Living in the Spacious Place: got-ta-get-to Goshen

Sermon Notes
September 28, 2011

Sermon:Living in the Spacious Place: Got-ta-get-to-Goshen
Sermon Text: Exodus 8:21-23 NKJV

21 “Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”

In this text, God is in an argument with Pharaoh but doesn’t allow his people to be affected by it. God is up to something in our economy (or shall we say, he’s in an argument with America) but he still wants you to live in the spacious place/Goshen.

Goshen: place of obedience, peace of mind, place where God’s people live and will not be affected, and being worry free, not care free.

You may be asking: “God, what about me? How do I live in a spacious place?”

Point 1: God will deal differently with me (vs 22)
God was making a point that Goshen will not be affected. The Hebrew theology of this text suggests that God is actually in the land of Egypt and making his presence known in tangible ways. As we speak in today’s time, we could be wondering: how can God be present in both the bad economy and in good times? Do you ever wonder: “How can I be doing the right thing in one area of my life, but in another area, I’m still struggling?” We must understand that God can do one thing in the midst of one situation, and work in other ways for other situations. We must learn to trust him for different things and know that he is in the same place at the same time. When things get tough, its not the time to start doubting God, but instead we should be trusting God. The moment you live by God’s word, you force him to deal with you differently.

Deuteronomy 28:1-“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:15-“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

Point 2: God will make a distinction (vs 23)
The Hebrew definition of distinguish means to redeem or to put a price on something. In this text, we see that God has already determined the price he would pay for them. God distinguishes you from everyone else.

God is saying that despite this economy, you cost too much for him to destroy. When times get tough, God puts you in the “safe deposit” box because you are too valuable!

Point 3: God will do it (vs 24)
God is good on his word and if he said it, he’s going to do it.

Psalm 139:13-“For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.:
Isaiah 49:16- “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.”
Romans 8:32-“He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Numbers 23:19-“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?” Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Romans 8:31-“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Isaiah 45:23-“I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”

Some of us are living in the wrong “neighborhood”: having disbelief, being disobedient, and deliberately avoiding God.

Getting to Goshen:
A.) Pack-leave all the negative baggage behind
B.) Move/Stop Procrastinating-know the problem and correct it. Procrastinating means “stopping creation”. Stop saying that you will change something tomorrow, but change it TODAY.
C.) Stay Put When You Get There- after he gets you to a certain place, don’t get upset about something and then risk missing what he has in store for you.

From start to end, God always works it so that you can find a spacious place to live in.