Jesus relied on God's word in the wilderness, we too must cultivate a deep relationship with God through His word. This relationship sustains us through trials, transforming our hearts and aligning us with His will. Our legacy should be one of spiritual hunger, seeking God above all else. Participating in initiatives like the 21 days of prayer can help us cultivate this hunger and deepen our relationship with God.

Ultimately, the wilderness is where God tests and transforms us, providing everything we need to flourish. When we reach the point where Christ is all we have, we find He is all we need. This truth is exemplified by those who, despite facing immense challenges, continue to worship and trust in God's provision. As we navigate our own wilderness, may we seek a deeper relationship with God, trusting in His provision and reflecting His glory to the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Sanctification as a Lifelong Journey: Salvation is immediate, but sanctification is a lifelong process. God uses the wilderness experiences in our lives to teach, test, and transform us, ensuring we are ready to reflect His glory to the world. This journey requires patience and trust in God's timing. [15:00]
2. God's Testing for Growth: Unlike human tests that measure worthiness, God's tests are designed to grow us. They are opportunities for us to develop a deeper understanding of His character and to prepare us for the roles He has for us in His kingdom. [18:47]
3. Reflecting God's Nature: As God's covenant people, our purpose is to reflect His nature to the world. This requires a deep understanding of His justice, power, grace, and mercy, which we can demonstrate through our actions and participation in community events. [21:13]
4. Daily Spiritual Nourishment: Just as the Israelites needed daily manna, we need daily spiritual nourishment from God's word. This practice deepens our relationship with God and equips us to face the challenges of life, sustaining us through trials. [31:49]
5. Trusting in God's Provision: In the wilderness, God provides everything we need to flourish. When we reach the point where Christ is all we have, we find He is all we need. This truth is exemplified by those who continue to worship and trust in God's provision despite immense challenges. [42:19]
** [42:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[14:46] - The Journey of Sanctification
[17:52] - God's Purpose in the Wilderness
[18:47] - Testing for Growth
[20:24] - Covenant People and God's Glory
[22:25] - God's Provision in the Wilderness
[23:44] - Direct Communication with God
[26:06] - Personal Testimony of Provision
[29:56] - God's Specific Provision
[31:27] - The Lesson of Manna
[32:35] - Deepening Relationship with God
[34:33] - Daily Seeking Jesus
[37:19] - Knowing the Shepherd
[39:14] - 21 Days of Prayer
[42:19] - Flourishing in the Wilderness

Sermon Clips

"Sanctification by grace through faith happens for us in a moment. But sanctification, sorry, salvation by grace through faith happens in a moment. But sanctification by grace through faith happens until the day we meet Jesus. And it's a process." [00:14:56]

"God is going to take us through the wilderness so that he could teach us so that he could test us and that he could transform us. What do we mean when we think about God testing us? Because I think sometimes when we think about tests, we only have one way of thinking about a test, right?" [00:17:52]

"But that's not the way God the Father tests us. He tests us in a way to help us to grow us. I think about it a little bit this way. Um for the last I don't know three or three or four years now um just about every year I have had to be a driver instructor for my three uh kids." [00:18:57]

"The purpose of the covenant people is so that they would tell the truth about what God is like. That's their whole purpose. They were to reflect the nature of God to the rest of the world so that the rest of the world would look in and be like, 'Whoa, this God is unlike my God. I want to learn more about this God.'" [00:20:30]

"God provides exactly what we need to flourish in the wilderness. God, this passage teaches us that God provides what we need to flourish in the wilderness. And I just want to marvel over this for just a second. He's just performed some of the greatest miracles in human history to rescue a people for himself." [00:22:25]

"God doesn't punish them. He's not angry with them. He doesn't scold them. In fact, he doesn't really even address it other than to say, 'I heard you.' Isn't that amazing? They were grumbling to Moses, but God's the one who said, 'I heard you.' The point for us today is hey let's skip the middle man and let's go directly to God." [00:23:10]

"The daily practice for seeking for mana. You know, on the face of what we read in chapter number 16, it looks cut and dry like God's going to meet your needs and you need to trust him. And that's true. But it's not complete because Moses when he actually looks back to be able to ponder all that he all that he went through in the wandering here's what he said." [00:31:27]

"Why did God provide for him the way that he did? Because he wanted them to learn a deeper lesson which was that you cannot flourish in the wilderness without the word of God. Without the direction, without the leading, without the presence of God, you and I are bound to destruction through the wilderness." [00:31:49]

"It's through the word of God that we have a deepened relationship with God. It's through the word of God that we have a deepened relationship. Think about Jesus in the wilderness. We don't have time to contrast the two totally, but the deep and abiding relationship with God is what carried Jesus through the wilderness." [00:32:35]

"Daily seek after Jesus. Daily seek after Jesus. And guys, uh this is so much more than just reading the Bible. Man, I've known lots of people through the years who go through the motions. I'm not talking about going through the motions. There's a story that I heard about a a man who he was um he he was at a celebration of life." [00:34:33]

"Some of us are are are hungry for things in this life and that's awesome. But do we hunger for and thirst after Jesus? I mean, dads and moms, do we do we want our kids to know that we had drive and we were hungry for for more than just beach houses and boats? There's nothing wrong with those things." [00:37:19]

"When you come to the place where Christ is all you have, you'll find he's all you need. Guys, the wilderness is the place where he takes us to test and to transform our hearts. But he provides everything we need to flourish in the wilderness." [00:42:19]

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