Limitless Power

Show Uncle Drew Poster

A new movie has just come. A movie that I really hope to see soon. Uncle Drew. Uuuuuuuuncle Dreeeeew. I’ve been waiting on this movie to come out ever since I saw that they were doing some of the filming in Conyers. For all the non-Georgia folks in here, a lot of movies and shows are filmed in and around Conyers. And part of Uncle Drew was filmed there. I was hoping to get to see Shaq or Kyrie, but that never happened. I honestly don’t even know if they were in town. I never even found out where they were doing the actual filming. I just saw on the facebook page that they were filming in town, and that was the first time I had heard of the movie.

Show Uncle Drew Poster

If you don’t know what Uncle Drew is about, it’s a basketball movie. It’s a bunch of basketball stars, or former stars, dressed up in real elaborate make-up as old people. They get the team back together to play in a tournament at a local park. They’re old, so everybody thinks they’re terrible, of course, and I’m assuming they kill everybody until the championship. And then they’re going to barely win the championship game. I haven’t seen the movie, but that’s pretty much how every sports movie goes.

But what I’ve realized a lot of people don’t know is that this movie actually started as a Pepsi commercial. They took Kyrie Irving, dressed him as a super old dude, and then went and filmed him playing at historic outdoor parks. I want to show you a part of the commercial, just because it’s been a favorite for a while.

Start video at 1:04. End at 2:56.

Here’s why I love it. Because I’ve spent enough time around pick up games to know that people were going to be making fun of this old man the whole time. Except they had no idea who they were dealing with. They had no idea they were playing with the NBA player with the greatest handles. They had no idea they were playing with an NBA all-star. They had no idea.

So as we keep talking about God being Limitless, tonight we are going to be talking about God’s power. That God’s power is greater than anything we could imagine. That God is bigger. And since we have been following Moses and the Exodus, we are going to go into the 10 plagues starting in . And believe it or not, God was actually in the same scenario as Kyrie Irving in Uncle Drew. We definitely don’t think of it this way, but the reality is that the Egyptians would have laughed off the idea of God doing anything against them.

Let’s get into a little bit of the historical setting of the Exodus. In these ancient times, people groups, countries, were as strong as their gods. At this time, the greatest power in the world was the Egyptians. They had the greatest civilization. They had the greatest army. They were in control. They built magnificient buildings and monuments, and very elaborate tombs. And they had a lot of gold. A lot of gold. Since they were top dogs, they obviously had the strongest gods. They obviously had the most powerful gods.

Now what situation was Israel in? Well, they were slaves to the Egyptians. That sounds like a weak God. He lets his people be slaves to the Egyptians? He’s not strong enough or great enough to get them out of slavery? Dang. What a loser. And think back through Genesis. Once we get past flood in chapter 9, God doesn’t do too much on a grand scale. The story is primarily concerned with following the lineage of Abraham. God does some great things with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, but the world at large has not seen much of the strength of God.

When Moses goes to Pharaoh to ask to let his people go, it is the puny Israel God against the great gods of Egypt. And Pharaoh was considered to be a god on earth. And it just sounds like an Uncle Drew moment. The Egyptians have no idea what is about to hit them. But as we look at the plagues, you will see how God specifically targets a few of their gods.

Let’s get into the Bible a little bit and look at the precursor to the plagues. .

Exodus 7:10–13 CSB

10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. 11 But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers—the magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices. 12 Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 However, Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

This is the throwing down of the gauntlet. This is God saying I’m here to fight. This is God saying you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Why did God choose a serpent to begin his fight? Doesn’t the serpent represent evil? Wasn’t the serpent Satan in the garden? Think back to history classes a little bit. When you see artwork of Egyptian Pharaohs, what is always the headdress they wear?

Show picture of Pharaoh

A cobra. So what does God do? His snake devours the snakes of the Egyptians. Pharaoh, you don’t know what’s about to happen to you. I am bigger. I am stronger. I eat you and your snakes for breakfast.

So we are all on the same page. If you are unfamiliar with the Exodus and the plagues, Moses is going to ask Pharaoh to let the people go a 3 days journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to their god. This will be the way they all leave Egypt. Moses will say let us go, or this *insert plague* is going to happen. Pharaoh says no, then the plague happens. They he begs Moses to take it away, and he will let them go. Then he doesn’t allow it. Repeat.

After attacking Pharaoh, God then moves to Egypt’s most prized possession, the Nile River. The Nile River was essential to Egyptian life. It was one of the primary reasons Egypt was about to survive as such an advanced culture because they did not have to worry about getting water and it provided great agricultural land. The Nile was personified as the god Hapi. And the first two plagues show God’s power over the Nile. God is bigger. God is stronger.

Exodus 7:17–18 CSB

17 This is what the Lord says: Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. Watch. I am about to strike the water in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from it.”

Exodus 7

Exodus 8.

Exodus 8:2–4 CSB

2 But if you refuse to let them go, then I will plague all your territory with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs; they will come up and go into your palace, into your bedroom and on your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. 4 The frogs will come up on you, your people, and all your officials.”

And as always, the plagues stop as soon as Moses says they will. God is bigger.

Plagues 3-8 show God’s power over every single area of nature. There is nothing in Egypt that God does not have power over. God is bigger.

3. Gnats

4. Flies

5. Death of livestock

6. Boils

7. Hail

8. Locusts

He makes gnats come up from the dust. He makes flies swarm. He makes the animals who do the Egyptians work die. He plagues their health. He even controls what comes down from the heavens! And in several plagues, God keeps the plagues from affecting any Israelites. Only the Egyptians are affected. God has power over time and space, too! God is bigger!

Just as God began the plagues by attacking Egyptian deities, he ends the plagues by attacking Egyptian deities. One of the greatest Egyptian gods was Ra, the god of the sun. And God soundly defeats him as well.

Exodus 10:21–23 CSB

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. 23 One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.

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And finally, God attacks the deity of Pharaoh himself. Every Egyptian firstborn son in the land would die, including Pharaoh’s own son. It was after this plague that Pharaoh finally relented and allowed Israel to go worship God. Now, there’s a whole lot more to the story. And in fact I would encourage you to finish reading the story before going to bed tonight. Because God is not finished showing how powerful he is. God is not finished showing that he is bigger. But for our purposes, this is as far in the story as we are going.

God, who showed up to the park as the underdog being laughed at, shows that his power has no limits. His power is unstoppable. And he is the only true God.

How are you limiting God’s power?

But the problem with us is that we try to limit God’s power. We have a God with limitless strength, a God who is bigger, and we try to limit his power.

Here’s how I tend to try to limit God’s power. I think my problems are too small for God. And guess what? That puts God in a box. Ah, my problems are small compared to others. I can handle this on my own. I don’t need to bring this to God because I’ve got it.

What a absolutely stupid statement! As if my problems would annoy God, first, that’s dumb. And second, as if asking God to help in my “small” problems would somehow take his attention and power away from other’s “big” problems. God is bigger. God can be with me and with others all at once.

We also play the role of Pharaoh. And don’t try to tell me that you don’t because I don’t want to have to call you a liar. Pharaoh’s primary heart problem is that he didn’t want to submit to God. He was constantly trying to explain away what God was doing. He tried to copy it for himself. He would lie to Moses. All because he didn’t want to submit to God.

I know there are several in here who are playing the part of Pharaoh. You refuse to submit to God a specific area. God has been calling you to repent of a sin, which means to ask forgiveness and STOP doing it, and you aren’t submitting. You are still looking at the porn on your phone. You are still dating the guy or girl who is pressuring you to do way more than you’re comfortable with. You are still disrespectful to your parents. You still want to smoke. You still…fill in the blank. You won’t submit. You know you need to. But you won’t do it. You can’t do it. And you won’t ask for help.

You’re relying on your own power, and you’re failing. You’re not bigger. God is bigger. You’re not strong enough. God is strong enough. Quit fighting and submit to God.

There are even some in here who have never submitted to God in any area. You’ve been fighting God for a while. Maybe you’re angry. Maybe you’ve never really thought about it. You’ve never really considered God. But this week has changed some things. And you’re realized that you need to submit to God. You want to experience his power in the best possible way, to see your own life transformed. You want to embrace what God offers.

Because when we do submit and turn to God, he is faithful to love and forgive us. He teaches us that he will make us into a new creation. And just as God performed the tenth plague on the Egyptians, God sacrificed his Son Jesus on the cross so that never had to happen again. Jesus died the death that we deserved for our fights against God. For our failings and our screw ups and our imperfect lives. Jesus took that upon himself, so that we can have a relationship with Him!

Closing depends on the HS

Call to salvation.

Call to recommitment.

Call to submission.