Breaking Free


04/17/2011 - Leaving Control for Faith



Pesach or Passover begins at sundown tomorrow night. It's the night when our Jewish friends all over the world stop and remember that they were once slaves in Egypt, but God heard their cry and delivered them with his mighty hand and outstretched arm.

And at one point during the four hour Passover Seder the youngest child in the room will ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

"On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread. Why on this night do we eat only matzah, unleavened bread?"

"On all other nights we eat vegetables and herbs of all kinds. Why on this night do we eat only bitter herds?"

"On all other nights we never think of dipping herbs in water or in anything else. Why on this night do we dip the parsley in salt water twice and the bitter herbs in charoseth?"

"On all other nights we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline at the table?"

And those four questions set up the leader of the household to explain the story of the Exodus.

This night is different from all other nights because on this night we celebrate one of the most important moments in the history of our people, the going forth of our ancestors from slavery into freedom.

Why do we eat only matzah tonight? Because when Pharaoh let our ancestors go from Egypt they were forced to flee in great haste. They had no time to bake their bread and couldn't wait for the yeast to rise.

Why do we eat bitter herbs tonight? Because our ancestors were slaves in Egyptand their lives were made very bitter.

Why do we dip the herbs twice tonight? Because it reminds us of the green that comes to life again in the springtime and that our ancestors were able to withstand the bitterness of slavery because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.

Why do we recline at the table? Because in ancient times reclining was the privilege of the free, slaves did not recline. And since our ancestors were freed on this night we recline at the table like free men and women.

Freedom. That's what Passover is about. It's the annual freedom festival of the Jewish people when they remember that once they were slaves in bondage in Egypt and then God set them free.

And we've been using that momentous event as the backdrop of our Lenten series called Breaking Free: Leaving the Old Self for the New. This is a series that parallels the sacred season of Lent that we're in right now. For two thousand years Christians all over the world have been preparing for resurrection Sunday with a season of reflection and repentance and response.

And so we've used the metaphor of the Exodus to ask the question, what are the chains that enslave us and keep us from experiencing the freedom of our new life in Christ?

God is in the liberation business. He wants to set us free just like he set his people free from Egypt. Jesus said, You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. What does God want to set you free from? To what are you enslaved? Freedom. That's what Lent is about.

At one of our stations on Good Friday we're going to give you a chance to pin to the cross something that you're leaving behind this spring. Maybe it's an addiction, a bad habit, an attitude, a memory, a bitter spirit, an unhealthy relationship, a toxic person, a sin of some sort. What ever? It needs to be nailed to the cross as part of the old life that has died with Christ.

So in this series we've talked about leaving bondage for freedom,

leaving addiction for healing, leaving falsehood for truth, and today we finish up with leaving control for faith.

Control. All of us have issues of control. Some of us are flat out "control freaks" and some of us aren't. But control is an issue for all of us to some degree or another. It's part of our DNA. It's part of the sin disease that we all carry around in our bodies. And sometimes our control issues get out of control and become destructive both to ourselves and to others.

So this morning I want to look at the Exodus and make some simple observations about the things that we can't control and one thing that we can. I want to help us all see that life is a journey not a formula. And if we're going to enjoy the journey we need to know what we can and can't control.

If you have a Bible turn with me to Exodus 16:15-20. At the beginning of the chapter the Israelites are complaining because they don't have enough food. They want to go back to Egypt where life was hard, but at least they had food to eat.

And so God miraculously provides them with bread from heaven, manna which in Hebrew literally means "what is it?"

Look at Exodus 16:15-20, When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" 17The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Each one had gathered just as much as he needed. 19Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

God knows their need for food so he supplies them with manna, a wafer like substance that they gathered each morning off the ground like dew. And God only gave them just enough for one day because he wanted them to learn that he could be trusted to meet their needs. Keyword ... needs. But some of them don't want to trust God like that. They want guarantees for tomorrow and so they gathered more than one day's worth. But when they did, it spoiled. The manna had no shelf life. It was full of maggots when they tried to stockpile it and gather more than they needed.

When it comes to God's provision of our needs, trust doesn't always come easy does it? God's provision is the first thing we can't control.

This Wednesday night I asked a woman in the church if her husband had found a job yet. And she said, "Yes! He did. Just this week his old company hired him back and we're so excited and grateful to God." And I was too. But the next conversation I had was with a woman who had just lost her job and then I talked to a man who was let go this week! The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We can't control God's provision. But if we trust him, he promises to meet our needs.

The apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. What a magnificent promise of God!

But there's no guarantee on how he's going to do that. So the first thing we can't control on life's journey isGod's provision. The second thing is God's guidance.

The book of Numbers also describes the Exodus event. It records the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. And the lesson of Numbers is that God's people need to walk by faith and trust his promises if they want to move forward otherwise they'll just go round and round in circles.

Turn to Numbers 9:15-23 , On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.16That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.17Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. 20Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

The people couldn't control God's guidance. Sometimes they set up camp for a day or two and sometimes they stayed put for a year. And it was all driven by the cloud which kept them cool during the day and warm at night. They would have died in the desert without the cloud.

But they had no calendar, no schedule, no long term plan. They weren't told when the cloud would move or where it would go. Instead, all they could do was follow it one step at a time. If the cloud moves we move. If the cloud stays put we stay put. That's all they get.

Following Jesus is a lot like that too. All he says is, "Follow Me." He doesn't give us much more detail than that! We don't get to see the long term plan. We don't know where the journey's headed and we're foolish if we don't hold our plans in an open hand.

James 4:13-15 says, Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Life is a journey, not a formula, with very few guarantees. It's okay to make plans. The Scriptures encourage that. But submit those plans to the Lord and hold them loosely. You never know when the cloud might move. We only get enough guidance for the next step.

So we can't control God's provision. We can't control God's guidance. We can't control our relationships.

This may be the toughest one of all. In Numbers 12, Moses' own sister, Miriam, and his brother, Aaron, turn on him.

Look at Numbers 12:1-3 , Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2"Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this. 3(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

Miriam and Aaron were Moses' siblings but they were also significant leaders in that community and they start criticizing Moses because of his inter-racial marriage. Moses had married a black woman from Cush which is modern day Ethiopiaand they had a problem with it. But instead of going to Moses privately with their concern they spread it all over the community. But they don't really have a problem with Moses' wife, they have a problem with favoritism and jealousy. That's what has them stoked. And so they try to undermine Moses' leadership by criticizing his marriage.

In the journey of life there will be times when significant relationships blow up in our face and sometimes we're completely blindsided by it. And we may never get the real story why those things happen. People that we thought were our friends can turn on us. Our marriages can explode. Our families can unravel. And they all leave scars and wounds on our hearts.

Jesus knows all about that. He was betrayed and denied and crucified. He was taken advantage of, stabbed in the back, lied to, and lied about. It's the hard part of life and it's part of following Jesus. And if we're not careful it's easy for our hearts to grow hard and bitter and cynical. And forgiveness is the only cure that I know of.

Which is why Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31-32, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Life is a journey, not a formula. We can't control God's provision. We can't control God's guidance. We can't control our relationships. And we can't control when life hits.

Turn to Numbers 14:1-4 , That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

And how did Moses and Aaron respond to the grumbling? Look at verse 5, Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. They humbled themselves before the angry mob and tried to reason with them, but that didn't help.

Look at verses 10-12, But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

God's had it too. He wants to destroy the whole bunch and start over again. But to Moses' credit he pleads for the nation. He asks God to spare his people and he does. Look at verse 20, The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked."

But here's another attack that comes right out of the blue. The people want to stone Moses and Aaron to death. Stuff happens in life that's out of our control and sometimes it's life threatening. We never know when the next attack will come. We never know what the next phone call will bring.

"This is the doctor's office calling and the results are back from your last test and the doctor would like to talk with you. When's the earliest you can come in?"

This week I spoke with a woman who was faced with the difficult task of telling her mother that their appointment with the oncologist the next morning was most likely not about the next chemo treatment. It was going to be about hospice care. And sure enough the doctor said, "I know I'm not God, but you probably have 3 - 6 months left. Spend as much time as you can with your family and friends."

Life is a journey, not a formula. And sometimes the days get very hot and the hills get real steep. We can't control God's provision. We can't control God's guidance. We can't control all our relationships. And we can't control when life hits.

And so as we come down to this last week of Lent what area of life are you trying to control, but it's just not working? Is there a person who's not responding to your great plan for their life? In fact, they're not even interested in what you want for them and it's causing all kinds of stress in your relationship.

Are you anxious about the future? Do you need guarantees for next year, next month, next week, but you're not getting them? Do wonder where you're next job is coming from or your next paycheck or next meal? You don't know about the future, but the truth is you're getting just enough provision for today and just enough guidance for the next step.

Moses couldn't even control the goal he had set for his whole life and that was to enter the Promised Land. He saw it from a distance, but he never entered it.

In Deuteronomy 34:4-5 we read, Then the Lord said to Moses, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." 5And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said.

Moses doesn't see his dreams fulfilled. He never reaches the goal he's been striving for all his life. That happens a lot too.

So what can we control in life? What can we depend on? Two things, really. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. And that's huge!

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who spent almost three yeas in Nazi concentration camps during World War II where he lost his mother, his father, and his wife. He was a holocaust survivor.

And in his classic book called Man's Search for Meaning he writes, "Everything can be taken away from a man or a woman but one thing. The one thing you can't take away from me is the wayI choose to respond to what you do to me. The human freedom to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances can never be taken away."

We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. When God first chose Moses to lead his people he wanted nothing to do with it and made all kinds of excuses. But over the course of his life he went from indifference to a willingness to give his life for God's people.

We can't control what happens to us, but we can control the person we're becoming. We can move from indifference to compassion, from a hard heart to a soft heart. We can be transformed by the way we respond to life's journey.

That's what we can control. And what can we depend on? We can depend on God's presence with us. That's what God promised Moses when he first called him from the burning bush in Exodus 3:12,And God said, "I will be with you."

That's what God promised Joshua who came after Moses inJoshua 1:5, As I was with Moses so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.

And that's what God promises us in Matthew 28:20, And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Life is a journey, not a formula. And there aren't many guarantees in life, but God does guarantee to journey with us to the very end of the age. And that can make all the difference.


Questions of the Week

  • Why do you think we struggle so often with our need to be in control? What are some areas that we often find difficulty with needing to be in control? How do you think this contrasts with the practice of living by faith?
  • Do you have a story of God's miraculous provision beyond your control? What does such an experience do for our faith? What are some challenges that we face in trusting God to provide?
  • What does God's guidance look like in the life of a Christian? What should we do when we have trouble hearing God's voice leading us?
  • How can the need to be in control keep us in bondage? How can learning to control how we respond to the unexpected challenges of life release us from our chains?