When Life With God... Gets Tough

Welcome/Series Intro

Hello and welcome...

Season’s changing/new series: “When Life With God...” - journey through the book of Exodus

So, here’s what you can expect if you’re walking with us over the next few weeks:

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When Life With God...

Week 1: Gets Tough

Week 2: Gets Dangerous

Week 3: Isn’t Enough

Week 4: Is Out of our Control

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So that’s where we’re going. But…

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Exodus?! Why Exodus?

2nd book in the Bible—foundational

“DTR”—God and his people (promises, expectations)

Patterns that repeated in Jesus and still hold true today

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Reminder: we’re a “No Matter” church, and here’s what that means in series like this…

We’re not going to be afraid to “get real” (because God’s not!)

We don’t feel the need to hide behind sentimental or surface-level, easy answers to difficult or complicated questions (because God doesn’t!)

God wants us to lean in; he’s not uncomfortable; he’s with us in those places and has things we need to hear

Alright. Let’s dive here on week 1: “When Life with God Gets Tough.”

Introduction/Illustration: The “Easy Button”

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Show “Easy Button” Picture

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How many of you recognize this image?

This, of course, is the “easy button.” Now here’s something that might make you feel a little old: I’m willing to bet that we’ve got people in the room or watching with us who 1) recognize this as the “easy” button; but 2) have no idea of it’s origins.

That’s because the “easy button” is 17 years old. It was born out of a marketing campaign that the office supply store, Staples, created back in 2005.

Staples made this image into an actual toy that you can still buy (and some of you may have!). Now, all this toy does is say (demonstrate) when you push it. It doesn’t magically solve all of your office supply-related needs.

But to give you an idea of just how successful this campaign was for Staples, they sold a million of these things in the first year they created them.

Seventeen years later, the “easy button” is way bigger than a simple commercial for Staples. It’s kind of a cultural symbol or an anthem for how we wanna live and want life to be.

You know, when I was writing this message, and I was thinking about the easy button, I thought: “It’d be cool to have a real one of those as I speak.” You know what my next thought was? “Amazon probably has it.” And when I checked, they did. One click—and it was at my house in 2 days.

Easy.

Here’s another one in that same kind of “easy” bucket:

Like a lot of you, I’m sure, your weekends in May have been pretty full. Graduation open houses; kids activities; just getting outside either to get some yard work done or to enjoy some time with friends… whatever.

And so we had one of those in our family, too, here recently. And then we got to Sunday night, looked in the fridge, and realized that we probably should have grocery shopped.

No problem.

Walmart app. Put all of what we wanted in our digital cart. Clicked “buy.” And then they were delivered to my house in time for my daughter to put the milk on her cereal before school.

Easy.

The Problem with “Easy”

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Easy is the standard.

Easy = good; good = easy.

We expect (and even demand!) it.

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I know I’m guilty of that—and maybe you are, too. Here’s what I’ll catch myself saying when I get frustrated about something not being as “easy” as I think it should be. I’ll say something like:

“I can’t believe that in 2022…”

Which is just an updated version of the old saying, “They can put a man on the moon, but they can’t…”

“I can’t believe that in 2022, we can’t figure out a way to make sure there’s enough baby formula to go around.” Right?! This shouldn’t be hard! It should be easy! Because everything should be easy.

Easy is the standard. Easy is good; good is easy. We expect and even demand it.

Which is why it really, really messes with us when life isn’t easy—and especially, when life with God isn’t.

And, listen: I don’t want to minimize what any one of us has walked through or might be walking through right now when it comes to life and life with God. Because there’s some stuff that isn’t easy and that causes us to really, really wrestle with some big questions when it comes to our life with God. I’m not trying to do that at all.

But what I want us to start recognizing is this:

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When we define what is “good” as “easy,” and…

When we make “easy” our expectation, then…

We make it even more difficult for ourselves to navigate the tough stuff.

Life with God this side of heaven always includes tough stuff.

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(Problem of pain example… it’s a real wrestle… but Scripture is full of examples… “tough stuff” is the norm.)

Open up with me to Exodus. We’ll be hopping through the first 3 chapters together.

Exegesis: Exodus 1-5

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Exodus 1-3

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As you find that, let me set you up here for what you’re reading:

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Show “Exodus” Picture

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The OT is the story of God building a relationship first with some key families, who grew into tribes called the Hebrews, who eventually grew into a nation called Israel.

Exodus happens during the “tribal” phase. God blesses Abraham’s family, then his son, Isaac’s family, then his son, Jacob’s family. God renames Jacob, calling him “Israel.” And Israel has 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of the eventual nation of Israel.

“Exodus” literally means “to pull away.” Here’s why; here’s how the story opens up:

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Exodus 1: God preserves the 12 tribes in Egypt AND Egypt feels threatened

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Take a look at verse 9:

Exodus 1:9-10 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

So the Egyptians are brutal. They force the 12 tribes into slavery, making them build up their cities. But not only that: they enact a population control measure by telling midwives that when they deliver Hebrew babies, if they delivered a male, they were to kill him.

Life with God isn’t easy this side of heaven. It includes some tough stuff.

Now, Exodus 1 also tells us of some courageous midwives who don’t follow that decree and let those baby boys live. In fact, take a look at verse 18 with me:

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Exodus 1:18-19 “Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

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You wanna shut a dude up quick? Tell him that what he’s asking is kind of a “woman thing.”

“Yeah… I know… I know. Right. I mean, Pharaoh, we tried getting there, but those Hebrew women… they just pop those kids right out so fast that we can’t even get there in time. They’re like rabbits…” (plug ears)

But then at the end of chapter 1, Pharaoh issues another decree—this time, not just to the midwives, but everyone: every Hebrew baby born male must be thrown into the Nile river.

Life with God isn’t easy. It always includes some tough stuff.

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Exodus 1: God preserves the 12 tribes in Egypt AND Egypt feels threatened

Exodus 2: Moses tries to do the right thing AND has to flee

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Exodus 2 tells the story of one of those baby boys that was supposed to be thrown into the Nile, but who’s mother instead put him in a basket and floated him down the Nile to where Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing. She took pity on him and decides to raise him as her own. That’s a woman betting on another woman knowing what it means to be a woman.

So here we have this Hebrew baby boy being brought into Pharaoh’s courts like a kid brings home a stray cat, begging her father: “Please daddy, please daddy, pretty please…” And he allows it. So Moses, who should have been drowned after his first few breaths, instead grows up in the palace of his would-be killers.

But he knows he’s a Hebrew. And one day, he can’t bear to see yet another Egyptian beating one of his own, a Hebrew slave. He steps into defend him, and in the process kills this Egyptian. Moses tries to cover it up, but eventually gets found out by another Hebrew he’s trying to help. Take a look at verse 14:

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Exodus 2:14-15 “The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.”

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Life with God always includes some tough stuff.

Now, Exodus 2 goes on to tell the story of how Moses met his wife at that same well—a woman who was 1 of 7 daughters of a priest of God, a man named Jethro. Which leads to an encounter that Moses has with Jethro’s God in chapters 3 & 4.

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Exodus 1: God preserves the 12 tribes in Egypt AND Egypt feels threatened

Exodus 2: Moses tries to do the right thing AND has to flee

Exodus 3-4: God calls Moses personally AND gives him a life-threatening task

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Exodus 3 tells the story of the burning bush. A bush catching fire in the desert wasn’t uncommon; but it didn’t burn up. When Moses went to check it out, God spoke to him and tells him that he’s heard the prayers of his people in Egypt, and that Moses was going to be his instrument for their rescue.

There’s where we get the name of the book, Exodus: “I’m gonna pull my people out of Egypt.”

So… Moses, you’re headed back to Egypt. Belly of the beast.

The fugitive was to return to the nation who was hunting him.

But not only that; he was returning to people who he shared a race and culture with, but not their story. Moses hadn’t been a slave a day in his life.

And he was supposed to convince not only Pharaoh to let thousands of free laborers go, but also convince the leaders of those slaves who had only ever known the whips of their slave masters that he was God’s instrument sent to rescue them.

But don’t worry, Moses; don’t worry—I’ve got it all worked out.

Life with God always includes tough stuff.

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Exodus 1: God preserves the 12 tribes in Egypt AND Egypt feels threatened

Exodus 2: Moses tries to do the right thing AND has to flee

Exodus 3-4: God calls Moses personally AND gives him a life-threatening task

Exodus 5: Moses obeys AND the people of Israel suffer

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And then we get to Exodus 5. Moses is joined by his brother, Aaron, and they are either courageous enough or stupid enough to do exactly what God tells them to do. They literally walk up to Pharaoh and tell him that this God that he had never heard of said that he needed to let all of the Hebrew slaves go free so that they can worship this mystery God.

And after some very heavy sarcasm, here’s what Pharaoh says in verse 4:

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Exodus 5:4-9 “But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:

“You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

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So there you go. Moses obeys. Takes God at his word. Trusts him. Does exactly what he says.

And then Pharaoh reacts.

And then the people suffer.

The promised deliverer, the literal “chosen one,” the exiled prince now “junior Messiah” waltzed into the palace of the most powerful man on earth and made things 100x worse.

Shocker. Who didn’t see that coming?

Life with God always—always—includes tough stuff.

Transition

So… great. Great. Life with God always includes the tough stuff. I get it.

But even if that’s true, it’s not really satisfying, is it?

Yeah, ok, I can adjust my expectations. Life with God isn’t always easy. It includes the tough stuff. Okay. Sure. But…

Why? Why?

And that’s exactly the question the people who were living this story out asked as well. Take a look:

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Exodus 5:15 “Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way?”

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So the people were asking why. And then Moses himself in verse 22:

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Exodus 5:22 “Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?”

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Why?

Let’s be really clear on something here:

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God welcomes our “why’s.”

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We’re going to dive in to how God responded to Moses’ why here in a moment, and you’ll see that this is true. But before we do that, just know:

God welcomes your “why?”

He’s not put off by it. He’s not offended by it. He doesn’t shy away from it. He’s not angry about it. He welcomes it.

When you and I walk through the tough stuff—the kind of stuff that makes us go, “Why, God?” Why?

Why did you let this happen?

Why do I have to go through this?

Why didn’t you?

Why don’t you?

Why do I have to?

Why?

God welcomes your why.

Wanna know why?

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God welcomes our “why’s.”

They give him the opportunity to be with you as he answers.

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I know the theological answer to that question. Why, God? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why don’t you stop? Why did you let? I’ve got the theological answers.

But even though they are the right answers, they don’t really satisfy the heart behind the question.

But the one that starts to satisfy is this one:

God is with us in the tough stuff. With us. With us.

Listen: if you had a chance to know the worst thing that the people in the room with you today have had to walk through—the worst thing—you’d be shocked that they were even still here. You’d swear that after hearing some of their stories that there’s no way they should or even could still have faith in a God who is supposedly real and good and in charge. No way.

And yet, they do.

Wanna know why?

Because God proved to them—proved to them—and they would testify to it—that He was with them in it.

And here’s how God answers our “why’s” while he’s with us in the tough stuff. Here’s his answer:

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God welcomes our “why’s.”

They give him the opportunity to be with you as he answers.

God’s answer to all of our “why’s” is a declaration and a promise:

I am, and I will.

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(Repeat)

Read along with me from Exodus 6:

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Exodus 6:1-8 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them.

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

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I am the Lord. I am. I was your father’s Lord, and your father’s father’s Lord, and your father’s father’s father’s Lord. I am.

And I made a promise to them. And I kept that promise. And I’m making the same promise to you.

I’ve heard you.

I’ve remembered you.

I will bring you out.

I will free you.

I will redeem you.

I will take you as my own.

I will be your God.

I will bring you through this and give you something on the back side of this.

Because I am. I am the Lord.

I am. And I will.

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And you wanna know how they responded when Moses told them all of that?

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Exodus 6:9 “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.”

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And I get that response. For sure. I get that. I love that God put that in there for us to see. Because:

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It’s tough to hear God’s declarations and promises when you’re walking through the tough stuff.

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Right? Isn’t that true? It’s ok to admit that, right? That’s real!

Sure, sure, God. Yeah. You’re God. Doesn’t seem to make these bricks any lighter. But yeah. Ok. Whatever you say.

Yeah, you’re God. Not gonna bring them back from the dead, is it?

You’re God. Doesn’t seem to make my test results any different. Doesn’t seem to fix this broken relationship. Doesn’t make this person treat me any different.

It’s tough to hear God’s declarations and promises when you’re walking through the tough stuff! It is!

And if that’s you—if you’re walking through some tough stuff right now, and all of these declarations and promises sound so very empty, I’ve got some good news for you:

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God’s declarations and promises don’t depend on you. (Whew!)

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You have permission to be discouraged. You have permission to be sad. Go ahead and be frustrated or angry. You are free to feel all of it. You don’t need to force yourself to feel anything differently in order for God’s declarations and promises to still be true. They don’t depend on you.

Wanna know who they depend on?

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God’s declarations and promises don’t depend on you. (Whew!)

God will keep his promise to you because God keeps his promises.

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You don’t have to put on a happy face. You don’t have to pretend things are ok or not as bad as they are. God’s ego isn’t fragile; you don’t have to play church to preserve his reputation.

It’s the opposite, actually:

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God’s declarations and promises don’t depend on you. (Whew!)

God will keep his promise to you because God keeps his promises.

It’s in the tough stuff that God is most able to prove to you who He is.

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It’s up to him, not you.

God doesn’t promise that you won’t walk through some tough stuff. Life with God always includes some tough stuff.

He welcomes your “why.” He does. Because it gives him a chance to do the thing he loves doing most:

To be your God, with you, in that stuff. And to prove to you that he is who he says he is:

A promise keeper.

I’ve heard you.

I’ve remembered you.

I will bring you out.

I will free you.

I will redeem you.

I will take you as my own.

I will be your God.

I will bring you through this and give you something on the back side of this.

Because I am. I am the Lord.

I am. And I will.