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History says that the Founding Fathers of America who signed the Declaration of Independence over two centuries ago, read and referred often the story of Moses' delivering Egypt from the hand of the Egyptians in the book of Exodus. They saw in the ancient story a type of their own actions and they believed that in creating America, they were forming a land where people could enjoy prosperity and worship the one, true God of Israel. Therefore it is very fitting that on this Independence Day weekend, we should take our text from the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt.

The story is that the children of God had become slaves to Pharaoh of Egypt and God had sent Moses and Aaron to inform Egypt that it was time to let them go. Not wanting to lose millions of free labor, Pharaoh naturally refused such a crazy request and so God used Moses to bring the plagues on Egypt. Ten plagues -- ranging from frogs everywhere in the land to the Nile turning red like blood and becoming undrinkable to great big boils coming up on the Egyptians' skin -- came upon Egypt and finally through a great and horrible final plague that brought death on the firstborn of every Egyptian family, Israel -- protected by the blood of a slain Passover lamb -- was free from the bondage of Egypt.

They left in the night and came to a place where the Red Sea was in front, mountains on the sides, and Pharaoh's army behind them, but God told Moses to part the sea with his rod and the sea rolled up so that Israel was able to pass through the midst on dry ground. When the Egyptian armies tried to follow, God caused the sea to collapse and in their armor and chariots, they drowned -- giving Israel complete victory over their past. Israel then traveled for three days into the wilderness to the Mt. Sinai where they met God on the mountain and they received the Laws of Moses and where the Tabernacle was built and the presence of Almighty God came down from heaven to dwell among them in that structure. Then they began the journey to the Promised Land -- to the place that God had for them. A place where they could live for Him in protection and security. Where they could teach their children to obey the commandments of God. Where they could raise up generations in liberty and freedom to worship Jehovah God at His temple. Where they could regularly see the hand of God moving mightily in their lives.

Paul wrote to us in the 10th chapter of 1 Corinthians that this entire story is an example to us today of God's plan for our life. Man is born just as much slave to sin as Israel was to Egypt and Jesus Christ -- prophesied "prophet like unto Moses" -- has come to, through miraculous powers, set us free from that bondage and take us out of this sinful world. The way out starts with a death of repentance and then it comes through the Red Sea of the waters of baptism where the blood of Jesus delivers you from your past that is fast pursuing you. And then comes the Spirit of God, all the way from heaven to the temple of your body when the Holy Ghost comes in! And then, then it is the will of God to not stay in the wilderness but to move forward in God to a Promised Place where you are free to worship God week in and week out in the beauty of His holiness. It is the will of God for you to advance to the point where you can raise your children to obey the commandments of God and raise up future generations in liberty and freedom and holiness. Where you can live free from the bondage of sin and slavery of this world and where you can find true happiness and true joy and true contentment and that only comes when you have completely escaped the slavery of sin and entered into God's restful way of living!

Such is the perfect and mighty will of God for every man, woman, boy, and girl born into this world. But unfortunately, some refuse to take advantage of this great freedom of God. They refuse to decide to leave Egypt at an altar of true repentance. They decide to not cross by faith through the Red Sea of the waters of baptism. They never receive God's law or His Spirit dwelling within them. The Lamb of God has shed His blood for them to go, but too many people in this world are content to stay in Egypt as slaves to sin and its bondage! But it is God's will that they be free! He's already paid the price and charted the course! He's already got a blessed place and lifestyle in His will waiting for them to get to. He's got blessing ready to be poured out on them that they don't even know about. Because to get everything that God has for you, you've got to first leave Egypt! If I am preaching to you today and you have not yet decided that you need a change for your life and told God that at an altar of repentance. If you are here and you have not yet entered the waters of baptism in the name of Jesus; you have not yet received God's Spirit living within you. Then, what better weekend than Independence Day weekend is there to take advantage of God's liberty and freedom and be set free! You can be delivered from generational curses today! You can be delivered from a lifetime of hard cruelty to sin! You can begin to move forward to true deliverance today! Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! God is offering you complete spiritual liberty today!

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But for our text, we have to move back in the story a bit. Our text in Exodus is just after the plagues of the river turning to blood, the frogs everywhere, and the gnats and insects that infested the land. Moses has by this time repeatedly made his request to Pharaoh. Moses has even told Pharaoh of what God has commanded His people to do. And so in our text we find Pharaoh doesn't agree with God's terms for liberty which is completely unconditional, but rather the king of Egypt proposes his own solution:

Pharaoh says, "I will let you go into the wilderness," but -- and catch this now -- "only you must not go very far away." This is Pharaoh's version of liberty and freedom. And it is very clever. "You can leave Egypt to go sacrifice to this God that is literally bugging me to death, but don't go too far away. Let that be as far as you go." In other words, stay close enough where my army can still reach you without much exertion. Stay close enough so that you will return to Egypt often for supplies and such. Stay close enough so that my spies can constantly watch you and report back to me. You can leave, but don't go very far away lest I change my mind and bring you back to build more structures as slaves. You can go sacrifice to your God, but just don't go very far away!

Realize what Pharaoh is, in effect saying, and you will realize that I am preaching to everybody today. Pharaoh is saying "go ahead and decide to leave Egypt, that's fine." "Go ahead and pass through the miraculous waters of the Red Sea, that is fine, too." "You can even go learn of the Word of God at Mt. Sinai and build this Tabernacle/Temple of yours and let the Shekina presence of God descend and dwell there, that's fine with me too." "Only, don't go very far away." Such is the offer of freedom of this world. Such is this world's idea of religious freedom. Such is the compromise that the king of sin is offering to you today.

But I'm here to preach to you that such an offer by Pharaoh was not freedom at all because it was far short of the liberty that God had promised! And so I want somebody to realize today that God has offered complete liberty for your life and future generations and at the same time there is a false religious liberty offered by this world. This world says "go sacrifice to God, but don't go too far away." We hear this voice today in the form of:

This world doesn't mind if you decide to get religious. They don't even care if you come to church and learn the Word of God. Furthermore, you can even repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and be filled with the Holy Spirit in the tabernacle of your body. IF you do all of these things and don't ever go too far away from the world. They don't mind all of these things as long as you stay close to their lifestyle and their ways of doing things. Their motto is "go ahead and leave and you can even sacrifice a little to your new-found God, only don't go too far away!"

In our other text, Paul was writing to the church in Corinth and through him the voice of God thundered:

He is not talking about salvation, because this was written to a people that had already been baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Spirit of God. They were a part of the church of God! This is rather a call to people who had listened to Pharaoh's voice and although they had left Egypt, they had never truly gotten very far away from it! In many ways, their lifestyle still mirrored the world's way of doing things. And so the call from God came through the Apostle "go out from their midst, and be separate from them" says the Lord, "and touch no unclean thing!" And THEN God said "I will welcome you and I will be a father to you." This is a call to not heed the compromise of this world. God is saying "I saved you so that you can totally be free from Egypt's influence!"

We have too many people in the Apostolic church that have listened and agreed to Pharaoh's compromise. They have their baptismal certificate stating very clearly that they were baptized in the name of Jesus. They received the true, powerful infilling of the Holy Spirit. But they have camped "not very far away" from their old lifestyle. Their separation is so small that their old friends easily influence them. The distance of difference is so miniscule that they are still feeding off the things of this world. They come to church and shout and learn the Word of God and even sacrifice but they still watch everything that they used to watch, read everything that they used to read, speak like they used to speak, go everywhere that they used to go, and act like they have always acted. They have left Egypt to worship God, but they have obeyed the voice of Pharaoh speaking "just don't go too far away."

But in response to Pharaoh's wisdom, comes the call of God thundering to you: "what fellowship has light with darkness?" "Or the children of God with the devil?" To be baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit and coming to church and yet not have gotten too far away from Egypt is not true freedom because you are an easy target for the enemies' attack! He will not lend you such freedom for long but it will be soon that he will return and want you to stop the sacrifice and worship!

Pharaoh offered this compromise because he knew that if they stayed just a little bit away from Egypt and didn't go too far, they would be dwelling in a desert land and eventually would grow tired of it. You see, the Promised Place of God's complete blessing and rest is a long, long away from Egypt. It is as far away from it as you can get. But if you leave Egypt and don't go too far, then you are choosing to live your life in the desert and in the wilderness, dry places.

When people come to me and say "living for God is so hard," they have just identified that they are living too close to the world. Because the reason that it is hard is that they are in the dry place between their past and where God wants them to live. Living for God is hard in the wilderness. Living for God is difficult when you are "not too far away from Egypt." But it is easy when you have left this sinful world and its ways far behind and you have entered into the restful place of promise that God has desired to take you! It's hard to see the promised place of God when you are so close to Egypt that you are constantly yearning for its sin! It was in the wilderness that the children of Israel murmured and said "wish we had the garlic and onions of Egypt." Once they entered the Promised Land in the book of Joshua, you never read of such statements again! If you are constantly longing for the things of this world and always living for God focused on "what you no longer have" then you are not truly free because you have listened and acted on the compromise of Pharaoh. You have gone out to worship God but you "have not gone too far" that you cannot see the lights of Egypt! When you are focuses on what you have to give up to live for God, you are facing the wrong direction and have your eyes toward Egypt and your back to the promises of God.

But, oh, if someone could realize that you have not even tasted all that God has for you! You will never experience the fullness of God's blessings trying to straddle the fence and live as close to this world as you can. The true blessings of God are found far away from Egypt! You've got to shut your ears to Pharaoh's suggestions! It's time to leave the desert region on the outskirts of this world and press forward to the full Promised place of God! It's time for God's people to move far, far away from Egypt!

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You can go sacrifice to your God, just don't go too far away! We hear this voice often now in another subtle way. Another way the king of sin speaks this today is:

Sin doesn't matter if you consider yourself religious or Christian. IF you don't take it too extreme. This world preaches a "moderation" and "balance" of religion. They don't care if you are religious as long as you don't go beyond what is "normal." Don't go beyond the status quo of what most other religions are doing. Don't get so zealous that you stand out in the crowd! You can sacrifice to your God but "don't go too far away" from the mainstream of society!

They say:

Praying and seeking God is fine but don't let if affect you until you begin to change your spiritual appetites or lifelong dreams.

Worship is okay, but don't get radical with it in dance or get too emotional about it. Don't go beyond what most dead churches do!

Giving a few bucks in the offering plate is fine but don't obey the commandments to pay tithing and offering and don't give regularly to missions. That's going too far!

Furthermore, going to church is acceptable, but our sinful society has set the norm of going once a week on Sunday morning only. At least that has been the norm since the 1970s in America for the crowds. Go to church but don't go more than once a week because then you are weird. And whatever you do, preacher, don't preach on Hebrew 10:25 where the Bible commands us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and to meet more frequently the closer to God's coming. Just give in to the Catholic statute that once a week is enough. Go to church, but don't go too far away from what is considered "average." And certainly don't put church attendance before work, because making money is far more important than extra religious exercise.

In other words, you can go sacrifice to God, but just don't take it too extreme! Sounds like the voice of Pharaoh is still resounding in the hearts of many today! But remember what he is really saying: "you can be free, but not really free." To give in to his suggestion is to not truly be free as the Son has come to set you free!

And this world is a hypocrite! Because after teaching you the necessity of being moderate and peaceful temperance, they then urge you that when it comes to sin to go overboard and beyond the normal. Get radical about sports and go overboard. Deck yourself with their logos and spend your money liberally on the things of this world. Work extra hours at work so that you can distinguish yourselves from the crowds and get a raise. Go into debt so that you can have the finest things and better things than the person next to you. Push yourselves physically and mentally and spiritually to get ahead. That's what they preach to you about their things, but when it comes to the things of God its "don't go too far or extreme." "Don't do anything too radical!" Hypocrite! Such rational is a lie from the pits of hell to keep you not too far from Egypt! I'm just choosing to do for my God what they do for their gods!

If Jesus preached anything, it was that heaven and the kingdom of God was worth going extreme for! I'm so tired of hearing from people that are doing nothing for the kingdom of God that "preacher, you are doing too much; you are way too busy; how do you do all that you do!?" Because in the areas that you are overboard and sacrificing for your job, career, things, entertainment, or whatever, I'm choosing to do so for God! What I have learned is that my radical ness and complete devotion bothers people who are living close to Egypt because it reveals where their heart truly is. Don't come to me and preach to me that I need to slow down. I take an off day every Monday and I'm fine physically. I'm just choosing to be busy about the kingdom of God and not Egypt!

Jesus was extreme like that! He was so consumed in His ministry that this family got worried about Him:

His family -- who was doing nothing for the kingdom of God and who were not even believers -- were saying "He's lost it." He's gone overboard. But you see Jesus had a passion and a mission and knew that the time was short! He was a driven man and knew that if you are going to go above and beyond, then do it for the kingdom of God.

Oftentimes the compromising voice of this sinful world comes to us through our family also: "You go to church too much." "You are too active in doing spiritual things." "You've gone too far with this living for God thing." No, we are following Jesus' example, and the truth is that you are living in compromise too close to the world to get a burden for the things of God! I'm preaching to someone today, like Jesus, we must refuse to listen to the voice of our family when they become the mouthpiece of compromise! Thank God that Jesus didn't decide to stop pursuing His ministry at their suggestion! Thank God that Jesus didn't stop there because Calvary was still ahead and an Apostolic church and Holy Ghost outpouring was still ahead! Don't listen to the voice of this world: if there is anything worth going overboard on, it is the kingdom of heaven!

Did not Jesus preach such thing!? Was it not Jesus that preached radically:

Was it not Jesus that preached that Grace was stricter than the Laws of Moses!? Was it not Jesus that preached it didn't matter only that you do right but that it also mattered how you did right!? Wasn't it Jesus who preached that believers should not only obey the law and carry the Roman soldier's pack the one mile, but that they should then offer to go "the second mile" and carry it beyond what was just required? Wasn't it Jesus who said "love your enemy" and "pray for those who despitefully hurt you!?" Wasn't it Jesus who commanded the rich, young ruler to "sell everything that you have and give it to the poor and follow me?"

Wasn't it Jesus who preached that nothing -- nothing was not worth giving up in order to miss hell? He said:

What was He saying? That whatever you've got to do to separate yourself from this world's way of living and sin is worth it to miss hell! He was saying that we cannot compromise and still be saved! But that if there is one thing that is worth getting radical over, it is making heaven! I'd rather make heaven by miles than miss it by inches! It's time to get radical for serving God!

I understand each of us has a unique call of God on our life and we must do what God asks us to do, but I'm coming against the world's offer of freedom with everything in me! When that voice pops up that says "you can be Christian but don't get zealous and passionate about it," you need to realize that such is the voice of compromise and not the voice of God! It is this world's offer of freedom: serve God but don't go too far in it! Don't go so far as to have an actual change in your life! Don't let it go so far as to make a difference in this world! Just sit on a pew and pat yourself on the back and leave your world unchanged! Such is the lull of the voice of sin. But such is not a true freedom at all because it will not be long till you are back in the clutches of what God delivered you from! Don't give into such a compromise! Go all the way in God! Don't stop until your life is making an impact on heaven and hell!

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Pharaoh said, "you can go sacrifice, but just don't go very far away!" "Just go a little bit." We hear this voice a third way today in:

God had commanded Moses to go and sacrifice and then to go on to the Promised Land! Pharaoh was saying in effect, do some of what God commanded but not all of it.

This voice still speaks to the church today: "A little Apostolic doctrine is okay, but don't go so radical in obeying the scriptures that you go beyond the level of the denominational world and what man's traditions have established in recent years." "Obey some of the scripture, because there are some good principles to live by, but just don't take it too literally." "It's okay to pick and choose what you obey and it's fine to leave something out if it hits too close to home." "In fact, find you a church that doesn't hit on anything that hits close to the truth of your life and find you a place where you can be comfortable where you are and don't have to change anything." It used to be that people came to church to hear the preaching and change to match the Word of God, but now people change churches to find the "preaching" that fits the way that they already live. Obey some of the Word of God, but don't go too crazy.

But I propose to you that if that is what the world is saying then God is saying the opposite! Listen to what Joshua told the children of Israel:

Did you catch that? "Do all that is written!" I've heard that word "All" before as in the New Testament:

And remember this scripture:

If the Bible is the written word of God, then we should remember the words of Jesus:

The key word there is "every!" If you are going to live spiritually you must consume and obey "every word" that comes from God! Not just pick and choose but we must obey all of scripture! Such is God's answer to this world's offer of freedom! If there is anything that is profitable in going overboard and zealous in obeying it is the scriptures that are the very breathed Word of God!

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And so, like Pharaoh, this world offers us what seems to be freedom. You can go and be a child of God but just don't go too far away! Just don't go extreme. And yet such an offer is not freedom at all because it will only be a matter of time till we will be back chafing under the whip of the taskmaster of sin. The only way to be completely free is to refuse the compromise of sin today and to get as far away from this world as we can. The Bible does not propose people becoming nuns or locking ourselves up in a convent somewhere, but rather in your lifestyle "come ye out and be separate, saith God!" We are in this world but we are not of this world! We should go all the way in God and be zealous to do everything that He has commanded us! Only then will we be truly free!

As we celebrate this Independence Day, I would that someone would have their own personal celebration by waving goodbye to this world once and for all! It's not time to compromise or give in to that voice of sin, but it is time to become passionately and overboard in love with Jesus Christ and His kingdom! He has a Promised Place of living awaiting each of us if we will turn from Pharaoh's offer and let the Son truly set us free! Don't settle for the wilderness of this world or its fake offer of freedom. Choose complete freedom in Jesus Christ!