10 - 2017 | Bret Legg

How to Fight the Good Fight

April 16, 2018October 26, 2017 by Bret Legg

Some of my favorite movies (much to my wife’s dismay) are “The Matrix” trilogy of movies. They never get old to me. I can watch them over and over and still find new thing in them that I didn’t see before.

This happened a while back when I was watching “The Matrix Reloaded (2003). In this movie, the hero (Neo) has been summoned by someone who is supposedly on Neo’s side…Seraph. But when Neo gets there, Seraph begins to fight with him. When the fight is over, Neo asks Seraph why, and Seraph replies, “You do not truly know someone until you fight them.”

Exodus 13-14 – A Life of Freedom

August 26, 2018October 24, 2017 by Bret Legg

In the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption,” you see the difficulty people have transitioning from a life in prison to a life of freedom. Familiar with years of incarceration, they have trouble shifting gears and knowing how to live as a free person.

This was true for the the Israelites who were freed from Egyptian bondage. They had to learn how to live out their freedom. Those who find themselves released from the bondage of sin also have to learn to live out their freedom.

Exodus chapters 13-14, gives us clues as to how we can live out our freedom in Christ.

ALWAYS REMEMBER the price of your freedom, (Ex. 13:8-10) (Ex.13:14-16). Where a lamb was provided in place of the Israelites’ first born sons, God provided the life of His first born in place of us, so that we might be released from the bondage of our sin.
ALWAYS RELY on God for your needs. You can trust Him, because God doesn’t just set us free.
- He continues to guide us in the paths that are best for us, (Ex. 13:17-18) (Ex. 13:21-22).
- He provides for our needs, (Ex. 16-17).
- He sees to our protection, (Ex. 14:19-20).
- He makes a way for us through the obstacles and difficulties, (Ex. 14:16) (1 Cor. 10:13).
ALWAYS RESPOND to God’s direction and leading. Even though God provided a way through the sea, they still had to move, (Ex. 14:15). Even though God set them free from Egyptian bondage, they still had to walk out into the unknown. Responding to God completes the loop of our freedom.

Is your life more freedom or bondage? If you’re still experiencing bondage, what do you need to shore up…remembering, relying, or responding?

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 11-12 – The Grand Finale

August 26, 2018October 23, 2017 by Bret Legg

Exodus chapters 11-12 tell us that before Pharaoh will set the Israelites free from bondage, there will have to be one final plague. It’s as if all the other plagues were warm-ups in preparation for the grand finale.

God has been laying ground work with all the other plagues. He has been showing His supremacy and sovereignty over nature, over the kings of Egypt, and over the gods of Egypt. Now, with this final plague, God will definitively make His point.

This final plague is different from all the others. With the other plagues, the Israelites were spectators. But now, for them be set them free from their bondage, they must invest and participate in this final plague!

Their investment would be the death of a lamb as a substitution for their first born son. It would be an act of trust, obedience, and faith.

It is the same today. All around us, God displays His power, supremacy, and sovereignty. But for Him to truly set us free from our sin and bondage, their must be a sacrifice…the death of His first born Son, Jesus the Lamb of God. And we must participate in this by trusting the blood of His sacrifice to be enough to substitute for our sins. When we do, God will use this act of faithful obedience to lead us out of our bondage.

This was so important, the Israelites were commanded to regularly remember the grand finale of their deliverance. Should we do any less?

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 7-10 – The Big Three

August 26, 2018October 23, 2017 by Bret Legg

Exodus chapters 7-10 give an account of the plagues God brought upon Egypt, because of Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Israelites.

Though these chapters are rich with truths, there are three main truths that stand out like large illuminated billboards along the interstate. No matter how fast you travel through these chapters, it’s hard to miss these three truths:

The God of Moses is the one, true, and only God. He is the Creator; awesome in power and might. Every atom of all creation is instantly at His command and exists to do His bidding. He supernaturally controls all things, either by might or by timing, and He cannot be thwarted.
All of creation exists and for one purpose…to reveal God. God used the plagues to reveal Himself to Pharaoh. He even raised Pharaoh up for the distinct purpose of revealing Himself to all the earth. (Ex. 9:16) And God used Pharaoh’s pride, stubbornness, and arrogance to reveal Himself to the Israelites. (Ex. 10:1-2) Creation will always reveal the Creator.
We are to consistently and persistently reveal God and what He has said to others. We must be the ones who say, “This is what God says…” And it’s not enough to just say it once. Time and time again, Moses went to Pharaoh and spoke the same message… “This is what God says…” Moses was neither arrogant nor apologetic. He was simply consistently and persistent in speaking for God.

These are the big three truths, we’re all called to live by. Try writing these three truth out on a card and looking at them throughout the day. It may make a difference in how you see and approach your day…and your life.

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 6 – The Big Reveal

August 26, 2018October 23, 2017 by Bret Legg

You do everything you know to do. You plan, pray, and work hard. But despite your best efforts, things get worse rather than better. It’s frustrating, discouraging, and even angering. You ask yourself, “What did I do wrong?” If your analysis turns up nothing, you begin to question God and feel He’s not being attentive or fair.

This is where Moses finds himself in Ex. 5:22-23. He has gone back to Egypt and done everything God has told him to do, but things get worse, rather than better. He complains to God about this, and this is when God reveals His simple objective for tough times.

What is God’s objective for tough times? It’s to reveal Himself! In everything He does, and everything He doesn’t do, God goes out of His way to reveal Himself. He does this through creation (Rom. 1:20) and specifically through people; such as Abraham, Moses, and us! But the ultimate revelation of Himself is in His Son, Jesus…”God with us.” (Matt. 1:23)

At the beginning of Moses’ mission, (Exodus 6), God shows him a valuable lesson. He shows Moses that there are times when God will allow things to go bad, simply to reveal Himself in an even greater way. At times, He does the same thing in our lives, much to our dismay. But in the end, we and others are the better for it, because we get and even bigger view of God.

God’s objective is to reveal Himself to us, because He knows that in seeing Him more clearly, we learn to trust Him more fully. And one day, we will stand face to face with Jesus and we will be fully changed into His likeness. (1 John 3:2) That will be the big reveal!

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Looking for Buried Treasure

April 16, 2018October 18, 2017 by Bret Legg

One day, I was out walking and noticed a man with a metal detector methodically covering a patch of ground. Slowly and diligently, he combed first one patch of ground and then another, occasionally stooping to dig up a coin or small trinket. After an hour, he finally packed up his gear and left.

As I walked, I found myself wondering, “Why would someone put so much time, effort, and resources into looking for what seems to be such a small pay off?” Still, he seemed content and generally happy…as if the act of looking for treasure produced its own value.

Exodus 5 – When God Doesn’t Make Sense

August 26, 2018October 4, 2017 by Bret Legg

God doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes, it’s because He sees so much further down the road than we do. Sometimes, it’s because He’s teaching us to trust Him. But whatever the reason, God doesn’t always make sense, and this is why faith is such a critical element to both our salvation and our day-to-day walk.

Can you imagine what Moses must have been thinking in Exodus chapter 5?…

“God, You went out of Your way to get my attention by using a burning bush. Then You were explicitly clear that You wanted me to go back to Egypt to set Your people free from bondage. You even gave me my brother Aaron to help me speak to Pharaoh and miracles to do in Pharaoh’s presence. And now that I’ve done what you wanted me to do, the people have been put under even more bondage! God, you said you saw the bondage of the people and wanted to bring it to an end, not increase it! Did I miss something here?!”

Ever felt this way? Ever felt like God is not making sense in your current circumstance?

When God doesn’t seem to be making sense in your current circumstance, you need to place your faith and focus on God more than your circumstance. Remember…

God is faithful and can be no other way. (Duet. 32:4)
God’s ways are very different than our ways. (Isa. 55:8)
God has promised to never leave or forsake you, even when things get difficult. (Isa. 43;2) (Matt. 28:20)

To sum it up…It’s not what you know about your circumstances. It’s Who you know in your circumstances.

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 4 – Ability vs Availability

August 26, 2018October 4, 2017 by Bret Legg

So many people feel too common, too plain, or too ordinary to do anything great. Others believe they could do something great, but they don’t want to go through the difficulties it would require.

Both were probably true of Moses. In Exodus chapter 4, Moses didn’t feel worthy or able to do what God was asking him to do. He was also aware of the great hardship and risk he would would have to face if he went back to do what God wanted him to do. This is probably why God assured Moses that those who once wanted to kill him were now dead. (Ex. 4:19)

What God had to get through to Moses (and to us) is that He is able, if we are available. God is able to supply anything we need to accomplish great things for him, but to do that, we must make available to Him all that we have (Ex. 4:2) and all we are (Ex. 4:6). If we want God to use us to do big things, we must offer up to Him both our possessions and our person.

God wants to do great things through us, and He’s willing and able to do so, but the question we have to answer is: Have we made ourselves and all we have completely available to Him, or are we holding on to things tightly, hoping He will use someone else. (Ex. 4:13)

God is completely able, but am I completely available? This is what makes the difference between a life of fulfillment and a life of regret.

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Exodus 3 – What’s In A Name?

August 27, 2018October 4, 2017 by Bret Legg

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, actually. From the moment your parents decided on your name, it has been your main identifier and descriptor.

In Exodus chapter 3, God reveals His name to Moses when He says, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” In Hebrew, “I AM” means, “I was, am, and will be who I am.” It’s kind of an odd name, but what it says about God is that He does not change. He is the eternally existent God, who always was and always will be. He is the only true constant in all of time and existence. (Malachi 3:6) (John 1:1-3) (James 1:17)

This is important, because it tells us that God wants to be as intimately involved in things now as He was then.

This is good news, right? But look how God got involved then…

After God told Moses He was going to get involved in freeing the Israelite slaves, He said, “So now, go. I am sending you…” Moses planned on being a spectator to God’s involvement. He didn’t intend to get involved himself. But God intended to get involved by getting Moses involved.

The “I Am” has not changed. He still gets involved in what’s going on by getting us involved in what’s going on. We are to be partners, not spectators. It is our involvement that channels God’s involvement, and what He does in us and through us is the bigger miracle.

So look at where you want God’s involvement and ask yourself, “How does he want me to get involved?” This could be your burning bush!

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Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

How to Fight the Good Fight

Exodus 13-14 – A Life of Freedom

Exodus 11-12 – The Grand Finale

Exodus 7-10 – The Big Three

Exodus 6 – The Big Reveal

Looking for Buried Treasure

Exodus 5 – When God Doesn’t Make Sense

Exodus 4 – Ability vs Availability

Exodus 3 – What’s In A Name?

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