Trust in Discouragement
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Introduction:
Phillip Keller wrote a book called: Lessons from a sheep dog.
The Overall focus for this book is to gain spiritual lessons for our life.
The relationship between our Heavenly Father is paralleled with the trainer and his sheep dog.
Obviously we aren’t sheepdogs taking care of the flock; but the principals on how and what is going on in our lives can sometimes be observed in other places, if we are willing to pay attention.
The beginning is when the shepherd chooses the puppy.
There is a process for choosing the right puppy.
Temperament
Intelligence
Personality
Size
When they pick a pup for training to care for the sheep, it’s a serious investment.
The trainer beings the training!
Some of which you can recognize with Moses.
God didn’t break Moses’ spirit, He prepared it for what the job was.
The puppy’s spirit isn’t broken by the trainer, it is honed like a sharp edge to be there for the sheep.
Throughout the training process the pup will have to be allowed to use the tools it was taught.
The trainer will often leave the dog alone with the sheep and walk away far enough to watch the dog.
This is a very important part of it’s training.
This is where the dog decides to adhere to all he was taught or abandon it all-together.
Moses had been trained on the back side of the desert.
He was taught and instructed to what the Lord (his master) expects from him by his calling.
Now Moses would be set free and either adhere to what God asked of him or abandon it all-together.
In his training, Moses is where the master allows him to be alone with the instructions, yet watching from a far.
We all get “trained” through God’s word and the Lord’s lessons.
But often when we believe the Lord is “distant” from us,
We fail to understand that He is giving us the opportunity to adhere to what we were taught, or to fall back into our own devices.
Transition:
We are given the room to exercise our faith and trust the Lord.
Just as the Lord is gave the opportunity to Moses and Aaron to follow in:
Obedience (1-5)
Obedience (1-5)
Moses and Aaron were instructed by God for exactly what to say and do.
14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.
16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
Aaron does the speaking and Moses does the thing with the stick and his leprous hand.
They arrived in Egypt and this was what they did:
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
Have you ever noticed that sometimes it isn’t exactly what you say; but how you say it that makes the difference?
18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
They didn’t ask; they demanded to be let go.
I still don’t think that whether or not they requested nicely, that it would’ve made any difference.
Moses and Aaron partially obeyed.
They demanded to be let go and Pharaoh said no!
Then they requested as God instructed:
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Something you will notice about Pharaoh’s response reveals the reasons he is Pharaoh.
He is really good at politics.
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
The Pharaoh shifted from the desire of Moses and Aaron to what kind of struggle he was about to afflict on the Hebrews from their demand, ignoring what they requested.
Pharaoh makes the statement: “I do not know Yahweh”
2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
This statement helps us understand Pharaoh’s mindset regarding the Hebrews.
Yahweh wasn’t part of the Egyptian pantheon so Pharaoh wouldn’t consider Him worthy of reverence.
To add to the “hierarchy” Pharaoh was considered by his fellow Egyptians an incarnation of the deity Horus (son of Isis and Osiris) and generational son of Ra.
He was told his whole life that he was an important dude and there isn’t anyone who could challenge his authority!
Illustration:
In Florida we ran a sports program out of our church, it was called upward sports.
The sports were flag football, soccer, and cheer.
It was a great opportunity to reach many un-churched families through sports.
We would reach kindergarten to middle school.
What I found when was that there were a lot of parents who told their children they would be professional athletes, and pushed them towards it.
I am not a recruiter and a lot can happen between 3rd grade and college; but you just know when someone doesn’t have it and someone does.
Bless their heart they tried hard to make their parents proud; but it just wasn’t happening.
I challenge anyone to tell a high school athlete that has been told and groomed to believe they would play professionally, that they didn’t have it.
You will loose their respect and they may even hate you after that conversation; they will also tell you you’re wrong.
Pharaoh would not be talked to as an equal or lesser than by 2 Hebrew slaves.
God placed the correct person in the correct position only one Hebrew could understand Pharaoh’s point of view.
Moses.
Moses returned to a realm that he understood very well.
Why do you think he asked God who he should say sent him?
Moses understood what he was up against.
Connection:
Often times when witnessing to others it shouldn’t be a surprise that we understand their life and beliefs.
God placed us in their life because He is wise and knows you can penetrate their heart with the truth from scripture.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
When we understand someone’s beliefs we can search scripture for the truth they need.
When we don’t understand someone’s beliefs then it is up to us to study to know how to reach them.
When we make those excuses and say I just don’t understand them and I don’t need to, then we have to ask ourselves:
Do I believe God placed me in their life on purpose to either till the ground, plant the seed, water the seed, or to reap a harvest?
Every person is in our vicinity for God’s purpose!
Transition:
The Pharaoh being challenged puffed his feathers of authority and devised a plan with:
His Reaction (6-14)
His Reaction (6-14)
6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,
7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’
9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
Pharaoh manipulates a scenario to assert his authority!
They can find their own straw seeing how they have all this extra time to complain about wanting to sacrifice to something other than Egyptian gods.
The amount of bricks required per day will not be reduced, it will remain the same.
Work harder to meet the requirement!
It was said by one commentator about the bricks:
The making of bricks appears to have been a government monopoly as the ancient bricks are nearly all stamped with the name of a king, and they were formed, as they are still in Lower Egypt, of clay mixed with chopped straw and dried or hardened in the sun. The Israelites were employed in this drudgery; and though they still dwelt in Goshen and held property in flocks and herds, they were compelled in rotation to serve in the brick quarries, pressed in alternating groups, just as the fellaheen, or peasants, are marched by press gangs in the same country still.
God brought fame and fortune to Egypt through Joseph and now the Pharaoh makes his commerce from slave labor in bricks.
It wasn’t just his authority that was challenged by Moses and Aaron it was his bank account.
With all the labor going on vacation, his brick production would suffer.
Pharaoh’s taskmasters issued the decree to the people.
10 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.
11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’ ”
12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
Talk about a bad union meeting and announcement.
The Hebrews accepted the task and set out to gather straw.
Illustration:
Have you ever had a splinter?
In construction it isn’t a big deal to get a splinter in your finger.
It is something that happens too often to worry about, you just dig it out with your utility knife, electrical tape it up with a part of your shirt or Kleenex and continue about your day.
There are sometimes when you can’t get all the wood out and it begins to fester and get irritated.
The discomfort and sometimes swelling can really drive you bananas.
Connection:
When the Hebrews were scattered through the land looking for and gathering straw I wonder if the 2 splinters called Moses and Aaron began to fester with the amount of time they had to think about it all.
Often with mundane work your mind wanders and sometimes this self-talk is destructive.
Especially since often times self talk is influenced by Satan.
The Hebrew people couldn’t meet the demand of bricks.
13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
Transition:
The foreman were taking the punishment for the lack of bricks being made.
All of the Hebrews were privy to what happened to the foreman as punishment.
This served a specific purpose to all.
During the great persecutions and the dark ages the torture methods weren’t just done to inflict pain on the individual?
It was also a way to strike fear into those witnessing it?
Pharaoh could strike fear into those watching so they don’t oppose him in any way.
It worked seeing how the foreman made an:
Fleshly Appeal (15-23)
Fleshly Appeal (15-23)
It doesn’t seem like Moses and Aaron went to the Hebrew heads first as instructed.
This might not be very significant; but it could have appeared differently to the Pharaoh to see a unification of all Hebrews in support of what Moses and Aaron would request.
This is what God instructed Moses to do:
16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
He didn’t!
Either way, the foreman were the ones who approached Pharaoh with an appeal with hope for understanding.
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this?
16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
They appealed to the wrong authority.
They didn’t understand why God allowed this.
Connection:
God was using the Egyptians to refine the faith of all the Hebrews.
They couldn't control their circumstances; but they could choose how to react.
This isn’t much different than how God refines our faith, similar to how He did to Moses.
What if God was using Pharaoh to prepare them to trust Moses as their deliverer?
I’m not sure about you; but I have to reflect many times on each day and wonder: did I miss what God was doing because I was focused on myself?
Maybe I was too fleshly minded and I need to be spiritually minded.
Spiritual focus starts with the basics:
15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Always seek to do good (see and desire good for others and self)
Rejoice always (this expects you to find the good even in bad scenarios)
Pray without ceasing (constant communication with God, big and small things).
Give thanks in everything (you have to seek and find what to be thankful for sometimes)
We can’t always understand what God is doing; but if we follow the 4 basics of a spiritual mind, we will be looking for it.
The Hebrews were being tested to see if they would believe Moses and trust God.
Pharaoh’s response blind sided the Hebrews foreman.
17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”
They were reprimanded for the meeting he had with Moses and Aaron.
19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”
Blindsided!
Moses should’ve talked with them first, then they could all go to Pharaoh and request to go and sacrifice to God.
Instead they left Pharaoh’s court with a shared enemy, Moses and Aaron.
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh;
21 and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
The people were turning against Moses and Aaron.
Any respect or authority was quickly fading.
Moses was doing what was asked.
Connection:
These verses should show us that even when we are doing what God asks of us we are going to be ridiculed and blamed for bad things happening.
It seems like God is breaking down the Hebrews dependency and complacency as slaves to Pharaoh.
They had become “institutionalized” by their lives as slaves.
All of the sudden God is highlighting to them what they have been accepting for the last 400 years.
Often we become too accepting of our culture and what is common instead of recognizing what is against God and His word.
He will highlight it to us through different situations, to open our eyes to the truth.
Even Moses ran to God in discouragement for what was happening.
He didn’t want to bring more struggle to his people.
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
Moses is complaining to the Lord: “I told you so”!
I did this to them.
When it doesn’t go as you thought it would, will you still believe what God has called you to do?
The N.T. gives us assurance for these moments:
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
We will achieve the goal He has for us, don’t give up the fight.
In that kind of faith there is power!
Conclusion:
If you believe that God has called you to a work, how much are you willing to endure to accomplish it?
What will it take for you to quit?
Ridicule?
People spreading lies about you?
When people make your work or life more difficult?
The thing that will push you over the edge and get you to quit is the target Satan is aiming for.
He wants to remove the authority and the impact you can have by getting you to quit.
In those moments remember 1 peter 5:6-7.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
To be effective we must understand that Satan is against us following God’s will.
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
Every believer is called to reconcile souls back into a relationship with the creator.
Every calling won’t be easy and each one has their own difficulties.
Trust God and don’t back away from your calling.
Don’t fall for the distractions or allow the frustrations to rule your heart and mind.
Find comfort in knowing that Satan doesn’t attack those who aren’t a threat.
If he is attacking you, that should tell you to keep doing what your doing.
Differentiate whether the struggle is self-inflicted or not before you blame satan though.
Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.
When you are operating in a spiritual mind for the Lord’s will Satan won’t like it.
Trust the Lord’s calling even through the discouragement that comes.
Moses’ story shows that he trusted God and the whole world was blessed by it.
Jesus came through the Hebrews and because He did come the whole World has been blessed with salvation and redemption.
If you’re discouraged, God knows and has a plan!
Remember the Lord is watching from a distance to see if you will stick to your training or abandon it for your own wisdom and logic.
- Pray
