Exodus 2:23-25 - The God Who Cares

Exodus 2:23-25 -

Running Scared book recommend

How do we navigate the fear, worries, and unknowns of life?

“Every single person who ever lived is personally familiar with fear. It is an inescapable feature of earthly life “ ( Running Scared book recommend - Welch - Tripp - Powlison )

Freedom or oppression brings fear:

Both oppression and freedom can stir up fear. Freedom can remove the fear and anxiety associated with being persecuted or oppressed, but it increases the fear of personal failure. (20)

With freedom comes more choices, which means more opportunities to get it wrong.

Pick your poison, they both contribute to fear and anxieties.

Is anxiety and depression always the result of sin?

Anxiety = fear

Depression - hopelessness (Darker and more dangerous than anxiety)

Always sin, always physical/biological, always environment

Physical - Hormones or Thyroid is not sin

Environment - Abusive husband or parent - sin done to you but not you

An Anxiety driven by fear is a response in order to deal with reality (Abusive home)

How do we help ourselves and others? (this week and next week)

Two basic ways

The Secular way -

We go to a therapist and they give us a disorder, syndrome, or a condition - they prescribe medicine (or send us to someone who will) - they listen to us & we come back next week.

No healing only therapy that tells you this fearful, worried, anxious person is who you are so just learn to live/cope with it

No deliverance because our issues are either natured into us from a sick culture or nurtured by jacked-up parents

If your problem is outside of you what can you do?

The Christian way

We go towards discipleship/counseling that uses the Bible to address our fears and worries and our sin as it points us towards hope, purpose and our God-given giftedness.

Healing and deliverance have been purchased by Christ and both are available.

Yet our sin and satan plans will have to be dealt with thru the power of the Holy Spirit and promises of God’s Word.

You see if I have a problem within me and Jesus provides the remedy, I can experience victory.

The Truth about fear

Our fear, worries, and doubts aren’t waiting patiently to leave.

Fear is a core issue in many of our lives and must be brought to the surface to be defeated.

Core issues = root issues not fruit issues (Fruit = anxious about your job or school - root - fear of failure or perfectionism -control )

Fear is impatient, self-protecting, and skeptical (Fear has tried God once and He didn’t work)

Ex: I want to lose weight! Well, try this… no it didn't work, well try this… tried it didn't work. That’s fear!

Fear often skews reality (polluted perception)

Fear runs from (things, people, responsibility) but does not know who to run to.

How do I know that I am fearful at my core?

Am I prone to isolation or an independent existence?

Am I prone to control issues? (People or situations)

Am I prone to self-protecting behavior? (The danger of “me time”)

The Remedy for fear

Knowledge of God is the only mean by which we can banish fear and replace it with faith.

The opposite of fear is not courage it is faith.

Before we create action steps toward healing and wholeness we must realize that without a foundation of knowing God it will all be in vain.

Two Great Exodus’: Israel’s & yours (Egypt or the cross)

The Exodus story

A people who only knew slavery (400 yrs -This was sin done to them that has affected everything about their life and identity)

A Slavery that’s only getting worse

A God who is mighty to Save

The God who heard and delivered Israel is the same God who hears us and delivers us in the midst of our fears, worries, and unknowns of life

Exodus 2:23-25

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

The God who cares is the God who both hears and acts

The God Who Hears

The Desperate Plea

V.23 - During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.

Groaned - to vocally indicate pain; sigh - usually without words

Ex: Back pain

Deut. 26-6-9

6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Do you feel their desperation?

Harsh treatment, humiliation, hard labor, affliction, toil & oppression n

Fear is an affliction; a suffering.

All people what to know three things from us:

Do you care? Can I trust you? Can you help me?

God cares, we can trust him and He can help.

God hears desperate prayers and he hears:

The Imperfect Prayer (grumbling)

Exodus 16:7

7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?”

Ex 16:9-12 - God hears whining - Presence & provision

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

God answers the prayer of his people not because their perfect but because He cares for them.

How can I be sure God hears my prayers? Are you His child?

Some people would say, “They didn’t have a prayer,” but in fact, a prayer was the one thing they did have: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God” (v. 23b). - GFDL

“Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray” (Ps. 5:2).

John 6:68 - Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Rom. 8:26).

The God who Acts

The Active listener

V.24-25

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

God heard - God remembers

In covenantal language, the term “remember” (zākar) should not be misunderstood to suggest that God somehow forgot or was unconcerned previously.15

In other words, to say “God remembered his covenant” is to say “God decided to honor the terms of his covenant at this time.”

Genesis 15: 4-6;13-14 - God’s covenant promise: Abraham promised Isaac - Offspring

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

When God hears God is about to act

God is ready to deliver his people from their bondage. He is going to act in history for their salvation.

To emphasize the power of the living God, the Bible uses four active verbs: God hears, remembers, sees, and knows.

God not only sees, but he also hears: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry” (Ps. 34:15).

Thankfully, what God remembers is not his people’s sin but the covenant of grace, his unbreakable promise of salvation.

It is the promise God gave to Eve that her offspring would crush the devil and all his evil works (Gen. 3:15).

It is the promise God gave to Abraham who promises that all nations would be blessed through him (Gen. 17:7–8).

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Heb. 8:6 - lesser to greater!

6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

In Christ, we have been brought into a new and better covenant. Will God not act for his blood-bought people?!

The God who knows - v. 25

25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

God Saw - God knew

To know = “to revealed Himself to them.”

To know as a man knows his wife and wife knows only her husband

What the Scripture says is that God knew his people. He knew all about them.

The word suggests intimate, personal acquaintance with all the particulars of their suffering.

Tripp - “The problem is not that God is not here or that he’s inactive: the problem is that we don't see him.” (98)

So What?

Both God and fear are speaking: which one are we listing to?

Should I listen to fear? Yes and no

Yes - Fear will tell us what we are trusting in?

What is your fear telling you?

Am I afraid of failure? What are you wanting more than anything? Success? Recognition from someone? Material comfort? Not to disappoint (Fear of man - become an idol)

Am I afraid of getting hurt? What does it say about what you want more than anything? Fear of being out of control = controlling insecure person - control has become your idol.

Fear may be telling you something is wrong.

No - Fear declares to be the boss (of you and others)

Controlling - self-protecting

I am not going to GG at someone's home? Why not? What are you afraid of? What’s that telling you?

Fear sets an expectation and if they don't happen…

No - Fear demands relief, now!

Waiting on God…. be patient with others… NO! NOW!

Fear can produces an extremely apathetic or extremely impulsive life.

Fears fruit is anxiety, depression, manic behavior, workaholic, perfectionism, …

Matt 6:23-34

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Anything!!)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What command is more prevalent than any other in Scripture? Do Not be afraid

You need to hear the tone when God says do not fear.

Its not DONT COMMIT ADULTERY OR ELSE

DO NOT MURDER OR YOULL DIE

Do not be afraid for I am here - Though I walk thru the valley you are with me.

Fear knows the problems but does know where to find peace and rest.

Matt. 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Fear is personal and so only the pursuit of a Person can combat our fears.

To Know God is to trust God

I wish I could give you a magic pill or easy button but that pill is just covering up something you will one day have to deal with.

Ex: i heard that my grandmother went to the beach one time and she kept pulling her skirt bathing suit down trying to cover her knees what she didn't realize is the more she pulled it in the front the more it was pulling up in the back.

Our fears and worries are that way, we don't hide them near as good as we think we do.

Let’s deal with it.

Jer 9:23-24

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Pursue the God Cares, the one who hears and is ready to act. - I am in control and I care for you.

There is no greater parable in Scripture than that of the prodigal Son for it tells us of A Father who loves, pursues, and restores.

The Lord Cares, The Lord can be trusted, and the Lord can help you.

Next week we will get into our everyday lives and see how to experience God’s deliverance.