http://www.calvaryhillsboro.org/

Thank you for supporting Calvary Hillsboro. Donate Online: https://www.calvaryhillsboro.org/members/online-giving

Subscribe To Watch More: https://www.youtube.com/c/CalvaryChapelHillsboro

Thank you for watching. God bless you and your family!
We would love to hear your comments and please like and share this video.

Matthew 6:10, Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

1. That is a right prayer request. But have you ever wrestled with knowing God’s will?
2. Tonight, we are going to look at a thought-provoking passage in Exodus to discover important principles to help us know God’s will and follow Him more closely.

Exodus 13:17-22

Context
1. After ten plagues, Pharaoh finally broke and told Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt.
2. Approximately 2 million Israelites God led out of Egypt along with animals and some Egyptians.

I. God’s Way is Always the Right Way (17-20)

Psalm 107:7, He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. (NKJV)

A. Even when God’s way is the long way (17a)

ILLUS – The beauty of GPS

1. God did not take Israel by the quickest route.
a. Sometimes the fastest way is not the best way route for God’s people.
b. Sometimes the quickest way is not the easiest way for God’s people, though, it may appear to be at first.
2. God has a goal for His people:
a. To get His people to the right place, the right way, at the right time.
b. God selects the best path to accomplish what would not be accomplished if He led us by a faster route.
3. And many faith-inspiring events that we treasure as we read God’s Word would have been lost if God had taken Israel by a different route.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4, For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

ILLUS – Faith-inspiring event at UW Husky Stadium

APPL – When the road gets long and you feel like your life is falling apart, remember, God will never lead you the wrong way. Have faith.
• Do not runaway, fret, complain, or grumble.
• Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Transition – Not only does God know the right way, our heavenly Father knows us. . .

B. God knows our frame (17b-20)
1. Not only did God want Israel to experience victories with Him, He also wanted them to avoid potential threats to their young faith.
a. Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for over 400 years.
b. They were beaten down by life in Egypt.
c. If God took Israel by the fastest route, they would have been confronted by the Philistines.
d. They were not ready for war with the Philistines and would have run back to Egypt in fear.
2. God did not want His people running back to Egypt, back to a familiar place, back to the land of slavery.

Psalm 103:13-14, Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

APPL – It is so heartbreaking to watch people we love run back to harmful relationships or destructive habits when facing a new battle.
• God wants all who are made in His image to walk in freedom, not live in bondage.
• So sometimes God will lead us away from those things that will be too much for us because our faith needs to be strengthened.
• But if you are tempted to run back to those harmful things, give God room to move.
• God will always provide a way of escape.
1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
. God is With Us Every Step of the Way (21-22)
A. The Pattern: God leads, we follow
1. God is the ‘Initiator’ and we are the ‘responders’.

Isaiah 65:1, I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, “Here am I, here am I.”

1 John 4:19, We love, because He first loved us.

Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
Calvary Chapel Beaverton
Calvary Chapel Portland

Tags:
Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones
Matthew Dodd

Rich Jones Church, Rich Jones Christian, Rich Jones Christian Church, Rich Jones Bible Study, Pastor Rich Jones Faith, Rich Jones Sermons, Rich Jones Calvary Chapel, Calvary Chapel Worship Center, Calvary Chapel Hillsboro, Calvary Chapel Beaverton, Calvary Chapel Portland, Calvary Chapel Oregon