Sermon Tone Analysis

Thanks – Pastor, Preachers, Deacons, Choir, Congregation

Read Scripture: Exodus 13:20-22, 14:19-22

God Has Your Back

May 5, 2007

 

On the horns of a dilemma, driven to a wall, behind the eight ball, in a squeeze, in a jam, up a creek without a paddle, in a corner, back up against the wall, hard pressed, between a rock and a hard place.

No matter how you say it, there is no tougher spot to be in than to be faced with a dilemma where there seems to be no human help or answer.

On the horns of a dilemma, driven to a wall, behind the eight ball, in a squeeze, in a jam, up a creek without a paddle, in a corner, back up against the wall, hard pressed, between a rock and a hard place.

No matter how you say it, there is no tougher spot to be in than to be faced with a dilemma where there seems to be no human help or answer.

Our text provides us with an experience of the children of Israel that must have been uncomfortable.

It had to be a nerve-wrecking situation to say the least.

But everyone of us here today can testify that we have been in a jam, in a squeeze, on the horns of a dilemma, back up against a wall, hard-pressed, behind the eight ball, between a rock and a hard place.

And no matter where you live or where you come from you have to testify today that your life has not been one continuous success.

Everyone here today has had that situation or the experience where they’ve had their back up against the wall.

I am talking about the kind of experience that has drained us of our resources; the kind of experience that summons tears from our eyes, the type of experience that has caused us to toss and turn on our therapeutic mattresses all night long.

That kind of experience that threatens to drive us insane and cross the line of insanity – that’s the kind of experience that I am talking about.

Again no matter who you are or where you live, you have to turn to somebody and say, “Yes, I’ve been in that kind of situation.”

Because no matter who you are today you’ve been on the horns of a dilemma.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever been in a situation where it looked dark and it looked like you weren’t going to make it?

Have you ever been in a situation where it looked like the whole world was against you?

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever been in that situation where it looked like everybody left you when they should have come to your rescue?

Why don’t you turn to somebody and say, “I’ve been right there.”

In our text, we see this remarkable story.

And it was not just recorded to leave us in awe but Roman 15:4b suggest that it “(or the Scripture) was written for our instruction that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scripture we might have hope.”

Whether you want to tell it today or not you’ve had your own Red Sea experience.

This documented miracle will provide for us today lessons for living.

And we do need to know how to handle tight spots.

Tight places.

And we have got to leave here this morning knowing that God has our backs.

Well, where did it all start?

It all started in Exodus 1:8, you don’t mind me doing a little homework do you?

I said that it all started in Exodus 1:8.

For the writer said that there “arose a king that knew not Joseph.”

Well, it’s just believable that if he didn’t know Joseph then he was not familiar with Joseph’s God.

For how in the world could a man be familiar with Joseph and not be familiar with Joseph’s God?

And then how in the world could a man not know Joseph and then know Joseph’s God?

For my brothas and sistahs if they know you, then they ought to know your God.  (I wish I had some help in here)  If they know you, if they know that you have been born again then they ought to know your God!

There ought to not be any situation where somebody knows you and not know your God.

But Exodus 1:8 says there arose a king that knew not Joseph again it is believable that if he did not know Joseph he knew not Joseph’s God.

He arose in Egypt, looked at the children of Israel, and said “they are becoming to numerous for Egypt and what we are going to do is put them into bondage because it looks like they are going to take over.

350 years of bondage before Moses was born, thank God for a deliverer.

350 years before they put him in that little bulrush basket out there on the Nile.

350 years had passed by when Pharaoh’s daughter had come by Divine order to the Nile early that morning to find that little baby tucked away in a bulrush basket.

350 years before Marion came out and said I got a suggestion; you don’t really have to take care of him, there is an Israelite lady that I can take him to that can take care of him.

Marion takes this little baby back to his own mother to wean and to take care of him.

Moses spends 40 years in Egypt and 40 years in Midian when the writer declares that he has this burning bush (you’ve hear about that haven’t you?) experience.

But everyone here this day you ought to be able to testify that you have had your own burning bush experience.

When the Lord says unto him, “I want you to go down to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let my people go.”

Moses, being like a lot of us, said who am I going to tell him sent me?

He wrote “I am that I am” on a card and said “just put that on his desk.”

If he asks you who I am you just put that on his desk.

You tell him, I AM THAT I AM!  Whatever he wants me to be at whatever situation that’s who I am but make sure you tell him that I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

You will notice throughout the text and throughout Exodus Moses give 4 or 5 lame duck excuses.

It is in Exodus 3:11 he says to God, I have no ability.

What shall I tell them or who am I?  It is in Exodus 3:13, I have no message what shall I tell them.

It is in Exodus 4:1 he says I have no authority or credibility, they won’t believe me.

It is in Exodus 4:10 he says I have no eloquence.

Exodus 4:13 he says I have no inclination, send whomever you want to send but get me off of the program.

But God answers all of our excuses in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

And so Moses finally agrees to go down into Pharaoh’s territory.

With this charge, with this call, with this challenge to tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go.

And Pharaoh being of (as the writer says) a hard heart - after Moses gets down there he gives the Israelites more work than they had ever had in their life.

He makes them make bricks at the same rate while gathering their own straw.

But thank God for Exodus 6:1, there is a difference between Moses speaking and God speaking.

God gets on the amplifier of heaven and says “Now shall thou see what I will do to Pharaoh for with a strong hand shall he let them go and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of the land.

It is between chapter 6 and our text that the stage is set for a showdown between Pharaoh and God.

The 10 Plagues are instrumental in Pharaoh letting God’s people go.

It would appear that water being turned into blood would be enough but we get word that Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

Frogs all over the land but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

Lice everywhere, it would appear that he would have let God’s people go but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

Flies swarming everywhere but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is still hard.

Cattle with disease, but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart, still hard.

Boils on beast and man but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is still hard.

Hail mingled with fire and falling from heaven, but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is still hard.

Locust (you’ve read that haven’t you?) everywhere but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

Three days of darkness but we get word - Pharaoh’s heart is still hardened.

The Lord says to Moses, “I’m going to give him one more chance, I want you to go in and drop my card on his desk one more time, tell him I still am that I am and whatever curse he declares on you it’ll be declared on Egypt.”

Pharaoh says to Moses, well if you come one more time, you’ll surely die.

And so that curse that he puts on Moses, the Lord puts on Egypt.

For the last plague was the slaying of the first born.

May I suggest tonight that the Lord’s will cannot be compromised!

In Exodus 8:25 Moses speaks to Pharaoh but Pharaoh tries to compromise with God.

In Exodus 8:25 Pharaoh says don’t leave just worship that God that you’ve been talking about, you can do that right here in Egypt.

In Exodus 8:28 he says leave but don’t go too far.

In Exodus 10:10 he says you can leave but leave the children here.

In Exodus 10:24 he says now all of you can go but leave your flocks and your herds here.

Hardened, I tell you!  Hayzak – to make strong, to strengthen, to harden.

Kaybed means stubborn.

Gushar; stubborn or stiff-neck.

To sum it all up, put all the words together: Pharaoh was made more terocious or ferocious and tenacious in his chosen path against the will of God.

With all of this suspense and dialog we are finally told that Pharaoh tells Moses (after hearing the cry of the Egyptians and the death of the first born).

He calls Moses and Aaron by night and says “rise up and get you forth, God’s will cannot be compromised with.”

A few days before that he says now you can serve God right here in Egypt but now he tells him, “rise up, get you forth from among us, both ye and the children.”

A few days before he says leave the children here and go serve the Lord as you have said, take your flocks and your herds.

A few days before he says leave your flocks and your herds.

And the writer says that the Egyptians were urgent among the people that they might send them out of the land in haste.

It was a few days before he told him that he didn’t want them to go too far and now he’s telling him that I want you to get as far away from here as you can.

And the writer say in Exodus 12:33 because if you don’t leave we are all going to be like dead men.

The writer says that they leave Egypt.