Friday, November 2, 2018

The Right Master

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians." Exodus 6:6-7

Here's a reality check: everyone of us is in bondage. We all serve something or someone. 

Jesus said as much when He stated, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Matthew 6:24

This profound truth reveals several significant insights about our bondage:

1) Everyone has a master but no one can have two masters.

2) We serve the master we love.

3) It is possible to choose your master.

Now, rewind some 3,500 years to God's first promise to Israel through Moses, "I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians....."

Let me remind you that the Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years! They had served one cruel master for four centuries. That's four generations of bondage. That means their great-great grandfather, and their great grand father and their grandfather and their father had all been slaves! And not they were, too.

That's a long time to serve a cruel master that you hate!

So, it is to these people that Moses announces the four promises of God! And the first promise was the promise of salvation.

It had become apparent to them by now that they could not save themselves. If they could they would have long ago! Only the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob could deliver them from the mighty Pharaoh.

And He was now ready to do that through His servant, Moses.

But how was it that He planned to save them, to set them free from the bondage of Egypt? By believing His promise! By believing that He could do what they could never do for themselves! And by trusting Him to do it! By making Him their God!

God's plan for saving His people was for them to choose Him as their Master! They were to set themselves apart by choosing Him! For 400 years they had not had that opportunity but now, because of Moses, they did! Now they could choose their Master!

Today, because of Jesus, you can choose whom you will serve. You can choose your master. Will you serve your sinful desires, attitudes and habits or will you trust Jesus to bring you out from under that yoke? Will you choose to love Him more that you love your sinfulness? 

He promises that if you will make Him your Master and serve Him He will do what you can never do for yourself. He will save you! 

Salvation comes from serving the Right Master!