MOSES: FROM DOUBT TO DELIVERANCE
A TERRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY
Sunday October 20, 2002
Scripture Reference: Exodus 5 & 6 various verses
Intro.
A. Here is a really dumb question, “Have you ever had a really bad day?” If you are tempted to answer “no” to that question please let me know so that we can call the mortuary to come pick you up because if you have never had a bad day you are most definitely dead!
B. There is a children’s story called Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, no good very bad day. Let me share it with you. []
C. What we are going to learn from the life of Moses today is that even if you are a Christian, even if you are doing your best to fulfill God’s will for your life it does not mean that the road of life will always be smooth. [] I like the way Mark Lowery described it in one of his comedy routines. He said that Jesus gives us “Abundant Life” (stretching his arms wide)
Trans. Let’s look at how even someone like Moses can have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
I. THE BAD DAY BEGINS.
To get a true prospect on what is about to happen to Moses we need a little background. What Moses is about to learn is that what goes up must come down.
A. What Goes Up Must Come Down.
1. Look with me at 4:29-31 (read). What we find here is that Moses and Aaron and the other leaders of the Hebrew people have just come back form a wonderful bible conference. We don’t know for how long but let’s say it has been a few days. Moses has been sharing with them about his life and the miraculous ways in which God has been working in him. He told them about the burning bush experience and how God literally spoke his name from within the bush and called him to come and be used to deliver the Hebrew children from this cruel bondage and slavery they were in.
a) Now can you imagine the atmosphere of this setting? I think it would not be hard to describe it as electric. I think there was a lot of shouting, a lot of people saying “Amen” and “Praise the Lord”. I would be willing to bet that these people were pumped up. I would also bet that they felt pretty invincible as they came away from that conference. They were probably saying, “Watch out Pharaoh, it’s our turn now.” “You have kept us in slavery all these years but now we are going home."
b) [] It reminds me a little bit of what happens so often when we send our teens away to camp. They have a great week of spiritual emphasis. Often times they go forward and confess their sins maybe even accept what they feel is a call of God upon their lives. As they head down the mountain they feel invincible. They feel like saying watch out school. I am going to be a radically saved Christian for Christ on my campus. I am going to share my faith with boldness and when I do, people are going to respond and revival will break out on my campus. It’s exciting, isn’t it?
2. Guest what? What goes up must come down. Your feelings that were sky high all of a sudden seem to come crashing down to the ground. ** Now what I want you to know here is that nothing has happened to you that was wrong or sinful, and don’t let the enemy tell you that what happened to you wasn’t real. I am sure that it was, just as it must have been with Moses and these leaders. But here is what you must understand. Your feelings will always be changing but GOD DOES NOT CHANGE! We will see this more clearly as we move along.
Trans. After this great conference Moses and Aaron get an audience with Pharaoh.
B. An Audience With Pharaoh.
1. Look at V.1-2 (read). Now all through this series I have been challenging you to try and put yourself back there in the time when this first happened. Try to set aside the fact that you know the story and the outcome, but try to imagine what it was like to be there as this all unfolds.
a) I for one find it intriguing that they even got an audience with Pharaoh. Remember who we are talking about here. This is Pharaoh, the god of the world. He held life and death in his hands; at least he thought he did. Try to put this in a modern day prospective. It would probably be something like me going up to the White House and requesting an audience with the President. After the security guards are done laughing I am sure they would tell me to go away. The fact that an unknown sheepherder gets an audience with the ruler of the world is amazing in and of itself. Maybe when Pharaoh was told this guy was there he was so impressed with his gall that he was willing to listen to what Moses had to say.
2. Now let’s remind ourselves of the attitude that Moses an Aaron approached Pharaoh with. Remember, they are all pumped up. They have just come away from this awesome bible conference and they are ready to take on the world. The fact that they got in to see Pharaoh probably only served to boaster their confidence. I think that Moses and Aaron and the rest of these leaders thought this was going to be a sort of ”Slam Dunk” deal. They would walk in, make their demand and Pharaoh would bow down. But this is NOT what God had told Moses. God told Moses that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened. This was not going to be simple task. I am not sure if Moses forgot himself in all the emotion of the moment or if he was just like the rest of us preachers. We don’t want to tell people the difficult part because we are afraid they may not want to join us. We want so much to build a big church that we can be tempted to make people think that they only have to take up their hats and follow Jesus and not the Cross! No matter how seeker sensitive we may want to be the command of Christ is STILL to take up the CROSS and follow him!
Trans. Pharaoh responds to Moses by saying that he has no idea who this God is that Moses is talking about. Why should I obey Him? Who is this God to me? Do you think I will lose all this free labor just on the word of some shepherd? Then Moses tells Pharaoh why he must let them go but Pharaoh continues to deny them.
C. Pharaoh’s Continual Denial.
1. Look what happens in V.6-9 (read). He says “I am going to make things even harder for you.” HARDER? How in the world could it get any harder than it already is? Those are NOT the words we want to hear are they? We want to say, “Wait just a minute here.” “I am a Christian, I am doing all I can to obey God and follow where he leads me.” “How in the world can it be fair that things will get harder for me?"
a) You need to watch your toes here for a minute. Could it be that there are times when we are guilty of “using” God rather than “serving” God? Let me say again, when we make a decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ He did not say, “Pick up your Easter Basket and follow me down this lovely path by the lake.” NO, He called us to take up a cross, a symbol of death, or sacrifice.
b) If you chose to dedicate your life to Christ don’t except that Life will become a bed of roses. It won’t. But let me also add that what we are guaranteed is the presence of the Living God in our lives to help us through every battle and to bring us through victorious!
2. Now I want you to see again what happens in V. 9 (read). Can I say to you that this is happening to a great many of us who are seated here today? We have allowed the Pharaoh’s of our day, that is the gods of our day to divert us always from the Living Lord. In some cases we are working so hard to get the things our world tells us we must have that we are just moving ourselves further and further away from God. [] Let me illustrate what I mean. I had someone tell me one time that they weren’t able to be in church Sunday because they had been so busy during the week that they couldn’t get the laundry done. So they stayed home that day to wash cloths.
a) Look with me again at the last words of V. 9(read). Pharaoh wanted them working so hard that they would have no time to think about this God that Moses wanted them to go and worship. That is what Satan is doing to so many people today. Oh no he may not have us working on Sunday but he will get us so busy during the week that when Sunday comes we will tell ourselves that we need a day just for us when in fact the Sabbath was created for us to worship God, not stay clear of Him!
Trans. There is one other thing I want you to see here. Moses’ efforts to do as God has instructed him are being met with even more difficulties for the Hebrew Children. God tells Moses that he is still the man.
3. Moses was still God’s Man. Look at what is said in 6:1 (read). Yes it’s true Moses that you have encountered a lot of opposition not only from Pharaoh but now from your own people. But you are still the man I have chosen for this assignment. No matter how rough the way seems right now I have still called you and I have not changed my mind and neither have you been mistaken.
LIFE LESSONS
Aren’t you glad when a bad day comes to an end? Doesn’t it feel great? It’s like; “OK I survived. Tomorrow is a brand new day.” Well I hate to tell you but this terrible, no good, very bad day has not ended yet. At least not for Moses. I have actually shared with you only one part of the story. Next week I will share the rest. I think you will be very encouraged by what you learn so I hope you will be here.
Let me close today as we have been through out this series with a Life Lesson.
1. Do Not Depend On Your Emotions To Guide You.
A) You will always come out the loser when you do this. Your emotions cannot always be trusted. Just because you don’t feel something does not mean it’s not real. I am not always feeling the same emotions I did when I first came to Jesus but that does not mean I am no longer his child.
2. God’s Calling On Your Life Does Not Mean the Absence Of Trouble.
a) What have I told you over and over again from John 16:33? In this world you will have trouble. But fear not for Jesus has overcome the world and He lives in you.
3. Don’t Be Diverted From God’s Purpose.
a) What I mean here is do not let the thing s of this world become a greater attraction to you than Christ Himself.
