This Sunday’s sermon.

[Tycer]

An acquaintance of mine is the pastor of a small church in VT. This is today’s sermon.
I think it’s going to be one of my all-time favorites. So poignant for the times.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” (Exodus 14:10-15, New King James Version)

It’s pretty hard to be in a church or a synagogue for long without hearing about the miraculous way God liberated the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt to make them His people. That last phrase, “to make them His people,” is important because the bible assumes that the notion of human independent action, what we call self-actualization, is a myth. Scripturally, we are either captured by the dying world, by materialism and the spirit of matter, or we are free in God, the Spirit of Life. That’s the theme I want to address.

1 - Egypt was the major power of its day in its region. It dominated their known world the same way that the United States dominates a large measure of the world today, or Russia or China dominate large regions of the world around them. Like our great powers, back then Egypt was involved in messing around with other nations’ governments, economies, and cultures; they extracted resources from other places like our great powers do today, and they enforced their idea of the right way for people to be in the world through their military might and economic influence, just as we do.

The thing to understand is that God did not use Moses to liberate the Hebrews from that particular culture, as if God had something against only the Egyptian culture of 3500 years ago, but is okay with every other culture that has ever existed in the world. The message of the bible is that every human society and culture exists in some degree of opposition to God’s Will, because every human society has taken it upon itself to decide what is good and what is evil, rather than bend its collective knee to God.

So when God sent Moses to free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, He was announcing His desire and intention to free every human being from slavery to every earthly authority or power. It is still God’s intention to free us from our earthly authorities and worldly powers because only One is our authority, and that is God in heaven; and no earthly power is legitimate when it strays from obedience to the Word of God. That is the radical, extremist view of the bible, as every prophet in it tells us over and over, and as Jesus also said.

2 - As a matter of history, the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt for about 400 years. That’s twice as long as the United States has been a country. Their liberation story starts with the baby Moses, born to a Hebrew woman at a time when the Pharaoh had decided to kill all male Hebrew children at birth. Moses’ mother hid him for three months, and then put him on a reed raft and let him float down the Nile. It happened that Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing along the river when the baby floated by and she adopted him and raised him as her own child.

As an adult, Moses knew he was the son of slaves. The Egyptian overlords didn’t accept him as one of their own, and the Hebrew slaves were jealous of him. One day the pressure became too much. When Moses saw an Egyptian beating a slave he lost control and killed the man. Of course, it wasn’t long before Pharaoh heard of it and went looking to kill Moses in return.

Moses fled into the desert where he came upon the daughters of Reuel trying to draw well water to refresh their father’s sheep, but they were being harassed and prevented by the male shepherds also using the well. After Moses came to their aid, Reuel welcomed him into his clan and gave him one of his daughters as wife, and Moses became a shepherd. It was while he was keeping his father-in-law’s flock that Moses famously encountered the burning bush and heard the Voice of God instructing him to return to Egypt for the mission of leading God’s chosen people out of bondage.

Now here’s an important thing to know and to remember about God in the bible. God never liberates people to turn them loose. God frees people from their slavery to the powers of the world so that they can be His servants. From the bible’s perspective, freedom is defined by being in the service of God. Because freedom is only something we need in relation to the world. No one needs to be free from God, and in fact no one can be free from God for God is the God of Life who gives life to all living things. If we are free from the Spirit of Life, we don’t exist. This is why, theologically speaking, when we turn away from God we turn away from the Principle of Life, and begin to decay. Given enough time, individually or collectively, we become the living dead; soulless, heartless zombies who sow death wherever we walk.

Our modern idea that to be free means we don’t serve anyone except ourselves is, in the view of the bible, a form of enslavement to the world. In fact, the idea we entertain that we can freely choose our own moral and behavioral path is, the bible says, what introduces death into the world and makes us slaves to the world, to matter; materialism.

That idea, that we can choose our own path, is the essence, the heart, of the natural man that Paul talked about as the First Adam. It’s what the story of Adam and Eve illustrates. That idea that we can forge our own path through the moral universe is the great lie of the serpent in the Garden, who told Adam and Eve that they could ignore God and choose for themselves what is good and evil. It is he who suggested to them that when they take it on themselves to decide what they will do and how they will act, then they would become their own gods, free to choose their own destiny and to discover for themselves what makes them good people, and what can make them happy.

From the bible’s perspective, it doesn’t matter whether a person is obeying a national government, or living according to a human philosophy, or following what our hearts tell us is the highest truth – all of those are versions of the one great lie: that we can find heaven on earth by some means other than submitting ourselves to God. In other words, it doesn’t matter how we dress up the lie that we are sufficient in ourselves, every version of self-reliance thinking is a chain that binds us to that lying serpent who continues to whisper the siren song of natural reason: “you can choose for yourself, and value what seems good to you .”

The bible insists, from Genesis to Revelation, that that path is the road to creating a hell on earth. And, let’s be honest: if we judge from history it’s easily demonstrated to be true. Every time some group of humans tries to create our version of heaven on earth, we end up killing people – these days we do it by the millions.

Right now, for example, we are determined to take American style democracy and cultural values to every country on the planet because we are certain that doing so will bring all of humankind closer to a heavenly experience of life on earth – and where is it leading us? War in Afghanistan, war in Ukraine, the growing threat of war in Iran, Niger, Taiwan and China; the voices now trying to tell us that a nuclear exchange is not really all that bad, we can survive it and we ought to use nukes if it means we stop our enemies and help other countries experience our idea of personal liberty.

But at the same time, we are blocking our neighbors from social media, canceling them in public venues, and even threatening them with prison or personal harm if they disagree with our ideas of what viewpoints should be allowed and which are morally forbidden.

It’s not only the United States that’s heading down the wrong path, the path to slavery and spiritual death, a growing number of countries are heading in the same direction. And it’s not only one party in the United States that’s gone wrong.

It makes no difference whether it’s George W. Bush declaring that sometimes we have to violate the free market to save the free market, or Joe Biden saying that we have to censor free speech to preserve free speech; it doesn’t matter whether it’s Barak Obama saying we are the change we’ve been looking for, or Donald Trump saying we can make America great again – those are all lies when viewed through the lens of holy scripture because they all start with the false premise that we can decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil. And they all promise heaven on earth, accomplished by our own hands.

History declares loudly and clearly, and repeatedly, that every time we head off on such a grand mission we end up with our faces planted in the mud, surrounded by millions of fresh corpses. And whoever we are – the US, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, China, Japan, or any other country grand or small – it makes no difference, we all are doing it in the name of what each of us calls holy, and values as good – and now we’ve gotten so proficient at killing those who refuse to follow our personal or national vision of heaven on earth that we can kill off a lot of animals and plants at the same time.

We humans are literally scorching the earth in the cause of creating a better world. How insane are we?

3 - We are not creating a heaven on earth; we are heading ever closer to a new kind of hell on earth where everyone is expected to have the same political values, and to value the same kinds of personal cultural expression, and to support whatever our experts and leaders tell us is for our own good. Whether we like it or not. While we wipe out the natural life of the planet on our march to glory. And all in the pursuit of what we are sure is a righteous vision of what makes for freedom and human thriving – as if we have mounted into heaven and taken God’s seat for ourselves, to decide the fate of all the earth and its every inhabitant.

We need to be careful. We are becoming slaves in Egypt again. We’re doing it to ourselves, by the choices we make to have a king other than God, and to decide for ourselves what is good and evil. Perhaps we will need to suffer another 400 years before another Moses arises to set us free by calling us to leave the Egypt of our own making in order to become servants of God. Because that’s the choice.

The bible says that we are either servants of the powers of the world, or servants of God in heaven. There is no middle ground. That’s why God did not send Moses to liberate the Hebrews of old and then turn them free to do whatever they thought best. Instead, what did God do? He instructed Moses to lead the newly liberated people out into the desert for 40 years. And why? So that they could learn in private, away from the challenges and temptations of the worldly powers, to rely upon and obey the Word of God for their wisdom and for their welfare.

God spent those 40 years attempting to raise up a new generation, born in the desert, who did not experience the ways of the world, but were accustomed to serving the will of their God, so that when they returned out of the desert and back into the human world of nations and cultures they would not also become slaves to the ways of the world that lead to wars and chaos and disaster – but would set an example in the world of the difference it makes to live out of the Word of God, seeking in all things to embody the Spirit of God, not the spirit of the world.

It’s been over 3000 years since the Exodus. Two thousand years ago Jesus showed up – who Christians call the Word of God in the flesh. He came to drive the point home. Or rather, to illustrate God’s Word by his actions and perspective. “Here,” He said, “let me show you: I am how you rightly embody God’s Spirit. Therefore, I am your example of living as the servant of God, and I am the One who is truly free. Free because I give up my ideas of worldly freedom in order to belong wholly to My heavenly Father. Who is also your heavenly Father.”

Our task, yours and mine, is to embody Christ: to carry His Spirit in our bodies – that’s what it means to be the Body of Christ. We can’t do that if we also embody the spirit of the world. Because, as Jesus told us, no one can serve two masters. Inevitably, we will prefer one and give short shrift to the other. Therefore, Joshua said to the Hebrews as he led them into the promised land: choose whom you will serve, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or some other god from among the nations. But, he continued, as for me and my house: we will serve the Lord. He who is Life.

4 - The ancient slaves followed Moses out of Egypt – out of enslavement to the world. But the world did not sit back and let them go. Rather, Pharaoh mounted up his army and pursued them as they hurried toward the Red Sea. So, by the time the Hebrews arrived at the shores of the Sea, Pharaoh and his army were close behind them. You and I, as we follow Jesus out of slavery to the ways and values of our world should expect the powers of our world to also follow us and attempt to stop us from disengaging from their authority to decide our values, ethics, and worldview.

And when we are pressed by those who serve the powers of the world – whether our family, neighbors, local authorities, or social media influencers and moguls – we might be tempted to give up, just as the ancient Hebrews were tempted when they saw the army behind them and the Sea before them and cursed Moses, saying, “why did you lead us out here into this desert to die? We were better off as slaves in Egypt, doing whatever we were ordered to do, taking whatever abuse they chose to lay on us, and eating whatever they left for us. That was better than to come out here and die!”

In that hour, Moses said to them something I’ve declared on this site several times; something I’ve said because I’ve learned it from the bible. Moses said to them: “Stand! Stand and watch God’s deliverance from the powers of worldly servitude. For if you stand, God will make a path.”

And God (Life) added: “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” The Hebrew word translated as “go forward” literally means pull up your tent stakes . “Tell the children of Israel to pull up their tent stakes.” That’s what God said, using a phrase that carries a range of related ideas, such as: don’t camp here any longer; don’t settle for this, but move on, begin your journey. Advance; start making some progress; go forward into new land.

God’s word to us when we start breaking away from the world by following Jesus out of bondage into the yoke of Christian freedom, is that the world will try to defeat us and reclaim us. In those hours, God says don’t settle, don’t give in, don’t go back. That’s the Power and Spirit of Life speaking to us! Don’t settle for a living death; rather, realize you are starting a journey and that at first it is very difficult because the power and attraction of the world is very strong, even to the point of appearing overwhelming.

And we wonder: Who can fight such power? Why would anyone want to try? Scripture answers: God can fight it, in Christ. And as we make progress in our Christian walk, ever more closely imitating Jesus, and so more fully embodying His Spirit in our daily life, we win through the threats and enticements of the world, and gradually shrug off the world’s shackles – as we put on the yoke of Christ.

It is worth taking that path because it, alone, sets us free. Truly free. And only those who yearn to be spiritually free of the world will follow in Christ’s footsteps – all the way to the crucifixion of the world in us, beyond which our spiritual lives arise and we discover how true it is that the world cannot hold us.

Sisters and brothers: Christ waits for you up ahead. He is beckoning, saying, “Come this way, for here is true Life.”

And all of the scriptures, and every prophet of God, and every preacher of His Word, speaks God’s words of encouragement: “Brother, sister: Walk with me. Whatever is behind us, whatever we will encounter ahead of us, let us no longer tarry in this land of death; rather, let us together pull up our tent stakes and, trusting the God of Life, let us go forward .”

[JBowen]

Amen!

[JimT]

I like this: It makes no difference whether it’s George W. Bush declaring that sometimes we have to violate the free market to save the free market, or Joe Biden saying that we have to censor free speech to preserve free speech; it doesn’t matter whether it’s Barak Obama saying we are the change we’ve been looking for, or Donald Trump saying we can make America great again – those are all lies when viewed through the lens of holy scripture because they all start with the false premise that we can decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil. And they all promise heaven on earth, accomplished by our own hands.

[Ray]

Proof that that is a real sermon.....by the fifth paragraph I was daydreaming of dapping a fly on/in tortuga creek. Three quarters down the page I was nodding-off and getting a crooked neck/pinched nerve. If a beam of sunshine, dappled by stained glass, had fallen on me, I'd have been snoring audibly.....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SXU--fCB1 ... 9uIHNjZW5l

[Grizz]

An acquaintance of mine is the pastor of a small church in VT. This is today’s sermon.

Amen. Truth, The Truth is the Light of men . . . †

[Bill in Oregon]

Why didn't even a handful of the thousands of sermons I have sat through make a fraction of this much sense? Thanks for sharing, Tycer.

[samsi]

I've always wondered where ministers get their sermons from, do most write them themselves or is there a library or subscription service of some kind? Serious question I've wondered about on occasion, seems as good a time to ask as any.

[Ray]

One generation copies the previous. Edwards & Wesley had Cotton Mathers' compilation of sermons. Spurgeon & Moody had Edwards and on and on until the present. In the bible belts of the deep south and lower midwest you have uneducated "rabbit chasers" who start out speaking slowly and increase the pace until they give out of breath and then start all over again. If they have decent elocution/diction so you can understand them it makes for an interesting and inspirational way to pass a half to three quarters of an hour. Any longer than that (hour and a half total with singing and offering and altar call) and my leg circulation shortcomings causes me to excuse myself for a stretch and a pee.

The black equivalent of the white "rabbit chaser" uses the crawling blues organ and or piano to give cadence.....

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0 ... Q_14yodTg4

[Ysabel Kid]

I like this: It makes no difference whether it’s George W. Bush declaring that sometimes we have to violate the free market to save the free market, or Joe Biden saying that we have to censor free speech to preserve free speech; it doesn’t matter whether it’s Barak Obama saying we are the change we’ve been looking for, or Donald Trump saying we can make America great again – those are all lies when viewed through the lens of holy scripture because they all start with the false premise that we can decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil. And they all promise heaven on earth, accomplished by our own hands.

Me too.

[Grizz]

I've always wondered where ministers get their sermons from, do most write them themselves or is there a library or subscription service of some kind? Serious question I've wondered about on occasion, seems as good a time to ask as any.

a good question Samsi. it varies. some preach verse by verse through the bible, over and over like Chuck Smith. some are topical and speak extemporaneously, like Spurgeon . .

some pastors are exquisitely educated and familiar with hebrew and greek grammar in relation to the text.

some preachers are just gifted in making theologically consistent connections, and some are experts at disrupting them.

some are motivated by greed or lust or devious deceptions.

some are actually called by God and Christ and Spirit to teach His Truth to believers.

some are actually called by the devil to deceive believers.

you can see that there is a lot of tension going on at spiritual levels, but the goal of those called to teach is to help believers make sense of what we hear and see and think and do, with the stated goal of believers growing up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may faithfully represent Him on earth . . . ,

just as it takes training to be a teacher of scripture, it takes training to be a hearer of scripture, to have spiritual discernment so that we instantly recognize the true from the false.

in the same way that if I started describing and prescribing medical knowledge, every doctor would instantly know that i don't know what i am talking about. or if someone was eloquently expositing the minutia of the piloting and seamanship involved in travel thru the inside passage, the evidence of someone who knows how this is done instantly detects pretenders.

I like to show people the chart and the coast pilot, and introduce the similarity to the bible... every item on a chart is explained in detail in a coast pilot in order to make possible safe passage through the rocks and waters ahead. every precept of scripture is put there so that, rightly discerned, we can see what's up ahead, and what's in the way, and what the safe way is to get past that spot...

You might be surprised how many boats sink with all hands on board after hitting a charted rock and tearing the bottom of the boat off.

Another illustration is the 8V-71 Detroit engine manual. If you follow the manual step by step you can disassemble the engine, fix it, and reassemble it so that it runs better . . . , or you can use the dime-store third-party "tips" and wind up with something less. The point is that the creator of the engine wrote the operator manual, and God wrote the operator manual for life on earth and a future with Him.

Samsi, does this help, or have I muddied the waters?

grizz

[Tycer]

[
Samsi, does this help, or have I muddied the waters?

grizz

Clear to me.

[samsi]

Thanks Grizz, that kinda backs up what I thought along those lines already. I have had the pleasure of hearing a sermon or two from someone who I believe truly has a gift, likewise I've seen what I figured was a charlatan as well.