Part 7: Bricks Without Straw
Exodus and we're studying The Exodus story in the book of Exodus. This is the defining Act of Salvation in the Old Testament. It kind of is how God Saves his people how he redeems them how he frees us. And so far it's been all background info right? We we talked about how the Israelites have been in Egypt for 400 years now and then God raised up you asleep. He saved the young baby named Moses and then raised him up in Pharaoh's home and then called him to actually go and rescue his people and Moses had all kinds of issues. You know, if you think I got issues, never use me Lotus motifs Moses, so he stuttered to ran from God. God continue to reach out and he called him at age 80 from a burning bush. Jesus called him and said Moses you're going to be my man to go and rescue my people and Moses doubted he was afraid and so God promised to use also his brother Aaron. But his plan was still in motion. He was going to use Moses and I believe he wants to use and will use you and he's going to use Moses to help free God's people now ultimately The Exodus really forward to it. Jesus does for us that Jesus comes as a greater Moses and he rescues all of his people from an oppressor and Satan and then send. And he rescues us and Fries us through his shed Blood on the cross that whoever would simply follow it would trust him. They'd be made free and made hole and made new it's all of this point forward to Jesus work on the cross. And what we're going to see today is the first time that Moses goes into pharaoh and you know the line right? What's he say? Let what let my people go and he speaking forgotten sword to pick it up. There were to see what happens. How about how a feral responds to God trying to free his people have the suppressor kind of fights back, but with that let me pray and then we're going to dive into the text Father. We thank you for Jesus. We thank you for your grace for your goodness as we saying about this morning for the Simplicity of the Gospel as well that it's simply trusting you that you do the work will see that in the text this morning as well. father I I pray that your spirit would come and teach me even as I teach that always Spirit you would it would work in our hearts and I pray against the enemy of servants that works and effects. He would deceive us and Ross from you. But instead change this and make us more like Jesus. It's in his name we pray. MN Moses and Aaron going to pharaoh and they say let my people go. and there's turn in the text with every step towards Redemption towards freedom. The enemy puts on a Counterattack that with every step towards Redemption and towards Freedom. There's a greater Affliction that rises. It's like every step that God makes through Moses to free his people the enemy Arrow makes another counter step toward him. I took to keep his people captive. I believe that happens in our own lives to that when somebody comes to know Jesus Christ, they they take a step toward him in an experience less than the enemy will Counterattack with with some other form of Affliction to try to negate or discourage what God is doing and start things to do in someone's life. So with that in mind to read and we're going to see how God begins to free his people and I think this follows a similar pattern tally freeze us today Xmas chapter 5 verse 14 vs here. Afterwards after Moses said I got back into Egypt and it done some signs for the Israel people the Hebrew people and they believed afterward Moses and Aaron went and they said to pharaoh. That says the Lord the god of Israel. Let my people go that they may hold a fast or Feast to me. Excuse me in the wilderness. Pharaoh Pharaoh, by the way, just means if you haven't been with us. Just as a title, that means king or not sure which Pharaoh this is. He's the king of Egypt in the text. So sometimes calling the king of Egypt the Pharaoh said who is the Lord. Pussy that I should obey his voice and let Israel go. I don't know the Lord and moreover. I will not let Israel go and then they said Moses and Aaron back to and they said the god of the Hebrews has met with us, please. Let us go a three days journey into the Wilderness the we may sacrifice to the Lord Our God St. Fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said to them Moses. Why do you take the people away from their work get back to your burdens? She got the people were slaves in Egypt. They were building store cities and had built store cities for pharaoh and they were building his kingdom and his Empire and he was afraid of this whole population of people and so he increased their burdens over and over and made him do more and more work under harsher and harsher conditions. Keeping them trapped. The same day then here's what Pharaoh does after this. First moved to free them the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their Foreman. You said you still no longer give the people straw to make bricks as you did in the past let them go and gather straw for themselves to put the number of bricks that that that they made in the past. You still impose on them by no means reduce it for their Idol. Therefore. They cry, let us go and offer sacrifice to our God, but have your work be late on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words. So the taskmasters in the format of the people went out and they said to the people that says Pharoahe I will not give you straw. Get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least. So the people are scattered throughout all the land of Egypt together stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent say complete your work your daily tasks everyday as when there was straw and the foreman of the people of Israel in Pharaoh's taskmasters had said over them were beaten and they were asking why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday as he did in the past? Is a lot of things to notice here, but maybe the most obvious one that you see you like. I've never heard of anybody using straw to make bricks. Like I know the story of The Three Little Pigs. Enter the house of straw and House of Bricks, but there was no House of Bricks with straw. bricks with straw in them Well, it's it's Unique because when you look at this historical you start to research a little bit. This was actually done with intent where in Egypt is one of the few places in history where they would add straw to bricks. And the reason they did that is because with the extreme cost of firing bricks in a while and that without any abundant source of fuel to fire the bricks the Egyptians discovered something that wasn't widely known that bricks made out of mud and straw are three times stronger than those made merely out of dried mud or clay. The three times stronger with the straw and in the scientific reason for this there's actually science behind it. Is that the strong releases humic acid into the mud and it helps to harden the bricks. This is a practice. You wouldn't find really anywhere else in the world. It was something that they discovered and that they used their and so for them to continue making bricks without straw in a place hardening is fast. They would also have to go out and find straw themselves in order to be able to make bricks and yet the the burden that was on them to make X number of bricks everyday or every week or every month. It was introduced at all. It was kept right where it was and I had to continue working and continue doing all these things cuz feraset taskmasters over them. I know your story is but a lot of people when they come and start to come to Faith In Jesus, and they start to hear the gospel when they start to respond often times to see there's an enemy after your soul. There's a masters over you that will suddenly start to inflict greater tasks upon you. It could be just a burden of I'm not measuring up. I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to achieve here. It could simply be chaos in your life where everything goes haywire and there's no ability really to continue trusting or maybe some other just you name the burden that just suddenly falls on you and you're like man, I wouldn't think you were going so good. I would have learned about the gospel. I was I was moving towards Christ. I was learning all these things and then this happened I don't think that's probably an accident. Certainly, not a coincidence. There's a Taskmaster who wants to burden you with more and more things that you don't come to the free and Grace of Jesus. Have you experienced that? If not, maybe you've seen it happen. In other people's lives where there's just this this Affliction this greater Affliction every step you take towards Redemption more Affliction comes and it gets amped up an amped up until one day. Jesus was going to totally rescue us not to be great news on it.
Fiesta pattern if I got saved this people and it's the pattern of how is enemy see if you if you've never trust a Jesus he's going to do everything. You can to keep you from trusting him. If you have trusted him he's going to afflict you with more and more burden so that you have no joy in him.
Just one more thing here on the evidence for scripture. I wrote down on this whole Brick & Straw thing. This is actually evidence for the reliability of scripture. Did you know that? Because I mentioned there's nowhere else in the world where they put straw in with bricks. Did they? When will you be here and we go that's strange. I never heard of that. Well in a land where this straw brick practice was unknown, like to hear you read that you go that's strange and if this story was made up and written hundreds of years later in a foreign place as many critics of the text would exert. story of straw brick being made with straw
Charlie was written by somebody in the know who was their name Lee Moses. If it's evidence, there's evidence like this all throughout scripture for its reliability and its historicity.
Have more could be said about that. But I also the other thing to his early Egyptian records that show it was a common practice for the talleys of bricks to be recorded by people and in verse 14 and said the Israelites Mormon who were appointed by for a slave drivers were beaten and they were asked by the Egyptian taskmasters. Why didn't you meet your quota for keeping track or keeping track?
Well, this really leads into what I would say is the difference between oppression and the gospel or even religion and the gospel. If you vote if you're not trusted Jesus in your you're not a Christian, it's probably more oppression towards you. If you are a Christian, we have a tendency to dive back into religion and the opposite of this is the gospel. Let me see if I can make sense of those comments and have this make some sense of it before I do the let's keep reading 15.
People of Israel they came and they cried to pharaoh. Why do you treat your servants like this? And these are the Israelite leaders who have been beaten there. They're going to further sing those straws.
Masters What are assets? But he said you are Idol. Your idol know where the idle. Now they've been working their tails off make bricks and they couldn't keep up cuz I had to go get straw. He says you're I know your idol. That's why you say let us go sacrifice the Lord cuz you're lazy. So go now and work. No straw will be given to you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks. The foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble and they said you should by no means reduce your number of bricks your daily task each day. What we're seeing here is a vivid picture of Oppression.
Avoid there's a Taskmaster of pressing God's people holding them down from knowing the freedom that he offers and it's also a vivid picture. I believe religion because religion can be a form of Oppression you like that's a strange thing for a pastor to say. I'm sure religious Josh will talk about what you believe in your face, but religion is all about doing. It's all about you are Idol you are Idol you're not doing enough do more. What religion is the Oxford dictionary defines? It is something that is treated or regarded with a devotion and a scrupulousness that's appropriate to worship. And otherwise, you just do things over and over and over trying to worship and trying to gain favor.
Well it look at the oppression here.
Pharaoh tour Scouts people. He said you Here is what a person says. There's what religion says you're not doing enough. work harder You're not doing enough work harder. He said your idol your idol work harder. You must deliver you got to deliver, you know religion says. Religion says get yourself cleaned up. You're not quite clean enough yet. Do a little more work harder serve more. Why aren't you involved in this? Why aren't you giving this amount? Why are you doing this? Why are you still so messed up more? It's not enough. And religions perpetrates this lie that somehow if you somehow do enough. You'll be loved if you somehow do enough and get your life cleaned up enough. You'll be saved. Religion is all about what you do.
And I'm telling you. There's one thing that religion is right about It's never enough.
Never enough. And then it is a Christian you made fall into this trap, you know, you know that that you're saved by grace and do the saved you and your new I can buy into this lie, I think Martin Luther said that we all kind of default into it. And you can think I'll fight. I just got to do a little more. I got to be more involved. I'm not doing enough. I got to be more active. I got to accomplish this I got to fill in the blank is never ends. It's never enough.
She looks from her religion into the gospel oppressions of the Gospel. Jesus gospel says you can never do enough degrees with religion in this but then he says not work harder, but let me do it for you.
Let me do it for you. That's the gospel. See this religion says keep doing get yourself cleaned up. Jesus says you're never going to do it.
Come to me and then.
Deliver Jesus said come to me all of you. Who labor? And are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I'm gentle and lowly in heart. You will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy. My burden is light.
Collision says you're not doing enough to do more your idol work harder. The gospel says you can never do enough. Come to Jesus his burden is light. Let him do it for you. How does it play out in everyday life? Right. I mentioned if you're Christian, sometimes you might buy into this idea that and I'll just tell you as a pastor. I feel this acutely like I'm you know, there's there's four hundred some people who call Wawasee home and so they all have different expectations of maybe what the church should be like her in my head. Anyway, there's all these expectations of what I need to be accomplishing and doing and if I'm not careful that becomes this whole people-pleasing mentality that I got to please all these people and it's never enough and Josh you're not.
Ever feel that in your own life. I mean, I know you can't maybe totally relate to that but I'm just telling you that's how it plays out in my life. But what is it for you? I got to do this. What is it? the gospel says
not the owner of a DLNA. Jesus has already done.
In my case applying it to my own life. Jesus is the senior pastor 1st. Peter tells us that he's the chief Shepherd not Josh. I'm just to leave got here. That's that's enough. I don't need to be the main guy. All right. And he's the one ultimately in charge so I can simply do my best under the circumstances and take a nap. Could be the most practical explanation of the Gospel there is in terms of your Christian Life and living it out do the best you can to honor Jesus under the circumstances and then take a nap when to rest. By the fact that you think you're going to do enough good things for him to ever love you and that's so untrue. The reality is you take all your junk to him and he loves you and then he makes you know, you're never going to do it on the front end. If you've already trusted Jesus, you might be buying into the line that you have to do all these things to maintain that love there is nobody loves you. It's done. It's accomplished. It's finished. Reston
MN CNN in The Exodus we get a vivid picture of how God frees us in a vivid picture of that the contrast of Oppression and religion with the gospel.
And every time there's a move towards redemption in towards Freedom. There's more flexion.
By the way, I wonder if you know today's Mother's Day moms. Do you struggle with that? It's never enough
I live with a mom. And I know that's the case probably for all of you cuz I know it is for her. And that maybe you have little tyrants at home little dictators who determine when you'll sleep when you eat if you will. Listen, it's enough. Love them. Rest do your best and then take a well-deserved nap. Maybe even today.
The greater Affliction. It doesn't only meet the people who are being redeemed. It also meets the people who are helping to redeem. Because he Moses here is kind of he he's not the kind of silly totally being redeemed. He's the one who's leading and then she like the first 20 Moses and Aaron they met Moses and Aaron.
The Pharaoh the Pharaoh said get back to work. I'm Aaron and Moses are waiting and they it is I came out from Farrell and they said to them they said to Moses and Aaron the Lord look on you and judge. Compare this to the last chapter where they were rejoicing and worshipping God that he had done this great thing. He remembered them and was going to free them now they've turned on their leader and they said the Lord look on you and judge. Because you made a stink in the side of pharaoh in the servants and you put a sword in their hand to kill us.
I wonder what's what's your plan? For how God would redeem and save and bring freedom to you. Chances are God's plan doesn't line up with your plan or is my plan. To the plan for the Israelites. Was that a Moses and Aaron are here. We're going to believe in tomorrow. This is great news. It's done time for vacation. It's going to be really hard and there's going to be more suffering. But I'm going to use that in your life to make you more like my son. What's your plan for Redemption? It's probably different than God's plan and that we respond a lot of times like these Israelites do don't we we get mad at God we get mad at other people who are leading and whatever the case is and we just said that's that's not how it's supposed to go. Why don't you just you put a sword in his hand to kill me? Unbelievable how you made this happen, don't you care? Cuz I don't you care. I thought you were going to free me. And that's what they fire back at Moses and Moses turn to the Lord. No just didn't get it either. He said Lord why have you done evil to this people?
send
they were guilty of that one. Why did you even put me here? Why did you make me this way? Why why?
Number God's plan for Redemption might be much different than our own plan for since I came to Farrell. He said to speak in your name. He's been evil to this people and you've not delivered your people at all. It's not on my timetable God. Why isn't this done yet? God's plan is different than your plan. Here's what you need to remember is that one greater Affliction comes you need to remember that God can work and we'll work your troubles into Triumph. He can work your trouble and to try on. Cuz I mean by that let's look at what God does how he responds to Moses. He responds by reminding him of the truth. He says it says but the Lord said to Moses now you shall see what I'll do to Pharaoh for with a strong and he will send them out. I was this with a strong hand. He will drive them out of his land. She got his reiterating what he promised would happen, but he doesn't give Moses all the details of how it all happened. It just says here's what's going to happen. Hang on and trust me. I'll turn this trouble in the Triumph. He will drive you out. So God spoke to Moses. He said was I'm the Lord I appeared to Abraham Isaac. Jacob is God Almighty, but by my name the Lord is personal Amy said I did not make myself known to them. Also established in other words, but I did to you Moses. You can trust me. I also establish my Covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan the land in which they lived as sojourners moreover. I've heard the groaning of the people of Israel in the Egyptians hold the slaves. I remembered my Covenant. So say this to the people of Israel. I'm the Lord. I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptian. I will deliver You From Slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm with great acts of judgement.
I am the Lord.
And here's the agenda for the next 6 months day today of exactly what's going to happen. I'm the Lord. I'm going to do this. The same for us Sia. God keeps his promises. That's what he's reminding Moses and his people he keeps his promises. In fact, it happens all the time in the Old Testament to Joshua and Joshua to the house of Israel failed. It came to pass. one of his biggest promises is He works everything if you love him and you're called according to his purpose Romans 8 28. He will work everything toward the good in the end the work at 4 good. He doesn't take that really awful. Horrible circumstances say it is good. You just says he's going to work it for good in your life in the end. Can I hear today's realize this thing? Listen, I will do it. They're like when it just trust me it will happen and you're like, what about the start circumstance?
If it's not good yet. It's not the end. Is it to work it for good? That's for you. Joseph told his brothers. You meant evil against me when they sold him into slavery, but God meant it for good to bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. He works orrible awful situations. He will work all your Triumph are skews me all your trouble into Triumph as you trust. Keep moving forward. Verses 9 through 13 will close with this Moses spoke then all of this to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses. because of their broken spirit and their hearts slavery And I can't necessarily blame them. Can you? Ever just been in that spot. It's so hard. It's so frustrating right now. The last thing you really want to hear is a God loves you. He's going to work at 4.
Get out of my face. That's you today. You like to shut up and sit down.
But it doesn't change the truth. The Lord said to Moses go in tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his hand in the Moses of the Lord behold the people they haven't listened to me. How Will Ferrell listen to me. If I'm trying to uncircumcised lips with the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and he gave them a charge when I told exactly what it is. Other than listen to get to work Moses. Keep going. Don't quit. Trust me. Follow me.
He gave him a charge to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Listen up as you mix steps towards your Redemption weather that's trusting Jesus for the first time or continuing to follow him in your life. You can expect greater Affliction to come your way. but when it does
trust Jesus because he will turn your trouble into Triumph he can and as you trust him you will and it may not be for decades, but he will get his good Preston. Let's pray father. Thanks for Jesus. We thank you Lord that you are faithful as we saying already this morning all of our Lives you've been faithful and so we can trust you to be faithful in the future. Jesus I thank you to that. It's all due to your grace that you make us knew that you redeem us. And so I prayed today for each one who hears my voice if they've never trusted you that today might be the day they respond to your grace, but they turn from the idea that they have to keep doing more to be made right with you. Because it will never be enough option instead to trust you that you would make them new and for those of us who have trusted you help us to to refute the line that we have to do more to maintain or earn or increase your favor. The truth is it's done. You'll never love us less. You'll never love us more than you do right now. Southwest arresting you let me love you before all of this in Jesus name amen.