My latest sermon at my home church.

Here are my notes.

_1These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. _

Last week we spoke about Joseph, who through God’s guidance interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams and saved not only Egypt but his family from a famine. At the end of Genesis the children of Israel had moved into Egypt and God was continuing to keep the promise he made to Abraham.

6Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

God had told Abraham was that his children would be as numerous as the stars and this was happening with each new child born. God had also told Abraham that his descendants would also face adversity, Genesis 15:12-14 and that part of the story was about to happen.

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.10Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.

God Calls a Redeemer

As the Egyptians attempted to destroy the nation of Israel a redeemer was born. His name was Moses. His very life was a miracle. His mother saved his life when he should have been killed by decree of Pharaoh. He lived right within the courts of the Pharaoh only to escape to Midian. It was there that God began to reveal himself to his people.

4When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. -ch3

God begins a progressive plan of revealing himself not just to his chosen people but also to the entire world. He start by Revealing His Name

_11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”12He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” _13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God revealed His Name and this overcame Moses’ objections. He said that He would be with Moses. There is a confidence when you travel with God. After Moses returned to Egypt and began to meet with the leaders in Israel as well as the Egyptians leaders. This is where God began the next step in revealing Himself. God Began to *Reveal His Power. * God’s goal was to reveal His Glory and He struck right at the heart of their culture.

At this time the idea of God was accepted. In fact in Egypt there were a lot of different gods. God wanted to reveal Himself in a way so that there would be no doubt that He was God. So God struck at Pharaoh through a series of plagues.

1. Water Turned to Blood

2. Overwhelmed by Frogs

3. The Dust Became Gnats

4. Overcome by Flies

5. The Egyptian Livestock Die

6. The Skin of the Egyptians is covered by boils

7. Heavy Hail falls form the sky

8. Swarmed by Locusts

9. An Oppressive Darkness covers the land.

Even through all of this Pharaoh’s heart would not budge. In fact God was hardening his heart.

27But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”-ch10

At this point God moves on to the last step of revealing Himself. God Reveals His Plan to Israel. Ch 11

3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

_7“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. _

13The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Do any of you notice that this plan that God reveals to the Israelites in captivity foreshadows another shedding of innocent blood?

It is at this point that I want to talk to you frankly. Things are not going to get any easier for us. We are living in a culture that is becoming increasingly more hostile towards us. Christianity is going to be marginalized, ostracized and much of it is our own fault. The conversations that frustrate me the most are not the ones I have with unbelievers. They are the ones that I have with the family. We have marginalized God’s influence in our lives. TV, technology and entertainment has a greater impact on us than the Word of God. We are so weak that we don’t even know what we believe anymore.

This is why getting into your Bible is so important. It is God’s revealed Word for your life. This is where your purpose will be found. Not in the blowing of the wind or your feelings.

We are losing a generation because we are unable to explain what we believe. We are also unwilling to examine ourselves from the scriptures.

My challenge to all of us, myself included, is to love Him by keeping His commands. That means going and making disciples. I should be discipled and I should be making disciples.

If you knew that the destroyer was coming tonight. Wouldn’t you want to make sure that every house was covered by the blood. Becuase it will be exactly as the Lord said it will be for those who are not covered.

_29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. _Posted with Blogsy

What problems did they face?  Among a variety of religious authorities espousing different teachings, how were they to know who was right?  How were men and women to be put right with God?  How could Christians in the midst of a pagan culture live lives truly pleasing to God?

Only one way, answered Paul, through Jesus Christ!  His answer holds true for us as well.  The details of our struggle have changed since those days, but the principles are timeless.

We are starting a new series this week.  You can see the live feed here or here.  You can join me in the chat room here.

See this is what we are called to be. We are to be the light that points people to God. We are the seasoning that reminds people to look outside of themselves for the answers. Take a look at Matthew 5:13-16:

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? …

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Question

So what are you going to do now? One thing I have learned is that if we do not put one thing into practice within a few hours after class we will begin to lose it. So I have a challenge for all of you. There is something that God has given to you this morning. Maybe it is to reconnect with someone… Maybe it is to reconnect with Him… Don’t Wait. If they are here go stand next to them. If not as soon as we dismiss call them. You do not know the hour or the day. I wouldn’t want anyone to have the burden that I have held. There will come a time when you will not be able to reconcile. There will come a time when you will no longer be able to call Him Lord. Get it right today.

-God's Man

So now that we know what we should be giving and why we should give, the question remains “who do we give to?” I once told the story of Al Hafed from the speech Acres of Diamonds. In the story Al Hafed wanted to possess diamonds so much that he travelled to far off places and ultimately died penniless, never fulfilling his quest. The next person that owned the property that Al Hafed lost discovered one of the biggest diamond find right in the back yard. The Bible shares the same thing in Matthew 10:5-8

Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

Family

You should begin living a generous life with those that are close to you. Might I recommend your spouse, if you have one. More often than not these are the individuals that get lost in the whirlwind. We focus on the kids, on our responsibilities, we even focus on our jobs but we neglect the only person that we have a covenantal bond to. Parents live generously with your children and children live generously with your parents

Strangers

What do you do when you meet someone new? What do you do when you encounter someone you don’t know that is in need? Identify how you can be generous to those that you don’t know. I had a friend, haven’t talked with him since I’ve been back in MD, that would pay for the meals of any soldiers that he encountered while traveling. Another friend always carried extra bag lunches in his car so that when he encountered someone who was hungry he could meet their need.

Friends

Do you pray for your friends? What about your co-workers or people from your church? Do you make it a priority to talk with them, spend time with them? Be someone who lives generously for their friends and acquaintances.

Time, talent and treasure… Yeah Carlton I know. You talk about it every week. Why is it so important? Growing up I wanted to be like my Dad. I still do in some respects. I was his shadow. I followed him around and wanted to be wherever he was. I tried to follow the examples that he showed me through his actions. My dad the comedian… My dad the friend… My dad, Mr. Fix-it… God is my Heavenly Father and I do the same thing with him. I am following the example that He set. Everybody knows this one, John 3:16.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God Gave

God has been giving to us. In Genesis 1 we talked about verse 27 but if we examine the rest of that passage down through verse 28 we see how God gives.

God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature

So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."…

Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."

And there it was.

Jesus Gave

Jesus followed the Father’s example as well and he gave His Life, His Spirit and His Authority to us. Matthew 28:18-20 reads

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Holy Spirit Gave

The Holy Spirit has also done the same. In Acts 2:1-4 we see the Holy Spirit giving Power to the Disciples

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

Why would anyone in their right mind give right now? Because everything is God’s anyway. We are just the managers of it. 1st Corinthians 10:26 says this

"The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it."

The creator is the ultimate owner and has final authority so what do we do with the things he has entrusted to us?

Treasure

Whenever I talk about giving one of the first things that I hear from people is I can’t give right now because things are just too tight. My first response is to ask why is it so tight? I would never put anyone on blast but I will tell you that in my own life I have been very irresponsible with money. But I got better. Let me share this scripture with you that my FPU folks will remember. Psalms 6:1-5

Dear friend, if you've gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, If you've impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,

Friend, don't waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You're in that man's clutches! Go, put on a long face; act desperate.

Don't procrastinate— there's no time to lose.

Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper!

Have you made mistakes? Then you need to move quickly towards fixing them. Don’t wait!

Talents

I know that I should be sharing my talents but I’ve got to use them over here. I have enjoyed this buildout because I have seen so many talents on display. The Builders and Painters have been out in force and the Organizers and Gophers have filled in when needed. I shared this scripture with the church way back when we were still at McCormick, Exodus 35:10

"Come—all of you who have skills—come and make everything that God has commanded

Have you given your talents to building God’s house? If not then you should. They are His talents.

Time

I can’t give any of my time right now because I have too much going on. Are you wasting your time or investing it? In Psalms 39:4 David asks God to give him a new perspective on time.

"Tell me, what's going on, God? How long do I have to live?

He wasn’t asking because he was on his deathbed. What would you do if you knew the day and time of your death? Would you waste it with worry? Would you concern yourself with things that you cannot control? Examine where you are spending your time?

I'll be sharing my notes as I finalize them. Have a great friday.