Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

















"Preach The Word"

DEPARTING FROM SIN

Exodus 12:31. And he called Moses and Aaron by night, and said,
Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and
the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.
Introduction:
At long last Israel hears the words she has prayed for over 400
years to hear, God!
1. Perhaps many of the children of Israel had never
considered the consequences of this prayer.
2. Now at last they were to go, take all, and leave the
land! Perhaps some were tempted to look back, even as Lot's wife.
3. But it was necessary to take all! and Pharaoh had to
release all.
4. In a similar fashion, having experienced the forgiveness
of sins, we must now leave sin and the allurements of this
world and turn whole-heartedly to God.
5. Our theme is: Departing from Sin.
I. Departing Speedily
II. Departing Completely
III. Departing Confidently

I. DEPARTING SPEEDILY. "And thus shalt ye eat it, with your
loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your
hand; and ye shall eat it with haste; it is the Lord's passover"
(Exodus 12:11) .

A. Hastening away from Egypt.
I. The children of Israel ate the passover all ready to
move. Hence also the unleavened bread.
2. Perhaps God felt that should they remain they might
be tempted with the "good things" of Egypt as they were later.
Numbers 11:4-5.
3. Also the Egyptians were not slow to realize their loss.
God knew the necessity of distance between Israel and the
enemy.

B. Hastening away from Sin.
1. So the Scriptures, in similar vein, counsel us. We
must flee sin.
Flee fornication. I Corinthians 6:18.
Flee from idolatry. I Corinthians 10:14.
Flee also youthful lusts. II Timothy 2:22.
2. To be sorry for sin and to repent from sin is important,
but we must now flee from it. The Scripture admonishes:
"Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32) .
3. If we are going to be successful against sin we shall
have to hasten away from it and stay out of its territory. That
is also why the Savior teaches us to pray: "And lead us not
into temptation."

II. DEPARTING COMPLETELY. "And he called Moses and
Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from
among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and
go, serve the Lord, as ye have said."

A. Israel left with all its possessions.
1. For a long time there was an argument. At first
Pharaoh agreed to let only the men go. Exodus 10:8-11. Then
no possessions. Exodus 10:24. But God demands all!
2. God also spoiled the Egyptians.

B. We must serve God completely.
1. God demands the complete person. Our whole heart
must be dedicated to Him.
2. We must serve God apart from the world. God and
Mammon cannot stand side by side. Those who possess a great
abundance of material things often have obscured, spiritual vision.
3. We must serve God with our whole family. The
whole area of mixed marriage comes clearly into focus at this
point.
4. All our possessions belong to God. Stewardship includes
life and possessions!
0 the bitter pain and sorrow, that a time could ever be
When I proudly said to Jesus, "All of self and none of Thee!"
Yet He found me, I beheld him bleeding on the accursed tree;
And my wistful heart said faintly, "Some of self and some
of thee."
Higher than the highest heaven, Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, thy love at last has conquered,
None of self and all of Thee.
—Theodore Monod

III. DEPARTING CONFIDENTLY. "And the Lord went before
them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the
way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to
go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the
cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before
the people" (Exodus 13:21-22) .

A. Israel leaves Egypt.
1. But now, where to? Who knows the way of the wilderness?
"Where is there bread?
2. There were about 1,000,000 slaves in all left alone
in the wilderness. They were used to taking orders. Now they
were alone.
3. But Israel does not travel alone. The pillar of cloud
leads them by day and the pillar of fire leads them by night.

B. You and I travel with God.
1. So we began our spiritual pilgrimage in an uncharted
wilderness full of destruction and death. Yet we are not
alone.
2. God, even so, teaches us and travels with us. Our
pillars of cloud and fire are God's full revelation in Christ, the
Scriptures, the church, the sacraments, and prayer.
3. God is always ready to guide those who trust in him.

CONCLUSION:
Are you ready to leave all and follow Him?
This is the cost! Are you prepared to do it?