Intro. The Lord has graciously and mercifully allowed us to live through another year. He has protected and preserved us and has enabled us to live, move and have our being. The great questions that should be answered by each one are:
Have you thanked Him for His grace and mercy in your life? Have you acknowledged that He has sustained and preserved you during the past year? Have you given Him glory and praise?
You must remember that it is God that holds our souls in life and that our times are in His hands.
Psalm 66:9: Which holds our soul in life, and suffers not our feet to be moved.
Psalm 31:15: My times are in thy hand…
How many are the years of your life? How many are the years of your pilgrimage upon this earth. Jacob expressed his life in Genesis 47:9: And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
I have seen older couples celebrating their anniversary with pictures showing “the years of our lives.” I suppose that Alice and I could do the same for all of the years of our lives have flown by as quickly as a vapor. In fact, that is exactly as to how our lives are described in James 4:14: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away.
Moses, the man of God gives us several examples of the swiftness of our days and then gives us an admonition concerning their swiftness and brevity.
Look in Psalm 90:1-12: Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou haste formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carries them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourishes, and grows up; in the evening it is cut down, and withered. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who know the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
In this passage he contrasts the eternality of God with the temporal being of man. Man is a creature of time; God is not. The brevity of man’s life is like unto being carried away in a swift flood, as a night of sleep, as grass that springs up the morning and is cut down in the evening and finally as a tale that is told. Our lives are over with quickly and if we make it past 70 to 80, it is mostly trouble and sorrow. In light of that truth, what must we do? Psalm 90:12 is the answer: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Moses sends us to God to teach us to number our days. We are so careless, unthoughtful and uncaring that unless He teaches us we will not be taught. We have a limited time to apply our hearts to wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord and obedience to Him. Job 28:28: And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
The wise man gave us this truth in Ecclesiastes 12:1: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
The truth is that those that desire a peaceful and easy life in old age should be holy, righteous and obedient in their youth. Godly obedient youths have fewer regrets in their old age.
When I began this message, I looked up the words year and years in the concordance. I was amazed at how numerous those words are used in the Bible. Let me give you simply the first and last occurrence of each in the Bible.
Genesis 1:14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Revelation 20:7: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Genesis 7:11: In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Revelation 9:15: And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
I point this out for a specific reason. Although God is eternal and unaffected by time, He ordained and created time when He created the world. Time began at creation and will end with the new creation of heaven and earth.
Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Revelation 10:6: And swear by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
In the beginning that is the creation of time. God created the heavens and that is space. He also created the earth and that is matter. Time, space and matter are the creations of God. Each of these are imposed upon His creatures. We are creatures of time, also of space since we are limited to one place and we are matter and live upon matter which is the earth.
When we exit this earth, we leave time, space and matter. Our exit is our exodus.
We all hear and understand the word exodus and we cannot even think of the word without thinking of Israel’s exodus from Egypt which is so fully covered and taught in the book of Exodus. The very word exodus means a departure or an exit.
Exodus 12:41-42: And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
Exodus 14:8: And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.
The exodus of Israel from Egypt was cause of much praise to God. In fact, there is a song concerning the great exodus or deliverance in Exodus 15:1-7: Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sent forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
Israel went out in battle array, equipped with that which God provided in the defeat of His enemies. They were victorious in Him.
I want you to see how the word exodus is used in the New Testament. It may surprise you. This is exactly why I titled this message “Concerning Your Exodus.”
Luke 9:28-31: And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
In this passage we are seeing that which is known as the transfiguration of Christ. Here was a glimpse of His glory. Here He is seen as He really is – God in the flesh. It is during this moment that Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Christ. The subject was His decease at Jerusalem. We understand that His decease refers to His death. They were talking about His propitiation and redemption that he would accomplish by offering Himself as a sacrifice.
Luke 9:31: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
Interestingly, the Greek word for decease is ἔξοδος (exodos) which means “a decease, a departing or a departure from life.”
The word is made up of two Greek words ek, which is a preposition which means out, or out of and ὁδός (hodos) which is a path, a way or a road.” Thus, the word exodus literally means “a road, a path or a way out.”
The path, the road, the way out for Jesus Christ was total obedience to the father in accomplishing redemption. In His death, He brought forth life.
Acts 5:30-31: The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 13:34: And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Ephesians 1:18-23: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The exodus of our Lord in His death brought forth life abundantly.
Now, look in 2 Peter 1:12-15: Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
The word decease in verse 15 in relation to the death of Peter is the same Greek word ἔξοδος (exodos).
Peter desired that while he was alive and in this tabernacle, that is his body, that he might be able to stir up the minds of those to whom he is writing and to put them in remembrance of truth. He then adds that “Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” His exodus was his death. He wanted to get as much preaching and teaching as he could while he was alive.
While Pastor McCurry was dying, a doctor trying to keep his spirits up, asked him if there was any one thing that he wanted to do before he died. Bro. McCurry simply responded “to preach.”
Unless one has been called by God to preach; it is impossible to understand the drive and the motivation to continue preaching and teaching as long as the Lord gives life and strength. Peter did not wish to retire; he wanted to preach. I do not want to retire; I want to preach. There was an exodus for Bro. McCurry, for Peter and many others and there will be an exodus for me and for you. You must be ready for your way out, your path and road out of this world. It will come.
APPLICATIONS
1. You will exit this world. You will have a personal exodus. You will leave. The question is how will you leave and not will you leave? You will leave. Will you leave as a child of God with faith in Jesus Christ or will you leave as an unsaved, rebellious and un-submissive sinner.
The exodus of the saint is much easier than the exodus of the sinner. There are many descriptions of saints dying in the Lord. We are told that those that die in the faith are “gathered unto their own people.” We are also told that in their death they have “fallen asleep in Jesus.” Going to sleep is easy and often enjoyable. Certainly being gathered unto one’s own people and experiencing a family reunion is enjoyable.
The saints are assured of a new body that does not experience pain or sin. We will have glorified body and in will be one in which we shall be able to see God and to behold Him in all of His glory and majesty. It is this that makes the exodus of a saint glorious and desirous. However a saint dies, we are told in Psalm 116:15: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Job gives us a very vivid truth of this in Job 19:25-27: For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
The last phrase of Job’s statement of truth “though my reins be consumed within me” also could be read as “my reins within are consumed with an earnest desire for this.”
Now look how the unsaved make their exodus. There is a huge difference.
Job 27:13-23: This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep. Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver. He built his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper makes. The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carried him away, and he departed: and as a storm hurled him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Job 18:11-18: Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet. His strength shall be hunger bitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.
I prefer my exodus from this world to be that of a saint, one whose sins are forgiven and covered by the Person and work of Jesus Christ. He is not only my Redeemer but also my intercessor and my advocate.
2. The exodus of the child of God from this world is and should be a joyous occasion. Why? The answer is that we are being delivered not only from sin and sickness but also from death. Death has no power over the child of God. Death can no more hold one of us than it could Jesus Christ. Our resurrection is guaranteed by His resurrection. In the physical death of the child of God; there is victory. Why? You must remember 1 Corinthians 15:26: The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Death is our last enemy and in dying, like our Lord Jesus Christ, we gain the victory over death because our physical death ends in life eternal. Like Israel of old; we will go out with a high hand.
A high hand means that we go bravely, boldly with courage and confidence. We are not weaklings, we are not cowards, and we are not run a ways. We are victors. Israel went out in battle array and so do we. We make our exodus under the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ and we know that we are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. Our hands and our hearts will be lifted high in triumph. Our way out is through the gates of death to eternal life in Jesus Christ. We merely pass through the shadow of death because the sting has been removed by Jesus Christ.
