The Walk (The Exodus Part 4)

The Cosmic Exodus: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus

Have you ever wondered why our spiritual journey is often referred to as a "walk"? This simple metaphor carries profound meaning when we consider it in light of the biblical Exodus story and the life of Jesus. Today, let's explore how our faith journey parallels the Exodus and how we're called to walk as Jesus walked.

The Exodus narrative is woven throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New. Words like salvation, redemption, wandering, wilderness, journey, baptism, lamb, Passover, communion, walk, way, and covenant all echo the language of Exodus. But it's not just ancient history – it's a pattern that Jesus Himself followed and calls us to emulate.

Consider the parallels between Moses and Jesus:

1. Both escaped attempts on their lives as infants
2. Both experienced a type of "exodus" or journey
3. Both faced testing in the wilderness
4. Both delivered God's people

Jesus intentionally aligned His life with the Exodus story, creating a new path for humanity to follow. He was baptized, mirroring Israel's passage through the Red Sea. He spent 40 days in the wilderness, echoing Israel's 40 years. Even His transfiguration on the mountain paralleled Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai.

But Jesus took this journey further than anyone had before. As He said in John 3:13, "No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man." Jesus created a path from earth to heaven that no human had ever walked before.

So where does that leave us? Are we simply spectators to Jesus' journey, or are we called to something more?

The truth is, while Jesus has done what we could never do – adopting us as sons, making us priests, forgiving us, and imparting His righteousness – He has called us to live and walk here on earth. We are to be like Israel carrying the presence of God, or like Eden in the midst of a wilderness.

Our mission is not to sit passively in "Egypt," doing worldly things while assuming Jesus has done everything for us. Instead, we're called to actively walk the path Jesus walked – a path of self-denial and other-centered love.

This is where many of us get confused. We think that because Jesus "finished" the work, we don't have to do anything. But Jesus didn't die so we don't have to – He died as us and ahead of us, showing us the way we must walk.

Consider these words from Jesus: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).

This call to self-denial isn't about earning salvation – it's about aligning ourselves with the very nature of God, who is love. The Holy Spirit within us is always moving in the direction of holiness, righteousness, and self-denial. When we choose selfishness, we're walking against the flow of God's energy and power.

The early church understood this concept through the Greek words "dunamis" and "energia." Dunamis represents God's inherent, latent power – the potential we all have because God dwells in us. Energia, on the other hand, is God's active, manifest power in the world. We tap into this energia when we walk in step with the Spirit, in the direction of self-denial and other-centered love.

This understanding transforms how we view our spiritual walk. Self-discipline isn't "works" – it's aligning ourselves with the flow of God's energy. It's choosing to walk in the same direction the Holy Spirit is moving.

The Apostle Peter understood this when he wrote: "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God" (1 Peter 4:1-2).

So, how are we walking? Are we actively moving forward, or are we sitting around waiting for Jesus to carry us into the promised land? Are we presenting our bodies as "living sacrifices," which Paul calls our "spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1)?

This call to walk as Jesus walked doesn't negate God's love for us or the righteousness He's given us. But it does challenge us to fully engage in His mission. It invites us to step into the abundant life Jesus promised – a life found paradoxically through dying to self.

As we reflect on our spiritual journey, let's ask ourselves:

1. Am I actively walking, or passively waiting?
2. How am I walking? Am I denying myself daily?
3. What direction am I walking? Am I moving towards self-denial and other-centered love?

Remember, according to the Bible – our "owner's manual" – the only way to abundant life is through this daily death to self. It's the only direction in which God's energies are flowing. So let's choose to get in His river, to walk with His Spirit.

This journey isn't always easy. It requires daily, even hourly, surrendering of our own desires. But it's the path Jesus walked, and it's the path He invites us to follow. As we do, we'll find ourselves not just believing in Jesus, but truly becoming like Him – other-centered, self-sacrificial, and full of love.

So today, let's commit to walking this Exodus journey with intention. Let's choose to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus. As we do, we'll discover the truth of His promise – that in losing our lives for His sake, we'll actually find them. We'll tap into the flow of God's energia, experiencing His power and love in ways we never imagined possible.

Are you ready to walk?

(This blog post was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)