(Exodus) Exodus 6:6-13 — J. Vernon McGee

The Seven “I Wills” of Redemption

Now He says what He's going to do for them, and you have seven I-wills. And these are the seven I-wills of redemption. They begin here at verse 6 now, chapter 6 of Exodus. I'm reading, "...wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord.".

And believe me, He said that quite a few times also. Now the first I-will, "...and I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians.". Number two, "...and I will rid you out of their bondage.".

Three, "...and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments.". Four, "...and I will take you to Me for a people.". And fifth, "...and I will be to you a God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.".

Then the sixth one, verse 8, "...and I will bring you in unto the land concerning the witch. I did swear to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.". And now number seven, "...and I will give it to you for a heritage.

I am the Lord.". Now these are the seven I-wills of redemption. God says to these people, He said, first of all, I'm going to bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Now the corollary and the parallel to our redemption is here.

Redemption From the Burden and Bondage of Sin

The burden of sin today, the things of the world are a burden today to the heart. And we are told to love, not the world. But God delivers us from the burden of sin. And then He says, "...and I will rid you out of their bondage.".

And He'll deliver you from the slavery of sin. I have one of the most remarkable letters, and friends, we are receiving right now some of the most remarkable letters that I think that I've ever received.

I'm convinced in my own heart that God is using this Bible study, not in just some little surface way to entertain people or to even give them knowledge, but the Spirit of God is reaching down today in depth into many hearts and transforming them.

I have a letter, and I won't even say where it's from. It's from a man that I would have said, and frankly I don't think I would have spent much time personally talking with him, but yet I've been talking to him now for, I think, a couple of years.

And this man has had a great transformation. He's a brilliant young man to begin with, and he started out in sin, and I mean in sin. I think that he probably has today a half a dozen illegitimate children, and not from just one, but each one is separate.

He's had an affair after an affair. Added to that in his work has not been altogether honest in it. And then he got religious, and he entered the priesthood, studied for the priesthood. And then he fell in love with a girl that wanted to be a nun, and they had an affair.

I'm not sure whether he got married or not, but then even his own relatives, I don't know whether it was his brother or cousin's wife, he had an affair with her. I mean this fellow's been in sin. He was in the service, and he attempted to help the chaplain in the service of all things.

This man has had as checkered a career as anybody that I've ever heard of, and yet the Word of God has reached down into this man's life. He told me how he began to listen to it, and it just took days for the darkness to roll away and the light to break through into his heart and life.

And he said, I'm now trusting the Lord Jesus. And he's married this last one that he's had an affair with, and she's his wife. But he still has the impinging of conscience upon him that, yes, God has forgiven him.

I'm going to try to be helpful to him now by writing to him because he wonders whether he ought to even live with this woman. He says he and his wife feel like maybe they're living in sin because of their past.

May I say to you, God has reached down in his life and redeemed him. Now, that's the business God is in. Look at these people in the land of Egypt. The burdens are upon them. They're in bondage. And God says, I'm going to take you out of here.

I'm going to rid you of the bondage, and I'm going to redeem you with a stretched-out arm. And that's that mighty, bared arm that Isaiah said, Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the bared arm of the Lord revealed?

Well, I don't know who it's revealed to. I didn't know that fellow was listening in, but God knew, and God reached down and did a work in his life. And we are receiving letter after letter like that today.

God's doing a work today, friends, in hearts and lives, and it's the work of redemption, and he's reaching down. It's not this little silly stuff that we came through today about Jesus, this, and Jesus, that, and no mention of sin.

The idea today that you can sort of cuddle up to him, and he'll be your friend. May I say to you, my friend, what you need is a Savior from sin, because in his sight you are corrupt, and you will have to deal with that.

He died. He loves you enough to die for you, to make it possible to be saved. And if he had to do that, you're going to have to come to him as that kind of a sinner in order to be saved. This is the great plan of salvation right here, the seven I-wills of redemption.

This is the way God saves you. Listen to him. I will take you to me for a people. And just think, lifting us out of the muck and the mire, and making us his son by faith in Christ Jesus. Now, he says, and I'll be to you a God.

Now, he just didn't lift us out of the muck and the mire to make us orphans and run off and leave us. He says, I'm going to be your God. And I don't believe, friend, you're saved if you tell me today that, oh, you believed in Jesus, but you're going on living without him and living today as if he does not exist.

And some actually living in sin tell me, oh, I've trusted Jesus. No, you haven't. You've had some little sissy experience that has done nothing for your life. My friend, when you trust him, it'll transform your life.

And he'll become your God. And you'll bow down to him. And you'll acknowledge him as your God. That's the thing that he's talking about here. I will be to you a God, and ye shall know that I'm the Lord your God.

Salvation From Something and Into the Promised Land

God wants you to know something, friends. He wants you to know that you're saved. He wants you to know Christ. He wants you to know him, which bringeth you out from the burdens of the Egyptians. Now, has God saved you from something?

Somebody says, well, I don't know. You don't know, then you're not saved. When he saves, he saves you from something. I'll bring you out from the burdens of the Egyptians. Now, not only does he save us from something, I'll bring you into the land concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Now, Canaan today is not a picture of heaven. It's a picture of the Christian life as believers should be living it today. Have you crossed over Jordan? I have a little book on that. Have you crossed over Jordan through the death and resurrection of Christ?

Are you living today in the life and light and love of a living Savior? That's important, friends. That's very important, and it's very real, by the way. Now, verse 8 again, and I will give it to you for a heritage.

Spiritual Blessings and Justification by Faith

I'm the Lord. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And Paul in the 5th chapter of Romans makes it clear, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have access to Him. Oh, we have joy in the midst of trouble, and we've been given the Holy Spirit, and the love of God has been made real to us, and we're delivered from wrath to come. We're delivered from the great tribulation period.

What kind of salvation do you have today, friends, that you're talking about that has not transformed your life and hasn't really redeemed you from something? Say, this is a great passage of Scripture, is it not?

Israel’s Anguish and Moses’ Commission

Here's the picture of your salvation and my salvation. Now, will you notice verse 9, And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel, but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.

And your heart must go out to these people at a time like this. They just couldn't believe Moses because he hadn't helped them. He'd hurt them, really. Now, notice verse 10, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

And Moses spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me. How then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? Now, the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

In other words, he was not accepted, that is, Moses was not accepted by the children of Israel, and he's not accepted by Pharaoh, and he's reluctant to go into Pharaoh again and make a demand. Well, God's commissioned him.

God says, you go on in there. In other words, he's to look to God at a time like this and not to circumstances.