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The following is an edited sermon manuscript:
Opening scripture: Exodus 14:5-31
On Good Friday, the first thing that comes to mind is likely not the Exodus from Egypt. But one could be forgiven for wishing to think of anything else on this terrible night. A family member expressed to me earlier in the week, "What is so 'good' about this awful day?"
Well, for the believer, there is quite a lot that is good about Good Friday. And ironically, we learn about said goodness by briefly taking our eyes off the cross and placing them onto the Israelite exodus. Mainly how higher reality vanquishes our egotistic views of the world. As the theme for Palm Sunday was "There WILL be triumph," our theme for Good Friday is "There WILL be freedom."
What do I mean by this, and what does this have to do with crossing the Red Sea? Let's continue:
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?'
Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'"
-John 8:31–36 (ESV)
Forgive my whiplash in scripture here, but I'm going somewhere. Tonight, I wish to briefly reflect on the nature of "Free Indeed." As Jesus addressed his Jewish listeners, their astonishment at his suggestion that something enslaved them bears two distinct ironies; First, the Jewish people had indeed been enslaved before, when they were in Egypt. And, had God not intervened, Egypt would still enslave them. With that in mind, the listener's commentary is slightly galling, especially knowing that they're listening to their savior incarnate.
The second irony, however, is my desired focus for Good Friday. We know that there is a difference between being physically free and spiritually free. However, the audience Christ spoke to didn't seem to recognize the distinction. Appearances deceive, and while they were outwardly free, they were very much bound on the inside.
When we partake in communion, giving glory to the Father for the precious gift of Good Friday, we are told to reflect upon our sins. We are told to examine ourselves and ask the Lord to reveal that which is hidden so we might be washed clean by Christ's blood. The apparent lessons we take from the Jewish listeners' incredulousness are so:
We might look free on the outside, but our hearts tell the truth
We might imagine we've got this "Christianity" thing down, but we need his graces every day.
We will be "free indeed."
What does it mean to be "free indeed?" The Apostle Paul gives us some insight:
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
-Romans 8:1–2 (ESV)
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
-Galatians 5:1 (ESV)
Further on, we are taught that our newfound freedom is not a license to sin:
"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."
-1 Peter 2:16 (ESV)
But there is unambiguous teaching that we are free! It is a bonafide Holy Spirit verified 100% customer satisfaction love it or get your money back guarantee! Freedom is assured by the blood of Christ shed on this day so long ago. Amen!
What does this have to do with the Red Sea parting? I offer as a suggestion that the exodus is an Old Testament narrative that the New Testament challenges us to consider from a Christ-centered perspective as a picture of Christ's salvation. And I never thought this until Dr. Tim Keller related a memory of Alec Motyer, a British Old Testament scholar, and what he said to R.C. Sproul:
"Think about it. Think of what an Israelite would say on the way to Canaan after passing through the Red Sea. If you asked an Israelite, "Who are you?" he might reply, "I was in a foreign land under the sentence of death and in bondage, but I took shelter under the blood of the lamb. And our mediator led us out, and we crossed over. Now we're on our way to the Promised Land, though we're not there yet. But he has given us his law to make us a community, and he has given us a tabernacle because we must live by grace and forgiveness. And he is present in our midst, and he will stay with us until we arrive home. That's exactly what a Christian says—almost word for word."
Ponder the power of such revelation! We were once slaves, now suddenly freed! We were once under God's wrath, but now we're justified! The blood of the lamb covers us once and for all. And, like the Israelites leaving Egypt, we're on a journey away from our former masters of sin and corruption.
Imagine being an Israelite at the time of the exodus. Your whole life, you've likely known nothing except bondage. In the most surreal experience of your life, you're strolling out of Egypt with your brothers and sisters, not knowing what's ahead but exhilarated for the journey.
You arrive at the Red Sea, and you probably think, "What now?" Maybe you see Egyptian banners crest the horizon, and you panic. Did God bring you this far to let you die now!? Perhaps it was all fake! Ahhhhhh! Then Moses speaks:
"Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today."
On Palm Sunday, I mentioned that we can fix so much lousy thinking by realigning our perspective with God. There's a larger narrative happening outside your little world, an entire universe resting in his almighty hands. Everything the Lord has said will come to pass, and if he states it will be so, it will be so.
He set his heart upon freeing the Israelites. He'd conjured mighty plagues to testify of his ability to do so. And now, at the climax of their exodus, the Israelites panic as the Egyptian army bears down upon them, justifiably so. But my question is this: "Is God's sovereign plan any less valid?"
Now that he's done all this work to get the Israelites out of Egypt, will he abandon them to this cruel fate? The answer is obvious, but the fact we even have to ask the questions testifies to our nature.
How many times has God been faithful? Is he not still mighty to save? (Zephaniah 3:17) When you've got a massive body of water in front of you and the armies behind you, will you still trust the Lord's plan?
To be honest, I sometimes panic. Sometimes I stumble in my sin, and I wonder if God still holds me. How jacked up is that perspective? That even the notion of my sin trumping God's love can cause anxiety, or that he no longer has a plan for my life because there's no way he can move this mountain. How crazy is it that we can think this way?!
"Whom the Son sets free is free indeed."
When I take my eyes off myself and place them on him, suddenly that sea doesn't seem impassable. My sins don't seem insurmountable, and Christ takes his place in my heart as Lord. Not that he ever left, but that I've made room to embrace that reality again.
In Christ, there will be freedom; It is a promise in our lives. The cross satisfies the penalty of my sins, and my liberty is ensured. Even if we stumble, even if we sin, even if we've lost our way on the road to the promised land, there will be freedom.
In Christ's Freedom,
-RJ
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