A Line In The Sand
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
What a week? Hopefully since last week you have had some victory over the hypotheticals. We discussed last week how hypotheticals keep us stuck and keep us from accepting what God has for us.
Have you ever been in a place and knew if you went ahead with the plan it would declare war?
It is absolutely amazing to me when you make a stand and someone attacks you verbally, even though you aren’t asking them to do the same. We see that a lot in today’s culture. In our culture today, society is blinded by selfishness. Selfishness declares war.
Last week we discovered after Moses laid out his What if’s to God he asked God to send someone else. I encourage you to read the rest of Exodus 4. God sent his brother Aaron to meet Moses. And that’s how Exodus 4 ends, Aaron and Moses come together along with the elders of the children of Israel.
This morning we are continuing in Exodus chapter 5.
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”
This is as real as it gets. Moses and Aaron have declared that they serve the Lord. They have obediently drawn their line in the sand.
Pharoah says who is the Lord that I should obey him.
Lets continue on in Exodus chapter 5.
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!”
Remember back to chapter 1 of Exodus. Pharoah starts oppressing the people because he feared they would join forces with his enemies.
Moses and Aaron are saying let us go so that God doesn’t strike us with sword or plagues.
Let’s be real if the Israelites are struck with plague or sword the Egyptians would be implicated and affected by that.
What does Pharoah do, he says get back to work.
5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 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.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
Do you see the dividing line. Do you see the declaration of war.
So what does Pharoah do, he resorts to what he has done in the past. He oppresses the children of Israel more. He puts more pressure on them.
No longer will the Egyptians get the straw for the bricks.
The production amount doesn’t change with the heavier work load.
Now that the line has been drawn the oppression gets worse.
Our Line In The Sand
Our Line In The Sand
We just read what happened to Moses and the children of Israel when the line was drawn. We are no exception to the rule. Let’s be clear, I’m talking about drawing a line and taking a stand with Jesus. The beauty of it, the Lord has drawn the line for us, we don’t have to draw it. We have to choose with whom we stand with.
Reasons Why Someone Might Not Choose To Stand With The Lord
Reasons Why Someone Might Not Choose To Stand With The Lord
Fear. What others might think, the unknown etc.
Comfortable with where they are.
They don’t know the Lord.
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”
That’s the big one. Because if someone really knew God, they would choose Him every time.
We Need To Know Jesus. I probably sound like a broken record. It is of upmost importance that we continue to get to know Jesus.
What Happens When We Choose To Stand With Jesus.
What Happens When We Choose To Stand With Jesus.
According to our text, the people around us might not like it. In fact, they might actually try to make our lives harder. It’s important to know it’s not God making our lives harder.
According to our text, we have opportunities for Jesus to protect us and the folks around. Did you know that when you choose to stand with Jesus others can benefit from that choice because you’re standing with Jesus. Moses said let us go to be with the Lord our God or he might strike us with plague or sword. I wonder if Pharoah let them go, I wonder if the Egyptians would’ve have gone through the plagues?
As we close, lets read the rest of this account. The Israelites are being oppressed more than they had been in the past.
22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”
1 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.”
The difference between Moses and Pharoah, Moses was will to know God, Moses was willing to have a conversation with God. We see that in verse 22. And in chapter 6 verse one Moses gets a promise.
It’s a lot easier to stand through hard times when you have a promise. God has given us promises too. Do you know the promises? We only get to know the promises by knowing Jesus. We do that by:
Reading God’s Word
Praying
And having Community with other believers.
Let’s pray.
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