Who’s the boss? 10/4/2005
Exodus 3:14 And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.
The boss was complaining in our staff meeting the other day that he wasn’t getting any respect. Later that morning he went to Wal Mart and bought a small sign that read, "I’m the Boss." He then taped it to his office door.
Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said, "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"
That is our topic for today. Who is the boss? Now before I we start any arguments within the household, we are not talking about who is the boss of the family. So don’t turn me off yet.
Most of us can remember the television sitcom of “Who’s the boss?” that aired for eight seasons from 1984-1992. It is a series where Tony Danza plays a housekeeper and Judith Light plays a working mom. Now the whole thing with the show is “Who is the boss?” Is it the working executive mother? Or is it the manly housekeeper? Who’s calling the shots? Who is the boss?
Now while that might have been a good TV series, there is other confusion today about the same thing. Who’s calling the shots here on earth? Who in charge? Is Satan the one with the rule and the reign here on earth or is God in control?
Today we will answer that question. Many people, including some Christians, believe that Satan rules the world. That he is in control over the earth. He is the boss. But today we will look at an Old Testament story and get the facts strait on “Who’s the boss?”
Satan tried to destroy the seed Exodus 1:15-22
We read here how a new King, one who did not know Joseph, saw the children of Israel were growing in number so he feared a military over though. So he commanded the Hebrew midwifes when they delivered a baby to kill it if it was a boy and let it live if it was a girl. But they feared God so they would not even if it meant their own lives. So then he commanded the Egyptians to kill the babies by drowning them in the Nile River.
Satan in his mind thought if I can destroy the seed then I can destroy the Savior. But who was the boss?
God saved the seed with the very thing that Satan tried to destroy it with Exodus 2:1-10
Now we find the man the God chose to lead the seed out of their bondage being born into this world. And guess what, he did not get thrown in the river. His future would seem bleak seeing how he was suppose to be cast in the river and drown.
Now his mom did her best to hide him for as long as she could, but the end result was she had to put him in the river always. But not the way that was commanded. He was placed in a basket and mom told his sister to watch him to see what would happen.
So God took the very river that Satan tried to destroy the seed and used it to save the child. How did He save him?
First, He took the one of the very descendants of Pharaoh to go down to take a bath in the river. Now the Egyptians believed the Nile River to be sacred. So while down there, she sees this ark among the reeds and sends her maid to retrieve it. She opened it up and the Bible didn’t say that she saw a pretty baby smiling at her with some big bright eyes. It says that the baby began crying.
Now I love babies but when one starts crying, I’m looking for mommy. I don’t really want to hear that.
But she had compassion on the baby. So she sends his sister to go find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby. So who does sis go get? Mom of course. Not only does mom get to take the baby home and raise him, but also Pharaoh’s daughter paid her to do so. Then when he grew older, he got to live in the same palace that the Pharaoh’s himself lived in.
Who’s the boss?
He was sent on a job knowing that he would fail Exodus 3:7-10, 19
As our story proceeds, we back up a little and we find that Moses had to leave the comforts of the palace and live in the desserts of the Midian. He saw one of the Egyptians beating one of the Hebrews so he took the law in his own hands and killed the Egyptian when he thought no one was looking.
So the next day he saw two Hebrew men fighting among themselves. When he approached them then he found out what he thought was hidden was out in the open. The Hebrew asked, “Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
So now Moses was an outcast with the Egyptians and the Israelites. So he heads off to the desert. Now Satan probably thought now I’ve got them. God went through all this trouble to save him only to have him have to leave.
But I think that the city boy needed some training. It would have been hard for anyone to lead anybody around in a desert. But for someone who has lived in the confines of a palace to do it would be even harder. So God had to give Moses some orientation on his future job.
But the thing that amazed me was that God sent Moses to do a job, knowing that he would fail. (Vs.19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no not even by a mighty hand).
And sometimes we need to realize that He may choose to send us on a mission or something. And in our eyes we think why would God send us to do something that we know that we will fail too?
I’ve seen pastor’s to whom God has sent to a certain place only to have them fail miserably. And you have heard me say many times that God will not give you something to do without providing the means and the method to enable you to do it. But sometimes He may send us to something that fails as a way to show that He is the boss. He is in charge. He is the one calling the shots.
How many of you remember when you first taught your kids to do something like ride a bike or something. Did they become a natural and just take off? Never needing training wheels or a huffing puffing parent running behind to help them learn how to ride that bike. We do the same thing with our kids that God sometimes does to us.
We teach our kids to ride a bike knowing that there are going to be times that they will fall and maybe get a skinned knee or something. But we know that sometimes we need to fall a few times to enjoy the riding of a bike. And sometimes we may fail a few times in doing what God has for us to do as well.
So if you fail doing something that God has for you to do, don’t let Satan fool you into thinking that he got the victory.
Who’s the boss?
The plagues, the pest, and the pains could not save them
Remember Moses first encounter with his step dad, Pharaoh? Moses and Aaron went to him to ask for the release of the Children of Israel. To show that they meant business, Aaron cast down his rod down and it turned into a snake. Pharaoh had a few tricks up his own sleeve. So he called his wise men and sorcerers and they cast their rods down and theirs became snakes too. But Aaron’s snake swallowed the other ones. Who’s the boss?
But still Pharaoh’s heart hardened and he would not let the people go. Bad mistake. So the first thing that happened was that in the morning when Pharaoh went down to the river; Aaron dipped his rod in the river again and it became blood. But Pharaoh’s magicians did the same thing, so he would not let the people go.
Then Moses and Aaron once again went to Pharaoh and asked for the release of the Children of Israel. This time Aaron took his rod and frogs came all over. They were in their houses, in their beds, in their food; everywhere you looked there were frogs. But once again the magicians did the same thing. But Pharaoh had enough so he told Moses and Aaron to get rid of the frogs and he would let the Children of Israel go. But when Pharaoh saw the relief, he had a change of heart and would not let the people go.
Then came the lice. The magicians tried to repeat the performance and could not. They told Pharaoh that this had to be God. And the rest they could not duplicate as well. You had the flies, the livestock all died (Except the livestock of the Children of Israel), then boils broke out. Then all hail broke out, only to be followed by the locust. Then there was total darkness for three days. Still Pharaoh would not let the Children of Israel go free.
Now that was a lot for anyone to go through. But still Pharaoh said no. None of the plagues, the pest, or the pains could save them. And the same is true for you as well. Nothing that you can do on you own can save you as well. You can try anything there is. No magic or misery can get you out of the bondage of sin as well.
You’ve probably seen the religions where people have craw some great distance on their belly or they will take some whips and beat themselves into their own salvation. But they are still in as much bondage now as they ever were. Which leads me to may last point.
It took the blood to release them of their bondage
Exodus 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorpost, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
The last and final straw you might say is when God told Moses that the firstborn of the Egyptians would die. The firstborn of their animals, the firstborn of their servants, the first born of the King himself; no one was spared except for those who would take and sacrifice a lamb. And it was to be a perfect lamb, one without blemish. And you were to sacrifice this lamb and then take the blood from that lamb and place it on the lintel and the two doorpost. And when death came and saw the blood then it will Passover.
Al the other plagues did not cause the Children of Israel to be released from their bondage. The blood had to be shed for them to be saved.
The Passover demonstrated God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but it also pointed to the coming Deliverer and Savior of all people-Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus, (the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world) Jesus can release you from your bondage of sin.
He was identified by Peter to be without blemish or spot.
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of the lamb without blemish and without spot.
Jesus blood is a sign of Jesus’ death. Through Jesus death, we are saved. He is our Passover Lamb. He is the boss. Now and forever more. AMEN
