Freedom! Part 2

This week, we continued the series on Freedom. In this series we are talking about being set free from the bondage of sin just as the Israelites were set free from the slavery of Egypt.  When God delivered them He was taking to a place He had promised to them 17 generations earlier through Noah and again just 7 generations earlier to Abraham.

Then how did Israel end up as slaves in Egypt? To understand this, we need to know a little history. Abraham had his promised son, Isaac. Isaac then had a son named Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. From Jacob came 12 sons and each was the father of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Of course, we know that those sons sold one brother, Joseph, into slavery – ultimately to Egypt.  Eventually Joseph rose to second in command of all of Egypt. When the famine that he foretold when interpreting Pharaoh’s dream came to pass, he reconciled with his family and brought them from where they lived, Canaan (the land that was promised), and into Egypt, where there was food at the time.

Two generations and a different Pharaoh later, the Israelites were slaves to Egypt.  This slavery continued for 430 years until Exodus 3, when God spoke to Moses in a burning bush. He told Moses that the time has come and that He has heard the cries of the Israelites.

 Why did it take 430 years? Why did God wait so long? The question might be more accurately posed as the following: why did the Israelites wait so long? Based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, we know that when God’s people humble themselves and cry out to Him, He promises to answer them. There is a tremendous amount of evidence that shows that the tendency of the Israelites, when times were hard, was to call God out instead of calling out to God. They grumbled and complained and accused Him of wanting to destroy them. Perhaps it took nearly 10 generations before they finally humbled themselves and cried out (and ten kings/Gods over Egypt, all corresponding to the 10 plagues in number).

 God saw their situation, but did not move until they asked Him to. That is the character of God that you can see in the Word, cover to cover.  So, how does He deliver them? In Exodus 12, after 9 other plagues (in which God always the Egyptians a way out, mind you), the 10^th and final plague comes. This is the plague of the firstborn. The firstborn of all men and livestock would be wiped out by this plague. But God made a way for His people.  He told them to sacrifice a perfect and spotless lamb and wipe the blood on their doorposts. This would make the plague “pass over” their home. This is where the term comes from, the first Passover.

God told Moses in Exodus 12:14 that this day was to be a memorial feast passed on for generations to come. And it has been passed all the way to us – for we celebrate Easter on that very same day (according to the Hebrew calendar).  Hopefully you can see the picture God paints for us. The Passover protected God’s people from the plague and it ultimately bought their freedom from Egypt. The blood of Jesus (the perfect lamb who was slain on the Passover!) protects us from the death and destruction of the sin of this world and it buys us freedom. Hallelujah!

 

However, freedom is just the first step. As believers in Christ, we are all free. But how many of us are still sitting in a prison cell with an open door? Stepping out of captivity seems like the goal, but its uncertainty and risk can seem daunting. Captivity is difficult, but at least we know what to expect. Stepping out into freedom is a risk – but one that God has promised to strengthen us to do.

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/ and click on online media.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.