 |
| Rev. Brent Russett |
Pastor of
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/ _______________________________________________________
LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, June 14th, 2015:
‘When God Leads’
Good morning. And welcome to good news in the
morning. My name is Brent Russett. I am
the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at
some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.
I am
glad that you tuned your dial to CFRA. I want you to know that you can also
find Good News in the morning on the internet at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca .
There you keep up to date with what is happening around Good News Christian
Ministries.
Today’s
program is aired in of memory of Nina Maiorova. MAY-O-ROW-VAH.
What a wonderful way to honour the memory of a person. Thanks
This
morning we are going to look at Exodus 13-14 and I want to talk to you about
When God Leads.
The
year was 1989, I had been pastor at Bruce Mines Wesleyan Church for four year
and married for two years. I was starting to get the sense that it might be
time for us to leave the ministry at Bruce Mines. My wife Lynda and I were
praying about it, and first Lynda then I had the sense that God had a ministry
in Ottawa that he wanted us to do.
So in
January I let the church in Bruce Mines know that our time of ministry in Bruce
Mines was coming to an end. One of the curious things about the Wesleyan Church
is that when ministers move, they all move at the same time, the third week of
July. What that means is that usually if
people are going to resign, they resign in February or March.
I
knew the Pastor at Sunnyside to say hi. I had no idea whether or not he planned
to resign. He had no idea that we felt lead to Ottawa. I resigned because we
felt like God was leading us away from Bruce Mines to Ottawa.
But
as February past and March past, the pastor at Sunnyside didn’t resign. We
wondered if we heard from God wrong. We wondered if we got it wrong.
Then
we heard that the pastor here at Sunnyside did resign, but Sunnyside never
called, and they never called. We wondered if we got it wrong.
So I
went and interviewed for a Wesleyan Church in the London area, and then I
interviewed for a Brethren in Christ church in the Kitchener area. We thought
we heard from God, but maybe we got it wrong.
Have
you ever felt like God was leading you, and then you felt like you got it
wrong?
As it
turned out Sunnyside did call us.. They were going to call, three people – but
when they interviewed me and I preached on the Sunday they decided to take a
chance on a 27 year old. So we ended up moving to Ottawa. I have now been at
Sunnyside for 25 years.
I
like to tell that story because at least it turned out OK. There have been
other times when I thought I was
following what God wanted, and I did get it wrong.
I
often struggle with God’s leading. Sometimes I want God to lead and he seems to
be silent. Sometimes, I think God might be leading but he is directing me in
path where I don’t want to go. Sometimes I think that God wants to lead me, and
I am too deaf to hear.
I
think some of you might struggle with the leading of God as well. One of the
things that I have found that helps is to know God’s ways and how he leads.
When you know that, it makes it easier to spot his leading.
This
morning I want to take you to Exodus 13. Here is the back story God sent Moses
to Pharaoh to say “Let my people go.” But the Pharaoh would not, so God sent
plague upon plague. After the 10th plague, Pharaoh finally said go.
Exodus
13:17–18 (NLT)
17 When Pharaoh finally let
the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through
Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised
Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their
minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout
way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.* Thus the Israelites left Egypt
like an army ready for battle.*
Exodus
is not kidding when it says that God did not take them the shortest route. Instead
of going in a straight line, their route on a map looks more like a capital V.
Now
the shortest route to the promised land was Philistine territory. Now over the
subsequent years, God would help his people defeat the Philistines many times.
He could have helped them to defeat them this time too. But The Israelites
didn’t know this. They didn’t know that God could help them win battles. They
had been slaves for the last four hundred years.
God
said, if these people have to go into war right away, they might change their
mind and return to Egypt. So God lead them, but he lead them the long way
around.
God’s
ultimate plans for the Hebrew people was to get them to the promised land, a
land flowing with milk and honey. God’s plan was to get them to a good place.
God’s plan was to lead them to freedom. God was much more interested in
accomplishing his plan than he was about efficiency.
Here
is what you need to know about God. God is much more interested in seeing his
plans an purposes fulfilled than he is about efficiency. What that means is
that God takes into account your
frailty, your lack of faith, your lack
of knowledge, he takes all these things into account when he leads us.
God
knew that his people were going to have to fight a war to get into the promised
land. He knew that they were not ready to trust him to fight on their behalf.
He knew they needed time to develop faith. So he gave it to them by having them
take the long way.
They did
take the long way around but this was not wasted time. They learned a lot about
God along the way. I was on the way that they received the 10 commandments. It
was on the way where they saw the power of God at work on their behalf. It was
on the way where they needed to make the choice again and again to follow God.
There
are some of you who feel like life is taking you the long way around. You have
signed up for university programs that you felt like they were the right way to
go, but then it doesn’t work out. There are some of you who fell like it is
taking you a long time to get to where you need to be.
I
want you to know that God has a purpose for your life. He is much more
interested in fulfilling that purpose then he is in efficiency. God doesn’t
waste the time that you feel is inefficient. He has you on a journey – maybe
not the most direct journey – but the journey that you need to be on.
Music
– All the Way My Saviour Leads Me – Chris Tomlin 4:36
Exodus 13:20–22 (NLT)
21 The Lord went ahead of (the Isrealites). He guided them during the
day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of
fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night
It
was a supernatural GPS system. My there are times in my life where I wish God’s
leading was so obvious. At your next decision make a right
I
don’t know about you, but God’s leading is usually not this obvious to me. But
this is helpful for us to know how certain they were about the leading of God,
because we come to chapter 14.
Exodus
14:1–4 (NLT)
Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: 2 “Order
the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea.
Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. 3 Then
Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the
wilderness!..(it goes on to say).* I have planned this in order to
display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians
will know that I am the Lord!”
So
the Lord has been leading his people with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire
by night. Now what does the Lord say in 14:2 – turn back and camp.
I
drive a motorcycle. If I am leading a pack of bikers and we have to turn around
a go back to a place where we just passed I think, my leadership hasn’t been
very good. I feel like I have made a mistake.
So
when God says turn back, and camp back at a place where we came by, it feels
like either he got it wrong, or they followed wrong, because we tend to see
life through the lens of efficiency. God is quite Ok with saying you have
followed me well, now turn around.
That
just doesn’t make sense to us, but God has his purpose. He says, I am going to
show my glory. I am going to let the Egyptians know I am the Lord. So what I
want you to do is go camp at edge of sea in the middle of the wilderness.
In
other words I want you to go in the opposite direction that I have been leading
you and you are going to camp at a place that is indefensible and in a place
that is unescapable. I have a plan. I am going to show my glory.
I
just want to say, that unless you are sure that you are following God, this
does not make sense. But if you are following God, this does not seem to be all
that abnormal. God sometimes does call us to turn around.
Sometimes
following God is hard. Sometime it doesn’t make sense. But God’s purposes are
good.
Exodus
14:5–9 (NLT)
5 When word reached the
king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed
their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?”
they asked. 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up
his troops. 7 He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots,
along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. 8 The
Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the
people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. 9 The
Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his
horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up
with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore.
So imagine you are the Israelites.
You have just escaped from Slavery in Egypt. God has lead you to a place that
is indefensible and inescapable, and you see on the horizon of the wilderness
this dust storm. A massive army with 600 chariots are bearing down on you. What
are you going to feel.
Exodus
14:10–12 (NLT)
10 As Pharaoh approached,
the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians
overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said
to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t
there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make
us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while
we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the
Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the
wilderness!’ ”
God
has delivered them and God has lead them
and this is their response? I would condemn them except they sound an awful lot
like me sometimes.
I
know God’s purposes are good, and yet I find myself between a rock and a hard
place sometimes. Panic, questions, condemnations of myself, of others. It is
not the response of faith, it is the response of those of us who need to grow
in faith.
Remember
these people have been enslaved for their who life. There responses are the
responses of a slave. God is in the process of delivering them from their addiction to slavery. He wants to show
his people that he is stronger than what has conquered them.
When
you are in the middle of panic and it looks like you are about to be
overwhelmed, It is helpful to have a
person of faith around to reassure you.
Listen to what Moses says
Exodus
14:13–14 (NLT)
13 But Moses told the
people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.
The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The
Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
I think Exodus 14:14 is a verse that we should all
memorize
14 The Lord himself will
fight for you. Just stay calm
Let me say it again
14 The Lord himself will
fight for you. Just stay calm
Those
are good words to remember when you find yourself in the wilderness, with your
apparent doom approaching and your escapes blocked.
Of
course all the while the people are complaining to Moses, Moses is crying out
to God. Even people of faith cry out to God. I love God’s response.
Exodus
14:15 (NLT)
15 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!
There
is a time to stop praying and get moving. There is a time to pray and there is
a time to move. I takes wisdom to know which is which.
Exodus
14:21–31 (NLT)
21 Then Moses (as God had
told him) raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path
through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night,
turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel
walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each
side!
23 Then the Egyptians—all
of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of
the sea. 24 But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the
Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into
total confusion. 25 He twisted* their chariot wheels, making
their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these
Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against
Egypt!”
26 When all the Israelites
had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the
sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their
chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise,
Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual
place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. ….
29 the people of Israel
had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up
like a wall on both sides. …..31 When the people of Israel saw
the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were
filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant
Moses.
They put their faith in the Lord and in
his servant Moses.
Following
the leading of God is an exercise in faith. I know that for me, sometimes
assumptions get in the way of faith. If we are following God it should be the
most efficient way to do something. But sometimes God takes us the long way.
If
we are following God then we should never have to back track. But sometimes it
is in the backtracking that the greatest lessons are learned.
If
we are following God then we should be safe. That is true in the big picture
sense, but at during some snapshots in time, it may look like you are in place
that is both indefensible and unescapable. But just because you are there
doesn’t mean that God hasn’t lead you there.
When
you are tempted to panic remember Exodus 14:14
14 The Lord himself will
fight for you. Just stay calm
There
is a time to pray and there is time to move. Listen for God and use wisdom.
It
takes faith to stand there. You may see inklings of God working but he still
needs to come through.
But
God does come through. But the only way to develop faith is to walk through
situations that need faith.
What
about you, where do you find yourself in the story? Maybe your still in Egypt
or walking through the wilderness, is caught between a rock and hard place, or
maybe you have seen his delivery.
God
in this story was intent on delivering his people from Slavery. He was also
intent on delivering them from the addiction to slavery. He was intent on
accomplishing his purposes- And sometimes that made his people really
uncomfortable. His intents and purposes have not changed.
I
know that God wants to lead you into freedom. It is sometimes not an easy
process. It is sometimes uncomfortable. But there is no better way to get to
know how God lead other than trying to follow his leading. You may get it
wrong- but God will be with you still.
There
is no better way to grow faith than to exercise faith.
PRAYER:
Lord, Thank you
so much for what you have done. Thank you for the ways that you lead us. I know
that many of us struggle with how you lead, but Lord, I pray that you would give
us eyes to see what you are doing and ears to hear your call. And help us even when
circumstances are great against us, that we will be able to trust in you.
Lord, help to
bring to mind in those times, the verse, “The Lord himself will fight for you,
just stay calm.”
Lord, I ask these
things in Jesus Name. AMEN.
“
If Good News in the Morning has been a factor in your journey of faith, we
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via the web site –goodnewsinthemorning.ca
This program has been aired in
memory of Nina Maiorova. MAY-O-ROW-VAH.Thank
you for honouring her memory in this way.
And Thank you for listening this
morning. This program is on the air by the grace of God and donations of many
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May
you know Jesus Christ personally and
profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside
deep within your heart . And may the
heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying
love
MUSIC
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
_______________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast:
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast:
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