Ex. CHAPTER 5:1-23 Cry out to God

VERSES 1-2

5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."

  1. Now if you were standing around Pharaoh when he made this Statement – You Probably would have wanted to step back a little

  2. "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice? That is such a FOOLISH statement to make

  3. In the Late 1880’s & early 1890’s there was a Popular Philosopher who was really the First to Blend Philosophy & Psychology into a unified field of study

    4.  

  4. For many yrs his work & teachings were very popular / but after a time forgotten only to be Rediscovered in the 1960’s Hippie movement

  1. The man I’m speaking of – is Fredrick Neitche - who in his Philosophy declared that GOD IS DEAD !!!!

 

Now that was his Philosophy - & it is one that many since have embraced – God is dead – but it didn’t serve Neitche well

  1. Because shortly after making that statement he began to lose his mind

  2. He was committed to an Insane Asylum & while in that Insane Asylum He committed Suicide

  3. But He was the One who coined that very Popular Phrase GOD IS DEAD

  4. And in the 1960’s Time Mag. Picture / since has also been in Life – on a wall in a N.Y. Subway – someone spray painted Graffiti

  1. God is dead signed Neitche - Someone else came along & sprayed an X through that statement & put this one underneath it

NEITCHE IS DEAD – SIGNED GOD !!!!!!!

 

NEITCHE SOON FOUND OUT WHO WAS RIGHT – AS WE ALL WILL

  1. Heb. 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

B) Well Pharaoh is treading on the same ground here – Who is God

Pharaoh would soon find out WHO the Lord is

  1. Important to Understand In the Egyptian Civilization, Pharaoh was considered to be a god himself

  1. They were thought to have descended from the sun & Thought to have divine power and characteristics

D) When you took an oath in Egypt the highest oath you could take was to use the name of Pharaoh

 

NOTE: Because Pharaoh considered himself to be a god, he did NOT like the idea of having any competition from this God of the Hebrews

A) This, by the way, is a GRAPHIC illustration of mankind today

B) The humanist - who has deified man// the new ager who in his quest for spiritual meaning has declared that god is within each man

C)Shirley McClaine – Out of her tree - Stand on the Beach I AM GOD

  1. One thing is for Sure – there is a God & You are not Him

  1. Commercial – I AM / I AM - Play on this – really do

1) Attempt to deify man /

So Pharaoh not only considered himself to be a god, but he also encouraged the rest of Egypt to worship many other deities found in nature

  1. They had deified many of the forces of nature/ They were deeply

involved in the worship of the Sun-god

B) They also worshipped the wind, the moon, the planets

Osiris was the god of the Nile river and was the goddess of fertility

C)The even worshipped life forms/ Any object or any phenomenon of

nature was thought to be indwelt by a spirit that could chose it's own form

  1. They could occupy the body of a fish, a cow, a cat, frogs/ They even

worshipped flies

 

D)So Pharaoh propagated the worship of life forms and elements of nature

as well as worship of himself

1) In light of this, we have a little clearer understanding of the response of Pharaoh, and the events that would soon follow

Moses and Aaron came and said that Jehovah, the God of Israel wants you to let His people go so that they might worship Him,

A) Pharaoh's response was:

"I don't know Jehovah... Who is He that I should obey Him?"

I don't know Him and so I won't obey Him"

  1. The REAL reason why Pharaoh didn't want to let Israel go is the

    2. Israelites were being used by Pharaoh to establish build and his cities

    1) He would lose his labor supply and thus his projects would come to a close

    C) Paraphrase: I don't know the Lord, neither will I let them go lest my pet project be derailed

    In this we have a very important lesson in ministering to unbelievers

    A) WHY do people say today: "Who is God?" "How can I know God?" I

    don’t believe in Him

    B) Why do people take the position of AGNOSTIC or ATHEIST today?

    For the same reason Pharaoh was

  2. They DON'T want their pet projects derailed- /If there is a God then they

have someone they have to answer to & what it comes down to is :

1) They DON'T want to answer to any one else for the direction of their lives

D) IF they acknowledge that there is a true and living God, they would then have to SUBMIT to that God

1) If there truly is a God then I would have to find out what claims he had upon me/ what he wants of me

NOTE THIS the atheist or agnostic is NOT in that state because it is such a RATIONAL or INTELLIGENT position

A) AGNOSTIC is from 2 Greek words: A - GNOSKO

Without knowledge

B) In Latin, the word for agnostic = IGNORAMUS = I Know nothing

C)People assume the position of IGNORAMUS today NOT because of

honest intellectual problems concerning the existence and nature of God.

  1. Because they Purposely Ignore His Existence so that they won’t have to answer to Him

  1. Paul in Romans 1 makes this clear turn there

 

 

 

  1. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

  1. That word suppress is an interesting word it refers to a helmsman stirring a boat against the current !
    1. The current wants to take the boat in a particular direction but the helmsman is determined to go the opposite way
  1. So he holds the rudder in such a way that he might go his own way instead of the way of the current
    1. So the person who is suppressing the truth of the gospel is one who is resisting what God says / & is choosing to go own way / do own thing

  1. Then Paul says here is how they suppress the truth about God

20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

They Ignore Creation :

  1. During the French revolution a solider boasted to a peasant we are going to pull down all that reminds you of God !

    2. 1) Peasant replied You will have to pull down the stars then!

     

     

     

     

  2. Abe Lincoln was once quoted as saying I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down at man on the earth & be an Atheist - seeing man

    3. But I can not conceive how a man can look up into the heavens & declare there is no God !

  3. The greatest and most insightful scientists of history/ men like Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Faraday
    1. have always seen creation as the evidence of an intelligent Creator. It was Isaac Newton who observed, "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being." Creation = Creator /
  1. And Thomas Edison once wrote, "No one can study chemistry and see the wonderful way certain elements combine with the nicety of the most delicate machine ever invented and not conclude that there is a Great Engineer who is running this universe. " Design or Designer

    2.  

  2. Paul says just look at Creation – You can see that they are w/ out Excuse / But they suppress that truth – steer opposite direction

v.22-25 read

Comment: This leads to all kinds of Immoral behavior – Man is left to be led by his own imaginations / passions / Desires /

  1. That was life in Egypt – that is life of many today & they refuse to except the truth about the Existence of God / they suppress it

B) because they have their own pet projects that they have to derail

I'll have to quit snorting coke

I'll have to stop drinking

I'll have to stop sleeping around

 

C)So, like Pharaoh they say I don't know Jehovah and neither

will I Let my pet project go

1) BUT Pharaoh is about to discover just WHO Jehovah is

 

VERSES 3-8

  1. Pharaoh thought that the people wanted to go worship the Lord was

because they were too idle.... they were lazy

B) That accusation is still hurled at those seeking to worship the Lord

1) "Worship - Who has time for that?"

Get busy.... get working..... Get involved

C)NOTE: The Pharaoh's of the world will always equate worship with

Laziness as a WASTE OF TIME

  1. Remember : John 12 Mary came w/ a very Costly oil of spikenard & broke it & anointed Jesus w/ it ?

  1. Judas Protested - WHY THE WASTE ……. POOR ?

  1. Interesting : Judas son of Perdition – Perdition means waste / His Life was a Waste – refused to Worship / Didn’t honor Jesus / Ultimately Betrayed

  1. Mary on the Other hand – chose to worship - & was honored throughout History

Mark 14: 9 "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

 

Luke 10 Another time Mary was Chided for her Worship / Martha Neglecting

A) Martha you are busy – One thing is needed / Mary has Chosen and that will not be taken from her

  1. Guys don’t let the Cares of this world – distract you from having a healthy life of Worship & Devotion

  1. Don’t let the Pharaohs of the World – discourage you from seeking God

C) Been said Don’t come apart we will COME APART – OR FALL APART

D) Worship is NEVER idleness and is NEVER a waste

It takes TIME and EFFORT to worship during the day

1) Can I encourage you to take that time / Morning / Lunch /

  1. Those times will be the very source of our Strength / they supply the needed insight & perspective we need to face the day

 

VERSES 10-14

A) They had a tremendous work load in building the pyramids alone, not counting the treasure cities and other monuments

B) Someone did some calculating & discovered that The bricks used in constructing the pyramids would form a wall

1) 10ft. high 5ft. thick Stretching from L.A. to N.Y. City

  1. We are talking a Lot of Bricks & When they couldn't keep up with

production the overseers beat them

VERSES 15-16

In their beaten state, they went and cried unto PHARAOH... And he did NOTHING for them

  1. Now I can really sympathize w/ them in this – but they made a grave

    2. mistake here crying out to Pharaoh when they should have cried out to God

     

  2. How often have WE done that?/ Going through hard times with your

    3. Spouse/ Going through it with your employer/employee

    1) You feel like you've been beaten down/ You aren't understood

    They aren't relating to you

  3. They aren't showing compassion towards you/ WHO do you cry to?

    4. 1) Co – worker – that gal in the office My wife is so mean to me – can’t believe what she did ?

  4. Sympathy –Emotional bound opens up the door & opportunity for a greater sin to occur

    5. 1) Cry to a Neighbor / My Husband – another sister in the Church

  5. Women’s Prayer for families – Great if Pray – Cry out to the Lord

  1. Denise invited group ladies in the neighborhood - Didn’t participate & ended up leading the gal to Christ

  1. Not going to get involved in Your Complaining but I will show you Christ

 

Listen It is a MISTAKE to cry unto man

A) We have to cry out to the Lord/ HE is the only one who can help

He is the ONLY one who understands

  1. He is the ONLY one that has power to help

    2. Oh what Peace we often forfeit oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in Prayer

  2. So Simple we know that is true / but we need to be reminded of it all the time

 

 

 

At a Later time in the history of the Nation of Israel, the Lord REBUKED them by the prophet Isaiah

Isa. 30:1- "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;

2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,

  1. I wonder how often do we find ourselves running to everyone but the Lord & He is standing Back – more than ready to work & Move

    2. B) We spend TOO much time crying to the wrong people

    We need to spend MORE time crying to the Lord

    Verses 17-21

    So Pharaoh is attacking them and They are bummed at the servant of the Lord

    A) Thanks a lot Moses.... You've made us STINK before Pharaoh

    We were just FINE until you came along/ We were happy slaves

  2. Isn’t it interesting how they FORGOT just how miserable they were

before this

1) God sends His instrument to change their plight

The enemy of God's people comes against them

C) And God's people are bummed at Moses and look at the past as some glorious moment lost forever

v.22 So Moses returned to the LORD

  1. Please note this / This is such a Key to Moses Success – we will see Him over & over again – returning to the Lord

  2. This is what made Moses Great – In Heaven He is going to be the Guy w/ the Flat nose – always on his face before the Lord !!!!

  3. When Guys are yelling at him he doesn’t retaliate – he just returns to the Lord !!!!!

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?

23 "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."

  1. So Moses returns & says They're right Lord Since we've come to speak

    2. in your name things have gone from bad to worse

  2. Note this : When you begin to go for all that the Jesus has for you, you will find this to be the case

  1. Things don't immediately blossom forth/ Sometimes they get Worse before they get Better

NOTE HOW GOD RESPONDED

6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

In other words things might look bleak now but Moses I am working so just hang in there – cling to me !!!!