When Life Gets Harder, Not Better
Pastor Chad A. Miller
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· 18 viewsObedience to God’s call does not mean everything will be easy. It may mean hardship, suffering, and persecution
Notes
Transcript
REFLECTION: Psalm 86:6-10
SERMON: Exodus 5
BENEDICTION: Romans 15:13
INTRO
Ashlie and Chase were shopping yesterday and saw a t-shirt that said “2020” and then underneath had a 1-star rating out of 5 followed by the review “wouldn’t recommend it”
Additional Headlines from 2020
“Murder Hornets”
Bubonic Plague in inner Mongolia
National Weather Service issued its first Firenado warning
It’s been quite a year.
TRANSITION
Even before 2020, we would all admit that life could be quite a roller coaster, yes?
Certainly Moses’ life and calling has shaken out to be that way a bit.
Today we’re going to cover quite a bit of ground from Scripture
Notice:
They’ve just come from a great time of worship (Exo 4.31)
Think ahead with me to 1 Kings 19. You may recall Elijah, the prophet, getting discouraged to the point of giving up after “literally” calling down fire from Heaven and seeing the drought end in the land…when Jezebel said she’d hunt him down.
You’ll recall it was after Jesus fasted for 40 days that Satan himself came to tempt our LORD.
A spiritual HIGH met with an attempt at devastating discouragement
Discouragement doesn’t discriminate:
there’s plenty here that PILES ON for the people of Israel
there’s plenty here that PILES ON for Moses & Aaron
Let’s walk through Chapter 5 together and see this unfold.
(v1) Moses & Aaron stand before Pharaoh
“The LORD says”
Operating from a PRESUPPOSITION instead of EVIDENCE-BASED
(v2) Pharaoh responds
Who is the Lord?
I won’t obey…I don’t recognize his authority
I won’t listen to you either - I won’t comply with you!
Exodus for You The Significance of a Name
“LORD” is Yahweh or Jehovah—God’s personal name, which he revealed to Moses in chapter 3. Pharaoh is saying, Who is this Yahweh? I’ve never heard of him. Why should I obey him? After all, he is Pharaoh, the supreme ruler over a vast empire with almost unprecedented power and wealth. He is not in the habit of letting other people tell him what to do
They go back and forth
(6) Pharaoh reasserts his authority over the people
I’ll tell everyone what to do
Don’t give them what they need
(vv 7-19) Things were already bad…now they’re much much worse.
(v20) They cry to Moses & Aaron...
The LORD judge you
You’ve made us stink in their sight
You’ve given them everything they need to hurt us
Moses, completely discouraged, cries out to the LORD
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.”
Mercy! What a contrast to the end of the previous Chapter.
The people were utterly crushed; they cried out to their foremen.
The foremen cried out to Pharaoh - he was unsympathetic.
The people cried out to Moses…(there’s no indication that they cried out to God.)
- think about that though...
- the last time they did, God heard them and responded by sending Moses after he prepared for 40 years in Midian.
- things got worse when they went to God before.
Has that ever happened to you?
You took a step of faith…You committed to fast and pray about a matter…You obeyed a clear command in Scripture
…and EVERYTHING HAS PILED UP ON YOU!
…it seems like the Enemy has launched a massive OFFENSIVE in direct response.
You may be right in the throws of this now.
Aren’t you glad this isn’t how this saga ends? Beloved, it’s not how your story ends either!
Because the people rejected Moses, he cried out to God wanting to know why this was happening. He did not understand why obedience made things worse.
Moses cries out to God…he laments. He’s honest…but let’s take a look at some of the red flags in this prayer:
- he is questioning God’s goodness (because of what he sees in front of him).
- he is questioning God’s plan (because of what he can’t see…namely how HE (Moses) is going to get anything done
- he is questioning God’s action (because nothing is happening the way he thought it would)
Moses reminds us of ourselves. Moses was an imperfect sinner, like us. He was a man in desperate need of God’s mercy and grace, like us. Here, he is at a crisis of belief.
Moses was rightly disappointed, but he should not have been shocked for God told him that Pharaoh would not listen ( 3:19; 4:21).
WHEN THINGS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE, WHAT DO YOU DO?
WHAT DO YOU WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A CRISIS OF FAITH
Because of what you see in front of you...
Because of what you CAN’T see
Because NOTHING seems to be working out the way you thought it would?
Our discouragement in the face of difficulty and affliction often clouds our thinking when we forget what God has already said in his Word.
Remembering that God’s purposes are being worked out in our lives gives us courage when evil happens to us. Supremely, the gospel itself—what God has done in Jesus Christ for our sake—must be held before our eyes each day in remembrance
I would point you to the underlying theme in our series in Exodus this week: You FEAR NOT, STAND FIRM, AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD!
Moses is about to heed that very advice.
For Moses, the LORD needs to speak. (For us, He already has.)
1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
Let me address a big picture issue before we make this super practical for us.
Pharaoh’s question from the beginning of Chapter 5 really sets the agenda for the story of the exodus in chapters 5–14. Pharaoh asks, “Who is the Lord?” The plagues and the exodus are God’s response. This is God showing who he is.
Who is this Yahweh? asks Pharaoh. And God sends ten plagues, takes the life of every firstborn Egyptian, and parts the Red Sea, in order to declare, This is who I am. This is what I can do. I am the Lord. I am the Lord over Egypt—even over you, Pharaoh.
BTW, the phrase “I am the Lord” appears for the first time in Exodus here. But then it is repeated a dozen or so times throughout the story (6:2, 6, 7, 8, 29; 7:5, 17; 10:2; 12:12; 14:4, 18; 15:26; 20:2; 29:46; 31:13). “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him?”
It will be to ISRAEL
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
The revelation that will unfold will be to EGYPT
5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
It will be to ALL NATIONS!
16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
God is about to ENCOURAGE Moses with His Promises!
How will God respond to this crisis of faith in Verse 1 we are reminded that
1. GOD IS IN CONTROL
1. GOD IS IN CONTROL
1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
God will do what He wills!
God will work on His timetable!
God will work for His glory…which is for our good.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
How will God respond to this crisis of faith:
He will remind Moses that He is in control!
He will remind Moses that He is Faithful!
2. GOD IS FAITHFUL - HE KEEPS HIS COVENANT PROMISES
2. GOD IS FAITHFUL - HE KEEPS HIS COVENANT PROMISES
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
God keeps every promise HE’S MADE IN HIS WORD!
I cannot vouch for the some abstraction that men and women have claimed through the years…the statement starts, “The LORD promised me...”
Be careful with that.
Back it up in the book with Scripture used in context!
I have found that most of those claimed promises related to comfort, ease of pain, avoiding hardship, or a miracle that prolonged the here and now
GOD KEEPS HIS COVENANT WITH HIS PEOPLE. He’s encouraging Moses here that He has brought that back to the front of his mind.
He’s the God that remembers…He is FAITHFUL!
He is the rock that you can run to, when everything else seems shaky and shifting.
3. OUR GOD SAVES!
3. OUR GOD SAVES!
Exodus 6:6-7:5
I’m going to give you a few guiding thoughts for your own study.
When we say God saves, it’s so much more than just a ticket to Heaven!
Like a precious diamond that you can turn in the light and appreciate different angles for its brilliance and depth...
There are several aspects to what it means for Exodus to be saved by the Lord here:
Notice the FREEDOM (Liberation) in verse 6
Notice the FREEDOM (Liberation) in verse 6
6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
God will bring his people out of slavery
It is not because Israel earned it
God will do this as an act of his Grace
They are to be free, so they can WORSHIP the LORD
Notice the REDEMPTION
Notice the REDEMPTION
6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
Tim Keller writes, “There is no more basic word in the Bible than redemption.”
The word carries the idea of “purchasing,” but there is more to it than that. “Redeem” in Hebrew often communicates that there is a privilege or duty of a close relative. The word for redeem here is the Hebrew word “Gaal”.
The word for redeemer plays off of that - Go’el. Because of God’s mercy and grace and unfailing love, He is the ultimate kinsman redeemer. The one will protect and champion the family in need.
God is coming to the aid of His people here to redeem them WITH JUSTICE!
If you are discouraged today…let it sink in that God has chosen of His own will, to provide, protect, and champion your eternal salvation…because it brought Him pleasure.
Our God saves: He liberates, He redeems,
Notice the ADOPTION in verse 7
Notice the ADOPTION in verse 7
7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
When God saves, he is saving you INTO a FAMILY! His family.
He’s already identified them as his firstborn “son” in 4:22
What Love! Adopted children are CHOSEN children.
In the recent Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett: One adoptee posted on social media:
Can we stop calling the children that Amy Coney Barrett adopted her “adopted children”?
They’re her children!
Signed,
-An Adoptee
Notice the INHERITANCE in verse 8.
Notice the INHERITANCE in verse 8.
8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”
God was promising His people a country - He first promised it Abraham in Genesis 12:7. Now he’s saying I’m going to bring my people, my FREE, REDEEMED, ADOPTED people into the land of PROMISE.
Glorification is a part of inheritance.
Listen, if you know where you’re headed…and what’s in store…and who is on the throne, you can make it.
Exalting Jesus in Exodus Fighting Discouragement with Gospel Promises
John Newton said that the way the Christian might endure trials is by considering the doctrine of glorification, which includes inheritance. Newton said the Christian should not complain, murmur, or despair in light of all that is coming. He said we should imagine a man who inherited a really large estate, worth millions, and he had to go to New York City to get it. As he journeyed there, his carriage broke down, leaving him to walk the last one mile. Can you imagine that man saying, “My carriage is broken, my carriage is broken,” kicking and complaining in disgust when he has only a mile to go to receive a million? Christian, we only have a few miles to go! (Piper, “Children, Heirs, and Fellow Sufferers”). Rest in God’s promises and faithfulness!
If we move past the genealogies of chapter 6 to Chapter 7, we turn that diamond for the final dimension that takes our breath away,.
Our God SAVES! He liberates, He redeems, He adopts, He gives an inheritance...
NOTICE THE JUDGMENT AND MERCY in 7:3-4
NOTICE THE JUDGMENT AND MERCY in 7:3-4
3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
Exalting Jesus in Exodus Fighting Discouragement with Gospel Promises
The text shows us that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. We see a tension here in Exodus. On the one hand, the Lord is sovereign over everything that was going on here. On the other, Pharaoh is held responsible for refusing to listen. We need to remember that the Bible warns us about hardening our hearts to God’s word. Psalm 95 used this idea to warn Israel in its worship ( 95:8), and the book of Hebrews used Psalm 95 to call the church to continue in the faith ( Heb 3:7–4:13). Do not harden your heart. Hear the Gospel. Believe the Gospel. Trust in Christ.
God’s answer for Moses’ discouragement is to remind him that
He is in control
He is faithful
He will SAVE to the uttermost!
Moses and Aaron were able keep going, to move forward, to walk in obedience knowing full well that LIFE WAS GOING TO GET HARDER, NOT BETTER...
Because of WHO GOD IS…AND WHAT HE HAD SAID!
CLOSE
Obeying God is not a pain-free life. In fact, these chapters are an open rebuke to the empty promises of the modern-day Prosperity Gospel Heresy.
- Following Jesus does not mean you will be popular.
- Obeying God’s Word does not mean you will be immune from awful problems in a fallen world, like cancer or COVID.
- It does not mean you will not encounter serious spiritual warfare and times of despair.
- In fact, Jesus promised tribulation.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
- So the question is not, “Will we ever have moments of discouragement?” The question is this: “How can I deal with deep discouragement?
— Remember the promises of God!
God is in control! [Regardless of what you see…or don’t see.]
God keeps His covenant promises! [Even when people don’t.]
God saves people for His eternal purposes and glory! [Not for our temporary satisfaction.]
If you are in Christ YOU ARE FREE
If you are in Christ YOU ARE REDEEMED
If you are in Christ YOU ARE ADOPTED
If you are in Christ YOU HAVE INHERITANCE THAT WILL NEVER FADE
If you are in Christ YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE ONE TRUE GOD…THE GOD OF JUDGMENT & MERCY!
Exalting Jesus in Exodus Fighting Discouragement with Gospel Promises
In your difficult hour, savor the gospel like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Just 24 hours before Bonhoeffer was executed, he gathered some prisoners and held a worship service. He chose as one if his texts 1 Peter 1:3-12, which speaks of the believer’s “living hope” (Metaxas, Bonhoeffer). What an example for all of us of meditating on the gospel in our dark hours!
Exalting Jesus in Exodus Fighting Discouragement with Gospel Promises
What a picture for us! Are you discouraged? Preach this gospel to yourself and go act by faith in our great God. God is in control. God keeps His covenant. God liberates, redeems, and adopts sinners. He gives them an inheritance and makes them objects of His mercy. Now sing the gospel, pray the gospel, meditate on the gospel, and hear the gospel. Fill your mind with it, work it down deep, and act courageously for the glory of God!