The Fullness of the Time - Part Six Jan 10, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: The Fullness of the Time Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T040_20210110.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come....... We will continue to look at issues concerning the coming of the fullness of time today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday January 10th 2021 The Fullness of the Time - Part Six Out of Egypt 1). Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given……… Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those who were under law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. We had seen in our study last time that there is a direct connection between the coming of the fullness of the time, when a Son was given to Israel, and the fulfillment of a prophecy that had been given by Hosea – Ho 11:1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. This is a prophecy that still awaits a future fulfillment, but through the experience of the Christ Child, a sign has been given to the nation, pointing to what still awaits them - Mt 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Jesus, as with Moses in a previous type, was hidden in the world, in ‘Egypt’, from which He was then ‘called’ for the purpose of declaring the coming of His Kingdom. a). And in the first instance, this foreshadowed the 144000 Jews, saved and sealed during the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation, who will be called out of ‘Egypt’, for the purpose of declaring the coming of Christ’s Kingdom during the time of great tribulation. The sign given to Israel through the virgin birth – Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland [crown] of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And we had seen that the day will come, at the midpoint in the tribulation, when the Jewish people presently in the land will be scattered among the Gentile nations with those who are already there, for the purpose of bringing the whole nation to repentance – Lk 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And as we compare the verse from Luke with the Matthew 13 parables, we see clearly that Israel, the nation, through the action of being led away captive, will in fact be hidden in the world - Mt 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Moses was hidden in Pharaoh’s house as Pharaoh attempted to kill all the male Jewish children. In the same way, Jesus was hidden in Egypt as Herod killed all the children in Bethlehem and its districts from 2 years old and under. b). And all of this points to the future day, when Israel, the nation, will be hidden in the world during the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation, as Antichrist attempts to exterminate the Jewish people. c). And it is the regathering of Israel, following national repentance at the end of Daniel’s 70th seven, that will fulfill Hosea’s prophecy of God calling His son out of Egypt. d). However, Israel being called out of Egypt deals with more than just their physical relocation to the promised land. e). The nation’s history has been characterized by unfaithfulness and disobedience, that which the Scriptures call ‘harlotry’, and being called out of Egypt also has to do with the Jewish people choosing to turn away from the present world system in which they are assimilated to turn back to the God of their fathers and His purpose for them, separate from the nations. f). To be called out of Egypt is to be called out from their sin of harlotry into the righteous relationship they were always supposed to have with their Husband – Isa 54:3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. 6 For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. 7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer. Jn 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Ge 25:1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. So then, we can see that there is both a physical and a spiritual element to Israel being called out of Egypt. But both the physical and the spiritual lead to the same concluding point, rulership at the head of the nations in the coming Kingdom of Christ as God had promised Abraham. 2). Now, Hosea’s prophecy has its primary application in the sons of Israel and the fulfillment of God’s purpose for them. And this is where our attention has been focused. There is, however, a secondary application that we can see in this prophecy that can be applied to us. a). We are also ‘sons’ through our creation in Christ and we have been called out of ‘Egypt’, out of the world – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. To be taken out of the Gentiles to be a people for God’s name, is to be called out of ‘Egypt’ and our calling is to receive an inheritance in the heavenly realm of the Kingdom, as promised to Abraham’s seed – Ge 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” And we, as sons, are called to receive the adoption into the position of a firstborn son. b). And as we have seen from the verses in Galatians Chapter 4 our adoption as a firstborn son is inseparable from the coming of the fullness of the time. Let’s look at the verses once again - Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those who were under law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And our adoption as a firstborn son and the redemption of our body go hand in hand together and are inextricably connected to the salvation of our soul - Ro 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. As we look at the fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy with respect to Israel, we see its connection to a onetime national repentance and a onetime physical deliverance. From a Christian perspective though, our being called out of ‘Egypt’ is more about process, the process that leads to the salvation of the soul – Ro 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. And as we consider our process towards the salvation of our soul, we can go back to Israel’s experience in Egypt once again and to God’s call for them to go out of Egypt, where we can find spiritual truth for ourselves – Ex 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” 3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!” God required Israel to make a 3 days’ journey into the desert to ‘sacrifice to the Lord’, and in doing this they would experience rest from their labor. a). And from the Scripture we see that Pharaoh does not want to let Israel go. He wants to keep them in Egypt, working in his field, he does not want them to experience rest. b). We will remember what we have learned from the Scriptures concerning Israel and ourselves - 1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. From a natural standpoint a 3 days’ journey does not sound much but take this into the spiritual and this 3 days’ journey, through the use of the number 3, pictures a total, compete and irrevocable separation from all things Egypt. c). And as we see Pharaoh as a type for the god of this age, we will readily understand why he cannot let Israel go. And the same of course would be true for us in the antitype of what we see here. d). The 3 days’ journey, from our perspective, speaks directly to process and is also characterized in the race of the faith and the spiritual warfare, none of which can be separated from what the 3rd day itself is all about. e). Within a broad context the 3rd day will bring us to the Millennial Kingdom, the Day that follows the 2 days, the 2000 years, of this dispensation. It is this Day that we are to make our journey towards, just as Ruth made her journey to Bethlehem, as this will be the Day when the power of ‘Egypt’ will have been completely crushed and Christ and His joint heirs will rule from the heavens. f). Then, inseparable from our participation in this coming 3rd Day, is the process which another 3rd day teaches – Ge 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. The 3rd day of the restoration of the ruined creation in Genesis Chapter 1 provides the foundational picture for resurrection. The ruined earth, in the place of death beneath the waters, is completely helpless to do anything about its ruined condition. g). It is only by God’s Spirit that it is raised from beneath the waters of death and only as a result of God’s sovereign action can it then produce fruit. h). And in this foundational picture from Genesis Chapter 1 is to be found our own experience seen through the ordinance of baptism – Ro 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 1 Co 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures….. As with Israel in Egypt, our eternal salvation has been provided through the death and shed blood of The Passover Lamb, on whom we have believed – 1 Co 5:7b…..For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. And as pictured through Israel’s experience, following our eternal salvation, we are to plunge beneath the waters of baptism, just as they passed through the Red Sea - a passage for them through the sea, made possible by a ‘strong east wind’. The word translated ‘wind’ here is the Hebrew word ‘ruah’, which is the same word translated as ‘Spirit’ in Genesis 1:2, which hovered over the face of the waters. And the same word translated ‘wind’ in Genesis 8:1 – the ‘wind’ that caused the flood waters of Noah’s day to subside. Throughout then we are looking at a sovereign act of God by His Spirit. i). And having been brought out of the waters to the eastern banks of the Red Sea, there was only one direction to which Israel was to be led by the Spirit, to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they were to receive as their inheritance. j). Now, according to the Scripture from Romans Chapter 6 we have been baptized into Christ’s death. As with the firstborn in Egypt, from God’s perspective, we have died, and we were then buried with Christ. And just as Christ was raised from the dead ‘by the glory of the Father’ on the 3rd day, so we are raised to ‘walk in newness of life’. A sovereign act of God through His Spirit. k). Our ‘old man’, the man of the flesh, that associated with our first birth has been crucified with Christ and is to be kept beneath the waters in the place of death. And then, by the Spirit, we are to be led in only one direction, a figurative 3 days’ journey, to the heavenly land promised to Abraham’s seed – Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him……… For Israel, beyond the Red Sea, their inheritance was certain. The land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob could not be given to anyone other than Abraham’s physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob. l). But the Jewish people who came out of Egypt would not automatically be the ones to receive the promised inheritance – Ex 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Once the blood of the Passover lambs had been applied and the first generation to come out of Egypt was raised from the place of death by the power of the Spirit through the Red Sea crossing, the receiving of their inheritance in order to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, God’s own special treasure, was then subject to condition, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then…….. m). The first generation could never return to Egypt, the waters of the Red Sea had closed behind them forever, they could never be unsaved, but receiving their inheritance was another matter entirely. n). And in the same way, we can never stop being eternally saved. Our salvation is based on Christ’s finished work on the cross, and that which Christ has finished we can never undo. o). Christians are raised from beneath the waters of baptism and beyond this baptism it is certain that the inheritance in the heavenly realm of the Kingdom can only be given to those eternally saved during this dispensation, those who are the seed of Abraham by faith – Ga 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Christians also have the promise – 1 Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. But for all Christians, just as we saw with Israel, to receive the inheritance so as to be a Kingdom of priests in the age to come is not automatic – Ro 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Receiving the promised inheritance is conditional, ‘IF indeed we suffer with Him….’ Heb 10:36 For you have need of [patient] endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. There is now the requirement of faithful obedience on our part if the salvation of our soul is to be realized. And faithful obedience cannot be exercised by our old man, for he must remain in the place of death, but only by our new man, the man of the spirit, by the power of the Spirit – Eph 4:20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. We are to put off the old man and put on the new. Here is our process to the salvation of the soul – Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his soul/life will lose it, but whoever loses his soul/life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul/life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul/life? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Here is the very essence of our 3 days’ journey – 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. But here’s the thing – Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… More next time – if the Lord is willing. The Fullness of the Time - Part Six Jan 10, 2021 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Fullness of the Time Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T040_20210110.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come....... We will continue to look at issues concerning the coming of the fullness of time today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday January 10th 2021 The Fullness of the Time - Part Six Out of Egypt 1). Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given……… Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those who were under law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. We had seen in our study last time that there is a direct connection between the coming of the fullness of the time, when a Son was given to Israel, and the fulfillment of a prophecy that had been given by Hosea – Ho 11:1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. This is a prophecy that still awaits a future fulfillment, but through the experience of the Christ Child, a sign has been given to the nation, pointing to what still awaits them - Mt 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Jesus, as with Moses in a previous type, was hidden in the world, in ‘Egypt’, from which He was then ‘called’ for the purpose of declaring the coming of His Kingdom. a). And in the first instance, this foreshadowed the 144000 Jews, saved and sealed during the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation, who will be called out of ‘Egypt’, for the purpose of declaring the coming of Christ’s Kingdom during the time of great tribulation. The sign given to Israel through the virgin birth – Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland [crown] of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And we had seen that the day will come, at the midpoint in the tribulation, when the Jewish people presently in the land will be scattered among the Gentile nations with those who are already there, for the purpose of bringing the whole nation to repentance – Lk 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And as we compare the verse from Luke with the Matthew 13 parables, we see clearly that Israel, the nation, through the action of being led away captive, will in fact be hidden in the world - Mt 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Moses was hidden in Pharaoh’s house as Pharaoh attempted to kill all the male Jewish children. In the same way, Jesus was hidden in Egypt as Herod killed all the children in Bethlehem and its districts from 2 years old and under. b). And all of this points to the future day, when Israel, the nation, will be hidden in the world during the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation, as Antichrist attempts to exterminate the Jewish people. c). And it is the regathering of Israel, following national repentance at the end of Daniel’s 70th seven, that will fulfill Hosea’s prophecy of God calling His son out of Egypt. d). However, Israel being called out of Egypt deals with more than just their physical relocation to the promised land. e). The nation’s history has been characterized by unfaithfulness and disobedience, that which the Scriptures call ‘harlotry’, and being called out of Egypt also has to do with the Jewish people choosing to turn away from the present world system in which they are assimilated to turn back to the God of their fathers and His purpose for them, separate from the nations. f). To be called out of Egypt is to be called out from their sin of harlotry into the righteous relationship they were always supposed to have with their Husband – Isa 54:3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. 6 For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. 7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer. Jn 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Ge 25:1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. So then, we can see that there is both a physical and a spiritual element to Israel being called out of Egypt. But both the physical and the spiritual lead to the same concluding point, rulership at the head of the nations in the coming Kingdom of Christ as God had promised Abraham. 2). Now, Hosea’s prophecy has its primary application in the sons of Israel and the fulfillment of God’s purpose for them. And this is where our attention has been focused. There is, however, a secondary application that we can see in this prophecy that can be applied to us. a). We are also ‘sons’ through our creation in Christ and we have been called out of ‘Egypt’, out of the world – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. To be taken out of the Gentiles to be a people for God’s name, is to be called out of ‘Egypt’ and our calling is to receive an inheritance in the heavenly realm of the Kingdom, as promised to Abraham’s seed – Ge 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” And we, as sons, are called to receive the adoption into the position of a firstborn son. b). And as we have seen from the verses in Galatians Chapter 4 our adoption as a firstborn son is inseparable from the coming of the fullness of the time. Let’s look at the verses once again - Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those who were under law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And our adoption as a firstborn son and the redemption of our body go hand in hand together and are inextricably connected to the salvation of our soul - Ro 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. As we look at the fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy with respect to Israel, we see its connection to a onetime national repentance and a onetime physical deliverance. From a Christian perspective though, our being called out of ‘Egypt’ is more about process, the process that leads to the salvation of the soul – Ro 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. And as we consider our process towards the salvation of our soul, we can go back to Israel’s experience in Egypt once again and to God’s call for them to go out of Egypt, where we can find spiritual truth for ourselves – Ex 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” 3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!” God required Israel to make a 3 days’ journey into the desert to ‘sacrifice to the Lord’, and in doing this they would experience rest from their labor. a). And from the Scripture we see that Pharaoh does not want to let Israel go. He wants to keep them in Egypt, working in his field, he does not want them to experience rest. b). We will remember what we have learned from the Scriptures concerning Israel and ourselves - 1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. From a natural standpoint a 3 days’ journey does not sound much but take this into the spiritual and this 3 days’ journey, through the use of the number 3, pictures a total, compete and irrevocable separation from all things Egypt. c). And as we see Pharaoh as a type for the god of this age, we will readily understand why he cannot let Israel go. And the same of course would be true for us in the antitype of what we see here. d). The 3 days’ journey, from our perspective, speaks directly to process and is also characterized in the race of the faith and the spiritual warfare, none of which can be separated from what the 3rd day itself is all about. e). Within a broad context the 3rd day will bring us to the Millennial Kingdom, the Day that follows the 2 days, the 2000 years, of this dispensation. It is this Day that we are to make our journey towards, just as Ruth made her journey to Bethlehem, as this will be the Day when the power of ‘Egypt’ will have been completely crushed and Christ and His joint heirs will rule from the heavens. f). Then, inseparable from our participation in this coming 3rd Day, is the process which another 3rd day teaches – Ge 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. The 3rd day of the restoration of the ruined creation in Genesis Chapter 1 provides the foundational picture for resurrection. The ruined earth, in the place of death beneath the waters, is completely helpless to do anything about its ruined condition. g). It is only by God’s Spirit that it is raised from beneath the waters of death and only as a result of God’s sovereign action can it then produce fruit. h). And in this foundational picture from Genesis Chapter 1 is to be found our own experience seen through the ordinance of baptism – Ro 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 1 Co 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures….. As with Israel in Egypt, our eternal salvation has been provided through the death and shed blood of The Passover Lamb, on whom we have believed – 1 Co 5:7b…..For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. And as pictured through Israel’s experience, following our eternal salvation, we are to plunge beneath the waters of baptism, just as they passed through the Red Sea - a passage for them through the sea, made possible by a ‘strong east wind’. The word translated ‘wind’ here is the Hebrew word ‘ruah’, which is the same word translated as ‘Spirit’ in Genesis 1:2, which hovered over the face of the waters. And the same word translated ‘wind’ in Genesis 8:1 – the ‘wind’ that caused the flood waters of Noah’s day to subside. Throughout then we are looking at a sovereign act of God by His Spirit. i). And having been brought out of the waters to the eastern banks of the Red Sea, there was only one direction to which Israel was to be led by the Spirit, to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they were to receive as their inheritance. j). Now, according to the Scripture from Romans Chapter 6 we have been baptized into Christ’s death. As with the firstborn in Egypt, from God’s perspective, we have died, and we were then buried with Christ. And just as Christ was raised from the dead ‘by the glory of the Father’ on the 3rd day, so we are raised to ‘walk in newness of life’. A sovereign act of God through His Spirit. k). Our ‘old man’, the man of the flesh, that associated with our first birth has been crucified with Christ and is to be kept beneath the waters in the place of death. And then, by the Spirit, we are to be led in only one direction, a figurative 3 days’ journey, to the heavenly land promised to Abraham’s seed – Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him……… For Israel, beyond the Red Sea, their inheritance was certain. The land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob could not be given to anyone other than Abraham’s physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob. l). But the Jewish people who came out of Egypt would not automatically be the ones to receive the promised inheritance – Ex 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Once the blood of the Passover lambs had been applied and the first generation to come out of Egypt was raised from the place of death by the power of the Spirit through the Red Sea crossing, the receiving of their inheritance in order to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, God’s own special treasure, was then subject to condition, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then…….. m). The first generation could never return to Egypt, the waters of the Red Sea had closed behind them forever, they could never be unsaved, but receiving their inheritance was another matter entirely. n). And in the same way, we can never stop being eternally saved. Our salvation is based on Christ’s finished work on the cross, and that which Christ has finished we can never undo. o). Christians are raised from beneath the waters of baptism and beyond this baptism it is certain that the inheritance in the heavenly realm of the Kingdom can only be given to those eternally saved during this dispensation, those who are the seed of Abraham by faith – Ga 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Christians also have the promise – 1 Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. But for all Christians, just as we saw with Israel, to receive the inheritance so as to be a Kingdom of priests in the age to come is not automatic – Ro 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Receiving the promised inheritance is conditional, ‘IF indeed we suffer with Him….’ Heb 10:36 For you have need of [patient] endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. There is now the requirement of faithful obedience on our part if the salvation of our soul is to be realized. And faithful obedience cannot be exercised by our old man, for he must remain in the place of death, but only by our new man, the man of the spirit, by the power of the Spirit – Eph 4:20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. We are to put off the old man and put on the new. Here is our process to the salvation of the soul – Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his soul/life will lose it, but whoever loses his soul/life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul/life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul/life? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Here is the very essence of our 3 days’ journey – 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. But here’s the thing – Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… More next time – if the Lord is willing.