How to Live in Victory in an X-Rated World
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Many years ago, there were some soldiers who were fighting a forest fire. They were fighting it but had become surrounded by flames. Just then a plane flew over them flying very low to the ground and dropped notes that were weighted down onto the area where the soldiers were located.
The note stated that they were surrounded by flames and would soon perish unless they took action immediately. There was one narrow path out of the flames but it would soon be cut off with fire. They had to act immediately.
Fortunately, the men trusted the note and acted immediately and their lives were spared. There was a message from above that was telling them something they could not have known down there in the smoke where they were and since they trusted the message, their lives were saved.
That’s a good picture of our culture today. We are surrounded. We are in trouble. And God says there is one way to escape. The title of this message tonight is, How to Live in Victory in an X-Rated World.
Moses did that years ago and the Bible holds him up as an example. Look at Hebrews 11:24-29
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. 29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
By faith Moses had victory in the culture of Egypt which was very much like the culture we live in today. It was demon possessed and controlled by powers that are ungodly.
There were three basic things that Moses did that we will do the same three things, God will give us victory. He will give you and I personal victory, domestic victory, social victory, spiritual victory, and eternal victory.
Three Things Moses did for Victory
Three Things Moses did for Victory
1. Moses made a firm decision.
1. Moses made a firm decision.
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.
Verse 24 says that he refused; verse 25 says that he chose and verse 26 says that he thought it better.
Moses refused to be part of the culture.
Moses refused to be part of the culture.
He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, the grandson of Pharoah… the king of Egypt.
Moses chose to follow God.
Moses chose to follow God.
Moses had a choice to make. He was heir to the throne of Egypt… to be the next King of Egypt. Can you imagine what he turned his back on? Riches, the easy life… or he could choose to follow God and to fellowship with His people.
He turned his back on pleasure, on treasure, on Power… he would have been the most powerful man on earth.
Why would he do that? Why would he turn his back on all of that?
Moses followed God because he had an eternal perspective.
Moses followed God because he had an eternal perspective.
Moses looked at the riches of Egypt and realized they wouldn’t last. He looked at following God and suffering with God’s people for a little while and saw that God’s riches were ore and lasted longer than Egypts.
He sees through the telescope of time and sees Jesus on the throne and says, that’s who I am following. He took the eternal view point.
The devil tries to get us to look at the short term… right now. God says look down the road.
Listen, sin is fun… for a minute. If it were not fun, no one would ever sin. Someone might be enjoying something for a little while. The bible refers to it as the pleasures of sin. But listen to me. That pleasure will not last long nor will it satisfy.
But let me tell you this. When you look at the riches of Jesus and following him, the pleasures of sin do not compare. Only the true pleasures of Jesus will last. That’s what people are looking for, but they don’t know it. Moses faith endured because he saw the Invisible One… Jesus.
You can look at the immediate or the eternal. You can look at the pleasures of sin or the joys of the Lord Jesus. I have had youth or younger people talk to me like… well your old. I am young and have some living to do.
Let me tell you something… I was once young and now an older. I know everything you know plus something else… what you don’t know. I have been where you are but you haven’t been where I am. I haven’t missed a thing following Jesus.
Let me tell you this. The best is yet to come. You had better take the long view… not the short one. Look at what Jesus has to offer and anything this world has to offer pales in comparison.
Moses not only made a firm decision,
2. Moses made a full departure.
2. Moses made a full departure.
27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
Moses made a firm decision then he left the land of Egypt. The devil didn’t want Moses to leave Egypt. Egypt is a picture or illustration the Bible uses for the World. Pharoah is a picture of the devil. Pharoah didn’t want Moses to leave so he offered him some clever compromises.
Sometimes it’s smart to compromise. One time there was a man who wanted to go to the beach but his wife wanted to go to the mountains, so they compromised and went to the mountains. Sometimes it’s good to compromise.
The devil threw at Moses through Pharoah the same 4 compromises he will throw at you and me.
Moses told Pharoah, we want to leave, but Pharoah wait a minute.
You don’t have to separate yourself, just follow God right here.
You don’t have to separate yourself, just follow God right here.
25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
Do it in Egypt is what Pharoah said. You can practice your worship, just do it here. Worship God in the land of compromise.
That’s what the devil tells people all the time. You just live like everyone else and go to church on Sundays. IOW, just tack Christianity onto your regular life. Just take the things of the world and refine them.
Satan doesn’t mind you going to church on Sundays as long as you do it in the land and don’t depart. That is… you go to church but never experience the rebirth. So
The first compromise is to not get saved.
The first compromise is to not get saved.
A lot of people fit this category. They attend church, maybe were baptized and even join a small group, but they haven’t forsaken Egypt. They haven’t left the world.
Look at Exodus 8:28
The second compromise is Don’t become a religious fanatic.
The second compromise is Don’t become a religious fanatic.
28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
The devil will tell you if you are going to get saved, whatever you do, do not become a radical and whatever you do don’t become a Pentecostal. Remember, never talk about religion or politics in public.
Stay so close the suburbs of sin that that if you want to make a little trip back you can do it. There are way too many people like this. They are saved, but walking the line too close to sin and the world.
Many people want to see how close to the world they can live. They may not want to drink but they still go to the bars and sit around with their friends who are drinking and think, we will sip a diet coke… not one will know. That’s right, no one will know that you are a believer.
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
When we compromise, we do a lot of harm to the cause of Christ than all out atheists and unbelievers.
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?” 9 Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.”
Pharoah asked Moses, who are you taking with you to worship your God? Moses said, all of us. Then Pharoah said in Exodus 10:10-11
10 Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. 11 Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
The third compromise is don’t bring your family with you to church.
The third compromise is don’t bring your family with you to church.
Pharoah said if you want to be a fanatic and leave Egypt, you have to leave the younger generation with us. Leave your families in the world and just you men go worship your god.
The devil doesn’t want your families to know Jesus. He says, ok parents, if you want to be religious you can, but let the kids make up their own minds. And so many people fall for that. Let me ask you, do yo want your families to spend eternity in hell? I hope not, but the devil does… the world does.
We are losing a generation because there are people who love God, but somehow their children are being left behind in Egypt.
This is the compromise strategy of the devil. He wants to get the kids of God’s people. Look at Acts 16:31
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
God wants your family to be saved. Look at Gen 7:1
1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.
God spared Noah and his family. Look at Joshua 24:15
15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
The devil wants Christians to compromise when it comes to our families. Acts 11:13-14
13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. 14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’
He wants everyone in your household to be saved. If you think that it’s alright for you to be here and your children to be not here, you are wrong.
I never had a choice about going with my parents to church.
Now if you have older kids, all we can do it pray for them, witness to them and invite them.
Katherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, prayed, “God I will not stand before you without all of my children.” And everyone of them were saved and went on to be in the ministry. Some of us need to pray that way and stand in faith for our kids.
You would think the devil would give up, but he doesn’t.
Look at Exodus 10:24
24 Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the Lord,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.”
Many people have bought into this compromise. Go ahead and be a Christian, but don’t bring it into your business.
The Fourth Compromise is to leave your business or your wealth in Egypt.
The Fourth Compromise is to leave your business or your wealth in Egypt.
Go ahead and be religious, but don’t bring your business into it. Don’t let your business or your wealth be committed to the Lord.
I am not preaching about money, but 1 out of every 6 verses in the Gospels is about money and possessions. 16 of the 38 parables Jesus told were about the right and wrong use of a person’s possessions. The devil knows if he can get your treasure, he has a part of you. Jesus said in Luke 12:34
34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
So Moses is not falling for these compromises. Look at Exodus 10:26
26 All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the Lord our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the Lord until we get there.”
Moses told Pharoah that he was taking it all and it was committed to God.
Have you made a firm decision? Have you made a full departure? Moses made the firm decision to leave and made a full departure from Egypt.
3. Moses discovered a faithful deliverance.
3. Moses discovered a faithful deliverance.
After he had made a firm decision, and made a complete departure, He found a faithful deliverance. The Lord took care of Moses. Look at Heb 11:28
28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
It was also by faith that they crossed the red sea on dry land.
It’s not enough to just make a decision. We all make decisions we do not fulfill. So it’s not enough to just say, I am leaving Egypt. Listen, we do not have it in us to leave Egypt. It’s just not in us. We do not have the power to do that unless God gives it to us. So here is what happened.
There was a decision, and there was a departure, but how? They were able to do it because God delivered them. God was faithful. Moses said they kept the Passover.
The Passover was when the Israelites took and sacrificed a Lamb and put the blood of the Lamb over the door posts of their homes. Then they cooked the lamb and ate it. The smell of barbecue was all over Egypt. I imagine Pharoah wondered what they were up to.
God told them to take spotless lambs … lambs with no blemish. The lambs represent Jesus Christ. The Lamb gave protection and power. Every time an Israelite went out, the Lamb went with him.
Look. The Lamb was in them. Christ, the hope of glory is in you. 1 CO 5:7
7 Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.
We are set free from the punishment and power of sin. Now when they did the passover, the took the Lamb and sacrificed it and took the blood and put it over the door post. Some say they did it in the shape of a cross - I don’t know. So whenever a Jew went out, we was under the blood and the Lamb was in Him.
Now we have the blood of Jesus and the power of God inside us giving us the power to come out of Egypt… whatever Egypt is for you.
You have to have the Blood of Jesus and the power of God in you because just making a decision is not enough. God went out with them, and He goes out with us.
Imagine three young boys and their dads.
The first says, Dad, we better do what Moses said to do. I’m the first born so don’t you think we ought to get a Lamb. The dad says, Ok son. So the dad says, How is this Lamb son? The son says it’s perfect dad. All right son, we are going to kill it and it’s dying for you. He is becoming your substitute. There is is blood on the door. That boy goes to sleep that night and sleeps soundly.
The 2nd boy comes to his dad and says, Dad, I heard what Moses said, and Dad, I’m the first born so don’t you think we ought to get a Lamb? The dad said, alright son, we will. And the son said, dad, I want to see that perfect lamb. The dad replied, All right son it’s perfect. The son said dad, I want to see the blood put up over the door. OK son, see the blood is there. We have done everything. The son says thanks dad and goes to sleep but tosses and turns all night and weeps and prays. Finally the sun comes up and he is still alive.
Let me ask you, which son was the most safe? They both were just as safe because the blood had been applied. They were under the blood. But one got there kind of second class didn’t he?
The blood makes us safe, but the Word makes us sure.
The blood makes us safe, but the Word makes us sure.
A lot of us are failing to take God at His word. We worry all the time. We are under the Blood so don’t worry your way all the way to heaven.
Then there is a 3rd boy. He is Pharaoh’s first born son. He comes and says, those Hebrews down there are saying that there is a death angel coming tonight and he will kill all of the firstborn sons. Dad, I happen to be your first born son. Dad, don’t you think we ought to get a Lamb, sacrifice that Lamb and put blood on the door posts? Pharoah says, no! don’t be crazy. Thats the religion of the Hebrews and we have our own ways. We have our culture our beliefs. Don’t worry. Besides there will be a guard outside your door all night.
Conclusion
But the bible tells us that Pharaohs son died.
Let me tell you what I know. There is no other way to make it other than the blood of the Lamb. Had there been another way, God would have taken it. Do you think God would let His son dies on a cross in agony had there been another way? There is one way. The Blood makes us safe but the Word makes us sure.
How can you have victory in an x-rated culture? You have to make a firm decision, a full departure, and a faithful deliverance. God will see you through… I promise. Better than that, He promises.
Prayer time -
Maybe you are hearing this, and you have not made a firm decision to refuse something. Maybe you have not made the choice to follow Christ… tonight can be your night.
Maybe you have made the firm decision, but you have not made a full departure… you have fallen for one of the compromises Satan throws at us and are trying to live as part of the culture. Tonight an be your night.
Maybe you Maybe tonight, you need to accept a faithful deliverance. When you have the Lamb inside and you are covered by the Blood of Jesus, he will guide and protect and deliver you.