Title: The Promised Land
Text: Gen. 12:1-4
[Gen 12:1] Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
[Gen 12:2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[Gen 12:3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
[Gen 12:4] So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Introduction
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The Lord called Abram out of his father’s house to a land that He will show him.
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That land is the promised land
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The promise was made to Abraham, but also to Isaac (Gen. 26:2-4), to Jacob (Gen. 35:10-12), and eventually to their descendants
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The promised land represents the state of being in God’s will for your life
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What is that state of life that you are looking unto God for? It is your promised land
Main Topic
There are certain steps that one may go through to get to the promised land. We will review some of them:
1 Cry out to the Lord in prayer
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[Exo 3:7] And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
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[Psa 61:1] Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
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The Lord heard the cry of the children of Israel in Egypt.
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Surely the Lord will hear your cry as you cry out unto Him and will send the help we need just as He sent Moses
2 Leave Egypt
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Egypt may be a physical location that is unpleasant for your spiritual walk with the Lord
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Egypt may be a lifestyle of sin or a place where your flesh is being fed more than your spirit man
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Egypt may be a state of life not allowing the glory of God to come in – Ps. 24
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To Hannah, her Egypt was childlessness
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To the woman with the issue of blood, it was the sickness and stigma that came with it
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To Bartimeus, it was blindness
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To Peter, it was lack of breakthrough in his place of business
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Whatever Egypt is, you must leave Egypt
3 The Wilderness
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After leaving Egypt, there could be a wilderness experience
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Wilderness experience is not meant to be for a long time
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However, it can be prolonged based on our attitude
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There will be battles in the wilderness
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You must have faith in God without any form of compromise
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Your must rely and trust God in every step
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[Psa 91:2] I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
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At Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites relied and trusted God
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At Ai, Joshua and the Israelites relied on themselves
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The pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud will accompany you
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[Isa 43:2] When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
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Don’t murmur against God in your lowest moments in the wilderness
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Don’t spy out the promised land – it is the evidence of a lack of trust in God
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You must keep moving forward
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Don’t be discouraged, it is a trick of the enemy
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Don’t be dismayed
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Don’t be tired
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Avoid all of forms of rebellion
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Benefits of the Wilderness
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You move closer to God
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You learn to depend on God
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You become a warrior for God
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You become fearless – [Pro 28:1] The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
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Make the best out of the wilderness experience – there are blessings in the wilderness
4 The promised land
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[Oba 1:17] But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
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You shall get to your promised land and take possession of that which is yours
Conclusion
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The sooner we leave Egypt, the sooner we can get to our promised land
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Anyone that is yet to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will remain in Egypt (the sinful state of life)
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To leave Egypt, you must come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior