Summary: ...MOMENTS OF DECISION These moments will – 1. Reveal to us whether, or not, we are committed to the cause of Christ. 2. Define what we are made of.

CRYING OUT TO GOD

Our text, this morning is found in the first two chapters of Exodus. Exodus picks up where Genesis left off as it tells the historical account of how the children of Israel went from the –

· Time of Joseph to the time of Moses

· Time of Blessing to the time of Bondage.

The nation of Israel was once comfortable living in Egypt.

They grew in great numbers and strength, but Egypt was only their temporary home. Then came the persecution of the Pharoah of Egypt.

This Pharoah wanted to starve out these people of God by oppressing them physically, emotionally and spiritually. They faced extinction.

Text: Exodus 1:13 & 14; 2:23 thru 25

Recently we have been talking about certain moments in our life when we have to make a deliberate/conscious decision to stand for the Lord.

At all cost! No matter what else is going on in our lives, we have to do the will of God in our lives.

These are our MOMENTS OF DECISION

These moments will –

1. Reveal to us whether, or not, we are committed to the cause of Christ.

2. Define what we are made of.

Just like the children of Israel, you may find yourself suddenly enduring an overwhelming hardship in your life.

What do you do?

This is usually the time that many people rely upon their emotions to ease their pains of disappointment and discouragement. I’ve seen it and you’ve seen it in folks like us.

We all have our own unique ways of displaying our emotion. Some of us throw things, bang on things, say things we shouldn’t, stomp out the door, slam the door, whatever. None of these fits of tantrum do anything to solve our problems, but we do them.

Whatever we do immediately after we first get upset will define for us (and everyone else) what we are made of. This is what I will call a “Defining Moment” in our life.

The children of Israel had their DEFINING MOMENT in verse 23.

Their first response was to “groan”. Their bondage in Egypt caused them to “groan”. What you go through may cause you to groan, but that won’t make your problem go away.

Sometimes that “groan” will –

1. Define who and what you are.

2. Tell you (and everyone else) that you are no different than anybody else around you.

3. Let you describe your emotions.

As we will find out, to “groan” can be good for us. Or maybe it isn’t.

Some people have a groan that is only a miserable whine of woes.

They moan and groan because they are so miserable with their life.

Sometimes while we “groan”, God is waiting for us to settle down with our emotions. We all need to understand that God wants us to do something about what causes us to “groan”.

Remember - God has a specific outcome planned for your life.

Significant results are about to take place as soon as you get a grip on the emotion of your pity party.

God knows that you have different kinds of emotions in your life.

After all, He is the One Who gave you your emotions. He knows best for you.

Human emotion is perfectly normal as long as those emotions are used for God’s Glory. Sound too technical?

My Bible tells me that everything in my life is given to me to glorify Him. Everything? Even my emotions are given to me for His purpose and glory.

When things go wrong in our lives, I believe God is already on the scene. He is expecting us to respond appropriately with our emotions to what He has planned for us.

I believe that God knows better than we do about the agony we have to endure sometimes. But our “groans” can sometimes sound very selfish.

We “groan” and tell ourselves:

1. it’s just another day of misery

2. this is not what I expected to happen – (why not…we are the ones that get ourselves into the messes we find ourselves in)

3. this is not fair…I didn’t deserve this to happen to me.

All of the trials and tribulations the children of Israel ever experienced was brought on by themselves because of their foolishness and failure to put God first. It wasn’t that God was always wanting to punish Israel. They just made bad choices.

And their mistakes and shortcomings brought them pain and misery. So what did they do? They “groaned”.

Whenever we “groan” we often will respond with other emotions that just make matters worse for us.

Such as:

1. frustration

2. anxiety

3. resentment

4. retaliation

We find out that these emotions won’t solve our problems, and they won’t make us any closer to the Lord.

Look again at verse 23. The children of Israel “groaned”, but they then did the right thing. They “cried out and their cry came up to God…”

Here is my point.

When we only groan and complain, we are not doing what God wants from us. God want us to groan and then cry out to Him with our needs.

My friend, do you want to be set free from your worries and woes? You may feel like you are like the children of Israel. Living in the Egyptian Bondage. You may be oppressed with more than you can stand.

Stop your whining and complaining.

Start groaning and crying out to God. God doesn’t want you living like you are anymore than you do.

God wants you set free from the things that are oppressing you.

Verse 24 says that - God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.

When you press God for spiritual needs, you will get spiritual results.

Don’t be groaning and whining because –

1. You won’t be able to tour France and Italy this year.

2. Seriously- Things didn’t quite work out the way you had planned.

3. Someone at work or school doesn’t like you.

Start groaning & crying out to God–

1. For the deliverance from those habits that are keeping you from living for God.

2. For that friend/relative to come to know Christ as their Savior.

3. For revival to sweep through this town so God can stop these tragic accidents, suicides, drugs and divorces.

4. For our children to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

This morning I think I know how the children of Israel felt. They were being worked ruthlessly and were slaves to an ungodly king.

I think I see some of this going on in our little world of Egypt. And it doesn’t look like it’s getting better.

What I see makes me want to groan and cry out to God for deliverance.

I see many people who are being beaten down and oppressed by an evil and tyrannical devil, and nothing seems to be changing for the better.

Church, something has got to give.

We need to understand the tyranny of the devil on our friends & relatives. We should be groaning and crying out for their deliverance.

Many Christians will –

1. Never mature much beyond their salvation experience; unless they stop moaning and groaning about their selfish wants and desires, and start crying out to God for real deliverance from sin and evil.

2. Keep making the same mistakes they have always made unless they start crying out to God for some wisdom in their lives.

Verse 24 says that God remembered the Covenant He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when he heard the cries from His children.

Church we need to pray more earnestly for salvations in this county.

The Bible says that –

…the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man/woman avails much.

Genuine Crying out to God is our way of petitioning the Lord for a response from Him. In Luke 18, Jesus told the disciples the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Jesus said this,

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

I know this to be true in my own life.

I remember all too well how I had been called into the ministry when I was only 17 years old. Later in life, I disappointed God by not answering that call. I was disobedient to His voice for several years.

I all but destroyed my relationship with the Lord. I pleaded with God to forgive me of my disobedience.

And even though God did forgive me, I could not live with the guilt of knowing how I had failed Him.

I pleaded with God to give me another chance. And again for many more years, I struggled with failed opportunities for God to answer the call on my life. I prayed and wept over this struggle in my life.

I found myself petitioning the Lord what seemed to be every moment of every day for quite some time.

I was frustrated with my life, but God did hear my cries and remembered the promise He had made on my life.

Folks – God will hear you cry and call upon Him for any kind of deliverance you need. There are many here today who can testify of similar stories.

There will come a time when you will see verse 25 come to reality in your life. I like the way the KJV states this:

And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

This may be very important to someone here today. You may not feel like God has much respect for you and how you have lived your life.

But I have very Good News for you this morning.

1. Your wait is over. All of that pleading with the Lord has brought you to where you are right this very moment.

2. If you will believe for God to do this for you, then your time has finally come.

3. You will leave here today with no doubt that God has delivered you.

4. Your fears, anxieties and frustrations will pass away with this final prayer.

5. The devil is going to loose his grip on your soul. He will not be able to manipulate you with his temptations or what you have done in your past.