Moses, An Alien In A Foreign Land

Moses, An Alien In A Foreign Land Exodus 18.1-12 Moses is an example for all of us following Jesus. In his own words, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” He named his firstborn that. Like Joseph, he had two boys. They named them to reflect their situation in life they were in. He was an Israelite of the tribe of Levi. He was born in Egypt, but now he was traveling across the Sinai, in between Egypt and Israel. Moses was an Israelite by birth and by choice. Hebrews 11. 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyerof the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. He led the children of Israel right up to the border of the Promise Land but was not able to enter because he misrepresented Christ by striking the Rock twice. We are in that “in between place”. Peter addresses us this way, “ As aliens and strangers in the world…” I Peter 2.11 Moses was a man without a country, a homeland. He had left Egypt and it treasures. I have been to Cairo, to the museum there. It contains King Tut’s Tomb. I never saw so much gold in my life. Moses left all that and much more. He walked away. I wonder what thoughts went through his mind those 40 years in the backside of the desert. Egypt was behind him. He is watching sheep. He did not realize it that he was being prepared to be a shepherd to Israel, a group of about 4-6 million. Then he became faithful in all of God’s House. Abraham was like that! Hebrews 11. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Moses and Abraham experienced literally what we are experiencing spiritually. Philippians 3.20 Our citizenship is in Heaven and we await a Savior from there. Take a moment and pause with me and meditate on this truth, this morning. We are being given some truths on our standing here on this Earth which has spun out of control. If my hope was in this world I would be very depressed. My mind would be confused. But I am a foreigner and a stranger on this earth. What does this mean? How do you live in “an in between place”? * I Belong To Another Land The Land of Heaven The Land. Beyond The Blue The Place Jesus is Preparing For Me. My citizenship is from there. A few of us were talking about enhanced licenses and passports last Sunday. I have a regular license and a passport from 2020. It will be good another 4 years if I need it. It is proof of my residency. My passport proof of my citizenship on earth. But far greater than that, infinitely far, is that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That is my passport to Heaven. We are living in between Earth and Heaven. We are on the Earth but our hearts are in Heaven. We will leave this Earth one day for our permanent home. We are to live in that reality. Visit a dying saint and you will experience it. Jesus, in His Great high Priestly Prayer prayed John 17. 15 My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one— 23 I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world. * It is Something We Become Moses said he had become. We become born from above. We become born again. My journey/ Our Journey Photos from Uganda yesterday Stephen, Tracy, Priscila and Daisy, brought by friends, born again. God bless the children: Yesterday and this morning in Kenya, greeting the children Abraham left He left his homeland His family All that was familiar to him. God promised that He would be his exceeding great reward. Moses fled. They were shepherds. Shepherds moved around, lived in tents. We dwell in tents of this body. We may “own” homes and property, temporarily. If we recall they are borrowed for a while. We can own them or they can own us. So this morning as we share the Word our eyes are fixed on Jesus. He is explaining to each of us where we are in our connection to Him and our relationship to the world. He is calling all of us to stay in the world as His witnesses but not of the world as His people. I Peter 2. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. We have been set apart. For this time. We are finding out that we do not have to leave to touch the world. We are finding changes happening more rapidly than we can possibly keep up with. This can make us dizzy if we do not fix our eyes on Jesus. * Nothing Here is Permanent The believer understands this. The person without Christ does not. They cannot. I Corinthians 2. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. If we could just lay hold of that! How much better our journey would be! We get bogged down with the nonsense, the minutia If we can get into our noggins that all of this is going to burn we would have much more peace. Shepherds do not carry much with them. Sheep even less. Shepherds, only what is necessary for their life’s work. A staff/rod, a sling and if you are blessed a harp. It is unseemly for shepherds to be in it for the money. He is in it for the Master. He cares for the sheep. Abraham was looking for a city that was out of this world. When we live as Abraham we have nothing to hold us back from serving the LORD. We do not have to struggle over giving things up. We have already given them up. Live like Moses… an alien in a foreign land.