Exodus 8.
We are at the end of the second day, and at the beginning of the third day. Wouldn't it be great to see a people who spiritually go over and neatly fold that body wrapping in the tomb of Jesus and set it aside, spiritually? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we would follow Him so closely that we become a people who walk, not only in resurrection life, but in ascension life, also?
Here is the first thing in Exodus 8:23.
The first plague came upon the children of Israel and Egypt, both. But, beginning with the fourth plague, the children were made separate. Here's how:
23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.This word "a division" could also be written "a redemption or set a ransom". Does your Bible margin say that? That's the Hebrew word for "division." God said he would put "a redemption from my people and the people of the world."
What's the difference? What keeps the plagues from coming upon us? It's not my good actions. It's a redemption. The thing that makes me different is the redemption. I have been purchased. And that's what God says.
We go down to verse 25 and look at the compromises.
25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.The "land" is Egypt. He said "It's all right with me that you go and sacrifice. Pharaoh sees the redemption, the difference, and he says, "Okay, you can go and sacrifice, but don't leave the world and do it. Don't leave Egypt. Do it out here where it can be seen."
Verse 26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do;...This is not advantageous for us.
This is one of the things the enemy wants us to do. "Hey it's Okay, we'll let you believe in Jesus. That's all right. You want to be religious? Fine. But just do it here among us, and we will even do it with you!"
That's not what God commanded. He said, "You've got to leave the world the world system."
Galatians. 1:4 says that we have been delivered from this present evil world. You cannot mix the world and Christianity. You cannot compromise the blood of Jesus with worldly principles of success. It's so easy to find someone out there who has used principles of success in the world and say, "Well let's do that in the church. This is how you control people and we'll just do it that way." But it won't work. That's Pharaoh's compromise.
26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?The world doesn't want anything to do with the Cross. The Cross of Calvary is an offense to the world because it majors on and pictures the need and the penalty of sin, which is death.
Everything in the Word has something to do with the death of Jesus. Genesis 46: 34 That ye shall say, Thy servants trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians. This is what Moses referred to when he said that it was not the right thing to do. "If we sacrifice in front of you guys, it's the abomination of Egypt, and you will stone us for doing it."
With the shepherd being an abomination of Egypt, can you imagine what the slaying of a lamb or a sheep wold be in their eyes?
Moses said, "We're going out there and we're going to offer a lamb."
Revelation reveals that Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. It's the same picture all through scripture.
Pharaoh said, "Just stay here and offer your sacrifice."
Moses replied, "We can't do this because you don't like sheep."
Is this the problem that exists in the church today? Are we far away from the Promised Land because we have not left the land? There are ministers that really don't see the need of emphasizing the Cross all the time.
Galatians 6:14 teaches that it is by the Cross that I've been crucified to the world and the world to me. The world and I don't mix. And that separation came from the Cross.
Pharaoh's first compromise was to sacrifice among the Egyptians, and Moses said, "No, that won't work because we preach Jesus and Him crucified."
Paul said, "I want to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." And one translation adds, "...and what that means to us.
The next compromise is found in the 8th chapter in verse 28
And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.
He said, "All right, you can go out of the land. But don't go too far."
There is a lot of ways to preach that. "Don't go the whole three days." In the natural, it took three days to get to the Red Sea and over to the other side. This is the message for a Christian to enter rest.
"Don't go very far. Look, you're saved and you're forgiven. Just cool it. Isn't that enough for you. Don't go too far."
We need to respond, "Pharaoh, know first you can't get to the Promised Land if you don't leave Egypt. Secondly, you can't get to the Promised Land if you don't go very far."
So he tells you, "First of all, the Promised Land cannot be reached anyway. Some of us are not believing that lie!"
Then he says, "Don't go very far. You know, you're getting a little fanatical in this business. Some of you even speak in a language that's not your own! Looks to me like you will should cool it right there, but you want to go even further! Don't go all the way. Be happy that you're on the second rung on a three rung ladder."
There are three stages of spiritual maturity that are to be experienced. Saved, Spirit filled and grown up! God is working, and the third level of maturity provides protection in the darkness of this world.
"Don't go very far!"
It's important to understand that there are three places to go. Quickened, raised, and seated! This is growing up into the fullness of Christ.
John said there are children, young men and fathers. There are three stages. Pharaoh said, "Don't go all the way."
Let's look at the 10:10
And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.You know what he said there? "Don't take the little ones with you. Don't take the younger generation."
"You're already preaching a message of maturity and of growing up into the fullness of Christ. You're surely not teaching that message to your children, though?"
"Yes we are, Pharaoh!"
The word of God is spiritually discerned. Our biggest problem as adults is that we are trying to understand it with our intellects.
Kids simply say, "Yes, we're going to be just like Jesus."
Jesus said, "Unless you become like them, you aren't even going to start!"
Kids simply believe. Adults say, "There is no way that we can be just like Jesus," all the while this is precisely what the word teaches over and over again.
It's so sad. They say, "Look out! You're getting into false doctrine! You're going off the wall!"
Lord, help us! They don't want us to go too far. They desire us to stay where we're at.
Pharaoh knows the devil knows that if he can keep the children here, no one will go in, because the older ones later died. It was the children who later entered in after the adults doubted and were left to die in the wilderness.
The period of 40 years in the wilderness is the period of a Biblical generation, and it pictures the truth that the old man must die and be buried before the new man goes over.
24 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.Isn't that like the devil? He said, "Just do it right here, and make it fit your worldly things."
It won't work. James 4 reads that the world is enmity with God. The problems with the Hebrews was their length of the time of upbringing in Egypt, in the world. They were Egyptian-minded, and it took 40 years to get Egypt out of them. They proved it. They constantly questioned God and Moses. "Where's the next miracle?"
The Bible teaches that they began to crave the flesh pots of Egypt, and said, "I wish I was back there where we didn't have to believe God. We just went down and charged it."
The world will only charge you 21% and you can get a burger right now. "Just forget God!"
This demand of the Pharaoh is a picture of the worldly systems more than we realize.
Pharaoh said, "If you're going to do all this, then don't take your herds and your flocks."
First of all, if you leave your possessions in the world system, then you're really not delivered anyway. Church, to many people, is nothing more than what we do on Sunday, and our money is for what we do the rest of the week in the world.
But God says you have to take your possessions with you! The spiritual implication here is that the herds and flocks were the animals that God was going to use to offer up to Him, picturing the future redemptive work of Christ. All the way throughout the journey for those 40 years, God initiated all kinds of offerings, burnt offerings, meat offerings, and peace offerings. Most of them consisted up part of the flock, and every time it pictured Jesus.
Picture Pharaoh saying, "Leave those pictures of Jesus and the Cross behind at the Red Sea. You can serve the Lord, but don't take the pictures of what produces the service."
These offerings were messages to us. If they didn't have the flocks and herds, they would not have seen the pictures of Jesus. All the blood-flowing pointed to Jesus.
During your journey to the fullness of Christ, your day must be filled with the offerings that picture Christ. From the Red Sea to the Jordan, there must be the offerings that picture Christ's work, because during that period, God moved down into a tabernacle that constantly involved the offering of those things.
Our minds must be constantly conscious of what these things represent. Pharaoh says, "Don't take these types with you."
Do you have pictures in your mind of Jesus dying for you? Everytime the world throws up a problem in your face, do you wonder what aspect of the redemptive work of Christ is provided to get you through this?
Daniel chapter 7:20 & 21 speak of what we have traditionally know as the anti-Christ. Look at verse 21
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;It is prevailing against the saints. Notice that it prevails until something occurs. Whatever that "until" is, we need to discover it. When that "until" comes, I don't have to mess with that "anti-" anymore.
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High;Has Jesus come? In talking about the Cross, Jesus said in John 12, "Now is the judgment of this world come, now is the prince of this world cast out. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."
And judgment was placed on Jesus. When Jesus died, that was God judging the whole world, including you and me, in Christ.
The anti-Christ, or the devil-spirit in the world, prevailed against the church until the church was given a revelation of judgment. Judgment was given the saints of the Most High, and the devil was no longer able to prevail against them.
That's what's going to stop the constant warfare that people are having. It's going to have to be an understanding that the old sinner man died at the Cross of Calvary and the new creation is what we presently are. Judgment has been given to the Saints.
Verse 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High,This is talking about the devil. That's what he's doing. He is wearing people out. He is urging people to produce something that can't be produced by works. And it is making them weary.
"Lord, I've tried to get free of this or that!"
God is trying to give you a revelation of the judgment that was poured out upon you in Christ at Calvary, so that you can walk free and quit working to produce what was a free gift all along.
Pharaoh says, "Travel three days and worship? Then get your on straw from now on!" Same story.
"What do we have to do?" You must labor to enter into the Rest of His finished work. This is the hardest thing to do. We have trained ourselves to survive by our mind and our wills. God is saying that if you will come to the end of yourself, you can have the fullness of Him.
Prayer: Father we are going all the way. We are going the full three days. We are not leaving our children. We are not leaving our possessions. We are going to keep the pictures of you and your Son ever before us. We are not going to mix the spiritual with the world. We are coming out of the world and moving into your fullness by your power. We take these elements of communion supper and hold up a picture of the finished work, the redemptive work, that you provided for us in the Name of Jesus.