Good day
Today I would like to cover the example of how God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and share some lessons derived from this account with regards to how it can relate to us today, specifically in the context of the great commission.
Exodus chapters 3 to 15 covers the account of how God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh, to tell him to let God's people go, it speaks about all the miracles God performed and how God delivered the Israelites and destroyed the Egyptian army when they crossed the Red Sea.
There are similarities one can draw from this account with regards to the great commission. For example, how it started with God saying that the cry of the children of Israel came before Him and how He saw the oppression they experienced, and as a result, He came to Moses and asked him to take up the assignment/mission of being God's vessel to deliver the Israelites and bring them out of Egyptian bondage.
In the same way there are people suffering out there facing all forms of oppression from the devil and how God is wanting to deliver them; and as a result, calls on us to be His vessels as we carry out His assignment/mission on the Earth today of reaching the lost and bringing the message of salvation to them, delivering them out of satan's bondage over their lives and reconciling them to their loving Heavenly Father.
Another example, and the one I want to highlight for today's message, is that God initiated all of this. What I mean by this is that Moses didn't come up with the idea of delivering the Israelites - God did.
In fact, when God approached Moses to take up this assignment he made excuses saying who is he that he should go, saying he isn't eloquent in speech (cannot speak very well), to the point where, in Exodus 4:13, Moses actually asked God if He could send someone else instead of him - from this we can see that it definitely wasn't his idea to go or to be chosen for that assignment. I find this encouraging because it all points to God, how everything that was done, came as a result of God - all that Moses had to do was obey and God did the rest.
Below are 3 lessons I'd like to share from this example and how it relates to us today with regards to the Great Commission:
1. The reason why the Israelites experienced deliverance and salvation and saw all the miracles God had performed was because Moses obeyed. Everything that was recorded happened because Moses obeyed. God was able to bring about His promise of deliverance to the Israelites because Moses was obedient, because he was available.
In the same way, all we have to do is be available and obey the great commission and God will carry out His works through us (see example of Mark 16:20, the Bible says that as they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the accompanying signs).
I want to point out here that in both accounts it happened because they went - It worked/came to pass because they went - people were delivered, saved and set free because they went ... and God is calling on us today to go for Him, to be an instrument for His glory and to showcase His love to the world ... In the same way that God asked Moses to be obedient and to go for Him, He's asking us the same thing today.
2. Moses didn't come up with the idea/instruction of delivering the Israelites, he went on the authority of God's word/instruction - based on the fact that God had said - He had God's backing. In the same way we didn't come up with the idea/instruction of carrying out the great commission (evangelism, discipleship, preaching the gospel, etc.), we go on the authority of the word/instructions of Jesus, not our own (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-19). We go based on the fact that He said to go - we go with His backing - we go in His Name - in His power - in His ability! Because He said to go, we are fully capable of carrying out this assignment!
3. In the same way that Moses didn't go depending on his natural ability, we shouldn't either. God isn't looking or depending upon our natural abilities, gifting's or IQ when asking us to carry out the great commission - He does it through us with the help of the Holy Spirit!
In conclusion, I mentioned that this account is encouraging because it all points to God, that everything that was done, came as a result of God's doing, and this is true with regards to the great commission as well - all we're doing is coming alongside with what God is already busy doing, and has been doing for many many years. All God is asking of us is to obey and step out in faith, knowing that we have His backing, and He takes care of the rest.
Amen