The Mission

Matthew 28:18-20

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of mission is:

a specific task with which a person or a group is charged^[1]

The term mission is used in the military to define objectives and scope of operations. The term mission has also become ubiquitous in business. Companies carefully craft statements outlining their purposes and goals and call these statements “mission statements.” Entrepreneur.com says the following about mission statements.

A mission statement defines what an organization is, why it exists, its reason for being. At a minimum, your mission statement should define who your primary customers are, identify the products and services you produce, and describe the geographical location in which you operate.^[2]

Churches have recognized the value of mission statements and have adopted the practice of carefully crafting such statements. Here are a few examples:

1.      Rescuing one another from cultural Christianity to follow Jesus every day – Park Cities Baptist Church

2.      To become an equipping and mobilizing church that transforms our world for Jesus Christ – East 91st Street Christian Center

3.      To connect the unconnected to Christ and together pursue full devotion to him – Central Christian Church

4.      Helping people take their next step toward Christ…together – Granger Community Church

5.      Connecting people with God, through authentic relationships to serve communities – Newbreak Church

6.      To lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ – Life.Church^[3]

In trying to define what they are to be doing, most of these statements have not defined their geographical boundaries or who their primary customers are. They mostly aim to define the product they are trying to produce. In the new church speak, “fully devoted followers of Christ” means “disciples.” Most of these statements contain this idea in some form or another. The idea common to all is, “We exist to make disciples.”

Our own church has the statement:

We exist to honor God by developing fully devoted followers of Christ

Let’s go back and look at the idea of “mission.”

Let’s repeat the definition:

a specific task with which a person or a group is charged.

A mission assumes a person or a group is charged with a task. In business, the corporate leadership or the head of the organization decides what that mission will be. In the military, the governing authorities decide what the mission will be. They have the authority to decide. But who decides for the Church? Do the elders? Does the congregation? I suggest to you that the decision is not ours to make.

Jesus is the head of the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. Colossians 1:18 tells us:

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. (Colossians 1:18 NLT)

These verses could not be any clearer about who the head of the Church is. What is more, Jesus claimed the authority to define our mission when He said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18 NLT)

Jesus has all authority. This means He is the absolute sovereign over everything. He is sovereign over disease, aging, bacteria and viruses. He is sovereign over nations, peoples, languages and governments. From this place of absolute sovereignty, He defines our mission. He sets the scope and limits of our mission. While we are trying to craft our mission statements, He has already given us a mission statement that clearly defines “who our primary customers are, identifying the products and services we produce, and describing the geographical location in which we operate.”

Jesus’ statement that He had been given all authority is just the introduction to His charge to us. The full statement from Jesus to His disciples is:

 “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

The “therefore” in verse 19 of Matthew 28 tells us that the statement that follows is based on the statement that went before. I know this is obvious, but it is important to remind ourselves that the mission that Jesus gave us is based on His absolute authority. We do not have any right or authority to change it in any way.

Please understand. I am not speaking against the mission statements and phrases that churches have crafted in their efforts to capture the essence of what they are about, as long as we acknowledge that these statements are secondary to the mission statement the Lord has given us.

The statement Jesus gave us defines what we are to be doing, where we are to be doing it, and how long we are to be doing it.

First, let consider where our mission is to take place. What are our geographical boundaries?

Looking at the English, it is easy to mistake the “go” in verse 19 as the command or at least a command. However, this is a mistake. In the Greek in which this verse was originally written, the “go” is a participle. In other words, it is not the command but it is helping to define the command. Another way of translating this participle is to say, “Having gone, make disciples.” So, we see that the command is to make disciples, but the geography becomes “wherever you have gone.”

The statement continues with “...of all the nations.’ So, the statement this far is: “go and make disciples of all the nations.” Another opportunity for us to make a mistake lies in how we define “nations.” This is not a geographical definition of nations. The Greek word used in this context is the word “ἔθνη” (ethne) from which we get our word “ethnic.” Nations in this context means distinct ethnic groups, not political boundaries.

What we are beginning to see is that the mission Jesus gave us is to be to all people everywhere and it is to be done wherever we are. There are no geographical limits to the mission. The whole world is included. And, we have also defined our primary audience, everybody, or all people groups.

This becomes difficult when we realize, for example, that we are located in Clearwater, Kansas and we are an English-speaking church. However, the Lord’s command does not excuse us or make any allowance for this stopping us from making disciples of “all nations.”

Paul serves as an example here. He said:

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV)

Since our mission involves “all ethne,” it follows that we will have to find ways to communicate with those of different languages and cultures. We have examples of this with foreign missionaries who learn different languages, but what about those from other cultures and languages that live here in our community? 

This brings us to another aspect of our mission. The job is making disciples, and Jesus breaks it down into baptizing and teaching. He is defining our product or service. Baptizing and teaching represent two aspects of disciple-making.

Baptizing represents the conversion aspect of disciple-making. Unless a person accepts Jesus as Savior, they cannot be a disciple. Baptizing involves repentance and confession. If the Church were a business, baptizing would fall under the responsibility of the sales department.

We call this department “evangelism.”

We must be careful to define evangelism. Our name “Clearwater Evangelical Free Church” includes the term “evangelical.” So, part of our identity is the “evangel,” which simply put means “the good news.” Evangelical in the world today has come to represent conservative values and has become a catchphrase to represent a block of voters with conservative values. THIS IS NOT WHAT “EVANGELICAL” MEANS. Evangelical has as its core the “Evangel,” the good news. We have identified ourselves as Evangelical because the good news is the foundation upon which we are built. Evangelism is the spreading or proclaiming of this “Evangel,” good news.

When I say evangelism, you may think of someone like Billy Graham or D.L. Moody, and certainly these men were great evangelists. However, they do not represent the totality of what evangelism is.

Evangelism is what we do when we talk with an unbelieving friend or family member about Jesus. We do this in structured settings where we purposely invite someone to our home to share with them, and we do it very informally when we are walking with friends on the way. If we want to become technical and proficient at evangelism, we can break it down to its component parts such as preparation, introduction, truth or content, decision, confirmation and follow up. But, all of this has to do with the product we are selling, which is the good news about Jesus.

Baptizing is only the first of two instructions. The next is teaching. This also is an essential part of making disciples.

At this time, it would be helpful to define what a disciple is. What did Jesus mean when He said “disciple?”

Again, the Greek word used was “μαθητεύσατε” (matheteusate). This word literally means “a learner,” and is defined as follows by Strongs:

helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, "a learner," a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, i.e. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice.^[4]

This definition of a disciple is where the mission statements of churches get the idea of “fully devoted followers of Christ.” However, even this is not enough of an understanding of what a disciple is. Jesus said:

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40 ESV)

The goal of our discipleship is to be like Jesus. Romans 8:29 puts it in these terms:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 ESV)

In short, the goal of discipleship is to be conformed to the image of Jesus. The way this is accomplished is to:

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

Teaching to obey all that Jesus commanded and taught is the work of a lifetime. Doing this teaching requires all the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to the Church. This teaching requires: “...the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11 ESV)

The apostles and the prophets both have definite articles. Thus, they are speaking of definite people. The apostles are the twelve chosen to be with Jesus who witnessed His resurrection and through whom we received the New Testament Scriptures. The prophets are those through whom we received the Old Testament Scriptures. This is why the Bible is the source of all our teaching and the final authority on all matters concerning our faith and practice. It is why we spend time every week learning from the Word of God and why every Christian should spend time in the Word of God every day.

This is where people like me come in. I am a shepherd and a teacher. Under the authority of Jesus Christ and in obedience to His commission, it is my job to help equip and lead the church in our obedience to our mission.

One more question remains. How long should we be doing this?

Let’s look at what Jesus said.

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

We are to be doing this until the end of the age. The end of the age is of course when He comes back.

I submit to you then our mission statement, the mission which we have been given by our master.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

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^[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mission. Accessed November 23, 2019.

^[2] https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/mission-statement. Accessed November 23, 2019.

^[3] https://servehq.church/blog/church-mission-statements-13-diverse-examples-and-how-to-write-your-own/. Accessed November 19, 2019.

^[4] https://biblehub.com/greek/3100.htm. Accessed November 23, 2019.

The Architect

Matthew 16:13-20

What picture comes to your mind when I say, “The Church?”

I remember people. From my childhood, names like Willard Hooley, Paul Miller, Amos Shenk and a whole lot of others come to mind. They were my family, not my relatives, although there were plenty of those, but the people who mattered in my life.

I can picture the small building we met in every Sunday, but the building is not what comes to mind when I think of church. Because I have very fond memories of church, it is easy for me to love the Church with all my heart. I learned to love the people and was accepted and loved by these same people. It follows that when I have met “bad apples” in the Church, I have naturally assumed that the problem was not the Church, but the “bad apple.”

However, each person’s experience is different, and each church is different. Bad churches leave some people with bad experiences and memories. Some people carry deep wounds and scars from their experience with “church.”

Do you know that God does not approve of all churches?

Consider Revelation chapters 2 and 3. In these chapters, Jesus writes letters to 7 churches. A few of the churches receive sharp rebukes and warnings that Jesus will remove His Holy Spirit from them. (“Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” Revelation 2:5 NLT)

The church in Corinth had lawsuits between members, heretical doctrines and even known incestuous relations among its members.

Because of the brokenness of sin and its influence in our churches, none of us can assume that we have the right image of the Church and what a church should look like. We all must be open to relearning some things and unlearning other things about the Church.

Some churches practice a congregational form of government, while other churches practice a more top down authority structure. Some of us have strong opinions about which is the “right” way to do church. AND... let’s not EVEN talk about music.

My aim is not to answer or address these issues. My aim is to lay a foundation for our thinking about the Church.

Things like music, building and service style are strongly influenced by personal taste. However, there is a core of non-negotiable truths that lie at the foundation of the Church.

First, to understand the Church we must define what the Church is.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says:

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18 NLT)

With these words, Jesus introduces the idea of the Church.

Up to this point, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God was near and built His disciples’ confidence in Him as the Messiah. He spoke of the Kingdom of God and likened it to a mustard seed. He showed them He is the good shepherd, and taught that the shepherd would leave the 99 safe sheep to seek out the one lost sheep. Now, He says, “I will build my church.”

Of course, He did not use the word “church.” He was speaking Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew. The word recorded in our New Testament is the Greek word “ἐκκλησίαν” (ekklesian). This word is built from two words: ek, which means out from, and kaleo, which means to call. From this it came to mean: “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly.”^[1]

The Kingdom of God and the Church are not the same thing. The Church is part of the Kingdom of God and belongs to the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of God encompasses more than the Church.

In teaching about the Kingdom of God, Jesus said:

How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade. (Mark 4:30-32 NLT)

This truth about the Kingdom of God is also true of the Church. The Church started out as a mustard seed, and has become the largest of all garden plants. It is an assembly that will gather together all in one place when Jesus returns, but not before then. It consists of those who are “called out” from among the world to be followers of Christ.

Being called out is an essential part of our identity as the Church. Individually, we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Romans 8 tells us:

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29 NLT)

The Church is made up of these “chosen” people. The New Testament also compares it to a body, saying:

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT)

This passage brings up baptism and the working of the Holy Spirit, which involve questions that divide us, but it makes clear that we are all members of His body. No one is independent and no one is unnecessary. Each member of the Body is necessary to the well-being and health of the whole.

This “Body” is made up of those who are “called out” from the world. This is the assembly of those who believe in Jesus for salvation. Whatever image we have when we hear the word church, we need to make sure that what Jesus spoke of when He said, “I will build my church” does not conflict with that image.

When Jesus introduced the idea of an assembly or gathering, He also said that He would build it upon a rock. This rock is one of the non-negotiable truths of the Church.

This statement comes at a critical juncture in Jesus’ ministry. Up to this point, He has been carrying on a public ministry, preaching and healing the sick. When Matthew 16:13 tells us that Jesus took His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He is signaling a change. He has moved away from the territory of the Jews and is in Gentile country. He has retreated or withdrawn from His public ministry. After asking them what men were saying about Him, Matthew tells us that He began teaching them clearly that He was to be crucified and raised from the dead. Jesus is clearly preparing them for what is to come. Soon ministry was to shift from Jesus ministering here in His own flesh to Jesus ministering through the Church. Therefore, what He says about building His Church is very important.

Without going into all the arguments, let me just state that the rock the Church is built on is the confession of Peter. The foundation of the Church is:

You (Jesus) are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16 ESV)

I want to speak more to the scope of the Church’s ministry or service, but anything that takes away from this foundational truth is the antithesis of what the Church is about. This truth leads to statements like this one from the book of Ephesians:

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22 NLT)

As this passage says, Christ Jesus is the cornerstone. The foundation of the apostles and the prophets is the truths they taught. Notice though that the foundation is singular. There is only one foundation. Everything is built upon this foundation.

This brings us to another non-negotiable truth about the Church. It will be opposed. We are in a battle. The battle centers on attacking the Church’s one foundation. Jesus said:

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18 NLT)

Included in this statement is the fact that the powers of hell will try to conquer the Church. Not just some of the powers of hell, but ALL the powers of hell.

We see an example of this in Peter; Peter who had just won a tremendous victory and the praise of Jesus Himself. Look at the account that follows.

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:21-23 NLT)

In this confrontation, we see the focus of the battle. Peter is not Satan, but he has fallen prey to the trick of the devil. The problem is he was looking at things from a merely human point of view.

This is the source of many, most and perhaps all of the problems in the Church, the human point of view.

We must pray to have the Divine point of view. We must seek for His will to be done and not our own, because inevitably when we look at things from a human point of view, we end up eroding the foundation.

We can learn from Abraham of whom the Scriptures say:

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10 NIV)

We are looking forward to the city as well, but more to the point, the builder and architect of the Church is Jesus Christ Himself. He said, “I will build my Church.” He is building His Church using us as living stones by conforming us to His image, making us like Himself.

I have been reading a book titled “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. One of his major themes is that more than setting goals, we need to establish our identities. For example, if one is trying to quit smoking they might say, “No thank you, I am trying to quit,” when offered a cigarette. However, if you change your identity you say, “No thank you, I am not a smoker, I don’t smoke.”  Or, for another example, if you want to be physically fit, you need to become or identify yourself as a person who exercises regularly. Identity based habits stick.

We as a part of the Church must build our habits based on our identity. Our foundation is: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and our builder and architect is Jesus Himself. Everything we do is to be built upon these non-negotiable truths of our identity.

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^[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/1577.htm (accessed November 15, 2019)

God Triumphs Gloriously

Exodus 14

 God had a plan.

We see his plan unfolding in Exodus chapter 14, verses one through nine.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. (Exodus 14:1-9 ESV)

God purposely made it look like the Israelites were wandering aimlessly. It says here, “for Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘they are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’”

God confounds the enemy’s plans and turns them against him. For example, when the Son of God was on this earth, the enemy of our souls, the Devil, tried to destroy Him by hanging him on a cross. God confounded the Devil’s plan, and used the Devil’s plans to accomplish the salvation of our souls.

The Egyptians had a foul motive for chasing after the Israelites. Exodus 15 verse nine tells us that motive:

The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.' (Exodus 15:9 ESV)

Here we see that the enemy wanted to divide the spoils or plunder them, ravage them or use them as an object to fulfill their desires and slaughter them. It is these evil motives that are behind the Devil’s workings in our world today, and it is the same evil desires that will be behind the invasion of Israel by the armies of Gog and Magog.

In Ezekiel chapter 38 verse four, God says to Gog:

And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen... (Ezekiel 38:4 ESV)

This drawing out with a hook in the mouth is what God did with Pharaoh. God used Pharaoh’s own lust and desires against him. This is what God will do in the end with Gog and Magog.

Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,' to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 38:10-12 ESV)

Here we see that the motive for the invasion is to seize spoil and carry off plunder. The enemies of God’s people have always carried this motive, and God has used this to accomplish his purposes. He uses the motives of our enemies to accomplish his purpose in our lives.

Since God uses our enemies’ own plans against them, it often seems as if our enemies are winning. We see this happening in Exodus 14, verses 10 through 14.

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." (Exodus 14:10-12 ESV)

The Israelites were tactically in a horrible position out gunned and trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. From a human perspective, they had nowhere to go. They were trapped. This is why they complained to Moses with such bitter words. They could see no way out.

I have been in situations where I could see no way out and no way of deliverance, and have probably said words with the same sort of implications to God. “Why have you brought me here? Why didn’t you leave me alone when I was enslaved, but at least I wasn’t trapped between the sea and an army!”

Is there any better definition of being afraid than what the Israelites were facing in that moment?

When your heart is overwhelmed with fear, read Psalms 55 and 56. The Psalmist had many fears and challenges. His life hung in the balance, and in the midst of his trials he said, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” (Psalms 56:3 NLT)

Although the Israelites were hemmed in and trapped, they had nothing to fear, because God had a plan. God’s plan was a perfect plan. Here is what the Israelites were singing the next morning:

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1-2 ESV)

Just hours before this song was sung, the Lord said to Moses:

Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. (Exodus 14:15 ESV)

Even the leader, Moses, had no idea what God was going to do, and while he tried to calm and control the panicked people, he was desperately calling out to the Lord for deliverance. However, the Lord had made a couple of clear statements of His purpose. He had said:

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." And they did so. (Exodus 14:4 ESV)

At this point, as Moses cries out to the Lord, the Lord repeats these words to Moses saying:

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17 ESV)

These verses speak of God getting glory over the Egyptians. The problem that God had been dealing with Egyptians about was the fact that they exalted themselves above Him. The first commandment is not to have any god besides the One true God, and not to exalt any such god over God. With the Egyptians, God was not being a stickler for rules. He makes His reason for confronting their obstinance clear. He says, “...and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

This is key for us to understand. All men everywhere must know that God is the Lord. Someday, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

We will not see the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea. God did that a long time ago, but I can guarantee you that if you put your trust in the Lord, whatever obstacle you face will be defeated in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so that all the world might know that God is the Lord.

When God Delivers

Exodus 12:29-42

Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years.

430 years is a long time. 430 years ago from today would have been 1589. One of the big events of history of the year 1589 was the assassination of King Henry III of France by a monk. The king was stabbed on August 1 and the monk was immediately killed and the king died the next day at the age of 37.

These events took place 43 years after the death of Martin Luther who died on February 18, 1546.

I give you this information not to impress you, but in the hope that it will stir your imagination to think of the long amount of time and the great deal of history that is represented by 430 years. Our King James Version of the Bible is only 400 years old, and the language is archaic in the world of today. Just think of how many cultural, political and social changes would have taken place over the course of the 430 years the Israelites were in Egypt.

Because of this, their identity as slaves was firmly established and the very thought of deliverance for them was a mixed-up picture. Within three days of crossing the Red Sea they were saying to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11) As if they had not been crying out to the Lord for deliverance! And not too long after this, they were moaning as they remembered eating leaks and onions by the Nile. (Numbers 11:5)

They were so conditioned by their long history of enslavement that they did not know what to do with their freedom, nor how to act as free people.

When Moses came and told them that God sent him to deliver them, they just wanted the suffering to stop. Most of the Israelites had grown comfortable worshipping the Egyptian gods, and comfortable with the lives they led in Egypt. They had no clear idea what deliverance would look like and they had no idea how deliverance could be accomplished.

The Lord took them through the 10 plagues to show them His great power, and to free them from their psychological enslavement to the Egyptian gods, culture and way of life. They had to be freed from so much more than just their physical slavery. They were spiritually, morally, socially, psychologically and mentally enslaved. Their enslavement was complete.

This is the same kind of enslavement God must free us from today.

Each person has his or her own history, family background, physical and psychological makeup. And, we are conditioned to accept some things as normal and natural that might not be good for us or pleasing to God.

I think about how when I was a boy married couples portrayed on television slept in separate beds, and they went to bed fully clothed in pajamas. Now we are accustomed to seeing people meet and go to the bedroom in a matter of minutes.

Our enslavement as a people and as a culture is complete and we do not even realize how enslaved we are nor do we have a clear idea of what it would be like to be free.

Each individual’s journey is different, but it often requires the equivalent of the 10 plagues of Egypt to deliver us. The problems, habits and thinking that enslave us are more real and more powerful to us than the living God. Therefore, God must strike down these false gods in our lives in order to free us. We are slaves because we believe there is no deliverance possible or what is worse, no deliverance is even needed.

No matter what the challenge, no matter who the enemy, and no matter what the obstacle, God can and will deliver all who call upon Him.

In today’s passage, we see four ways in which God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering the Israelites, and how that relates to us.

The first way God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering the Israelites was forcing Pharaoh to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

The account of verses 29 through 32 starts out with the horrible announcement of the deaths in Egypt. Pharaoh did not die, although he was a firstborn, the text says, “...from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne...” (Exodus 12:29) Pharaoh remained alive to experience the judgment. Pharaoh was the antagonist, refusing to let the people go, and rather than just killing him, God demonstrated for all generations the foolishness of setting one’s self or one’s kingdom against the Lord.

So, when Pharaoh finally was willing to let the people go, he did it with urgency and with an interesting request. Exodus 12:32 tells us:

Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also! (Exodus 12:32 ESV)

Wow, Pharaoh said, “...and bless me also!”

Not only did he have some nerve in making this request, but Pharaoh was humiliated and soundly defeated. This is the one who said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?” He has been brought to the place of saying, “Pray for me.” This is the one who just hours or days before had told Moses, “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”

Whatever situation we are in, whatever circumstances we face, we must always remember:

...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11 ESV)

No matter how much this world boasts and scoffs against the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

This final victory of Jesus carries into every aspect of life. We have the promise of God that “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT) He will continue His work of deliverance until all our foes are vanquished!

God brought victory out of the suffering of His people, and this leads us to the second way that  God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering His people.

The second way God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering His people was plundering their enemies.

One mistake we often make with the world is we think our enemies are our friends. For example, is your television your friend or enemy? It can be either depending on how you use it. Far too often, it is a tool in the hands of our enemy as he works to deceive men.

The Israelites were able to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry. This is an activity that takes place between friends. The Egyptians were the Israelites’ oppressors and enslavers but here they are with friendly relations. God wants us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. However, to pray for your enemy underscores the fact that you know this person is your enemy. This implies you know that this enemy is not looking out for your best interest. Many of the Israelites made the mistake of thinking Egypt was their friend. Throughout their history, Israel often looked to Egypt for help and deliverance, something that God repeatedly warned them against.

At the point of deliverance, God turned the deceitfulness and selfishness of the enemies of His people against them. The Israelites did as they were instructed and requested jewelry from their Egyptian friends and neighbors. Exodus 12:36 tells us:

And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:36 ESV)

God does the same for us. He brings us riches out of our sufferings. What the enemy uses to destroy us, God uses to enrich us.

Saul chased David around the wilderness for years and instead of destroying David, it shaped David to be the greatest king Israel ever had.

The devil deceived Saul and had him persecuting the Church, but God used this background to shape the greatest evangelist and teacher the Church has ever had.

Whatever your besetting sin or weakness may be, God can turn it into the biggest blessing of your life. But, it may take ten plagues to get there.

While we look forward to the deliverance and riches to come, the waiting is often hard. However, eventually, the waiting is over. This is the third way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people.

The third way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people is the timing.

God’s timing is perfect, but it also is unexpected. God had given the Israelites word that they were to gather jewelry. He had instructed them on the preparation of the Passover lamb. He told them to eat with their staff in their hand ready to go. But verse 39 tells us that the Egyptians were so anxious for them to leave that the Israelites had no time to prepare provisions for themselves. They had plenty of indications that the time was near, but they still were not prepared. Because, although God’s timing is perfect, it is not predictable.

The return of Christ will be like this. Although we have every indication that it will be soon, many are not ready. However, we can be sure His timing will be perfect.

And, when we are praying for deliverance for our own besetting sins, weakness and diseases, we know His timing is perfect, but we do not know when or how the healing will take place. Sometimes the healing takes place in the removal of the encumbrance of this tent, our body. At other times, the healing may take place gradually over time. And, at still other times, the healing takes place suddenly without a struggle. But, whichever way God does it, our deliverance is complete and perfect.

Along with the timing, God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people in a fourth way.

The fourth way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people is by watching.

Exodus 12:42 says:

It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. (Exodus 12:42 ESV)

The word vigil is also used to translate the Hebrew word Moses used here for “watching.”  We know the Lord never sleeps, but He uses the idea of a vigil to communicate the care with which He watched over His people.

Consider the words of Psalm 121:3-4.

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalms 121:3-4 NIV)

“He will not let your foot slip.” He keeps a vigil to watch over you.

This is a huge deal. God told Zerubbabel:

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 ESV)

Zerubbabel was faced with the impossible task of rebuilding the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem against constant and fierce opposition. God’s answer was “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.”

Some have criticized the Bible’s account of the Exodus because moving over 2 million people out of a nation in one night is impossible. Just think of the massive movement of people, cargo, food, cattle, clothing and tents that would be required.

Throughout history, there have been a number of mass migrations. From 1880 to the 1920s, covering over 40 years, millions of Italians left Italy. Mass migrations take years. Even moving large armies takes months, but moving more than 2 million people in a single night takes an act of God, a miracle.

Look at verse 41 of Exodus 12.

At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:41 ESV)

Two thoughts are contained in this verse. One is that the timing of God was precise and to the day. Not a single thing that happened was outside of His control. The second thought has to do with the thing happening on a day.  It says the hosts of the Lord went out from Egypt. A host is a military term and the word “armies” could be used in its place.

When the Lord delivers us, we will go out in victory like a triumphant army, not in defeat. Call on the name of the Lord for deliverance and you cannot fail.