FACING EVIL
Exodus 7:1-13
S: Courage
Th: Profiles in Courage
Pr: WE MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO CONFRONT EVIL.
?: How?
KW: Instructions
TS: We will find in our study of Exodus 7:1-13 three instructions that will show us how we are to confront evil.
The _____ instruction that shows us how to confront evil is…
I. BE GOD’S AMBASSADOR
II. SAY WHAT IS COMMANDED
III. DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD
Version: ESV
RMBC 13 July 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Have you ever wished that you had the courage to make a difference?
ILL Notebook: Courage (Leading the Charge)
Many years ago there was a huge oil refinery fire. Flames shot hundreds of feet into the air. The sky was thick with grimy black smoke. The heat was intense - so intense that firefighters had to park their trucks a block away and wait for the heat to die down before they could begin to fight the fire. However, it was about to rage out of control.
Then, all of a sudden, from several blocks away came a fire truck racing down the street. With its brakes screeching, it hit the curb in front of the fire. The firefighters jumped out and began to battle the blaze. All the firefighters who were parked a block away saw this, and they jumped into their trucks, drove down the block and began to fight the fire, too. As a result of that cooperative effort, they were just barely able to bring the fire under control.
The people who saw this teamwork thought, "My goodness, the man who drove that lead fire truck - what an act of bravery!" They decided to give him a special award to recognize him for his bravery in leading the charge.
At the ceremony the mayor said, "Captain, we want to honor you for a fantastic act of bravery. You prevented the loss of property, perhaps even the loss of life. If there is one special thing you could have - just about anything - what would it be?"
Without hesitation, the captain replied, "Your Honor, a new set of brakes would be dandy!"
(By Mike Wickeft,from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work,
Copyright 1996, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss)
Well, as we can see here…
2. Often, there are external circumstances that aid us in accomplishing great things.
…like no brakes.
As we continue in our series of Profiles in Courage, we are going to see this very thing.
For each of the people we will study this summer, we are going to find out that their demonstration of courage does not happen in the solitary confinement of their own soul.
Instead, it comes because they are keenly aware of the Presence of God.
TRANSITION:
In our Scripture reading this morning (Exodus 3), we are introduced to Moses.
And what we find out is that…
1. Moses was a reluctant servant.
When Moses approached the burning bush, he doesn’t seem to be as excited about hearing from God as we might expect him to.
In fact, as God gives him this great task to do, he is more than hesitant.
When he says, “Who am I?” it reflects a desire to stay a nobody.
You see, he had gone from being a famous and royal son to being a fugitive and unknown shepherd.
It appears he liked it that way.
The feeling we get is that Moses is trying to say, “You have the wrong guy.”
But what he is finding out is that God takes us beyond our comfort zone.
He does not leave the big tasks to someone else.
When God says He is with us, it is enough.
When God says He is going to do something, He is going to do it.
You know, there’s a difference between humility and unbelief, and Moses was close.
His excuses bring him right up to the line of unbelief.
But what Moses learned was that what he thought disqualified him did the opposite.
He was qualified in God’s eyes.
Whether he realized it or not, he had been prepared for this task of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.
He was the man.
And as we come to our text today, we see Moses has changed.
He is no longer timid.
He no longer hesitates.
He is not frozen by discouragement.
So…
2. Moses had enough confidence to confront and battle a world leader.
I am sure that Moses was not naïve.
Facing Pharaoh was going to be no easy task.
And Pharaoh proved to be no pushover.
When Moses and Aaron ask for the release of the Israelites to celebrate a feast, there is no give on the Pharaoh’s response.
His response was one of disdain, “Who is this God?”
“Who is this Lord that I should obey His voice?”
And with that, Pharaoh sounded the challenge.
That gauntlet had been thrown down.
This was going to be war!
While Moses is more than disappointed with Pharaoh’s constant dismissal of him, he does not back down.
And it is here that we learn from Moses.
For Moses does teach us that…
3. WE MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO CONFRONT EVIL.
Throughout Scripture, we are warned that we are involved in warfare that is bigger than us.
The apostle Paul describes it this way (Eph. 6:12)…
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
What Moses faced did not go away.
It is something that we still face today.
So, if we are to have the courage to confront evil, we need to know how to do it.
Well…
4. We will find in our study of Exodus 7:1-13 three instructions that will show us how we are to confront evil.
[1] And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. [2] You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. [3] But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, [4] Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. [5] The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” [6] Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. [7] Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
[8] Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [9] “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” [10] So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. [11] Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. [12] For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. [13] Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first instruction that shows us how to confront evil is BE GOD’S AMBASSADOR (1).
1. Moses was God’s representative to Pharaoh.
Simply, he was given divine authority over Pharaoh.
Moses was acting in God’s stead, ruling over Egypt’s proud king.
So throughout this process, he was confronting Pharaoh for what he has done wrong.
To warn him about his hardening heart, Moses performed wonders contrary to the ordinary course of nature.
And when he failed to respond appropriately, he was the means to punish for the disobedience.
2. In the same way, God uses His people to reach those that are at war with Him (II Corinthians 5:20).
Notice how the apostle Paul describes it…
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
We have the same responsibility today.
We represent God wherever we go and with whomever we meet.
We live in an evil world where the prince of this world runs free.
And we do not need to look far to see his work.
It is all about us.
Nevertheless, we represent God to those that are trapped in Satan’s evil traps.
We present God to those that have chosen their own path over God’s.
We call on people to give up on their contrary ways and be reconciled to God.
We call on people to understand their place in God’s creation.
We call on people to discover and enjoy their Creator who loves them and desires their best.
II. The second instruction that shows us how to confront evil is SAY WHAT IS COMMANDED (2).
1. Moses was to say exactly what God said.
He was God’s prophet.
Moses was to say God’s words.
This means that he was not free to select just what he liked.
He was not free just to say the things that he wanted to say.
He was not free to come up with a better idea.
Moses was to say everything God told him to.
He was not to leave anything out.
2. In the same way, we have both good and bad news to communicate (Romans 1:16-18).
Note again the apostle Paul’s words…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
God’s words are powerful.
We must never fail to recognize this.
His words have reach to the very depths of our soul and speak truth to us, convicting us and convincing us of needed change.
They are powerful.
And they communicate either good news or bad news for us.
So, God’s word will either convert your soul or confirm your soul in sin.
Too often, though, we find the Christian apologizing for what God has said.
Since we don’t want to sound intolerant, we fail to say all God says.
We pick and choose.
And we are in great danger if we do so.
God does not need for us to apologize for Him.
III. The third instruction that shows us how to confront evil is DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD (6).
1. Moses was to faithfully follow the directions.
He was to carry out the Lord’s instructions to the letter.
There was to be no arguing about what to do.
There was to be no more discussion about inadequacies and qualifications.
Moses was to go to Pharaoh to demand and command.
He was not coming to ask for favors.
He was not coming to beg.
He was coming to convince Pharaoh of his need to change.
So when the time came to prove it, Moses did what God told him to do.
He threw his staff down and it became a serpent (the Hebrew word is a bit unclear, as it could have been a crocodile as well; but since a staff looks more like a snake, that is the more likely translation).
Now, even though Moses does exactly what God has told him to do, the magicians of Pharaoh somehow mimic the miracle.
They too are able to reproduce serpents as well.
This is a good reminder to us that we should not underestimate the resourcefulness of the enemy.
He is an expert in the counterfeit.
Nevertheless, the power of Moses was superior.
Moses’ serpent swallowed up the others.
ILL Notebook: Evil (preacher and barber)
A certain minister and an atheistic barber were walking through city slums.
The barber said, "This is why I can’t believe in your God of love. If he was as kind as you say, he wouldn’t permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He wouldn’t allow these poor street people to get addicted. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things."
The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt. His hair was hanging down his neck, and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face.
The minister said to his friend: "You can’t be a good barber, or you wouldn’t permit a man like this to continue living here without a haircut and a shave."
Indignant, the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man’s condition? He has never come in my shop. If he had, I could’ve fixed him up and made him look like a gentleman!"
The minister said, "Then don’t blame God for allowing people to continue in their evil ways. He invites them to come and be saved."
This was a great opportunity for Pharaoh to swallow his pride and repent.
The invitation was made.
The evidence was already overwhelming.
But just as the Lord said, his heart became hard.
Instead of becoming more sensitive to his need of the Lord, he became hard and unyielding.
Well, just as Moses…
2. In the same way, we must act on doing what is right (James 1:22, 4:17).
Note what James has written…
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
How often is it that our actions do not coincide with our words?
How often is it that we know the right thing to do and we still do not do it?
How often have we failed to speak, but because we are afraid of how people will react, that we have gone silent?
There are areas in our culture today that the church is counter-cultural and not politically correct.
We must speak to the evil that invades our land and our culture.
We must do what is right and boldly speak God’s Word to the evils that abound.
This is not a time to be concerned about being called intolerant.
This is a time to be in line with God and His ways.
So, we will either courageously rise to the challenge of our times, or we will fearfully remain on the sidelines.
Where are you?
APPLICATION:
Well, if you catch yourself on the sidelines more often than you care to think, be of good courage.
Have hope.
Because you can rejoice…
1. Rejoice that God can overcome anything.
Moses would later say to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 10:17)…
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God…
They were serving the one and only God, the Creator of the universe.
And as the succeeding plagues came, they were a continual attack against the gods of Egypt.
And they had no chance.
The river god, the crops god and the sun god all failed Egypt miserably.
Even the final plague, the judgment against the firstborn of Egypt was a judgment directly against one of their gods – Pharaoh.
Yes, in the Egyptian culture, Pharaoh was considered a god, the Man-god.
He too suffered a humiliating defeat against the one true God of Moses and Aaron.
God can overcome anything.
But realize this too…
2. Realize that God accepts no substitutes.
There is only one God, as it says in Exodus 20:3…
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
But we live in a culture that has many replacements for God.
There is the god of convenience and choice (that demonstrates itself in abortion).
There is the god of recreation (that demonstrates itself in choosing times of pleasure over the worship of God).
There is the god of food (that demonstrates itself in overfilling our tummies).
There is the god of family (that chooses to spend time and money with family members over God’s people).
There is also the god of tolerance (which refuses to make any judgments whatsoever; it is “live and let live”).
The list of gods could go on and on…
Nevertheless, we must take note of each one.
And, we must have the courage to face all these evils and to wholeheartedly reject them!
If we are caught in any of them, we must…
3. Reverse course, because God will not compromise.
When Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel go, he was in effect establishing his right to rule over Israel over God’s right.
But when he did this, when he hardened his heart, he was declaring himself God’s enemy, and he was settling himself up for judgment.
You see, we can’t bargain with God.
You can’t rewrite His words, or do as you please.
He just does not stand for any compromise.
It is not in His nature.
Therefore, be wise.
Get on His side and courageously confront evil.
Just as Moses, when you know God is with you, go and make the difference.
