THE JOURNEY OF YOUR LIFE WITH GOD

THE JOURNEY (series)

“And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you…” Genesis 12:1

“The Lord appeared to Abraham and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’” Genesis 12:7

“Then the Lord said to him (Abraham), ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years…and afterward they will come out with great possessions… your descendants will come back here….” Genesis 15:13-16

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…the home of the Canaanites…And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’” (Exodus 3:7-10)

“Then Moses said to the people, ‘Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand…Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites… the land He swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you are to observe this ceremony.’” (Exodus 13:3-5)

‘The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them…. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.’” (Joshua 1:2 and 3:16,17)

EXODUS - JOSHUA

EGYPT: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT GOD!

WILDERNESS: LIVING A LIFE FOR ‘SELF’!

LAND OF PROMISE: LIVING A LIFE FOR GOD!

“Now these thing (Old Testament) happened to them as an example and for our instruction…”

(I Corinthians 10:11)

I. LIFE IN EGYPT:A PICTURE OF LIFE WITHOUT GOD!

“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up to a land, flowing with milk and honey…. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now I am sending you (Moses) to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites out of Egypt.’” (Exodus 3:7-10)

A PICTURE OF THE GOSPEL

*LIFE IN EGYPT WAS MISERY AND SUFFERING

*THE PEOPLE CRIED OUT TO GOD

*GOD WAS CONCERNED AND CAME DOWN TO RESCUE

*GOD PROVIDED A WHOLE NEW LIFE AND PLACE TO LIVE

II. LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS!

A PICTURE OF LIFE LIVED FOR “SELF”

LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS IS BETTER THAN LIFE IN EGYPT BUT DESERT LIVING KEEPS US FROM ‘PROMISED LAND’ LIVING!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE WILDERNESS?

A. IT MEANS LIVING WITH WRONG DESIRES. DESERT LIVING IS LIVING WITH DESIRES FOR THE OLD LIFE (Egypt)

“The rabble among them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic…. But here, we have nothing but this manna!’” (Numbers 11:4-6)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE WILDERNESS?

B. IT MEANS TO LIVE WITH INGRATITUDE! DESERT LIVING IS LIVING A LIFE OF GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING

“So the people grumbled against Moses saying, ‘What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:23)

“…God has heard your grumbling against Him…. You are not grumbling against us but against the Lord.” (Exodus 16:8)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE

WILDERNESS?

C. IT MEANS TO LIVE IN FEAR! DESERT LIVING CAUSES US TO BE FEARFUL AND INTIMIDATED!

“They spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. The people are giants. We were like grasshoppers in their sight and in ours.’ That night the people wept and grumbled against Moses and said, ‘It would be better for us to go back to Egypt…’”

(Exodus 13:32-33; 14:1-4)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE

WILDERNESS?D. IT MEANS TO LIVE A LIFE OF PRIDE! DESERT LIVING CAUSES

US TO COMPARE OURSELVES WITH OTHERS AND THEREFORE THINK MORE HIGHLY OF OURSELVES

“The Israelites came to Moses and Aaron and said to them… ‘the whole community is just as holy as you are, everyone of them. Why do you set yourselves up above us…’” (Numbers 16:3)

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition… consider others better than yourselves…” (Philippians 2:3)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS?

E. IT MEANS TO LIVE WITH DISCONTENTMENT. DESERT LIVING CAUSES US TO WANT WHAT WE DON’T HAVE AND TO INSIST ON HAVING IT!

“In the desert, they gave in to their craving… they put God to the test and He gave them what they asked for, but it brought a leanness to their soul”

(Psalm 106:14,15)

III. LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND:

A PICTURE OF LIFE LIVED FOR GOD!“I have heard their cry and have come down to rescue them

from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” (Exodus 3:7,8)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ha blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE LIFE IN THE PROMISED

LAND?IT MEANS LIVING LIFE THE WAY GOD MEANT IT TO BE LIVED:

A CHRIST PROVIDED LIFE!

“I have come that you might have life and that you might have it in abundance!” (John 10:10)

PROMISED LAND LIVING MEANS….A CHRIST FOCUSED LIFE:“FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST…” (Philippians 1:21)

A CHRIST EMPOWERED LIFE:“It’s not I who live but Christ who lives in me…” (Gal. 2:20)

A CHRIST HONORING LIFE:“…whether in life or in death, Christ is magnified through me.” (Philippians 1:20)

QUESTION OF THE DAY:WHERE ARE YOU AT IN YOUR JOURNEY

WITH GOD?

ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO GET OUT OF EGYPT (A LIFE WITHOUT GOD)?

ARE YOU OUT OF EGYPT BUT STILL IN THE WILDERNESS, (LIVING FOR SELF)?

HAVE YOU ARRIVED IN THE PROMISE LAND (LIVING FOR GOD) AND ENJOYING THE LIFE HE HAS PROVIDED FOR YOU?

MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK OURSELVES ABOUT OUR JOURNEY WITH GOD

1. What hindrances in my journey do I need to trust God for His help?

2. How can I make Jesus Christ a higher priority in my life?

3. How has God helped me in my journey thus far?

4. What is the next step that God is asking me to take in my journey with Him?

5. This week I will….