The Disappointing Delays in Life
Exodus 5:22-23; (4:29-5:23) August 22, 1999
The Disappointing Delays in Life RBC, Sun PM
I. SERVING GOD IN HIS OPERATION OF REDEMPTION REQUIRES OUR WORSHIP (4:29-31).
A. The Imperative of Worship.
1. Before they went before Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron stopped all else to worship God with the Children of Israel's Leaders. Before you go out to battle with the forces of Darkness (your Pharaoh) you need to have the assurance of and support of God's people— You need to know and be assured that God is with you.
2. That assurance for Moses came as he followed the mind and will of God plotted for his life at this juncture. This involved appearing first before his own people, the children of Israel and "watching God open the door" to them through which me must pass through. We need the support of God's people if we are to do the work of assisting others to come out of darkness and into the light.
3. We need to have the Church's prayers— their love— their trust in us. It is so vital and so needful that we maintain a constant, regular ongoing "Gathering Together" with the people of God.
4. There in a setting of worship we should rehearse the blessed plans of God for the church, and remind ourselves of His faith fulness. We should catch a fresh glimpse of God's glory and be reminded that we are not alone in this venture, but that God is with us. We need the support of the family of God if we are to be used of God to help people come out of their sins and into God's kingdom.
B. The Implementation of Worship.
1. Worship includes Gathering together before the Lord.
As the Elders gathered with Moses, so should we gather before God (4:29);
2. Worship includes Hearing the Word of God.
As the Elders heard Moses' report of God's words, so should we listen to God's word proclaimed and explained (4:30a);
3. Worship results in a Reaffirmation Faith in Jesus Christ.
As the Elders saw the Three Signs God gave Moses, so should we see the signs recorded in God's Word, i.e., the miracles, wonders, and signs recorded in the O.T. and the NT by the prophets and apostles all leading us to "Faith in the Affirmation" of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (4:30b);
4. Worship results in the Faith that we have been in the Presence of God.
As the Elders believed that God had visited Moses, so we should we believe that God has visited with us personally. Where two or three of us gather in the name of Jesus Christ, He has promised to be there in our presence:
— In Rev 1:12-13 — Walking in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks; inspecting, admiring, cleansing, clipping wicks, fueling, encouraging;
5. Worship results in a greater appreciation for the Worth of God.
As Moses and the Elders bowed their heads and worshipped God expressing admiration and love, so should we.
6. Worship results in Going Forth to serve God in Renewal of Devotion, and Determination to Proclaim His Redemption.
C. Worship is Preliminary to Proclaming God's Redemption. Note: This worship, this kind, best be experienced before we launch out to take on the tremendous task of cooperating with God in his great ministry of deliverance.
1. We must first stop and pause from all else and focus our atten tion upon God. We need to re-focus our attention.
a. We need to take our eyes off ourselves and our burdens and problems and just "Be still and Know that I am God.
b. Let us look upon our great and gracious God and let us hearhis precious promises of deliverance.
2. We must re-discover all that He intends to do in our behalf. We must be refreshed in mind of His awesome power by seeing the transforming signs (Moses' signs) —
a. The Rod to the snake; snake to rod;
b. the Leprous hand to whole hand;
c. the Water into blood;
3. All are above manifestations of the power of God testifying and sssuring that God is well able to transform one object into another.
a. IF God can make a deadly serpent into a Useful Shepherd's Staff, cannot God take a venemous and weicked hearted unbeliever and transform him into a converted, changed believer of usefulness? Certainly!
b. If God can take a diseased, leprous, hideous hand and transfor it back into a pure, clean, whole hand— a hand of usefulness, cannot god take a withered, soiled, sin-stained, death infected, death inflicting hand and transform it into a pure, clean, righteous hand of service, love, and praise? Surely!
c. If God can transform water into blood making it unfit for drinking and so unworthy— And then transform it back s it was— cannot God tramsform you and I into a useful vessel?
d. Cannot God transform our lives as they were water and refreshing and clean and with the power to refresh and satisfy and quench the thirsting soul, and transform us into a pulsating stream proclamation concerning "the Every Con stant life Giving River of the Blood of Jesus?" Cannot God transform our lower nature into a higher nature? I think so!
4. For us— we are refreshed in worship as by looking at the signs of the transformed lives of the "Gathered" believers who are the greatest miracle of all— the Staff— the Whole hand— the Proclamators of the Precious Blood of Jesus— The Life of God available for the world of men elected before the foundation of the world.
5. Seeing them, the gathered people of God— signs in them selves of the mighty and miraculous, wonder working power of God's Transformation— it is then a great Encouragment to our hearts week by week.
a. As we look into the faces of God's gathered people, we are reminded of the Merciful, Gracious God— "not sparing His Own Son but freely delivering Him up for us all— How shall He not with Him freely ‘Give us all things?" — Will He not provide all things needful for me— to go and to Proclaim God's Redemption?
b. Is not this a great Strengthening and Motivation for us to go and tell or our Gret God and Savior that others may live? For if He would Redeem and Save us— would He not Redeem and save others also?
II. SERVING GOD IN HIS PLAN OF REDEMPTION REQUIRES A VIGIL OF STUDYING HIS WORD.
When Moses gathered the Elders of Israel and rehearsed God;s plans to them, a season of Worship ensured. Then as Moses and Aaron pre sented God's demand to Pharaoh to let His people go into the desert to worship Him, the King angrily refused and accused Moses of leading Israel into Lazy indolence and idleness, wasting the king's time.
A. Studying God's Word reminds us— Not jump to conclusions too early. So refusing the Request of Moses, Pharaoh gave a new order— no more Straw would be given the children of Israel. They would keep the same quota of bricks to supply the king— but they would not get any more straw to make the bricks with.
1. Failure to Keep near the Word of God led the Elders into De pression and to Condemn Moses as having only increased their misery and burdens.
2. Failure to Consult the word of God Led Moses to falsely con clude himself ineffective to lead them any further in the plan of God's Redemption.
B. Studying God's Word ought to be Coupled with Prayer. (Moses Prayer— Exodus 5:22-23). Therefore, Moses in Frustrated bewil derment goes to God and restates their predicament. He com plains that God's intervention has only served to make matters worse for his people. He feels that he is made impotent himself to carry forth the work of God's redemption.
1. Here then is a man of God putting his hand to the plow of God attempting to carry out the work of God in Delivering the Israel from Bondage— only to discover that the Plan has "seemingly" backfired! Now What??
C. Staying in God's Word Refreshes our Memory with Truth.
1. What Moses Forgot. What Moses has forgotten has brought him to this place of Heartache and Frustration. What Moses Forgot: He forgot the Word of God.
a. That is, he forgot certain KEY PARTS of the word of God. For God had previously declared that Pharaoh wouldnl't listen and would be obstinate to the will of God at first
b. (Exodus 3:19-22: READ). There God said that when Moses presents God's word to the king he would not obey that word— and the king would not only not be convinced to let the children God— but would harded his heart.
c. He forgot that God said that Only after a mighty display of Gods power, would Pharaoh relent and let them go.
d. He forgot that the effectiveness of the Powerful Demonstra tion of God upon the King of Egypt would be so mighty that in the end, Even the women of Israel would be able to spoil Egypt and "collect their backpay!"
2. But Moses disregarded and forgot this Word or portion of God's word. The result was much Heartache. Should not we also take all the Word of God into account if we would be used of the Lord in His plan of Redemption? Oftimes we carve an "Image of God" into our own likeness of Him and the end of that is many a tear and brokenhearts.
D. We oftimes forget the word of God from failure to Study it. Do we not do the same things?
1. Acts 9:15-16. (Paul) was commissioned to be a chosen vessel. Yet how it looked at first that he was a failure at the job. He could have quite at the very start since it was filled with set backs— and danger.
2. Acts 1:8. The Apostles themselves came to their commission to Go into all the world... But it appeared that they would not succeed.
a. Acts 4:3; 4:18, 21;
b. Acts 5:18, 28, 40;
c. Acts 7:59; 8:1
3. Jesus Illustrates this truth too. He came to set the prisoners free, but it didn't look like there was a lot of success in his mission as it funneled down to an old rugged Cross! ON that cross he looked like anything but a Savior. He looked defeated. He looked hopeless to do anything. He looked weak. He looked defeated— but that was not all there was—
a. There was an empty Tomb in 3 short days!!
b. That is our hope.
c. He is our example.
d. Let us go forth without the camp— Proclaiming Him to a lost world needing his Redemption.