Sermon Tone Analysis

Moses and Paul lived centuries apart but were both in every sense of the word; men of God.

Both were not ignorant of the devil’s hatred for God and the devices that the devil would employ to stop God’s people.

Though Paul wrote our text in 2 Corinthians 2; 11; Moses lived it!

Moses knew that where God was working the devil was also working; trying as he would to hinder and even stop God’s work.

Such was the case that we seen this morning, God called Moses to deliver his chosen people from the land of Egypt.

With four plagues passed, Pharaoh began to scheme and plot on how he might hinder or stop Moses and the people.

His first compromise was offered and rejected by Moses.

The compromise to stay in the land of Egypt to worship God was probably a no-brainer for Moses.

Moses saw right throw it; and didn’t even need to consult with others about it; it was that obvious a trap!

But oh, how many individuals and churches don’t see the trap of the devil as Moses did!

They think, “Well, if we are to reach the world, the church must become like the world!”

So churches adopt the world’s music, the world’s dress, the world’s entertainment, the world’s idea of church, where you go and hear the pastor give the latest book review, or hear the latest philosophy for life or see the newest celebrity to hit the scene.

God deliver us from such!  Truly the church of the 21st century has become just like the Laodicean church, which says about itself, “/I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”/ but is really as the Lord sees/ “ wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Rev 3; 17/

That’s what eventually happens when you give in and compromise with the devil.

We lose that special sense of God’s sweet presence and become just another club!

This morning we saw the first of four compromises put to Moses; the first compromise was to worship God the world’s way; don’t separate from the world’s idea of worship!

So we come to the second compromise in v28, where Pharaoh says, “And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; /only ye shall not go very far away/:”

I like what one fellow wrote about this second compromise;  “/Pharaoh was ready to lengthen the chain, but it was still a chain.

Complete liberty he was not ready to grant the Israelites”*[1]*.

/That’s something to think about!

Does the devil have you on the end of a chain?

Though it maybe a long one, it is still a chain!

The devil doesn’t care how far you want to go in the Christian life, as long as you, “/not go very far away”/ he wants to keep you on his chain, his leash!

Here’s the second compromise we need to be watchful of as Christians, the compromise of not going far enough in the things of God.

I.e. the compromise is a compromise in our service to our God; not going to the lengths, the distance that God expects from us.

The devil doesn’t mind that you are saved, but don’t be fanatical about it!

The devil doesn’t mind that you are saved, but just don’t act it like!

The devil doesn’t mind that you are saved, but just don’t get serious for God! Don’t go very far in this Christian life!

/ /

I can’t help but think of a man was in this same situation.

His name was Tony! Tony was in his late 30’s when he became saved.

The church had an eight week Sunday school campaign, “Flock football” and he came because of a friend invited him and he got saved.

I first noticed Tony because he would set way up in the balcony section as we were in the choir loft, you could barely see him.

I remember seeing him there many times for church and one night I meet him.

He saw that I was one of the young preachers there and he asked me, “why is the Christian life miserable?”

“Ever since I got saved, I have been nothing but miserable!”

Well, I began by asking him some basic questions, like what he did for a living, where he lived, and found out why he felt the way he did.

Tony worked as a bartender, and if that wasn’t bad enough it was a strip bar in Arlington.

I said, brother, you need to get a new job, immediately!

He told me some excuses that he couldn’t make the same money he did else where.

He said he had a lot of debt, etc.

He said, “Isn’t just being saved enough?

Why do I need to quit my job and start all over?”

I don’t know what Tony did, but that was what was making him feel that his Christian life was miserable; he wasn’t going far enough in his separation from the world.

He just wanted to be saved and go no further in the expectations that God had for him.

That’s why, he felt miserable, his job, the atmosphere, his attitude all working together to hinder is Christian life!

The devil had him on a chain!

That’s the devil’s idea here in this compromise, you don’t have to be a serious Christian, just being saved is enough, you don’t have change anything about your life, just  live as you did before you got saved, don’t get fanatical and start reading the bible or start praying, just exist don’t live!

Salvation is not only being liberated from sin, but also it is being liberated from self as well!

How far have you gone with the lord?

Only you and the lord know just how far, but I can assure you, you have gone as far as you wanted to go!

I want us to think about this compromise in our living for God, for that is what it is!

Just as Pharaoh was trying to persuade Moses to compromise as to how far they should go; the devil is saying the same thing to us today!

You can be saved but don’t go very far in:

I. Prayer

If there is one thing the devil is not, it is dumb.

The devil hinders most, fights most where the greatest potential power lies.

Our greatest power lies in Prayer.

Torrey, said in his book about prayer that /the devil isn’t scared by our machinery, our organizations, our methods the devil is scared of only one person, that person is God!*[2]*/

That’s exactly right!

The devil isn’t afraid of us, he’s afraid of what God could do through us, if we yield ourlives to Him!

When we pray we are asking God to work through us, touching the lives of others around us! That’s the way we ought to think.

Maybe the missing link in your prayers is you.

Some, pray foe example “God, save this person, I love them,” and that’s it!

That’s a great thing to pray about, but maybe the reason why they are still lost is because God is waiting on you to speak to them about the gospel?

I.e.

God is waiting on us sometimes to fill in the missing element!

After seeing the way some folks live their Christian lives, we ought to pray “God, work in spite of us!”

It isn’t that we are such great deserving people, but it is that we have a Heavenly Father that is in a giving mood!

/Luke 11:9 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

/

If the devil can persuade us not to pray, the victory is surely his.

A. Devil attaches our desire to Pray.

1. /Mar 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”./

Maybe we don’t desire what we want in prayer bad enough; we lose the desire to pray!

2.

He says, you don't have time to pray today, do it

tomorrow.

But your tomorrow may never comes!

3.

He says, Do you really think that God wants to listen to you?

He tries to accuse you, to yourself.

B. Devil knows that if He can compromise us out of prayer, then his work is half done.

C. Prayer is as simple as a child asking for a piece of bread from their parent.

Don't make it complex.

When Peter was beginning to sink in the water, he didn't bet-a-round the bush, "Lord Save ME!"

D. If you will make time to pray, you'll find it isn't so hard after all.

Just how far have you went in prayer!

You can be saved but don’t go very far in:

II.

Giving

Why does the devil fight so, when it comes to giving?

Because giving is a trait of God and taking is a trait of the flesh.

We are never more like God when we give of ourselves, instead of holding back.

A. Being able to give your money faithfully, regularly and completely tells a lot about our hearts.

Money is a sensitive area with most because it consumes them, that’s all they really care about, that’s the only important thing to them.

When you are saved, money and the pursuit of money has to take the back seat to Jesus.

You will never be the Christian you ought to be if money has a hold on your heart instead of God!

He alone is to be our one great pursuit; he is what we should be consumed with!

I like Matthew and Zacchaeus, they were tax collectors.

They were in our slang, yuppies.

They lived for one goal, one pursuit, money, they jingled as walked!

But there came a day in both of these men’s lives when they meet God! Matthew gave up his good Job to preach, and Zacchaeus made restitution to all he had hurt!

Their hearts let go, of their pursuit of making money and clung to God instead!