This Is War! Series

THIS IS WAR!

Exodus 7.1-11.10

S: Change

C: Judgment

Th: Movin’ On Up!

Pr: ALIGN YOURSELF WITH GOD’S PLANS.

Type: Inductive

I. WAR PLAN (7.1-7)

II. WARNING SHOT (7.8-13)

III. WAR (8.1-11.10)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Don’t underestimate God.

• Soften your heart, ask for mercy.

• Act on His priorities.

Version: ESV

RMBC 09 March 08 AM

INTRODUCTION:

Atheism (S)

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jew, has been called "the voice of the underground church." In the 1940s, he was jailed and tortured by communist officials in his home country. While imprisoned, he spoke boldly of the gospel to his atheistic captors.

About one experience in the 14 years he spent in prison, he wrote, "The political officer asked me harshly, ’How long will you continue to keep your stupid religion?’

"I said to him, ’I have seen innumerable atheists regretting on their deathbeds that they have been godless; they called on Christ. Can you imagine that a Christian could regret, when death is near, that he has been a Christian and call on Marx or Lenin to rescue him from his faith?’

"The atheist began to laugh, ’A clever answer.’

"I continued, ’When an engineer has built a bridge, the fact that a cat can pass over the bridge is no proof that the bridge is good. A train must pass over it to prove its strength. The fact that you can be an atheist when everything goes well does not prove the truth of atheism. It does not hold up in moments of great crisis.’

"I used Lenin’s books to prove to him that, even after becoming prime minister of the Soviet Union, Lenin himself prayed when things went wrong."

Citation: DC Talk, Jesus Freaks: DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (Bethany House, 2002), pp. 53-54

Before the new atheists of Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, and their ilk (ones we studied in November) hit the streets, there were others that preceded them that believed that they did not need God.

Before the communistic system claimed that religion was a crutch for weak people and outlawed Christianity, there were others that preceded them that believed that they did not need God.

1. Pharaoh did not believe in God, only himself.

When Moses and Aaron commanded pharaoh to let God’s people go, he refused.

In fact, he discouraged this type of thinking by making the Hebrew people make the same quota of bricks without giving them the necessary straw.

He said that they were lazy for thinking about leaving.

You see, as far as he was concerned, pharaoh believed he was the god of Egypt.

He did not believe in the God of the children of Israel.

He was in charge.

He was in control.

But…

2. He is about to come out on the losing end of a great war.

He is going to be the biggest loser.

This is going to be no contest in a battle of the gods.

Pharaoh thought he was the favorite.

He thought he had the advantage of playing at home.

But he did not understand who he was up against.

He was, to say the least, underestimating his opponent.

OUR STUDY:

As we come to the text today, a…

I. WAR PLAN (7.1-7)

…is being developed.

ILL Calling (S)

C.S. Lewis, in Studies in Theology, says:

God seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye.

The war plan involved two important men, who were discouraged.

But it seems…

3. Moses finally gets it; God has invested in him heavily.

He’s the man.

It is time to put away the discouragement.

It is time to get out the courage, because there is a war to fight.

7.1-2

And the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 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.”

Here is the plan, Moses.

“You are God to pharaoh.”

“You will be speaking My very words.”

Moses was doing God’s work.

He could have confidence in this.

He was representing Yahweh – the Great I Am.

He was the ambassador for El Shaddai – the Almighty God – who was above all and over all.

So Moses puts away his timidity, his hesitancy, and he fires the…

II. WARNING SHOT (7.8-13)

You see…

4. An opportunity is provided to change course.

Pharaoh can change course.

7.10-12

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. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.