RUT TO REVIVAL - WHAT IS A RUT? | PART 1
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Sermon Title: From Rut to Revival
Main Scripture: Exodus Chapters 1-14
Deuteronomy 1: 26-33
How many of us have been in ruts, difficulties, hardships, or situations in life that seem like the grip it has will never be broken?
How many of us have attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and thoughts that seem to be rooted in negativity?
How many of us seem to stay stuck in depression, anxiety, anger, discouragement, unforgiveness, fear, or any other negative emotional experience?
How many of us can’t seem to get away from destructive habits, bad relationships, conflict with others, destructive decision-making, or life choices that don’t seem to work out?
Then this series is for you!
In fact, we all need to turn our ruts in life into revival, so that God can be fully realized in any and every circumstance we face in our lives.
WHAT IS A RUT?
Any habitual pattern, persistent mindset, emotional stalemate, or comfortable position in life that robs us of the ability to move forward into God’s best for victory and freedom in any area of our lives.
Ruts come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are big; some are small.
Some have lasted a long time; some a short time.
Good news:
- God is always with us. No matter what we feel or see.
- His power can deliver us.
Paul – Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection….”
Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
- God knows what He wants to do in us and through us. God’s will and plan are important.
Let’s look at the Israelites in Egypt and God’s ability to deliver them and how they struggled along the way.
Israelites were in their homeland.
Joseph was sold into slavery. Famine was to come.
God had a bigger plan. Joseph was in charge of saving the nation.
Jacob and the Israelites went to Egypt.
Settled there due to famine.
Then a new generation and a new king appeared.
Exodus 1:6-10 (NIV), Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. “Look”, he said to his people, “the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
Oppression and bondage lasted many years.
Moses and the burning bush.
Exodus 3:7-10 (NLT), Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey – the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
Moses went to Pharaoh. It failed.
Increase in oppression.
Moses frustrated.
God comes back with the same promise.
Exodus 6:6-9, “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. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and
harsh labor. (cruel bondage)
Even in spite of their discouragement, God still came through with the 10 plagues.
He brought them out of Egypt!!
Exodus 12:40-42 (NIV), Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.
God cared about what they experienced and He led them.
Israelites ready for battle.
But look where God was leading them.
Exodus 13:17-18 (NIV), Crossing the Red Sea, When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.
Exodus 13:20-22, After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
God had a plan, but they did not see it!!
Exodus 14:10-12, As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
God was not fazed by the complaint.
*He knew what He was going to do! They didn’t.
Exodus 14:15-16 (NIV), Then the Lord said to Moses, “why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Look at what the Lord did!
Exodus 14:19-20, Then the angel of God who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
They struggled as they went forward in spite of what God was doing to lead.
Old nature kept sabotaging their efforts to be content with what God was doing and where God was
bringing them.
They eventually arrived.
12 Spies sent out. Ten out of the twelve gave a bad report.
Israelites affected by the bad report failed to recognize God’s provision and purpose for them.
Sad outcome. Wondering for 40 years.
Outlined in Deuteronomy 1:26-33 (NIV), Rebellion Against the Lord, But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made out hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The People are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.”
Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search our places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
Takeaway #1
God always brings us home!
Started with Abram
God brought him to Canaan
Went to Egypt during famine
Went back to Canaan
Several times the Israelites left but God brought them back.
Then they went to Egypt in Joseph’s day.
God released them from the Egyptians.
Where was He taking them?
Back home to the Promised Land.
Jesus came to restore us. To bring us back home to Him.
Genesis to Revelation is a love story of God destroying what the enemy did in the Garden and bringing us to where He always wants us to be!
Takeaway #2
The journey is just as important as the destination.
Note that the Promised Land did not border Egypt.
Would the Israelites be in shape to take over their inheritance from God?
Consider:
No Israelite knew freedom!!
They had several generations of bondage
mentally!
They were coming out of Egypt but had no
other experience to lean on.
God had to make something new.
My assumption: The journey was a way for God to shape them with His experiences and to prepare them to physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually take control of what God had for them.
Even at the doorstep to freedom and promise, they sabotaged their ability to take possession of it.
The journey for us strengthens us, perfects us, prepares us, and changes us so that our destination can be fully realized. Consider the following examples:
Destination: Playing a musical instrument.
Journey: is to learn, practice, perform.
Destination: College degree
Journey: taking courses, tests, writing papers, making presentations, etc.
Destination: Proficient in job
Journey: learning, training, performance, experience
Destination: Athletic proficiency
Journey: skill acquisition, practice, experience
Destination: Raising a child to become an adult (parenthood)
Journey: nurture, feed, provide, discipline, train, school, etc.
Destination: Travel
Journey: planning, travel, logistics, time
Destination: Spiritual maturity
Journey: prayer, Bible study, fellowship, worship, community, service, solitude, etc.
Destination: Freedom
Journey: growing in the Lord, healing, perseverance, community, adversity etc.
How much are we impatient with God as He leads us on our journey to healing, wholeness, growth, freedom, spirituality, etc.
When our focus is too much on the destination, we can experience…
Discouragement
Confusion
Disillusionment
Anger
Regret
Drifting back to our old nature
But if we focus on the journey with our eye on the destination, we can realize…
God’s faithfulness
God’s provision
God’s strength
God’s healing
God’s constant presence
God’s plan and purpose
Bottom line:
The journey is God’s way to grow us as we progress through life.
It is God’s way to heal and transform us from the wounds we already have experienced in life.
It is God’s way to remove the stain of the effects of years stuck in the old nature and the flesh.
It is God’s way to be glorified as he provides for us and changes our dependence on this world.
It is God’s way of guiding us through the difficult parts of our lives.
It is God’s way to help us grow spiritually and to rely on Him more and more for direction in our lives.
It is a process by which He helps us to be transformed into His image as we are being perfected in our characters and in our walk with Him through life.
It is God’s way to help us to get to the destinations in our lives and ultimately the final destination; eternity.
DISCUSSION:
Do you ever feel any of the characteristics of the “rut”? If so, what rut(s) might you find yourself in?
Do you believe that God is always working for your good? If so, how have you come to believe this? If not, what do you believe God is doing if your circumstances are not changing?
Where is your focus? On the journey or the destination? Have you seen the characteristics of your focus - destination or journey?
How can you reframe your rut to see a journey of restoration, healing, reconciliation, provision…"?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed we encourage you to say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!