Commitment Or Compromise?

Commitment or Compromise?

Exodus 8 & 10

Pastor Greg Mc Donald

This morning I’m going to take you briefly through several chapters in the book of Exodus so you will have a better picture of what is taking place and to give you a little history of the events in Egypt.

In Exodus 7:19-25, Egypt’s water turns into blood. In Exodus 8:1-14, Frogs have appeared everywhere in Egypt. In Exodus 8:16-19, there is the plague of gnats. Then in 8:22-24, there is the plague of the flies. Except in Goshen, this is where God’s people are living.

Through out all of these chapters Pharaoh is trying to negotiate with Moses, to let God’s people go. But, one thing Moses never does is come to a compromise with Pharaoh. And that is the topic of this mornings message. “Compromise”

Pharaoh himself at this point is starting to get tired of all these plagues. This last plague is one that is one of total annoyance to Pharaoh. How many of you have ever been out somewhere trying to talk with someone or out fishing along a lake, and the gnats and mosquitos are so bad you can stay there any longer.

Well this plague of flies was much worse than that for the Egyptians. It was much more severe than we could ever imagine. These flies were worse then our modern day gnats. They were tremendously numerous and annoying.

And when they got enraged, they would fasten themselves upon the human body, especially upon the edges of the eye lids, and become a dreadful plague. This flies would torture the people by stinging them and then they would become disfigured by the swelling.

Also these flies killed the plants in which they deposited their eggs on. The plagues were finally getting to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was now getting so alarmed that he now sent for Moses and Aaron and gave them permission to sacrifice to their God “in the land”.

Pharaoh was being taught that the God who sent this plague was not some deity of Egypt, but “Jehovah”. He was the author of the plague, the One who had authority over Egypt, and that he possessed supreme authority, that Israel’s God was and is the Absolute God.

Pharaoh was now ready to offer a compromise (Read 8:25)

Pharaoh is now admitting the existence and has felt the power of the God whom he professed not to know. We see here he is telling Moses, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land”.

Pharaoh is now allowing the Israelites to go worship God, “BUT” he insist that they do so in the Egypt. Imagine Pharaoh, Mr. Stubborn himself trying to compromise with God’s anointed, “Go worship your God in the land”. Just get rid of these flies.

Satan offers some compromise today. He says, Go ahead and go to church on Sunday, just live for me the rest of the week. That it’s O.K. if you do this and you do that. It’s O.K. if you sin, who’s gonna know. Besides it’s only one time, what’s it gonna hurt.

Tell that to someone who now dying from AIDS because it was just one time.

Just one time in a promiscuous affair, just one time of sharing a needle with another drug user, just one time behind the wheel of a car after drinking beyond the legal limit. These and many more have there consequences. All because we try to compromise situations and life styles.

*** God’s word says that we are called to a different life style than what Satan and this world has to offer us.

John 15:18-20 “Jesus was not of this world”

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. I f you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also”.

John 17:14-17 “We are not to be of this world”. List to what Jesus prays!!!

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of this world. My prayer not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”.

Galatians 1:4 “We have deliverance from this evil world through Jesus Christ”

“Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father”.