Sermon Series “Exodus”
6:6-8
“God’s Plans vs Our Circumstances”
Pastor John Bright
Exodus 6 “6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ”
A bunch of stuff happens to each of us every day:
• Blessings and bad
• Frustrations and fun
Most days we muddle through and nothing big happens. As Christians we try to stay on track with God’s plans (that’s what I have been teaching on the last few weeks) and we, as Christians, tend to believe that if we do what God wants – nothing bad will happen – especially if we heed those “warning signs” in the Bible.
Check out the cartoon on your Teaching Sheet. That’s how we feel somedays when the big stuff comes at us from “out of the blue.”
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We left Moses last week in the Problem Passage of 4:24-26. Three verses later he is with Aaron in Egypt speaking to the elders/leaders of the Israelites. They are doing just what God told them to do and Chapter 4 ends with them worshiping God. Then, as instructed by God, they go to Pharaoh in Chapter 5. In response, Pharaoh makes more work for the Israelites
Moses and Aaron do exactly what God told them to do - So, of course, things get worse! Exodus 5 “18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
They had a quota (minimum number) of bricks to make each day and the Egyptians gave them the ingredient they needed (straw). Now, they have to get their own straw. Like a lot of jobs today – expected to do more work in less time with the same output.
Do we have an expectation that when we obey God it will always go well for us? Joseph did what was right and ended up in prison – Genesis 39. John the Baptist was beheaded. Almost all the original Apostles were tortured and executed. Christ suffered horrible pain and torment to fulfill God’s will for you and me. He died for our salvation – not our comfort.
When their circumstances changed - their work is increased and “the officers” are beaten, they turn on Moses and Aaron. What they say is, “You made it worse for us, not better.” All they can see are their present circumstances… sound familiar? Reminds me of what happened in Matthew 8 “23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” I think they really screamed… “HELP!” The end of the story is Jesus rebuking them for not having faith and He calms the storm. There is a Contemporary Christian song with the chorus: “Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child.” (Sometimes He Calms the Storm by Scott Krippayne)
God is always greater than our circumstances - but there are still hard times we have to go through. WHY? (That’s the classic question of a Christian in the midst of a storm… but add one more word: WHY ME?) God has many reasons to allow storms in our lives. These are just three of them
• We turn to God in prayer – “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13
• We find endurance/patience – “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces patient endurance.” Romans 5:3
• We learn that this world is not our home - “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20
Moses questions the plan and God confirms the plan – Beginning in 5:22, Moses explains the present circumstances to God. Ever do that? Explain to God like He doesn’t know what you are going through? Next time you catch yourself doing that, try this: STOP & LAUGH. (Really – it will help you see the silliness of telling the God of the Universe what is going on)
God will now remind Moses that He still has a plan! Exodus 6:6 “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
Who is doing all the work in that verse? God is at work
Whose plan is it? God’s plan
Has the change in circumstances changed the plan? NO – ABSOLUTLY NOT!
Let me share a story with you – “Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian in Vietnam. He writes, “I was ministering in Vietnam in 1971, and one of my interpreters was Hien Pham, an energetic young Christian. He had worked as a translator with the American forces, and was of immense help both to them and to missionaries such as myself. Hien and I traveled the length of the country and became very close friends before I returned home. We did not know if our paths would ever cross again. Seventeen years later, I received a telephone call. ‘Brother Ravi?’ the man asked. Immediately I recognized Hien’s voice, and he soon told me his story. Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ideals and the Christian faith. He was restricted to communist propaganda in French or Vietnamese, and the daily deluge of Marx and Engels began to take its toll. ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘I have been lied to. Maybe God does not exist. Maybe the West has deceived me.’ So Hien determined that when he awakened the next day, he would not pray anymore or think of his faith.
The next morning, he was assigned the dreaded chore of cleaning the prison latrines. As he cleaned out a tin can overflowing with toilet paper, his eye caught what seemed to be English printed on one piece of paper. He hurriedly grabbed it, washed it, and after his roommates had retired that night, he retrieved the paper and read the words, ‘Romans, Chapter 8.’ Trembling, he began to read, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. . . for I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Hien wept. He knew His Bible, and knew that there was not a more relevant passage for one on the verge of surrender. He cried out to God, asking forgiveness, for this was to have been the first day that he would not pray. . . . After finding the Scripture, Hien asked the commander if he could clean the latrines regularly, because he discovered that some official was using a Bible as toilet paper. Each day Hien picked up a portion of Scripture, cleaned it off, and added it to his collection of nightly reading. . . . What his tormentors were using for refuse — the Scriptures — could not be more treasured to Hien.” Eventually he was released from prison and fled to Tailand. Today he is a businessman in the United States, a radiant Christian and a living testimony to the power of God’s Word and its transforming power.”
God offered this man rescue – not his body for he would remain in the Prison Camp for years – but for his broken spirit! Can you even imagine your rescue coming in the form of a piece of paper with another person’s feces on it? Or washing it off to keep the paper? No – we think “That’s gross!” Well, that’s not our circumstance – but God still offers us rescue & redemption!
Hebrews 13:5-6 “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:”
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Today, are you discouraged? Are you burdened with guilt and shame? Please turn to #367 in your hymnal, “He Touched Me.”(William J. Gaither) Look at that first verse,
“Shackled by a heavy burden,
'Neath a load of guilt and shame.
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.”
This is not just a salvation hymn. It’s a reminder of God’s power to deliver us from the guilt and shame we feel as Christians. I know about that. I told you about being saved at the altar at age 12. When I was 13, I was sexually molested by a friend of my older brother. I could not tell anyone and the guilt and shame built up. It’s one reason I turned to alcohol and drugs by the age of 15. Today, I stand before you as one who has been rescued and redeemed from all that. It’s a testimony to the Power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer!
God still comes to His people to offer us the chance for rescue and redemption – even in the midst of the storms of life. He’s reaching out to you today. Believe that as we sing “He Touched Me.”
TEACHING SHEET
(DATE)
Sermon Series: Exodus
Exodus 6:6-8
“God’s Plans vs Our Circumstance”
Moses and Aaron do exactly what God told them to do
So, of course, things get worse! Exodus 5 “18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
Do we have an expectation that when we obey God it will always go well for us? Joseph did what was right and ended up in prison – Genesis 39. Christ suffered horrible pain and torment to fulfill God’s will for you and me. We have God present with us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – and we have hard times.
The Israelites now reject Moses and Aaron
Exodus 4 ends with the Israelites welcoming these messengers of God. After their work is increased and “the officers” are beaten, they turn on Moses and Aaron. All they can see are their present circumstances… sound familiar?
Matthew 8 “23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
God can and will rise above all your circumstances… but there are still hard times we have to go through. WHY?
• We turn to God in prayer – “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13
• We find endurance/patience – “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces patient endurance.” Romans 5:3
• We learn that this world is not our home - “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20
Moses questions the plan and God confirms the plan
Exodus 6:6 “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
God offers rescue & redemption! Hebrews 13:5-6 “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Next week – Exodus 6:14-7:13
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