Exodus, Part 2 Series

Exodus, Part 2

Exodus 1:8-22

Introduction

- Exodus is an incredible study of God's faithfulness to man

-- It is also a great encouragement to see man's ability to be faithful to God

- The series title is "Redeemed to Worship"

-- From this day forward, it is my prayer that title would stick to you

-- We, in 2018, have been redeemed for one purpose: to worship

- Let me ask … do you like action movies?

-- The remainder of Ch.1 couldn't have been better scripted for an action movie

-- We have deceit, oppression, murder, rebellion … the Bible tells it like no other

-- Prayerfully, we will see this story in a different light today

- Read Exodus 1:8-22 / Pray

- FACT #1: The world will always reject God and persecute believers

- FACT #2: Persecution is inevitable … we might as well get over it now

- Persecution ranges from:

" Mildly shunned (i.e., getting defriended on Facebook)

" Publicly/Privately ridiculed by family/friends

" To the extreme: Murdered for your faith

- Persecution is the subject of this particular passage of scripture

-- In particular, there are three persecutions we will see

1. Enslavement

2. Deception, and,

3. Murder

- First, we have to examine the reason for persecution … why did it happen?

Point 1 - Why was there persecution?

- IMP: The new king, Pharaoh, suffered from common ailments (v8-10)

- First, he was ignorant … about Joseph, God, or any of God's promises to Israel

" He knew nothing about why these people were in Egypt

" He knew nothing about who they were or why they existed

" He was ignorant about the great value of life (people = property to him)

" He was totally ignorant about God being the ONLY true God

- He failed to understand how a free people are more prosperous

-- People who are enslaved work less, slower, and with less inspiration

-- People who are free will have initiative, drive, and motivation to do well

- FACT: Persecution is overcome by God - He is the answer

-- APP: God delivers those who truly believe and trust in Him for deliverance

-- OT: Psalm 34:19, "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all"

-- NT: John 14:1-2 (Jesus said), "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"

- Second, Pharaoh was also afraid of the people of Israel

" Their population was exploding (2,000,000)

" They were becoming a mighty force which could rebel

" He feared their rising up (ex: joining with an opposing army)

- Third, He was desperate to hold onto power, position, possessions, and wealth

" This labor force meant one thing to Pharaoh: free labor for his use

" If two million people rebelled - it would be devastating to his way of life

- Bottom line: Pharaoh feared what he could not control

-- Therefore, persecuting these people would allow him to have control over them

-- His reasoning: If I own them, then they will not disobey me, and I'll be #1

- TRANS: He persecuted Israel in three separate ways …

Point 2 - Pharaoh persecutes through enslavement

- The Egyptians were pretty clear in what they wanted (v11-14)

" To stop Israel's growth

" To break their spirits and keep them from reproducing

" To cause many to die through hard labor and harsh treatment

- Israel's people were forced to build two cities for Pharaoh: Pithom & Rameses

-- Both were used for storage of military weapons and supplies

-- APP: He ordered the people enslaved / forced to work for the government

- Imagine: A life where your very next breath was dependent on government rule

- Yet, the people overcame this oppression by multiplying and bearing children

-- Consider: Egyptians were trying to wear them out - yet they grew in number

-- How is this possible? Considering all that is against them, how could they?

- God gave them the strength to do this - overcoming was His

-- Pharaoh was willing to do whatever it took to wear them down

-- But even in the face of exhaustion and despair; the people continued to grow

-- Exodus 33:14, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

- Pharaoh could not enslave the promise of God

Point 3 - Pharaoh persecutes through deception (v15-21)

- Pharaoh ordered two supervising midwives to kill all infant boys

-- Even worse, to kill them why they were still delivering them - live abortion