River of Life Assembly
Date: 23 February 2020
Title: Deliverance Series: The Story Subject: God Delivers His People
Key People: Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh
Text: Exodus Ch. 1-7; 10-17 The Story pg. 43-57
This message covers 15 chapters of Exodus The Story pg. 43-57. Here is how it opens. “Now Joseph his brothers and all that generation had died; but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they had multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.”
Time Line: we find “Abram moves to Canaan” in 2091 BC. Then, Moses is born in 1526 BC, which is 565 years later. That’s the span of time between God’s prediction to Abraham in Genesis 15:12-14 and its fulfillment.
The book of Exodus continues the story of God’s dealings with Israel’s descendants that began in Genesis. (1) The length of time between Joseph’s death (Ge 50:26) and the beginning of Israel’s persecution by the Egyptians (cf. v. 11) was about 220 years. STORY Pg. 44
Exodus 1:22 (NIV) Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."
Texas 3 Kick Rule -- STORY Illustration How to remove the barrier of sin: Use the illustration of the Texas farmer teaching the Chicago attorney how problems are solved on the ranch.
Every one of us has a sin nature, which separates us from God. It is the number one barrier between us and God, and it also causes our death. Not even your Texas boots can help you remove this barrier; only God has the solution. That’s what The Story is all about: the relentless pursuit of God to remove the barrier of our sin so he can have us back.
Moses says, “Let my people go,” and Pharaoh says “No way, Mosay,” and Moses says, “Yah way.”
The Pharaoh “who did not know about Joseph” was probably Thutmose I (1539-1514 B.C.) (see Ac 7:18). Ordering the death of the male babies of Israel. Thutmose I mummy has been found but not nice to look at 3,500 old! Some would call Moses discovery by Pharaoh’s daughter a lucky break; we look back and see it was the silent guiding hand of God.
This Hebrew Prince of Egypt knew what he was doing when he killed the Egyptian overseer. As revealed in Acts 7:23-25, Moses knew he was a Hebrew and that God had called him to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Killing the Egyptian was done in an attempt to fulfill God’s call on Moses’ life and bring deliverance to the Israelites, who Moses knew were his kinsmen. But Moses totally was missing the LORD’s plan and Moses was 10 years early in trying to do what God called him to do.
So Moses flees and for 40 years he must of wondered if God was done with him. He was not running from God or trying to put Him out of his mind; he had been seeking God and asking for another chance to be the deliverer God called him to be. Therefore, his interest in this burning bush that was not consumed. Could this be the appointment with God he had been so patiently praying for?
Soon the Story finds Moses before the most powerful man in the world – Pharaoh. If the date of the Exodus (when the Israelites left Egypt) is set at around 1440 B.C., In that case, the ruling pharaoh when Israel left Egypt was probably Amenhotep II (1447-1421 B.C.). The total time of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years (Ex 12:40). It was time for the so long promised Deliverance of God’s special children to unfold. Moses and his brother Aaron came in authority and commanded, not requested, the release of the Jews. This was certain to get a negative response from a man who proclaimed he was a god. It is hard to overstate just how faith-shacking these plagues were on the Egyptians. It was clear to all they spoke for the Lord and not themselves.
(POINT) 1. The CALL of God. The Story, pg. 46; Exodus 3:1-22. The Lord is ready to move and needs a point man – Moses. God reveals His great upper story to redeem his people. Moses response is less than positive:
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 NIV FEAR of Speaking
On the surface, the lower story – God’s choice seems horrible – Shepherd of Median desert; unwanted by the Hebrews, royal failure and murder. God’s response (pg. 46) “I will be with you! Moses is still weak – who do I say you are?
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 NIV
As with our lives, the best decision you can ever make, even when you feel inadequate, is to say yes to God.
This is a powerful passage of scripture with deep meaning. The Hebrew phrase for “I am who I am”: ‘ehyeh ser ‘ehyeh shows the Hebrew term for Yahweh: YHWH. The Lord states that this will be his name forever (v. 15). (2) It is significant that when Jesus Christ was born, he was called Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Mt 1:23). Jesus also referred to himself by the name “I am” (Jn 8:58).
(POINT) 2. God REVEALS His NAME, POWER, and PLAN. Read Story pg. 48 Ex. 6:1-8
Our God is the God of Old, Present and Future. He was, is and will be. He is the unchanging one - YAHWEY; The Faithful and Dependable GOD; none like Him. God sees differently than us – None of this Story catches Him be surprise. Moses weaknesses are His best conduit for God’s strength to flow. Once these people are free everyone will know it was the LORD who did it!
God’s power is revealed in these 10 Plagues each designed to directly confront the gods of Egypt – e.g. Plague 9 darkness (in Egyptian area only!) is against Re – sun god; and Death of Egyptian first born against Isis goddess who protected children.
Read Romans 9:17-18. Since Pharaoh had already made his choice, even to the point that he proclaimed himself to be a deity and commanded the Egyptians to worship him, God was not unrighteous in bringing him into judgment for this. God did not make Pharaoh the way he was, but God used, for His glory, the way Pharaoh had chosen to be. A heart hardened towards God.
(POINT) 3. The REDEMPTION of God. Read Story pg. 52. Exodus 12:1-30
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” John 1:29 NIV (The prophetic words of John the Baptist)
For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. I Cor. 5:7 NIV
God reveals his plan for the shedding of blood to deliver us from sin and restore his relationship with us.
Take RED SCARF around your shoulders e.g. Blood over the door posts of our soul.
Application the lower story and upper story of Exodus continues to unfold. Moses finds himself against a wall again. The Red sea before him and Pharaoh’s Chariots rapidly closing in on him (pg 54. The Story). He turns to God for help. Perhaps the same for you. There’s a wall in front of you. Behind you is a past you are running from. Beyond the wall awaits the promise of a new life. But you’re not moving because there is this “wall.” You feel trapped. No way out. This is just the sort of situation in which God does some of his finest work.
You need only ask the Israelites. Behind them was a life of back-breaking work and slavery. Ahead of them was a life in the land of Promise. Behind them was the fierce army of a vengeful Pharaoh coming towards them. Ahead of them was a wall. Their obstruction was made of water and seemed very wide – in fact, a Sea! Your “wall” may be a fear of failure. Or maybe it’s a lack of confidence that has grinded your progress to a halt. Or it could merely be too many problems that have piled up in front of you at the same time. And you have no clue which one to tackle first.
So you stopped.
You aren’t sure if there is a way over, around, or under this imposing obstacle. At this point many people panic. Anxiety courses its way through the body, freezes muscles, and hesitation overtakes their resolve. Eyes which once had clear focus now only focus on the barrier just feet away. But some look elsewhere. The Israelites looked to Moses. They began belting him with blame. Have you done the same? Blame the boss. Blame a loved one. Blame your dog. Blame God. Blame away yet the wall remains.
Moses, opted to look elsewhere. His options? He could have looked at the enemy’s army. He could have looked at the ungrateful people he led. He could have looked at the wall of water spread out before him, sat down, and given up.
Instead Moses looked to God. And God opened an unlikely route through the wall of water. Safely on the other side, the very wall that had halted their steps closed in on and destroyed the sources of their fears.
The descriptive name of the book where we find this story serves as a reminder when we face our “walls.” “Exodus” is a compound Greek word meaning “the way out.” And in case you might have missed it, the way out was not a better job, a different spouse, or a victim mentality. No, the way out is God. Next time you find yourself up against a wall try looking to the LORD.
This how we experience Deliverance!