Dragging Egypt

Most of you have moved home. You moved from one home to another home.

And you probably ask, what is it that I'm going to keep? And you go through your different items. You have a realm, and you decide to give some away, to throw some away, to keep some. And then, when you get your new home, you still wonder why you kept some of them. Because they stay in boxes for so long. When we left in South Africa, we gave so much away. It's just unbelievable. And we got to a new home. We still found that there's a lot of things that we don't need.

You see, we end up dragging with us a lot of things that we don't need. That's okay. That's physical. But it is an important spiritual lesson. We read in Exodus 12, verse 42, that on that night, they left Israel. I mean, Egypt. Israelites left Egypt. On that night, which is too much observed. And that was already basically a week ago. And we believe that last night was actually the night where they actually crossed the Red Sea. So, the Israelites left Egypt with a high hand on the way to the Promised Land. They were excited. But you and I know that even though they left Egypt, they carried Egypt with them. They carried Egypt with them. And because of that, only two of them, of those adults, made a Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb. Just like the Israelites left Egypt, Egypt did not leave them. The analogy is, we have left the world. Is the world still in us? Are you and I still dragging things from the world in our lives? And so today, we want to look at some examples of the Israelites dragging Egypt with them. And draw some principles for us to make sure you and I, we don't drag sin with us as we leave spiritual Egypt. You know the story in Numbers, chapter 14, verse 22. In Numbers, chapter 14, verse 22, we get to a very strong situation like a crossroads. And we see in 14, verse 22, it says, Because all these men, who have seen my glory and the signs which are dead in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put me to the test, now these ten times, these ten times, and have not heeded my voice. I'm not going to go through those ten times, but let me just mention briefly, and you may want to make a note. At the Red Sea, they tempted God. At Mara, they tempt God regarding water. At the wilderness of sin, they tempted God. Regarding manna, twice they tempted God. Then at Rifidim, you know the story about striking the rock, they tempted God. Then there was the idolatry at Mount Arab with a golden calf, they tempted God. Then there was a people complaining at Tabera, and they were many killed with fire. And then the people craved and lasted a kibrof at Ava, and they had quails to go all over there, and they tempted God. And lastly, that's the section in Numbers 14, their rebellion in the wilderness after the spies went into Canaan ten times. And so we continue reading in verse 23. Verse 23, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected me see it. But my servant, Caleb, because he had a different spirit in him, and else followed me fully, I will bring into the land where he went. And is the sand and swillie narrated. Caleb had a different spirit. Do we have a different spirit? A parallel to that is a little lighter where it says that God was angered. God was angered with the nation, with the people, and then he says he rejected them.

You see, God was not pleased with the Israelites. God was not pleased with the Israelites. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

Starting to read in verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea. All were baptized into Moses, in the cloud and in the sea. All ate of the same spiritual food and all drank of the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Christ was leading them, and they were to follow Christ. They were with them. But with most of them God was not well pleased. For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Yes, over the years they were scattered throughout the wilderness.

You and I want God to be well pleased with us. And so there are some lessons to learn from the Israelites. Read the very following verse, the first part, verse 6. Now these things became our examples. These things in the Old Testament are written down there for us as an example for you and I. And so then he itemizes a series of points or lessons that we can learn from. And basically I'm going to emphasize or focus on four. And the first one he says, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lasted. So the first lesson, the first example to us is for us not to lust like they did. Do we lust? Well, probably you'll say, no, I don't. But you know, like when we do the leavening, you've got to look not for just those big slices of bread, but you've got to look for those small little crumbs of leaven. And that's what we're going to look at today. Are we sometimes never happy, never content? The grass is always greener on the other side. Look at James chapter 4 verse 1. James chapter 4 verse 1.

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that were in your members?

Put it in today's language. Why are there little squabbles and fights in church? Don't they come because of desires for pleasure in us? I wanted my way, or my idea, or my approach. Verse 2. You lust and do not have. You desire to have it your way, but you do not have it. Are we dragging these attitudes from the world where we came from? Are we bringing certain things from the society that we are around, like we heard in the sermonette? What is around us, our peers, our friends, influences us powerfully. And we are in the world, in society. We must not be off the world, but we are in the world. God allows us for us to learn some lessons. And so, are we dragging those vibes into our lives? Desire for our own pleasures. I want church my own way. Or maybe I'll just watch church from home in my pajamas. Look, if you are ill and you watch from home, that's a different story. If you live very far away from brethren, like in Brazil, people live hours and hours away from one another. That's a different story. But when we live maybe an hour drive, a little bit more, a little bit less, why shouldn't we make the effort? Or, as it says, do we want our own desires for our own satisfaction? You see, the problem is, it says in verse 5 of James chapter 4, The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealousy. That is the human spirit that is in us, is jealous. Our carnal mind is jealous. That's the spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of man in man that dwells in us. It wants things for me, myself, and I. And the way what we need, and the instruction that we have here, is that we need to submit to God. We need to be submissive and put away that desire from our own human spirit. We've got to draw near to God and cleanse our hands. And so, my first question is, do we have those influences affecting us? But let's continue reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

And there, now we're going to read in verse 7. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And so, what are we looking at is these four instances. The first one was do not last, and the second one is do not become idolaters. Are we dragging these things, this type of Egypt, in our lives? Well, it's referring to the story of the Golden Calf, which you know pretty well. They were worshipping God. They are worshipping God, but they were including paganism with it. And God did not like it. Look at the story in Exodus 32 verse 6. Exodus 32 verse 6.

Exodus 32 verse 6. You know the story, yeah? The story about the Golden Calf. And they made the skull, and then in verse 6 it says, And then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings to God, in their mind, and were offering it to God, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and rose up to play. Just as we read in Corinthians. They had a big party, and then they got involved in sexual immorality and things like that. So, we need to be very careful that when we worship God, we do not syncretize or mix in things of the world. And we live in a world where everything around us is basically rooted in paganism. That's why Revelation talks about Babylon the Great. A lot of things around us, practically everything, I can't say everything, but a lot of things around, are rooted in paganism, really from Babylon. Sure, it's been adapted through Gnosticism and then adapted into Christianity, but it is the same root. One of the things about Satan's religion is his desire to control, to dominate, and he controls through fear. So, are we afraid of some of the things around us? We shouldn't, because we should be trusting God. The Israelites, when they're coming out, well, we don't have water, we don't have this. But God was taking them out, and God was looking after them, but they tempted God by not trusting God. So, the question is, are we balanced in our approaches, in our different things? Because God is a God of a sound mind, which is balanced, which is sound. You read that in 2 Timothy 1, verse 7. Because it says, God has not given us a spirit, a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And so, God has given us, let's just put it, His mind, His essence, His way of thinking in us, which is balanced, which is sound. It's not based on fear, but it's based on God's power, and on God's outgoing love for mankind. And so, as we look at things around us in our society, it's easy for us to be swayed by theories that are not sound-minded. Pay attention to these words. I try to phrase this word carefully and with meaning. People are being swayed by theories that are not sound-minded. A lot of things that you're going to be inundated with ideas from well-meaning people, are they sound?

So, we've got to be careful with these so-called theories, and they become like a God of fear in us. And so, going back to Corinthians chapter 10, it says, Do not allow yourself to be dragged into these so-called religious ideas, or ideas that are in society out there, that in the end are coming out in wrong things that are not sound-minded. I don't want to define one of those, but I want you to analyze them yourself and to say, Is this really sound-minded? Is this building fear? And then use God's only Spirit, Spirit of outgoing love and concern, to have the power to overcome those fears. Then the third point that he has, mentioned Yah in verse 8 of 1 Corinthians 10, it says, Brethren, this world is full of sexual immorality. It's full of it. Even if you turn your head away, you're going to get some silly email or something that is going to be twisted along that way. It's a fact. And the society lives in it. Oh, yeah, and if you don't follow those ideas, you are not understanding, not compassionate. Meantime, those people, they themselves are not compassionate.

Are we allowing these types of thoughts and ideas around us? You know, it's just like we are in the sermonette. Those things can cause rot in us. We've got to keep them away. In Revelation 2, verse 14, Revelation 2, verse 14, in the second letter, Yah, to the churches, specifically, I'll be part of the third letter to the churches, Yah to Pergamos, it says, but I have a few things against you. And that was that era of the church was allowing these things to start to creep in because you have there those who will hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. You see, Balaam, as you know the story, he tried to curse the Israelites and God told him, don't do it. And he couldn't. But, you see, his technique was, well, seeing that we can't curse the Israelites, let the Israelites curse themselves by their improper action. So let your people take your woman over there and bring their idolatry and things like that into the Israelites. And that was the doctrine of Balaam. Through sexual immorality, bring paganism into Israel. And because of that, they were cursed. You see, Balaam couldn't curse Israel, but he knew if Israel disobeyed God, they would be cursed. They would be a consequence. And so he guided or instructed those people to cause the Israelites to sin. In other words, Balaam was a very gifted man. And God was speaking to him. You know, you read that in the Bible. But he used God's gift for his own means. And he turned around so that through that scheme, planned idea of his, he could get something from Baloch. And so by the Israelites allowing some pagan ideas into them through sexual immorality, through getting involved with people of a different faith, it only brought troubles to them.

That's why he says, do not be unequaled, because you are potentially bringing a lot of problems. So you have these people come in with their religious ideas subtly creeping in to the church, maybe new people, maybe whatever. They come with their ideas and then it can drag you or your family down the wrong road. There are a number of things that there always be a challenge to God's people. I remember Mr. Armstrong emphasizing three specific big ones. But one of them that he emphasized was Pentecolism or emotional religion. We have to be careful because this emotional feeling related to Pentecostal type approaches can bring you down a wrong road. Oh, initially it may just be very nice and loving and sweet, but it can bring you down into a wrong hole. It drags you into a way of no return. You've got to be careful of that. Be careful that we don't bring the religion where some new people come in to the church and they bring the religion of some of the beliefs or some of the ideas that they had, they bring them into the church. Very subtly, but it can drag you the wrong way. There are many, many people that have strange ideas. For instance, there are so many ideas out there about who is the beast. And you listen to some of these, and the reasoning is so good. But it's wrong. But it's wrong. Be careful that you don't be deceived. You can start thinking about, I remember I've had some people when I visited other countries that came in with this idea and that idea and this pope and that pope and this idea and that thing, and therefore this is the beast and this is whatever. And it's so wrong. People come and have empty words, empty words, and they are there to deceive you. They themselves might not think they're trying to deceive you. They are probably sincere, but they are sincerely wrong. But they are sincere. But there is a Satan. If you look at Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6, Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6, It says, Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. As we heard in the sermon this morning, you know, God's brand is one of love based on obeying His laws of love and being merciful in compassion. But people deceive. And when you deceive, you don't know you deceive. You just think you're doing the best. I mean, another thing that ideas of this world that people can drag in, which can be tied to immorality, is a spiritual significance of immorality. And what do I mean by that? Because our allegiance, our marriage, is to God, right? We are the bride to marry Christ. Our marriage is God. It's His kingdom.

It's the kingdom of God. Now many people make allegiance with the kingdoms of this world. How? By getting involved in the politics of this world. That is spiritual immorality. And how often do I say to these people privately, please don't do that. They keep doing it. We've got to be careful, brethren, and not get involved into immorality, physical and spiritual. You see, we have to be able to determine what is right and what is wrong. With God's Holy Spirit, God's mind gives you that extra understanding, discernment of what is right and what is wrong. Have you ever thought about that? That God's Holy Spirit helps you discern right from wrong. And that's why you and I have free moral agency, and that's why, again, on the sermon this morning, we heard that one of the characteristics of God's way is choice. We have to choose, because He wants us to develop holy righteous character, which is, in other words, the grace of God. Or people used to say, oh well, we don't talk about God's grace. What is it? God's character. He sees grace towards us. The holy righteous godly character is God's wonderful gracious way of what He is. But we need to have the capability to make the right choices. And making those right choices involves what we heard in the sermon, choosing to obey God, involves what we heard in the sermonette, to put those rotten apples away, to keep them out of our lives. That takes character. That takes discipline. But that requires discernment, because it's subtle. These deceptions are subtle. And you and I need to discern. That is the meat.

Listen. The meat is you exercising the capability of discerning right from wrong. That is the meat of Christianity.

Read with me in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12. Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12. We're starting. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you're saying to those people in the church which were of Hebrew background, you've been in this for a long time. You should be teachers. You should know better. But you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the articles of God, which, by the way, defines what they are in the next chapter, which is basic things of repentance from dead works and faith towards God.

The doctrine of baptism is plural and the laying on of hands and of resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment and then living on to perfection. With that, that's the basic principles. But it says you should be teachers. You have been in the church for a long time.

You should be pillars. And you need again people to teach you the basic principles of what it is to repent, to have faith towards God, what the commitment of baptism is.

But you should have gone past that long ago. Because it says, verse 13, or beg a pardon, let me finish reading for you. Verse 12, and you ought to have come to need milk and not solid food. You need to go back to just have baby powder, just baby food, instead of solid steak and eggs.

For everyone, verse 13, who protects only of milk is unscaled in the world of righteousness for his abide, for his immature, spiritually immature. But solid food, real solid Christian food, belongs to those who are of full age, that are mature, that have matured spiritually.

That is, those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The meat of Christianity is that you and I have become mature to discern because of practice, by reason of use, because you've practiced, because you have walked away and you've learned by experience, you have learned to discern wrong from right. That is the meat. And so, we need to watch the things that are coming at us, this physical and spiritual immorality, that is pulling people in the wrong direction. We need to watch ourselves. Watch ourselves. Towards the end of the parable of the Ten Virgins, which is Matthew 25, in Matthew 25, you know the Ten Virgins, five are wise and five are foolish.

So what was the difference between one or the other? Wise or foolish? Because some were wise and using God's Holy Spirit correctly and had God's Holy Spirit, they had the oil, and some were foolish, they were not using it, they were not filling it up with God's Spirit, they were not close to God. And that's why at the end, in Matthew 25 verse 13, Matthew 25 verse 13, it says, Watch therefore. For you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. What are you supposed to watch? CNN and Fox News?

I don't read that in the Bible. Watch CNN and Fox News. I think it's telling you to watch yourself. Now, it doesn't mean that you are in ostrich with the head in the sand and you're not aware of what's going around you. But the real watching that you and I need to do is ourselves in first place.

And so, are we dragging along physical or spiritual immorality in our lives? And going back to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 9 and 10, it says, So I'm wrapping these two. I mean, we could break them up into two principles, but I'm just wrapping them into two. They were tempting Christ. Oh yeah, they were tempting God, but it says they were tempting Christ. That's a powerful statement about who was the God that was talking to them at that time, isn't it?

They were tempting Christ because we know they murmured. They said, no, I don't trust in God. Why are we going this? We'd better go back to Egypt. At least there we had the leaks and whatever they had, and we'll go back to all that stuff.

Basically, they were rebelling. They were rebelling. Look at Numbers 21, verse 5 and 6. Numbers 21, verse 5 and 6. And the people spoke against God and against Moses. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food, no water, and our soul loves this worthless bread manna. You know, they were rebelling against God. They were murmuring. They were complaining. They were tempting God. And then what did God do? He sent fiery serpents among the people, and they but the people. They but the people.

You know, brethren, are we dragging these attitudes from the world into our lives? Could be fear. Could be different ideas. They went trusting God. And they just did not make the promised land. Look at how Hebrews, in chapter 3, summarizes the situation. Hebrews chapter 3. In Hebrews chapter 3, we're going to start reading in verse 7. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion. That period, that whole period, was basically a period of rebellion. In the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me and tried me and saw my works for 40 years, therefore, I was angry with that generation. God can get angry. He was angry.

And said, they always go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. They will not enter the promised land.

And they did not enter the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb. They are that generation.

What about us? What is our promised land? Our promised land is the kingdom of God. Continue reading in verse 12, please. Verse 12. Beware, brethren, lest there be any of you, or let there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. You see, they didn't believe in God. They didn't trust God. When there was needs, they didn't trust God. They had to do their own things, even when they said, well, now you can't go to the promised land. You've got to go into the wilderness for 40 years. They said, okay, we'll go. We'll go now. And they went and they got wiped out first day type of thing. So they didn't believe God. So it says, beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart. It's there. You see, as we take living out of our lives, as we finish in this week of using the symbolism of taking living of our lives, we need to look carefully whether we have any little bit of living in our lives, any little crumbs, any deceitfulness of heart, any little root of bitterness growing. And we've got to put it off. You know, root of bitterness is a dangerous thing because it grows. It's like leaven. It grows. It spreads. You know, when you take some sort of things in your garden that just keep growing and they're spreading everywhere, and you don't want these things in your garden. You rip them out, but there's still a little root underneath it, and then the light comes up again. You've got to get down to the root and take it because it's this deceitfulness of sin.

And the way to overcome is actually putting on unleavened spiritual bread. And during these seven days, we put on, we ate unleavened bread. What we've got to do is we've got to remember to eat this unleavened bread. Put on the new man in love, kindness, gentleness. And you go through those characteristics in Colossians 3, 12-14. And when it says that love then is the bond of perfection, because God is love. And so, brethren, are we dragging desires from the world into our lives? Are we dragging false gods and speculative and unsound conspiracy ideas into our lives? Are we dragging Pentecostal emotionalism into our lives? Are we dragging attitudes of complaining and rebellion into our lives? You see, brethren, if we continue reading now in Hebrews 4, verse 16 says, Seeing then that we have such a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, yes, he was accepted by God as our high priest, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us, with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are and without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Brethren, there remains for us, as you read in Hebrews 4, verse 9, remains for us a rest. Oh yes, you can read that as the Sabbath. Oh yes, you can read that as the Millennium. But ultimately, our rest is eternal life in the kingdom of God. There remains for us that that is our real promised land. So don't let that go. Hold on to the true unleavened bread, the bread of our lives, which is Christ through his Spirit.