Sermon Tone Analysis

*/Moses Meets Pharaoh - Exodus 5-6 (Part 3 in a Series of 11)/*

September 7, 2008

 

Prayer:  Father, it is my desire to please you through preaching the Word of God tonight.

I believe that my brothers and sisters in Christ desire to please you by being hearers and doers of what you reveal.

The prayer of Paul in Colossians 1 indicates that Christians (and that would include many of us here this evening) are to bear fruit in every good work.

We are grateful that you gave us the free gift of eternal life and that we responded believing by faith it could be and now is ours.

You also make clear that you have a purpose for each of us.

We are your workmanship, a poem created in Christ to do good works which You have prepared in advance for us to do.

Lord, that is very compelling and hopeful.

You have good works for us to do.

Our question this evening is, “What hinders them from being accomplished?”

We know it’s not You.

We know the trouble is with us.

Lord Jesus, you taught in the Gospels that the percentage among the productive soils would vary as we sow the seed of the Gospel.

But, it seems to me, that there must be some fruit in order to please You.

How can we say we are pleasing to You without fruitfulness or good works - without people being saved in growing under our watchful care… without helping those who struggle hard with sin …without being understanding and compassionate with the people close to us, people we often taken advantage of!

As a church we ask that you would fill us with the knowledge of your will for our lives, so that we may live a life worthy of you and utterly pleasing to you - abounding in good, truly good works.

Lord, we pray simply this evening …we pray that we would just bear fruit for you - to whatever capacity you’ve prepared for us in advance.

We pray this in Your Name.

Amen.

*5.1-9

The Insensitivity of the Sinner*

Remember that when we last left Israel, they were a believing people (4.31).

They had bowed their heads and worshiped.

Moses and Aaron confidently and courageously confront Pharaoh in the exact manner God had prescribed.

But it doesn’t turn out like the people thought it would.

It doesn’t turn out like Moses and Aaron thought it would.

·         Who is the LORD?

·         Why should I obey Him?

·         I don’t know the LORD.

·         I will not let Israel go.

Don’t import what you already know on the story.

Here is the most powerful man in the world, the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Two slaves come to him and demand that he release all the other slaves.

The whole idea is absurd.

“Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?

I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”

People who do not know the LORD will not obey Him; however, no one can say they are completely ignorant of who the LORD is.

Romans 1 teaches us that God has written the reality of His existence upon the heart of every man.

So, why do Pharaoh and others we know so wantonly cast off the LORD and refuse to obey him?

Why won’t they learn more about Him?

The answer to that question is that unsaved people believe ignorance is bliss.

That is, they want to remain in darkness so that they can continue to enjoy it!

Sin and their desire for it becomes wedge between them and God.

Disobedience always darkens spiritual realities.

That Pharaoh is a child of Satan is immediately evident.

He hates God’s people and they will suffer under his authority.

Don’t expect the world and its leaders to solve our problems in the church.

Jesus said that the world would hate us because of Him (Matt 10.22).

I always think that if the world loves me, I must be going wrong somehow.

We may not suffer like an Iranian Christian, but we should feel it:

·         Don’t ever expect public education to take hold of our virtues and principles.

·         Expect to be misrepresented in the newspaper and on television.

·         Expect to be mocked, derided, or at least marginalized at work.

Unsaved people don’t want to be around us - but it is Christ that makes them uncomfortable.

That’s a good thing.

*5.10-21

The Bondage of Sin*

Not only would Pharaoh refuse the Hebrews straw, he also would not reduce the quota of bricks that needed to be turned out.

The people were scattered and gathering stubble in order to keep us.

It was an impossible task, of course.

The Egyptian taskmasters drove them and forced them to hurry.

The Hebrew officers that supervised the work were beaten because the quotas were not reached.

The officers sent a contingent to Pharaoh.

So much for these men serving God - v. 15 indicates that they thought themselves servants of Pharaoh still.

Pharaoh welcomed the criticism as a way to drive a wedge between God’s man, Moses, and the people.

Pharaoh cries out defiantly to the officers, “You are idle!

Idle!”

He tells them to get back to work and as they do, they meet Pharaoh and Moses.

No bowed heads …no worship …no belief.

Only accusations and bitterness for Moses and Aaron.

The wedge is firmly placed.

This is what will happen over and over again as Moses seeks to lead this people.

They always want to go back to Egypt.

Back to Pharaoh.

Back to the leeks, garlic, and onions.

Back to the only thing they ever knew …bondage.

It is not unlike our own struggle with sin - a struggle that is utterly impossible to win without the liberating work of the cross, tomb, and resurrection.

“Sin always demands more and more from us - while giving less and less in return.

The more the lustful man indulges his fantasies the less happy he becomes, and the more sex he craves.

The more the selfish woman gets, the less content she grows, and still she wants more.

Satan never loosens his grip; he is always busy tightening the chains of our captivity.

It is always more bricks and less straw, for it is the very nature of sin to seek to control the sinner’s whole life” (Ryken, 155).

*John 8:34** (NKJV) \\ *34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

*Romans 6:16** (NKJV) \\ *16Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin /leading/ to death, or of obedience /leading/ to righteousness?

*Romans 6:19** (NKJV) \\ *19I speak in human /terms/ because of the weakness of your flesh.

For just as you presented your members /as/ slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness /leading/ to /more/ lawlessness, so now present your members /as/ slaves /of/ righteousness for holiness.

*Titus 3:3** (NKJV) \\ *3For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

*Acts 8:23** (NKJV) \\ *23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

*2 Peter 2:19** (NKJV) \\ *19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

So, where do the children of Israel go for liberty and relief?

They go to the source of all their bondage, Pharaoh.

It is not unlike asking Satan to free you from sin.  God alone delivers the sinner from sin.  Christ redeems.

The people should have looked to God and God’s man.

Instead, they went to Pharaoh and then attacked God’s man.

We cannot and must not turn to sin for solace.

Chris alone has the power to save and sanctify.

We must hold onto the hem of His garment and refuse to let go.

We must trust in His power to deliver us.

*1 Corinthians 10:13** (NKJV) \\ *13No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God /is/ faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear /it./

*5.22 - 6.5  Handling Disappointment*

When Moses regroups after meeting the officers, he returns to the LORD and pretty much complains.