Delivered By An Outstretched Arm
Notes
Transcript
Handout
From a human standpoint, Moses’ first attempt to deliver God’s message to Pharaoh was a failure. But from God’s standpoint, He already knew what would happen and what He would do. What seemed to be a failure was part of God’s plan for deliverance. When Moses and Aaron appeared to Pharaoh the first time and requested the freedom of the Israelite people, their faith-filled request was met with a hate-filled rejection.
God reminded them that He was still Jehovah God - all-powerful, pre-existent - and that He was still going to deliver His people by His out-stretched arm. God had promised to deliver, and He is always faithful to His promises.
God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Moses was learning how to trust the Lord even in the face of difficulty and apparent failure. God came to reassure Moses yet again through giving Him three promises. These promises are applicable to all of God’s children today, and especially to those servants who are faithful witnesses for Him in the ministry of deliverance.
A Redemption
A Redemption
Israel was discouraged because their workload suddenly increased, and they plunged into a time of despair and anxiety. Wondering if this situation would ever improve, they began to doubt in their spirit.
So God came and delivered a promise of redemption to His people.
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
Although, as we saw in our last study, Pharaoh had taken away their straw for making bricks, and although he had increased their discomfort, God still cared about His people, and He was still capable of delivering them. Even though the door of freedom seemed to be slammed shut in their faces, God still controlled the hinges. Since God knows no impossibilities, His promise of redemption was not futile.
The Provision of Deliverance
The Provision of Deliverance
First, God assured His people that He would bring them out of bondage. His plan for deliverance had not been thwarted by Pharaoh’s refusal.
Exodus 6:6 (KJV 1900)
...I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...
And of course, God always keeps His promises.
Have you ever had someone make a promise to you and then not keep it? We’ve all had someone promise us something that didn’t happen.
A man once needed some same- day dry cleaning done, so he stopped in at a store called “One-Hour Dry Cleaner.” He brought in his suit and filled out the tag, mentioning that he’s be back in an hour to pick it up. To his surprise, the clerk told him that she couldn’t get it back to him for two days. “I though you did drying cleaning in an hour,” he protested. “Oh no,” the clerk replied, “that’s just the name of the store.”
Sometimes people tell us one thing, but then end up doing something else. But God doesn’t deal in those kinds of human inconsistencies, when He makes a promise, we can always trust His Word and know that He will deliver us.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
God calls us to come to Him so that He can deliver us and we can experience the fullness of His promise.
The Provision of Freedom
The Provision of Freedom
God also promised a provision of freedom for the children of Israel as He promised to completely rid them for the bondage of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:6 (KJV 1900)
... and I will rid you out of their bondage...
Just as the Israelites were under great bondage to Pharaoh, man people in out world are in bondage to sin. This is the greatest bondage in the world, but God promises a way to freedom from the grips of sin.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The world is under the law of sin and death, but we see a beautiful picture here of Jesus providing freedom and deliverance for those who accept forgiveness of sin. Sin is a hard taskmaster, as the chains of lust, anger, envy, and addictions grow constantly tighter. But out delivering God can rid us of that problem once and for all, because with His Spirit we can be free of sin and death. That is truly great freedom.
God promises to deliver us when we ask Him to, and He gave a promise of deliverance to the children of Israel. They could count on His promise because they could count of Him.
The Provision of Redemption
The Provision of Redemption
The final part of this promise is a declaration of coming redemption, made possible by the outstretched arm of God.
Exodus 6:6 (KJV 1900)
...and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm...
Out reach is limited, but God’s reach is not. No matter how desperate your situation is, God can reach down and pick you up and bring you out to redemption. This was His promise to the children of Israel, and it is still how He works today. It doesn’t matter where you live, what you’ve done, or how deep a hole you have dug yourself into: His arm is stretched out for you!
Jesus cam so that we could receive this powerful promise of redemption, as He stretched out His powerful arm to deliver us.
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
imagine someone on a boat reaching out their arm to a drowning person, rescuing them from their sure fate of death. Think of someone stretching to bring someone out of a fire and into safety, or of an arm stretched out to welcome you home. This is how God stretched His arm out to you,
and He is still offering this arm to the people around us. We have the opportunity to be the extension of that arm that says, “come to Jesus Christ. His arm is stretched out even for you.”
This same powerful God that reached and gathered His children out of Egypt stretched out His arms at Calvary so that we could be redeemed by His blood that He shed to pay the price of our sin.
A Relationship
A Relationship
When God planned to redeem Israel, His purpose was not only physical freedom. Although it included that, a Deeper purpose for His plan of redemption was to have a relationship with His chosen people.
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
God wanted His chosen people to truly know Him, and that is His desire for His children today. God doesn’t redeem to a religion; He redeems to a relationship.
A Gracious Choice
A Gracious Choice
God loved Israel so much that He said “I will take you.” Think about that. What amazing love and grace is shown by God when He chooses someone!
Exodus 6:7 (KJV 1900)
And I will take you to me for a people...
The vows exchanged between a groom and his bride are beautiful promise of everlasting love. What the question “Do you take this woman to be our lawfully wedded wife” is asked and then you hear the words, “I do,” it is a promise of love and commitment.
This choice of relationship between God and His people is similar to the promise of wedding vows. “I choose you.” God chose the children of Israel because of grace. He wasn’t taking them out of Egypt because they were deserving, but because of His compassion and love toward them.
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
His compassion and love toward us today is the same reason He has chosen us. We are not saved because we are deserving, but because God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to save us.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Sometimes we may wonder if we’re worthy of God’s love. But God’s love is not based on our worthiness or merit. Rather, it is proactive and unconditional. That’s why the Bible teaches us to cast all our care on Him, Because He cares for us, and chose us for a relationship.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
A woman had two children who were hard to handle sometime. After another especially frustrating day, she told her husband that she was going to sell their kids. With a look, her husband told her she was crazy. “for thinking of selling them?” she asked. “No,” he replied “ for thinking anyone would buy them.”
We are chosen by God, not for our worth, but because of His love.
A Gracious Care
A Gracious Care
When God proclaimed His intention of a relationship with Israel, He also promised to care for them.
Exodus 6:7 (KJV 1900)
... and I will be to you a God...
Not only was He promising to call His people out of bondage, but His promise extended to complete deliverance, continual fellowship, and constant care of His people. He wanted to be their God, and He didn’t want any other gods to come between them.
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
If we are going to truly allow God to be out only God, we must make sure out relationship with Him is first place in our lives. Open His Word every day and let Him speak to you. Talk with Him in prayer. Don’t just go through religious motions, but have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Saviour and God.
Although God gave the promises to Israel to deliver them by His outstretched arm, sadly, they still struggled with doubt. Why? Because they viewed life through their experience rather than through God’s revelation. Rather than rejoicing in God’s promise and waiting with expectation to see how He would fulfill it, they saw only their present burdens and increased difficulties and believed it would just get worse and worse. Yet, their unbelief did not keep God from fulfilling his promise. His hand was outstretched still.
“All my life had been so fickle. Sometime I could trust. Sometimes I could not. But when I could not trust, then I reckoned that God would be faithful. There is a text that says, “if we believe no, yet he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself.”- Hudson Taylor
There are times in life when we struggle to believe in the faithfulness of God, but our doubt never dissuades His faithfulness. He has promised us offered relationship: the surety of His eternal love and He will never forget us:
If your here tonight and you have never trusted in Jesus Christ as your Saviour. He have not taken the gift of redemption, you are like the drowning person who is saying no to the outstretched arm of salvation.
Christian if I may speak to you in a couple ways: who whats you relationship like? Remember He didn’t have you to a religion of going through the motions of church but to have a real relationship with Him. Secondly, God has giving us the great privilege of being the lifeboat that carries the message of Christ to someone who is drowning. Everyone of us know someone who is lost. why don’t we take the message to them?
Let’s take a minute tonight to pray.