A New EXODUS!

- The following message was delivered to graduates of Literacy & Evangelism International's 2006 International Literacy Training Institute, Tulsa, OK.

Text: Exodus 2:23-3:10

It’s been an excellent journey these 5 weeks, some more stretching than others, weeks away from family, friends and associates. You’ve been accruing skills to go back to your land or go to a new land to establish a literacy program.

Who was in the very first chapel on the Monday 5 weeks ago?

For those of you that were there, you will remember I shared how I have begun to reread the scriptures in a new light, through a different lens if you will. I’ve seen how over and over again in the Biblical narrative that God hears and responses to ones who are crying. We just read together a specific story in God’s Word that highlights this consistent compassion shown by God.

Let’s look at it in detail together…

Exodus 2:23-24 (ESV)

"During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."

Why was there such an outcry? Because the Israel nation had suffered 400 years of intense bondage under Egyptian rule. They were slaves in a foreign land. The Israelites had suffered unmercifully under the Egyptian rule for 20 generations. God heard their CRY!

Today, God has heard the cry of half the people of the world, the non-reading half. He has heard the cry of the people that cannot read or write in the Ivory Coast, the people of Botswana, the people of Guyana, of Mongolia, of Mexico, of Sudan, Senegal, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and the list goes on.

The late Dr. Frank Laubach (the father of Literacy) – wrote “The most bruised people on this planet, the naked, the hungry, the fallen among thieves, the sick, the imprisoned in mind and soul…(are) the illiterates… virtual slaves…hungry, driven diseased, afraid of educated men in this world and demons in the next.”

The illiterate half of the world is truly in bondage and the Scripture says in Exodus 3:7 - “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry ... I know their sufferings”

We’ve seen that God hears the cry of those in bondage, physical and spiritual slavery in the times of Moses, but also today.

The question is…Who will he send?

Here’s God’s Plan in our TEXT. God chooses to call MOSES…

Chapter 3, verse 4: “When 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.” (ESV)

I like the Message Bible paraphrase, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Yes? I’m right here!”

3:10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Moses was the MAN! Moses was the instrument God would use to set the captives of Israel FREE. He called Moses out of Egypt for a SEASON of Preparation. He called Moses out of Egypt into the land of Midian.

HERE'S the RUB. Here’s GOD’s Plan today. God wants to put into motion a new Exodus…To bring hundreds of thousands, even millions out of the slavery and bondage of illiteracy. There’s a new Exodus on the horizon. You know where I’m going with this. You know what I’m gonna say….YOU are AS MOSES…YOU’RE the MAN….You're the WOMAN.

God has called you out of your Egypt to this season of preparation, to open your eyes to the masses on the horizon …this new Exodus.

Close your eyes with me. What do you see on the horizon? Do you see a dozen people? Is the number growing? Do you see 100…1,000? Do you see the masses coming over the horizon?

Who will go to these that are crying?

Who will be like MOSES?

Who will say “HERE AM I”? “I’m right here”…Lord use me, send me…

Raise your hand w/ me and Say “HERE AM I”….

Even as Moses was called out of Egypt to the land of Midian,

God has called you out of your Egypt (from your land)

to your Midian (even to Tulsa, OK) for this season of preparation. You have been prepared and equipped to go back to Egypt to bring a people out of the slavery the bondage of ILLITERACY.

AMEN?!!!

God heard the cry of his people in Egypt and he sent Moses. And even as he sent Moses he has called you to go and set the captives free. But to WHAT is the Purpose of Releasing the captives? The answer to this question might seem a bit obvious. The captives need to be freed to a new life in Christ, to a deeper life revealed in the Scriptures. But let’s look further into our text to see some additional purposes defined in God’s word.

Exodus 5:1

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”

Let my people go that they might FEAST upon my WORD, says the living God. Let my people go that they might partake of my commandments & LIVE, that they might read and BELIEVE in the LORD Jesus.

Let my people be freed from the bondage of illiteracy so that my church might be raised up to expand the KINGDOM of God on earth even as it is in heaven.

Who will stand up and say ENOUGH? Who will stand up and say to the Pharaoh’s of the land that there has been enough injustice? Let my people go so that they might feast upon my WORD.

I love the recent story in Christianity today about – “The RISE of the Korean Church”. They have become the number one sending country in the world for sending missionaries, next to the United States and are on a trend that will eclipse the US in missionary efforts. Why is this happening? One reason is because the church was founded on this principle, “Every member a Bible Reader” Every member feasting on the word of God.

‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ” Exodus 5:1

Here’s a 2nd reason.

In Exodus 8:1

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. (NIV) This refrain is repeated over and over again in the Exodus story.

God is saying today, give my people the ability to read that they might be able to meditate on my Word, study my Word so that they might know how to WORSHIP me correctly…

Freed to worship the fullness of God reflected in His Word.

(ESV) uses a slightly different translation….Listen to the difference.

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may SERVE me.

THE Hebrew word has this broad range of meaning which actually includes keeping in bondage, to be a bond-servant, to labor, to serve.

This seems contradictory, freedom from service to service, to be a bond-servant.

God is saying give my people the ability to read that they might be able to know how to serve me in all wisdom and knowledge. God is saying I want them to be MY SERVANTS not the servants of Pharaoh, Not the servants of the prince of this world…not the servants of darkness.

RELEASE them to a greater depth of discipleship.

Teach people to read my WORD to build up my church so that they can WORSHIP afresh, so that they can SERVE my purposes in building my kingdom. So that churches can be planted across this planet ushering in my return.

AMEN!!?

GOD has heard the CRY of the non-reading half of the world.

You are as MOSES. You have raised your hand and said, “HERE I AM”. “I’m RIGHT HERE”

Because of your faithful response to God, the church is being raised up to receive the bridegroom. The church will be raised up to effectively SERVE God’s purposes.

You are AS Moses. You are the MAN. You are the WOMAN that God has called this day for these purposes that his people can be freed to worship and to serve the TRUE God.

Envision it with me…

There is a new Exodus on the horizon and you are the instruments. You are the men and women of God’s choosing to carry out His plan in this moment, time and place…A NEW Exodus is rising up.

Let's PRAY together...God,

Thank you for choosing us.

Thank you for selecting us.

Thank you for drawing us out of our Egypt for a season of preparation.

Thank you for these past 5 weeks that have equipped us for the New Exodus that you have planned to break out across the planet.

Bless these men and women as they carry out YOUR PLAN.

Amen.