Sermon Tone Analysis

*Thomas** S. Myers*

 

*WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THINGS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE?*

*Exodus 4:29-6:29*

 

            An unsigned letter:  "Dear Pastor:  I do not understand what God is doing in my life.

I have been a faithful wife and mother and yet everything keeps getting worse.

My husband has just lost his job so we don't have an income.

Our car needs fixed and we don't have money for it.

We have no money to pay the rent, or to take the kids to the doctor.

How can God do this to us?

We pray faithfully and read the Bible.

We take the kids to church each Sunday.

We're faithful parents, but things have gone from bad to worse.

Please tell me, what are we doing wrong!"

Such is the case of Moses.

He is going to do exactly what God has told him to do, and it will backfire on him.

He is going to be hated, he will question that he is in God's will.

He will question God's call.

He will lose credibility as a leader, and question his own inadequacy.

I want to share with you, what to do when things go from bad to worse.

Let's look at the life of Moses.

Moses has been commissioned by God to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

*FIRST -- WHEN THINGS DON'T WORK RIGHT.*

Moses, with total confidence that God was going to set His people free, enters Pharaoh's presence.

But, watch what happens.

*Exodus 5:1** *

*1 **Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD,*

 

*1the God of Israel, says: `Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.'"

(NIV)*

 

            This is not a request by Moses.

Moses is not saying, "Would you please let my people go?"  It's a command.

The Hebrew verbs are very intensive.

Moses is saying, "Pharaoh, let God's people go!."  Now remember, Moses is doing exactly what God has told him to do.

Here is Moses, he is God's man, with God's message, in God's time, doing just exactly what God wants him to do.

So what is Pharaoh going to do? 

 

*Exodus 5:2** *

*2** **Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go?

I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."  *

 

            Pharaoh says to Moses, "No way, Hosea.

I'm not going to let the Israelites go.

I don't even know who your God is."

Now watch what Pharaoh does.

*  *

*Exodus 5:7-9** *

(Pharaoh is speaking) *7 **"You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.

**8 **But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota.

They are **lazy; that is why they are crying out, `Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

**9 **Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." (NIV)*

 

            Instead of the Israelites being set free, they are forced to double their work as salves.

Not only are they to make bricks, but they are to gather their own straw.

Quite obviously, when they had to gather their own straw, they were not able to make the same number of bricks.

So they request a meeting before Pharaoh to find out why they were so severely beaten.

Pharaoh tells them their problems are because of Moses commanding him to let the people go.

They have now put it all together.

They now believe it is all Moses' fault!

Moses is going to go from hero to zero.

He is going to go from the penthouse to the outhouse.

Look at:

 

*Exodus 5:20-21** *

*20 **When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, **21 **and** they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you!

You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

(NIV)*

 

            Moses has done exactly what God has commanded him to do, and instead of things getting better, they have gotten worse.

Can you identify with that?

In Texas, there is a young attorney who can identify with it.

Each year during Thanksgiving the boss gives all the employees a turkey.

This attorney is single, lives alone, and has absolutely no idea how to fix the turkey.

He has no use for a huge turkey.

One year his close friends in the law firm replaced his turkey with one made of papier-mache.

They weighted it down with lead to make it feel genuine, placed it into a paper sack.

After work, he takes his turkey, on the bus to go home.

With the big turkey on his lap, he wonders what in the world he would do with it.

A little further down the bus line, a rather run-down, discouraged-looking man got on the bus.

The only vacant seat on the bus was the one next to the attorney with the turkey.

He sat down and they began to talk about the holiday.

The attorney learned that the stranger has been looking for work, and was wondering what he would do about Thanksgiving for his family.

Then the attorney got an idea.

I'll give him the turkey.

No, he's no freeloader.

I'll sell it to him.

So he asked the stranger how much money he had.

The man said, "All I have is one dollar and twenty-five cents."

The attorney said, "I would like to sell you this turkey for one dollar and twenty-five cents."

"Sold!"

The attorney handed the turkey over to the stranger.

He felt so good.

He did the right thing.

Can you picture the stranger as he gets home.

He says, "Hey kids, I've got a large turkey for Thanksgiving!"

Then he looks in the sack and pulls out a bogus turkey.

The next Monday, the attorney went to work.

His friends are dying to know about the turkey.

You cannot imagine their chagrin when they heard the story of what happened.

I understand that they all got on the bus every day that week, looking in vain for a man who, as far as I know, to this day still entertains a misunderstanding about guy who innocently sold him a fake turkey for a dollar and twenty-five cents.

Folks, it happens.

You can be doing exactly what God would have you do, and nothing seems to work out right.

I have seen it over and over again.

An individual will have faith in God, but as soon as the crisis comes they say, "God where are you?

God why are you doing this to me?

And if there is someone else to blame they will blame their spouse, their employer, their neighbor, or even their pastor.

Moses has done exactly what God has told him to do.

And everything has gone wrong.