"Jesus- The Deliverer of His People"
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Throughout
this Lenten services, we’ve looked at types of Christ in the Old Testament;
remember, a type is something in the Old Testament that foreshadows a New
Testament reality. Specifically, we saw how
people in the Old Testament point us to Christ.
After all, that’s what the Scriptures are all about- Jesus. There are countless numbers of people in the
Old Testament I could have used; this sermon series could last a long time if
we went through them all. Throughout
these last few weeks, we’ve looked at how: Adam, Isaac, Esau, and Joseph
foreshadow Christ and tonight, we’ll complete our series with Moses.
When you think of
Moses and all that he did, what stands out foremost in your mind? To many, Moses is the Law-giver. He’s the guy who came down from Mount Sinai
with the Ten Commandments. I mean that’s
what the Charleston Heston movie is called, right, The Ten Commandments. It’s
not called The Parting the Red Sea,
or The Liberation of Israel, but they
named the movie The Ten Commandments.
Yet,
Moses is more than the Law- giver but the deliverer of Israel. For 430 years,
Israel was in bondage in Egypt, forced to be their slaves. They lived under the whip of Pharaoh, forced
into labor. At one point Pharaoh even
ordered that every male Hebrew baby be killed.
But one escaped- Moses. He was
born into the world for a purpose. Do be
the instrument that God uses to deliver the people of Israel out of slavery and
lead them to the land that had been promised to Abraham.
But
even on their way out of slavery, even as God is ushering them to the land that
He had promised them, Israel can’t help but grumble. They go throughout the desert complaining
constantly about the conditions and actually longing to be back under the yoke
of slavery in Egypt. On their journey
through the wilderness to the Promised Land, Israel goes kicking and screaming.
Not
unlike us. We were born into slavery
under sin, death, and the devil- our harsh overlords who want nothing else than
to drag us down to everlasting fire. And
as we make our way through the wilderness of this world, the slavery of sin
often looks better than the deliverance of Jesus. Our sinful nature seeks to be bound to the
things of lust, jealousy, and the things that are best for itself instead of
the neighbor. It seeks the things of the
world instead of the things of God.
By
nature, we are children of slavery, born in the chains of sin; helpless to
deliver ourselves. Like Israel, we need
a deliverer, one to crush the chains of sin, conquer death, and lead us out of
the realm of the devil and usher us into the Promised Land.
Who
shall save us from the bondage of sin?
Who shall deliver us from the chains of the devil? Who shall deliver us from the icy grip of
death? Jesus. Jesus- the Second Moses. Jesus has delivered us by Himself being
placed into bondage. For you, He was
placed under the whip of Pilate. For you, He binds your sins to Himself. For you, He was placed on the cross,
submitting to the yoke death for three days.
So
that we, who were in bondage to these things, have been released. Sin, death, and the devil are no longer your
master, Jesus is. And when we turn back,
grumbling about how deliverance often looks more like slavery, there’s Jesus,
calling us back to Him. In baptisms
Christ has claimed you out of slavery. Jesus has already descended into hell and
proclaimed victory over Satan, crying out, “Let my people go!”
In this world, we wander through it as Israel
wandered for 40 years but at last, Israel crossed the Jordan, entering the land
that had been promised to them. So it is
for us. Our pilgrimage shall end. After the time of our sojourning, we will be brought
to the Promised Land; land flowing with milk and honey. A land where the shackles of sin will be forever
removed and the devil can no longer harm you.
This is your
promise. That because Jesus submitted
Himself to the cross, but was raised again, you have been set free; made a
liberated people of God by passing through waters of baptism. Your chains have been cast off by your
deliverer, the Second Moses- Jesus.
Amen.
The peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
unto life everlasting. Amen.
