You can check out the video for this message here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us about the gnats, something we experience all the time, but not at the level Egypt did. The magicians could not replicate that plague and concluded that it was God that brought the gnats. Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he did not let the people go. God sent insects to Egypt and Pharaoh begged Moses to pray the insects away promising to let the people go. Moses prays and God sent the insects away and Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. This morning, we’ll look at two more plagues that affect man and beast, but not in that order.

Take a gander at Ex. 9:1-12.

We start today with a familiar sight; God tells Moses what to do. Isn’t it nice that God tells us what to do every step of the way? No matter what is happening, God is there to lead and guide us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We see this manifested through the spoken and preached word, through Scripture, through fellowship and interaction with other believers, and of course, through our prayer time with God. I often get asked about discerning God’s will for our lives. Sometimes people will say, “If God would just speak to me, I’d do what He says.” Would you? I could list a number of biblical commands that we routinely ignore. Commands to love our neighbor as ourselves, commands to pray for one another, to cast your cares on God, to share the love of Christ with others, to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to guard your tongue, to be a good steward, to trust in the Lord, to give . . . and I could go on and on. These are things the Lord has told us He us to do. “Wait a minute,” they say, “I mean if the Lord spoke audibly to me, I’d do it.” God is using Moses to do just that to set His people free. It might not be the way we’d do it, but there is a reason.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” It is the same request Moses has brought to Pharaoh. I wonder if Pharaoh has come to dread seeing Moses coming. Moses uses a technique with Pharaoh with the same technique we frequently use. We give an order or instruction and provide the consequence for failing to do what is told. Go clean your room. If you don’t, you’re not going to the ballgame. Get the grass cut or you’re not going to the beach. “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. “For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, behold.” Moses and Aaron are just two guys. Two guys against the most powerful ruler on the planet. The Israelites are being held against their will.

If you remember 400 years earlier, there was a man named Jacob who was also called Israel. He had 12 sons and one he loved more because he was a child of his old age. The favored one was born of Rachel and was named Joseph. Joseph had two dreams and told his brothers about them. The dreams told Joseph that he would rule over his brothers. The brothers took offense to that and sold Joseph to a traveling band of Ishmaelites who then sold him to Potiphar who was served as Pharaoh’s captain of the bodyguard. Joseph worked in Potiphar’s house and did such a great job that he rose in ranks and was placed in charge. Joseph was quite handsome and Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him and tried to seduce him. Joseph refused and ran away. Potiphar’s wife concocts a fake story of how Joseph tried to take advantage of her and Potiphar threw him in prison. In prison, Joseph met Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker who offended Pharaoh and were thrown in prison too. Joseph ends up being in charge of the prison. The cupbearer and baker have a dream and Joseph interprets the dream. In the dream, the cupbearer is released to go back to Pharaoh and the baker is hung from a tree. Fast forward and Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The cupbearer says to Pharaoh, “I know a guy.” Joseph is brought out and interprets Pharaoh’s dream regarding a famine in the land. Joseph is released and ends up being in charge of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, and developed a plan to overcome the famine that was coming.

Meanwhile, back in Canaan, Jacob and his sons face the severe famine and heard there was grain in Egypt. Jacob sends the sons to Egypt where they unknowingly meet with Joseph to buy grain, but they don’t recognize Joseph. After some trips from Egypt to Canaan, Joseph’s true identity is revealed and there is a great reunion with the family. Jacob, his sons, and the entire family move to Egypt where they settle in the land of Goshen and begin to multiply. As the famine continued, the people of the land bartered for food. As the famine progressed, they had nothing left: no food, no livestock, and no money. All they had left was themselves and so they agreed to become slaves in Egypt in return for food. Jacob’s descendants continued to multiply.  Jacob died and eventually Joseph died. And a new king arose over the land, a king that did not know who Joseph was. Fearing the Israelites would multiply and take over Egypt, the king appointed taskmasters to afflict them with hard labor. In the years following, the children of Israel cried out to God who heard their prayers and sent Moses.

“If you continue to hold them,” the Lord says. Their ancestors may have come to Egypt willingly, but that’s no longer the case. They want deliverance. They want freedom. This is a conditional clause. If you continue to hold them, there will be consequences. This has been true each time Moses went to Pharaoh. Up to this point, the plagues sent by God have been inconveniences, annoyances. Frogs, gnats, and insects. We live with that every day and deal with it. But this next plague will hit Pharaoh and his empire. “The hand of the Lord will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.” Pestilence is defined as a deadly disaster, usually a disease that affects an entire community. It is contagious and spreads rapidly. The Bubonic plague in the 14^th Century killed nearly half of Europe’s population and some estimates put the death toll at 200 million people across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Ships coming from infected areas were required to stay off shore for 40 days. That 40-day period is the Italian phrase quaranta giorni where we get the word quarantine. The plague is caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria that is now commonly treated by the antibiotic Gentamicin. Pestilence is bad enough, but this is a very severe pestilence. This is going to affect all of Pharaoh’s animals. It doesn’t matter where the animals are located, none are safe from the pestilence to come.

As we have seen many times so far, there is a but. Egypt will suffer because of Pharaoh, but God’s people are protected. “But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.” This is the first time death is mentioned as a result of a plague. The frogs did die, but they weren’t dear to the Egyptians. The inconveniences of frogs, gnats, and insects will pale in comparison to death. Animals in ancient times were very valuable because they helped in all aspects of life. They were instrumental in farming and transportation. They provided milk, meat, and skins. Just like today, dogs and cats were kept as pets. Egyptians also kept monkeys as pets. Dogs were used in hunting and guarding. Cats were connected to the goddess Bastet and were considered sacred. They served as protectors of the home and were often adorned with jewelry. Harming a cat, even accidentally, came with severe punishment. It is believed that Egyptian women used dark eyeliner to mimic a cat’s eye. Cats were often mummified and buried with their owners to accompany them to the afterlife. Egyptian animals will be affected, but God will protect the animals that belong to His people. Distinction comes from the word that means a marked difference or contrast. Nothing that is Israel’s will die, but all the Egyptian livestock will suffer from the severe pestilence. This includes all their domesticated animals and pets.

God sets the specific time the plague will begin. “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” In the second plague of the frogs, Pharaoh set the time it was to end. Ex. 8:8-9 says, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?” We need to remember each plague and what happened. The goal is to let God’s people go and all Pharaoh had to do was allow God’s people to go. Pharaoh was given a chance. Tomorrow the severe pestilence will come. Tomorrow is a challenging concept. Many people get hung up on tomorrow. That is when things are going to change, that’s when things will get accomplished. For Pharaoh, tomorrow was coming.

“So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead.” Pharaoh sent his people out to see if it really happened. Pharaoh should know this by now, God’s promises are always fulfilled. God’s power has been repeatedly proven. There is some discussion on the extent of the pestilence that we’ll see shortly. Pharaoh’s men are sent out to see if it really happened and his men see cows, and horses, and livestock all over lying dead. And yet not one animal of the Israelites was dead. This is a disaster for Pharaoh and Egypt and you would think this would get his attention, “But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

And now the sixth plague. With animals dead all around them, there is still more to come. Look at Ex. 9:8-10. Moses takes soot from a kiln. Soot is the carbon residue that remains after something burns. This would be readily available in the furnaces used to make the bricks. The soot is thrown in the air and it becomes dust. It’s not the first time one substance has been transformed into another. We saw Moses’ staff turn into a snake. We saw his hand become leprous and then changed back to normal. We saw water turned into blood. Not only is the soot transformed, it’s multiplied. That handful of soot turned into dust that blew throughout Egypt. It’s actually two miracles.

As the dust blew across Egypt, it landed on the people. As the dust hit the people, it became festering boils. You have likely heard of boils. We read about them here and we know Job suffered from them. In the 1984 science fiction movie “Dune,” the Baron is depicted with oozing boils. In the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Mr. Potter said, “The Bailey family has been a boil on my neck long enough.” A boil is a painful pus-filled bump under the skin caused by the staphylococcus aureus bacteria and infects one or more hair follicles. It usually forms on the neck, armpit, thighs, or buttocks. The bump quickly fills with pus and can grow as large as two inches before it ruptures and drains. It can spread under the skin and become a carbuncle. It is a very painful malady that affected man and beast in Egypt. “The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.” We haven’t heard from the magicians since the gnats plagued the Egyptians. They could do nothing to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by the boils that affected everyone, everywhere. You would think this plague, these painful boils that affected everyone would be enough to get Pharaoh’s attention, but the Lord is not done with him yet.

“And the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” The hardening is from the Lord using Pharaoh’s already rebellious heart for a greater good. This should be a lesson for us. It can be hard for us to look beyond our current circumstances to the greater good the Lord is planning. Everything that occurs in our life has to pass through the loving fingers of God’s hands. It’s funny that we never lament over the good times in our lives. God allows things in our lives to refine us, to strengthen us, and to reveal His power to us to help us grow in faith so we can share His grace and mercy with others. The greatest lessons in life are learned through adversity. In Rom. 8:18, Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Pharaoh is not learning what we know.

God is using Moses to accomplish His plan. He wants the children of Israel rescued from bondage, but He also wants to accomplish a greater purpose. He desires people to willingly worship Him because He is worthy. The plagues are growing increasingly troublesome. They have moved from mere inconveniences to something deadly. Pestilence that caused death in the livestock that affected only Egyptian animals. With that fresh in their minds, dust spread across the land causing painful boils on all the people and the animals. And yet Pharaoh refuses to listen to God.

You can watch the video for this service here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us that God was to give Moses the words he needed to say. But Moses pushed back and told God he wasn’t a good speaker so Pharaoh probably wouldn’t listen. God told Moses that Aaron will speak for him. But God will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and there is a reason that we will see. We saw two key phrases from last week: “they shall know that I am the Lord,” and, “as the Lord commanded them.” This morning, let’s see how Moses and his brother respond.

Our passage today comes from Ex. 7:8-25. I hope you’ll take the time read it and follow along.

Anyone who has read these passages will wonder why God did it the way He did. Remember one of these phrases from last week: “They shall know that I am the Lord.” People want proof there is a God. Rom. 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are without excuse.” This has been going on since time began. God exists apart from us, but His desire is for us to know Him in a personal, intimate way. People today want proof that God exists yet they ignore all the proof that surrounds them every day. Pharaoh is no different.

God tells Moses and Aaron what to say in response to Pharaoh’s doubts. God sets it all up when Pharaoh says, “Work a miracle.”  What is a miracle? The word for miracle is also translated as wonders, signs, mighty acts, and powers. There are miraculous things that take place everyday that are distinct from particular acts that occur. Certainly, one can argue the miraculous power of God demonstrated in creation that we saw in Rom. 1. Different parts of the world hold diverse and incredible landscapes. The placement of Earth in our solar system is just right. The miraculous creativity in the human body and the animal kingdom is incredible. The earth rotates at just the right speed so we have day and night and rotates around the sun so we have seasons. We have the miracle of life that requires the power of God in every conception. Those are things we take for granted, but it’s God that set it into motion and sustains it.

“Work a miracle” Pharaoh says. Pharaoh is wanting a demonstration on demand to show him God’s power. The whole point is so Pharaoh will let the children of Israel be released from his bondage. He is looking for confirmation that God is God. He wants proof. Moses has been told what to do. Moses is supposed to tell Aaron to, “take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.” Remember the importance of a person’s staff from Chapter 4. This is not a figurative occurrence. The staff would literally become a snake. “So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.” It should not surprise us that what God said would happen happened. This was a miracle for sure, a miracle God already showed Moses to convince him to go on the mission in the first place. Moses knew God’s power, but this was to demonstrate God’s power to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was not impressed. “Then Pharaoh also called to the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents.” It’s not much of a miracle if it can be replicated by magic. The magicians did the same thing, but not in the same way. They used magic. When we think of magic, we think of magic tricks. Modern magic is not magic at all, it’s simply sleight of hand, misdirection, or illusion. What kind of miracle is it that can be done by “each one” of the magicians? We don’t know how many there were, but each one of Pharaoh’s magicians threw down his own staff and it turned into a snake. Did they have supernatural power? These were pagan people who did not know God. Was Satan the power behind it? Here’s what we do know. Moses and Aaron were not magicians. What they did was accomplished by God’s miracle working power. Pharaoh is not really looking to be convinced. He does not know who God is and is not inclined to believe. We know it was God that turned the staff into a snake, but how did the magicians do it? Magic. Well, not magic, but through their “secret arts.” What is a secret art? It’s trickery, misdirection, and illusion. How specifically it was done is not known, but it was not a miracle. We’ll see these secret arts again.

Moses proves God’s power when, “Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” I wish the reactions of the magicians were recorded. This is another miracle that demonstrated God’s power. The magicians didn’t try to replicate this one. God’s power is proved superior to the magicians’ trickery. In a sad conclusion, the Bible says, “Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” We don’t know if Moses and Aaron were disappointed. God told them in 7:4 that Pharaoh would not listen. Why start with such a small miracle? That’s an oxymoron. No miracle is small if it is a true miracle. But remember, we tend to dismiss miracles. Not only was God showing Pharaoh who He was, He was showing Moses and Aaron what they were up against.

All this was according to what God knew was going to happen. Pharaoh was a stubborn man and it was going to take multiple steps for him to see the light. How can someone see the power of God and still reject Him? That is a question for the ages. We know God is not finished after Moses and Aaron leave Pharaoh’s presence. God meets with them and says, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go.” Moses and Aaron know this. They have seen it firsthand. It should build their faith because what God told them would happen did happen. Turning a staff into a snake was just the first step in a series of steps designed to show the power of God so, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” Ultimately, that’s what God wants for everyone. What happens next is not Plan B, but is the next step in this process of God working to release the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s control.

God tells Moses, “Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent.” Moses is supposed to wait for Pharaoh by the river. Pharaoh is going to come to the river probably to take a bath. Pharaoh’s daughter bathed in the Nile in 2:5. Taking a bath is something we do frequently but back in those days, it was a luxury that few people enjoyed. Moses is to take his staff, the special staff that will come to symbolize God’s power.

God gives Moses the specific words to say to Pharaoh and reveals what will come next. It’s in vs. 16-20. At this point, Moses should have confidence that God will do exactly as He said He would do. These verses are very specific and there are specific things God wants Pharaoh to understand. Moses is sent on behalf of, “The God of the Hebrews.” What does He want? “Let My people go.” Pharaoh did not listen so God is going to show him in order that, “You shall know that I am the Lord.” How will Pharaoh know that God is the God of the Hebrews? “I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.” Scholars are not in agreement what this really means. The Hebrew word for blood can also be a color: a reddish, brown tone. Did the water chemically change to blood or did the water simply change colors? We can’t know for sure, but here’s what we do know. There is a natural phenomenon of the Nile that causes the color of the river to gradually change to a reddish, brown when the water levels go down. This is due to the red soil of the Nile and occurs seasonally with the rising and falling river level.  “The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.” Fish don’t die from a color change in the water. Fish can’t breathe blood. People can’t drink blood.

Vs. 20-21 says, “So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the water that was in the Nile was turned into blood. Then the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.” It happened just as God told Moses it was going to happen. But this wasn’t a gradual change of nature. It was instantaneous. The punishment for the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart was felt in Egypt. No water was left untouched. Water in pitchers, water in buckets, reservoirs, and jars were all turned to blood across Egypt. Every single Egyptian was affected. No one was left untouched. The fish died and drifted onto the banks of the Nile and began to rot.

Pharaoh is not impressed. You would think this would really shake up Pharaoh. No drinking water available from the Nile. No where to take a bath. If it’s anything like the United States, everyone around him is complaining demanding he do something. “But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” Just like changing the staffs into serpents, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to replicate this, but not to the scale of God’s work. Where did they get untainted water? It seems there was water, but they had to be work to get it. New wells had to be dug, and they did find water. “Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this.” There is a reason for this. This is not a big deal for Pharaoh. “So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile.” It is a minor frustration for the people. Pharoah doesn’t have to dig any wells. Only fish have died. No animals or people die from this plague. It’s like going to the store and they’re out of your favorite brand of water. This has no effect on Pharaoh. And probably little effect on the people. Living in those days was already challenging and they know how to find water. And this is just temporary. “Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.”

The first plague has stricken Egypt because Pharaoh refused to the let the children of Israel go. During the seven days the water was blood, did Pharaoh reflect on who the God of the Hebrews was? Did the people of Egypt begin to fear the power of God as everyone experienced at least some level of frustration? If you were around for Hurricane Matthew or Irma, you experienced some of what the Egyptians faced. We went a few days without water or power. Some went longer. We probably cried out to God to restore these modern conveniences, but we had warning. We could get prepared. We have generators and could store water. Pharaoh is being warned and will experience increasingly difficult plagues because his heart is hard. Join us next week as the people of Egypt experience something many people would consider absolutely horrifying.

Check out the video for this message here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us the taskmasters in Egypt really ramped up the production requirement for the Israelites. The working conditions were anything but pleasant. The Israelite foremen were beaten for not fulfilling the quotas for bricks. They appealed to Pharaoh but it fell on deaf ears and Pharaoh called them lazy. The foremen meet with Moses and Aaron and brief them on the latest happenings. This morning, let’s see how Moses responds.

Our passage today is found in Ex. 5:22-6:9. Grab your bible and let’s dig in.

After reading the passage you’ll discover the foremen are convinced Pharaoh hates everything about them and they blame Moses for this. After meeting with the furious foremen, “Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did you ever send me?” It seems Moses takes a step in the right direction by meeting with God. This should always be our first step. When challenges arise, seek the Lord. When trouble comes, seek the Lord. When times are great, seek the Lord. When you don’t know what direction to go, seek the Lord. But Moses does something that we see all too frequently today. “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people?” The foremen blame Moses, and now Moses blames God. I continue to be amazed at the people unwilling to take accountability for their actions or place blame where is belongs. When Charlie Kirk was murdered, a certain segment of society blamed him. When the government shutdown, Democrats blamed Republicans even though Democrats continued to vote no. When millions of dollars in fraud related to daycares were discovered in Minnesota, elected officials blamed Nick Shirley of inaccurate journalism and labeled him a MAGA hack. When people are deported, ICE is blamed. When someone has an affair, the other half is blamed for not being loving or attentive. Pharaoh is treating the children of Israel poorly and instead of blaming Pharaoh, the foremen blame Moses. Moses turns around and blames God.

Apparently, Moses forgot what God told him at the end of Chapter 3. “I know the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.” (Ex. 3:19) Moses knew that just like we know that, “. . . in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.” (2 Tim.  3:1-5) The Lord did not bring harm to the people, Pharaoh did. Moses seems to be utterly confused by this and laments, “Why did you ever send me?” And now it seems to be all about Moses. Was Moses of such weak character that he didn’t fully understand God’s mission? He seems to be having a little pity party. He used excuses on why he wasn’t the one to go. Now he blames God for sending him. We don’t know how long it has been but Moses says, “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.” Based on this, Moses had to be thinking it wasn’t going to take long for Pharaoh to realize the errors of his ways and let the people go. “Ever since” indicates time has passed. How long, we don’t know.

Moses tells God, “You have not delivered Your people at all.” In Moses’ way of thinking, no progress has been made in Egypt. The people are still in bondage under Pharaoh. Life hasn’t gotten easier; it has gotten increasingly difficult. Israel’s leadership blames Moses for the harsh treatment and Moses blames God. Moses says what he’s been thinking, “You have not delivered Your people at all.” This indicates Moses thought freedom should already have occurred. Moses is not demonstrating trust, patience, or perseverance. It can be very difficult to wait. Think of how frustrating it is to wait in traffic. Think of how annoying it is to wait for your kids even after telling them to hurry. Think of how you get when God does not move in the timetable you have established. Even when you’re on a mission from God, there are setbacks, roadblocks, detours, and disappointments as God moves. Things don’t always work out the way you think they should. There is something I want to bring to your attention. These words were not written as these events occurred, he’s looking back and recording what happened. Moses is admitting he is falling short in this area.

In 6:1 God says, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” You see the repeated phrase, “under compulsion” used twice in this verse and it goes back to 3:19. Remember, it means strong hand. God is getting ready to move in a mighty way that will cause Pharaoh to drive the Israelites out of Egypt just as He promised. Instead of sneaking away, Pharaoh will actually push them out, but we know it will be God that causes him to do that. God reminds Moses, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.” He is the great Yahweh, the One and only true God. God says, “I am the Lord.” He has declared that only twice before. Once in Gen. 15:7 to Abraham and again in Gen. 28:13 to Jacob. In all three declarations, it was in reference to the promised land. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs of Israel. This is covenant language Moses needs to be reminded of. This is reassurance that God is the God of all and He keeps His promises. God promised Abram that he would be a great nation and would possess a land. God sealed the promise after Abram cut a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon in two and laid the parts across from each other. God then told Abram what was to come: his people would be enslaved for 400 years in a land not their own. Then in a dream, Abram saw a smoking oven and a flaming torch that passed between those two rows of animal halves. It was that day back in Gen. 15 that a covenant was established with Abraham that God takes the time to remind Moses. That last phrase, “but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them,” doesn’t mean what it looks like. In the past, God referred to Himself as El-Shaddai, God Almighty. Now, He uses the term Yahweh that we saw in Chapter 3. The best way to understand this is to say that God was known as El-Shaddai to the patriarchs of Isreal and now He’s saying He is the One and Only and didn’t reveal that name until now.

God goes on to say, “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.” This points back to the Abrahamic covenant that was repeated to Jacob. Remember why we’re here. Like a whiny little child stomping his feet, Moses blamed God for not fulfilling His promise to deliver the children of Israel. God demonstrates great patience with Moses by explaining what Moses should already know. We’re no different than Moses. We want what we want on our timetable. “Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.” God knows all and sees all. Nothing catches God by surprise. Nothing escapes His knowledge or His grasp. Rest assured your prayers are heard. “I have remembered My covenant,” does not mean that He forgot the covenant He made with Abraham. In modern language, that would be like your spouse saying, “Hey don’t forget we have that thing tonight.” You say, “I remember.” God is telling Moses, “Yes, I know what I promised and I will deliver on that promise.

So, God gives Moses the words to use. In Moses’ calling at the burning bush, he complained that he was inadequate for the mission, that he wouldn’t know what to say, that he wasn’t eloquent with his words. Knowing this about Moses, God tells him what to say to the people. Remember, Moses is having this conversation with God because the foremen complained to Moses about the hard labor and Moses complained to God that He wasn’t delivering the people. Verse 6 says, “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” This is a great reminder and should give the people significant comfort and hope. This verse contains three promises that start with the reminder, “I am the Lord.” These promises point to what is going to happen. They are pre-deliverance. “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” God knows life is difficult in Egypt. He knows the wickedness of Pharaoh. “I will deliver you from their bondage.” Don’t worry about how or when it’s going to happen. Rest assured, it will happen. “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements.” God knows what it’s going to take for Pharaoh to let the people go. Can He simply snap His fingers to release the people? Of course, but the great judgments to come are not just for Pharaoh, but for all the people to see the power and might of God. Way back in 1:10, Pharaoh feared the Israelites would multiply and join Egypt’s enemies if war came. What will happen in Egypt will serve as judgment against the people of Egypt. Then He gives five promises once they leave Egypt. “I will take you for My people.” As in other verses, this points back to the Abrahamic covenant. It gives Israel special significance. “I will be your God.” Israel has a place that no other people groups have. “You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” The children of Israel will experience God’s deliverance proving that God is who He says He is. This should give us great hope because we know the rest of the story. God proves Himself over and over and there is no reason to doubt, no reason to worry, no reason to question His motives. “I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” This is the promise that was revealed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “I will give it to you for a possession.” This is why it is referred to as the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey, a land promised to Abraham after he left Ur of the Chaldees.

He finishes by emphatically stating, “I am the Lord.” This phrase is used as bookends. He starts and finishes with “I am the Lord.” He is the all sufficient, eternal Father of all creation, dependent on no one, the One who simply and inexplicably is. “So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.” Remember, Moses went back to God because the Hebrew foremen complained about the hard work, then Moses blamed God for not responding even though God told him it would be an uphill battle. Moses was too concerned with his present circumstance and lost sight of God’s promise. It’s easy to get caught up in difficulties and forget the goal. We get impatient because God is not moving at the speed we want Him to move. Things just take too long, prayers take too long to get answered, people don’t move like they should. For the children of Israel, their suffering made them hopeless, impatient, and intolerant.

Pharaoh ramped up brick production and made life even harder for those Israelites in bondage. The foremen complained to Moses. Moses complained to God. Deliverance is taking too long. God reminded Moses of what was to come. He reminds Moses of His covenant with Abraham and reminds him He is still God. The Promised Land is the goal. When will that happen? Join us next week to find out.

Check out the video here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us Moses was not the best speaker. Moses expressed doubt in his ability to carry out what God told him to do. Even after showing Moses the miracle of making his hand leprous and then back to normal, Moses doubted. For every objection Moses had, God responded positively. Moses still doubted so God told him to bring his brother Aaron. Moses will tell Aaron what to say and Aaron will do the talking. Moses was told to take the staff which will be used for the signs that will come. This morning, let’s see how Moses responds.

Take a look at Ex. 4:18-26 where we’ll be today.

The encounter with God at the burning bush is over. God gave Moses a mission to deliver the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt at the hands of Pharaoh. It must have been quite overwhelming as he walked away from the bush. He just had an encounter with the one and only true God and was given an extraordinary mission. Go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let My people go. Moses knows it’s not going to be easy because God tells him that Pharaoh will not let the people go except “under compulsion” which means a strong hand. God is going to do some miracles and then Pharaoh will let the people go. “Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” This is interesting phrasing. Moses just returned from a supernatural encounter with the Creator of the universe where he was given an incredible mission of monumental proportions and it looks like he asks his father-in-law for permission to go. That’s not exactly what’s happening. Jethro is still his boss and Moses is really seeking a blessing. Moses is going to take his wife and kids and go back to Egypt. You fathers who have daughters know what it’s like to see them grow up, get married, and move away. That’s what Moses is facing and he wants to be polite, respectful, and thankful for the years he has been with Jethro. He’s going to Egypt regardless of what Jethro says. How long will Moses be gone? Will he return to Midian? Those are questions that will be answered later. Jethro says, “Go in peace.” This is the answer Moses was hoping for. Jethro fades into the shadows of Scripture. To eliminate the suspense, Moses and Jethro will reunite later in the book.

“Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” Remember how Moses got to Midian. He intervened when he saw an Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew. Moses killed that Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he saw two Hebrew men fighting and intervened. One Hebrew asked him, “Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses became afraid and then Pharaoh found out and tried to kill Moses. Fast forward and God reassured Moses by telling him that, “all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” It’s safe to return. Anyone involved in that crime is gone. Pharaoh is dead, any surviving family members of the man Moses killed are gone so no one will be going after Moses. “So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.” This verse seems to be a tidy wrap up but there’s a very important point to make. Moses takes his whole family with him. This isn’t a short-term mission trip. He was going back to his home land to set his people free. He was going to become a part of the Hebrew nation.

“Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.” Staff can be translated several different ways. The same Hebrew word can be translated as walking stick, stick, big stick, and rod. In English, these words are often used interchangeably. The staff was more than something used to walk. In ancient times, you didn’t leave home without your staff. It’s like your wallet today, or more likely, your phone. The staff offered protection. When Jacob crossed the Jordan River in Gen. 32:10, all he had with him was his staff. When Jesus sent His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of God, He told them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor a bag, not bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.” (Lu. 9:3) A staff was a very personal piece often carved or decorated to a person’s style, again, much like a phone.

When I read that, I remembered the account of Jacob’s son Judah. It’s a very sordid story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. You can read about it in Gen. 38. Without going into all the details, Judah saw a woman he thought was a prostitute but was actually his daughter-in-law Tamar in disguise. They worked out a deal and Judah offered a young goat as payment. He didn’t have a young goat with him and she asked what he could leave as a pledge or a promise to return with the goat. He left his seal, his cord, and his staff with her and promised to return with a goat. Tamar became pregnant by Judah and he was found out because she still had his staff which identified him.

In Num. 22:27, Balaam beat his donkey with his staff. In 1 Sam. 14:27, Jonathan dipped his staff into a honeycomb. In 1 Sam. 17:40, David approached Goliath with a sling and his staff. Gen. 49:10 mentions the ruler’s staff. In Num. 17, the Israelites were told to get a staff from the leader of each tribe and write his name on it. Jud. 5:14 mentions a commander’s staff. Jer. 48:17 speaks of a mighty scepter, a staff of splendor. Zech. 11 speaks of two staffs called Favor and Union. There are many other mentions of a staff with perhaps the most well-known staff in all of Scripture, Ps. 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The staff of God that Moses carried will become a symbol and an instrument of God’s miraculous power.

“The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” This verse has caused people a lot of problems. “The wonders” refer to the miracles that God will perform through Moses. The miracles are used as a sign of God’s power. That’s the easier part of the verse. But then it gets complicated. Let me remind you that God told Moses in Ex. 3:19 that Pharaoh would not let the people go except under compulsion or a strong hand. In this verse, it seems Pharaoh didn’t have a choice. God tells Moses, “I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” When the Bible speaks of hardening a heart, it refers to two types of hardening. We know that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) This is due to the sin nature we inherited through Adam that is passed down through the father. The more we sin, the less likely we are to recognize that sin.

Zech. 7:11-13 says, “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so they could hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. And just as he called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts.”

In Eph. 4:17-19, Paul told them, “Walk no longer as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” This is what is referred to self-hardening. The more you engage in sin, the less likely you are to be open to correction. The heart is the seat of your being. Sin creates a callous around the heart just like your hands develop callouses with work. The second type of hardening is called judicial hardening. This is when God hardens the already rebellious heart and prevents their repentance, for a time, in order to accomplish a greater purpose. There is always a greater purpose. God is simply hiding the truth.

Look at Mark 4:10-12. We see this principle when Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone He was the Christ. (Matt. 16:20) Jesus knew that speaking the truth would bring people to repentance, but a greater purpose was unfolding. There would come a time when the truth could be revealed. God used Pharaoh’s rebellious heart to accomplish a greater purpose.

So, what the purpose? It seems so unlike a loving God to prevent a person from seeing the truth that would lead to repentance, to know and accept the truth of what God did through Christ. But then God tells Moses, “You shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is My son, My firstborn.’ So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’” These are the words Moses is to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of God. Israel is God’s firstborn son. Hosea 11:1 speaks of Israel being God’s firstborn. As the firstborn son, there are entitlements because of that position. The firstborn had more responsibility; the firstborn would represent the father in the community. The firstborn served the father. In this case, Israel served Pharaoh and not God. Moses was called to be the instrument to make things right, to gain the release of the firstborn so that they could serve God. But we know that is going to be an uphill battle. Pharaoh will not let the people go and that comes with a cost. The refusal will bring death to Pharaoh’s firstborn. Pharaoh is rebellious to God and the things of God. But. God uses Pharaoh’s hard heart for a greater good. It’s easy to sit back and ask, “Why doesn’t God just change Pharaoh’s heart to let the people go?” That’s a fair question, but we don’t have the whole picture. God warns Pharaoh of what is coming that will ultimately be the final plague.

The story now takes an unusual twist. The meeting with God is over. “Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.” It is not crystal clear who the “him” is in this verse. For sure it is either Moses or Gershom, Moses’ first-born son. Regardless of who the “him” is, the Lord wanted him dead. I know that seems harsh, but there are way more questions about this passage than answers. Gershom was not circumcised. Remember circumcision was a symbol of God’s covenant with Israel. Moses spent about half his life in Midian where the practice of circumcision was not the same as Israel. Some groups during this period practiced a partial circumcision including Egypt. “Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet.” How Zipporah knew what to do is not known. What she did know is that Moses failed to do what was right in God’s eyes, and she took over. Then Zipporah said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” I wish I could say things clear up as we go, but I can’t. Instead of bridegroom, some translations use blood relative. This would indicate Gershom was a blood relative of Zipporah’s which we know because he is the first born of her and Moses. The covenant of circumcision goes back to Genesis 17.          It is a symbol of God’s promise and was to be conducted when a boy was eight days old. Failure to circumcise a child meant to be cut off from Isreal and God’s covenant blessings. “So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.” This last verse gives a little more insight into these difficult verses. After Gershom is circumcised, God leaves them alone. Zipporah says, “You are a bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision.” If I could summarize this, Zipporah did what Moses did not and preserved their first-born in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision.

The miracle of the burning bush is over. Moses has his marching orders and approached Jethro letting him know they were headed back to Egypt to rescue Israel. Jethro gives his blessing and Moses and his family begin the journey to Egypt. We saw the importance of the staff in ancient times and the importance of Moses’ staff. God tells Moses it’s not going to be easy. What will happen next? Will Moses meet with Pharaoh? Join us next week to find out.

Check out the video here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us Moses was minding his business as a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro. A bush that burned but was not consumed caught Moses’ attention and called out to him, “Moses, Moses!” The Lord spoke to Moses and acknowledged the affliction the children of Israel faced. God told Moses of a land flowing with milk and honey, a Promised Land set aside for God’s people. Moses asked the ever-famous question, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” We were left with God’s promise, “Certainly I will be with you.” This morning, let’s see how Moses responds.

Our passage today comes from Ex. 3:13-22. As we continue in this story, v. 13 begins with what looks like Moses demonstrating great confidence in the mission God set before him. In v. 10, the mission was simply stated, “I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” God has watched the affliction of His people. He has heard their cries for deliverance. He knows of their oppression. After God speaks, Moses responds full of determination, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” He seems pretty confident. He’s ready to go deliver God’s people. There’s just one problem. Moses asks two questions that will reveal some important qualities. Moses goes into what if land. He asks what if, “They say to me, “What is His name? What shall I say to them?” Moses already laid the foundation of inadequacy in v. 11 when he said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses frames this question with great confidence. He tells God, “I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” Is Moses anticipating objections from the Hebrew people? Is he preparing for the arguments of the people when they ask, “Where have you been for the last 40 years?” After all these years in captivity, has the God of their forefathers been forgotten? Have the children of Israel forgotten who the one true God is? Remember, these people have lived in Egypt their entire lives. Egypt had many gods and the children of Israel were likely exposed to all those gods. It is not unreasonable to think they may have doubts.

The true God of heaven spoke to Moses from a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire and Moses saw this miracle. Moses is preparing for what may come. It’s okay to ask questions. It can be very difficult to discern the voice of God particularly in these modern times when there is so much noise. You have people telling you what to believe. Telling you what to eat, how to be your happiest, how to have good relationships, how to raise your kids, and pointing out all the injustices in the world that you should be angry about. Too few people know how to be still and listen. Has Moses forgotten who God was?

What if they ask me, “What is His name?” “God says to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” I AM is God’s formal name. It is the Hebrew YHWH. It is a Tetragrammaton. It is based on the Hebrew word that can be translated as I am who I am, I will be what I will be, or I am the one who is. Each of these translations point to the self-sufficiency and self-existence of God. He is dependent on no one, but all things are dependent on Him. This is why the Jews of Jesus’ days were outraged and accused Jesus of blasphemy when He said, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (Jo. 8:58) It is a word that contains no vowels making it unpronounceable. This is a such a sacred and holy name, Jewish people refused to speak it. That made reading Scripture difficult so Adonai, which means lord or master, was substituted for YHWH. Instead of saying YHWH, they said Adonai. Most English translations translate YHWH as LORD with all capital letters. Around 1200 A.D., Jewish scribes added the vowels from Adonai to YHWH making it YaHoWaH. Early Christian scholars that didn’t know this, changed it to a Latin version. In the Latin version, the Y became a J and the W became a v which gives us Jehovah. Yahweh is from the original Hebrew. Jehovah is the Latin derivation. And in English, we say it as LORD.

The Christian band Apologetix has a great about this. Listen here.

In v. 15, “God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” God is still answering Moses’ question in v. 13. “The God of your fathers” reminds Moses that God is the covenant keeping God. I am is the same God that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped. God connects the events of Genesis to Moses’ selection as God’s spokesman, His ambassador to a group of people that have been captive for 400 years. Moses is coming on behalf of I am, the one and only true God. God tells Moses, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” God is revealing His plan to Moses and gives him step by step instructions on what to do. Remember from 3:9 when God said, “The cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.” God heard and He is going to respond. Gather the elders. Don’t think of the elders in New Testament terms. These are the older people of Israel. In most people groups, the older people carry authority. These are the people others look to for leadership, for wisdom, for guidance, and for direction. If you can get the older people to catch the vision, they’ll relay it to the others so everyone is moving toward a common goal. Once Moses gathers the elders, he is supposed to tell them what God told him.

So, Moses does as God commanded. God tells Moses some very specific things that Moses is supposed to relay to the elders. He says the same thing He did in 3:7-8. God will deliver the Children of Isreal from Egypt and lead them into the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. After years and years of oppression and painful affliction, hope presents itself in the form of Moses whom God has chosen as His human instrument of deliverance. God goes on to say, “They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’” It’s all set, the plan has been revealed. What is going to happen has been laid out to Moses and the elders of Isreal. “They will pay heed” refers to the Children of Isreal. They’ll listen to you Moses, don’t worry about it. It is as simple as that. Moses, you and the leaders go meet with the king of Egypt and tell him what’s what. This is the way it’s going to be. Hey King, let us go on a three days journey so we can sacrifice. And we’re asking nicely. The request seems easy. Have you ever had someone ask, “Have you got a second?” They’re actually asking for more. “What are you doing?” really means, I need your help. “Do you have any cash?” really means, I need some money. People have a tendency not to be direct. This was particularly prevalent in the ancient eastern cultures. What they were really asking for was much more.

A three-day journey is a figure of speech. It’s not literally three days. It means a major trip with formal consequences. In this case, the plan was never to return. I can see the hope in Moses’ eyes. The plan is revealed, the people are going to listen, and the elders are on board. There’s just one minor problem with this. God tells Moses, “I know the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.” Under compulsion literally means a strong hand. The king will not agree to Moses’ request. God knows the state of the king’s heart. He knows what it’s going to take. He knows the rebellion bound up in Pharaoh’s heart.

What’s the plan? God lays it out when He says, “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.” God is going to take care of it. At this point, Moses does not know any specifics of what is to occur. All he knows is God’s got it. Isn’t that all we need to know? If God has a plan, and He does, why do we doubt? If we’re honest with ourselves, we doubt because we don’t fully appreciate and understand the flawless character of God. Do you have complete and total confidence in the God of the universe? Probably all of us would say, “Of course I do.” But do our actions demonstrate this confidence. Are you a worrier? Do you constantly ask for prayer but don’t seek the Lord yourself? The same God that told Moses to go to the king speaks to you. The great I am still speaks, still leads, still guides, and still cares. How’s God going to pull this off? Miracles. Of course, we’ve read the book so we know what’s coming. At this point, Moses does not, and neither does Pharaoh. God tells Moses Pharaoh will be unwilling to grant his request for release so God will intervene in a way that goes beyond belief.

How long will it take? We don’t know. But when it’s all over, another miracle will take place. God says, “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. “But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” Remember, the Egyptian people were called on to participate in a national policy of genocide when they were told to throw the male babies in the Nile. The only way that would work is if the already despised the Israelites. It’s not a stretch. We’ve seen this type of thing throughout human history. In fact, there has been widespread attempts to annihilate Jews that continue to this day. Not only does God have a plan for their deliverance from bondage, He going to make it lucrative. Following a battle, the victor gets all the bounty from the conquered people. It’s known as the spoils of war. Often these victories come with a steep price: serious bodily injury and disfigurement, and often death. But not in this case. God says all you have to do is ask and He will make the Egyptian people pre-disposed to generosity. They will willingly give over gold, and silver, and clothing. These items will help them as they depart Egypt for the Promised Land.

God is the great I am. All knowing, all powerful, all present, eternal. He captured the attention of a Moses, an Israelite delivered from death and raised as an Egyptian. A man that had a heart for his countryman that fled to Midian after committing murder. He was a lowly shepherd that had a heart to defend the defenseless. He was called from leading sheep to lead a nation. God has given him an overview of His plan that includes miracles and provision for the journey to the Promised Land. How will Moses respond? What will he do? Join us next week to find out.

You can watch the service here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us Moses grew up. We saw Moses come to the defense of a fellow Hebrew. Moses believed he acted in secret, but his actions were found out and he was later confronted by his own people. Because of this, Moses became afraid. When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses ran for his life and ended up in the land of Midian where we’ll pick up the story.

Grab your bible and turn over to Ex. 2:16-22.

We’re introduced to some new characters in this passage. Moses left Egypt and all he knew as he fled from a bad decision. He defended the life of a fellow Hebrew. That’s not the bad decision, but the manner in which he defended the man then covered it up changed his life. Moses walked to Midian, some 300 to 400 miles from Egypt. Midian was located on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba on the northern end of the Red Sea. He walked, or rode some type of animal traveling east through the Sinai Peninsula, the southern tip of Israel, and the southwest tip of Jordan before entering Arabia where Midian was located. Midian is modern day Saudi Arabia. The region of Midian is believed to have been settled by Abraham’s descendants through his wife Keturah who bore a son named Midian as recorded in Gen. 25. After arriving in Midian, he sat down by a well. Midian was a relatively desolate place. A well was essential not only for water, but was also a location where people gathered. Roads crossed at wells, and weary travelers were refreshed by the water.

“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.” This tells us a couple of things. Not only did the man serve as a priest, he had livestock. Those animals needed water and the daughters had the responsibility to get it. When they arrive at the well, Moses is already there. “Then the shepherds came and drove them away.” Shepherds were responsible to take care of a flock. That included driving the animals to food and water sources, it meant protecting the animals from predators, and caring for the animals if they were sick or lame.

Abel was, “A keeper of the flock,” in Gen. 4:2. Remember, “There were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flocks by nights and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel of the Lord said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people, for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lu. 2:8-11)  Shepherds should be strong, devoted, and selfless. Shepherds play an important role throughout Scripture.

At the well, it’s no different because this encounter will reveal something very important. These shepherds were not so selfless. Apparently thinking they were somebody, they drove the seven daughters away from the well. There was a code of community, first come, first served. These shepherds did not want to wait and took action to run off the women. But we’ll see a familiar sight that will become a theme for Moses. “But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.” Stood up literally means sprang up. What he exactly did to regain the women’s place at the well is unknown, but not only did he restore their place in line, he humbled himself and did the neighborly thing of watering the flock for them. This would be unusual to do in that time, and also unusual given where Moses came from and who he was in Egypt.

So the daughters return to their father. The story quickly progresses as the women return to their home. It must have been an unusually quick trip because when they arrive home, their father Reuel asked, “Why have you come back so soon today?” It was surprising to him that they came back so quickly. He knew how long it should take.    We can put ourselves in his shoes. We give a task to our kids and we know how long it should take and when it’s completed quickly, we question them. It’s no different here. They tell Reuel, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock.” We know Moses came from Egypt. Although not Egyptian, he was raised as an Egyptian. Raised as Pharaoh’s grandson and afforded all the privilege that went with it. He dressed a certain way. He spoke a certain way. You could look at him and tell where he was from. For all intents and purposes, he was an Egyptian, but he knew the baggage he carried. He is in Midian because he fled after what he did to defend a fellow Hebrew.

I don’t want you to miss the key word in this verse. The daughters said Moses “delivered” them. Deliver here means save or set free. We will see this theme of deliverance throughout Exodus. Moses saved these women from the shepherds. The reason he fled to Midian was he delivered the Hebrew from that Egyptian that was beating him. Right or wrong, good or bad, Moses had something in him that made him want to defend those who could not defend themselves. He inserted himself into situations to right a wrong, to defend an injustice. He was predisposed for that: that’s the way God made him. Now if we go back to when he was born, Ex. 6:20 says Moses’ parents were Amram and Jochebed. When Moses was born, Jochebed hid him for three months. After he could no longer be hidden, Moses was set afloat until Pharaoh’s daughter found him stuck in the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. What’s the point? Every person is fearfully and wonderfully made. Every life is created in the image of God and is predisposed, or wired by God to be a certain way. It seems that Moses is predisposed to defend the weak, to help those that cannot help themselves, to correct injustice, to right what was wrong. We saw that when he was in Egypt and now, we are seeing it in Midian and it doesn’t matter if he’s outmanned in the confrontation. Not only did he drive the bullying shepherds away, he helped the seven daughters water their flock. Don’t read into this. Seven girls, one guy. The odds are very favorable to him, but after helping to water the flock, the daughters go back home and it looks like Moses stays by the well. He’s not some new guy in town looking for a wife and intervened to impress the girls. He was wired by God to defend those that cannot defend themselves.

Our last three verses seem to be a bit short for what they cover. After hearing the story of how his daughters were protected and that his flock got water, “He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” After hearing the story of how his daughters were delivered, Reuel asked them where the man was. This was obvious to the father and lost on the daughters. Clearly the father would want to meet the man that delivered his daughters. Moses saved the daughters from the thugs and expected nothing because he asked for nothing. Moses did what was right because it was the right thing to do. It never occurred to the daughters to bring the man home with them. How do we know this? Because they left him at the well. Culturally, it was likely the norm to show hospitality to strangers, especially when they save you from certain harm. “Why did you leave him behind?” Don’t you just love rhetorical questions? When you ask your kids this type of question, what’s the typical answer? “I don’t know.” Why did you do that? I don’t know. What were you thinking? I don’t know. In my mind, that’s the exchange between Reuel and his daughters.

Get back to the well and, “Invite him to have something to eat.” Moses was still at the well because the next verse says, “Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.” That happened really fast. Reuel’s name means friend of God and he is called Jethro in 3:1. Did Moses sense something greater was in store? Was Moses desperate for a wife so he could settle down? Was there some bargaining for which daughter he could have? Did Moses see no other options as he sat at the well? These are all good questions that may go unanswered. What we do know is he was willing to go with the daughters to their house and he dwelled there. Zipporah is given to Moses.  This means marriage in case you were wondering. At some point in your life, your kids will ask you how you met. The book of Exodus was written by Moses. This is the story of how he met Zipporah and how they started a family. It’s almost a side note in the narrative.

What’s the rest of the story? After marrying, Zipporah “gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” We don’t know what period of time has elapsed from the time they met at the well until this point. What we do know is that Moses was supposed to be killed at birth by the midwives, but he wasn’t. God has used the events in Moses’ life to get to this point. He is married and now a son is born. Moses names him Gershom. Ger is the Hebrew word for sojourner. A sojourner is a person living in a place other than their own home. This is this story of how Moses met his wife as told by Moses. Leave it to a man to share the story of how he met his wife in just one verse.

Moses was raised in Egypt, but he’s not Egyptian. Now he’s in Midian, but he’s not a Midianite. Moses is Hebrew, an Israelite. The son of slaves. He is a stranger in a strange land. But he adapts to the culture and to his new family. You would think life would simply move forward. But something will happen that uses Moses’ predisposition for deliverance to change the course of history. God will remind Moses of something huge. What will that be? Join us next week to find out.

You can watch this message here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us there was a new king over Egypt, one that did not know Joseph. That phrase will become incredibly important as we move forward in our study.

We learned the Egyptians feared the Israelites as their population grew. The Israelites built the Egyptian cities of Pithom and Raamses using materials they were required to make along with their forced labor. Their lives were bitter with hard labor. The rise in the Israelite population caused great concern for the king of Egypt. So much so, that he ordered something incomprehensible. This morning, we’ll find out what this atrocity is.

Our passage today comes from Ex. 1:15-22.

Verse 15 introduces an interesting narrative. This passage focuses on two women: Shiphrah and Puah. Names, particularly in the Old Testament, are symbolic and often carry great significance. Adam means man or earth, Eve means life. Abraham means “father of many.” Noah means rest or comfort. Caleb means whole heart. Elijah means “my God is Yahweh.” Elisha means “my God is salvation.” Joshua mean “Yahweh is salvation.”  Jude is a form of Judah that means praise. Shiphrah means beautiful or fair. Puah means splendid or fragrant. In a break from the norm, their names have nothing to do with what they are known for.

The unnamed, “king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives.” This is curious. According to v. 7, “The sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly and multiplied.” V. 12 says the Israelites spread out over the land. Historians and archaeologists estimate Egypt’s total population at the time was between three and five million. The text is not clear if the king spoke directly to the midwives or sent word to them. Some suggest these women were Egyptian women assigned to help Hebrew women in childbirth. We’ll come back to that later.

The key point is what word was passed to these women. “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” Remember, the king is concerned because the population of Isreal is growing to the point that he feared they could take over Egypt. He’s thinks if they continue to multiply, they might revolt or they might join Egypt’s enemies to fight against them and leave the country. These Hebrew slaves were instrumental in building Egypt. Ultimately, that’s what the king feared: losing power and he was willing to commit genocide to keep it.         The orders are clear. When they’re on the birthstool. Birthstool literally means two stones a woman would sit on when the baby was coming. The design is not far off from what is used now. The general procedure of labor and delivery has remained unchanged since humanity began. There are modern medical advances that increase the chances to deliver a healthy baby and also the make the woman as comfortable as possible. Back in ancient times, when the woman went into labor, at some point the midwife was called. The midwife would make the trek to wherever the woman in labor was.

The king said to the midwives, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” When the Hebrew women are in labor, the midwife is to determine if it’s a boy or girl. Keep this in mind. When a baby is born, the baby comes out upside down. The head is first to come out. 3 to 4% of babies are born breeched meaning the feet come out first. That statistic likely held true for the Hebrew women. Even then, there were methods to turn the babies around in the womb. Aristotle mentioned a technique called the External Cephalic Version (ECV) which involved manipulating the woman’s abdomen to reposition the baby. Aristotle died in 322 B.C. so it’s reasonable to conclude the midwives knew and understood breech births. What about c-sections? A caesarean section was done in ancient times to save the baby, not the mother. It is a myth the cesarean section is named after Julius Ceasar, but rather comes from the Latin word meaning to cut. The first successful c-section where mother and child lived was allegedly done in 1500 in Switzerland. Even in c-sections, the head is normally retrieved first.

Why is that important? Every single baby born normally looks the same from the top of the head to just below the waist. Now here’s where is gets brutal and barbaric. Once the head is out, the shoulders come next. After that, the birth goes really fast. The order to the midwives was to kill the male babies. By the time the midwife can identify the sex, the baby has been fully born. Either the King of Egypt doesn’t know how babies are born or he is potentially the most heinous and horrific leader to ever exist, that is until King Herod showed up in the first century. If it is a boy, kill the baby. If it’s a girl, the baby can live. We don’t know specifically how that was to be carried out. Even today childbirth is difficult and complications can arise. Imagine the complications way back then that could not be overcome. Perhaps the midwife would strangle or suffocate the baby. But whatever was done would have to be done after the baby was born in order to determine the sex of the child. Then you’d have to deal with the mother who wants to hold that child.

“But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.” “Feared God” in this book does not mean what you may think it means. Rather than a reverential fear like in other places of Scripture, here it means to be honest, faithful, trustworthy, upright, and religious. It does not necessarily mean follower of God. Egyptians were polytheistic and worshipped many gods. Moving forward in Exodus, we’ll see many of these gods in direct contrast with Moses and Israel. If you’re familiar with this story, have you ever wondered why not just kill the grown men? Remember why Pharaoh gave the order to kill to begin with. The population of Israel was growing rapidly. On one hand, that was good because it meant more workers. One the other hand, and this is what Pharaoh was afraid of, more people meant more men which raised the possibility of revolt. Grown men can fight back, but a newborn child is defenseless. This solidifies the absolute evil that was in Pharaoh’s heart.

The women are presented with a huge dilemma. When is it right to disobey? The king’s orders were clear, but they did not follow through. Here’s where it gets really interesting. Word gets back to Pharaoh, “So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” Disobedience would bring punishment. In the face of direct examination, people have a tendency to do whatever it takes to protect or save themselves. Here’s where people can really fall off the rails. Many people make decisions based on the circumstances rather than an absolute standard of right and wrong. Love and personal judgement are prioritized to navigate complex moral issues. Outcomes are decided based on what the individual believes to be the best for themselves. If you are a professing believer in Jesus Christ, you can imagine how quickly we would spiral down if we applied this to our lives. In fact, we have been given a code to live by, principles to apply to our lives to live as an example of the unconditional love that God has shown to us through Christ. If there is absolute truth, and there is, then the principles God gave us through Scripture are sufficient to guide us through difficult moral dilemmas. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”

Believers are not immune from difficult dilemmas. Most of the time when a decision needs to be made, it’s not about good or bad or right or wrong. Often, we must decide between good and better or between bad and not as bad. Let’s face it, at least at this point in time, most of us are not going to face life or death dilemmas. But the times are changing. Who would have thought that having a different opinion than someone else could trigger them to the point of violence? Who would have thought that people would hide behind keyboards to say the most vile, despicable, and hateful things? Who would have thought the two institutions created by God would be attacked so overtly? Who would have thought that leaders in the church would openly oppose the things of God? I encourage you to read 2 Tim. 3:1-7. There are people that reject truth. And yes, it’s not impossible for them to be in the church.

“The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” The situation dictated self-preservation. The orders from the king were clear and when they weren’t followed, the king wanted to know why. We read this account and think the midwives had to give an immediate reckoning for their perceived disobedience. Most scholars agree that there was time that passed from the order to kill before it was realized that it was not being carried out, perhaps a couple of years. “The Hebrew women are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.,” they said. Vigorous means strong, healthy, and full of energy. When the women went into labor, word was sent to a midwife who would then go to the house to assist in delivery. By the time the midwife arrived, the baby was born. It seems the death must occur during the birthing process or immediately after. Considering this, it seems likely the midwives were Egyptian. Could Pharaoh expect Hebrew midwives to murder their own people? Could it be that God in His sovereignty made labor easy for the Hebrew women and there was no need for a midwife? Some argue the midwives lied. Remember they feared God and would not want to do anything that dishonored Him.

I have a problem with this conclusion. Verse 20 says, “So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.” Good means joyful or agreeable. To be clear, lying is a sin. I don’t see anywhere in Scripture where God is joyful over sin. I don’t see anywhere that God agrees with sin. I think God made a way for the midwives to be obedient to the king without sinning. God does not need us to sin to accomplish His will. “Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.” Households means families. It is believed that midwives in those days did not have children of their own. Because they feared God, because they were honest, faithful, trustworthy, and upright, God blessed them with families of their own.

In our final verse, the intent of Pharaoh is made crystal clear as, “Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.” Every Egyptian was expected to participate in a national policy to eliminate the nation of Israel. Why the Nile? The current would take those tiny humans and carry them away. No clean up, no muss, no fuss: it was quick and easy.

God made a way for the midwives and He’ll make a way for you. If this heinous act is carried out, what is the exodus for? In preserving life, the life of a little boy will be saved. A boy that would become an instrument in God’s delivery of a nation. Who was that little boy? Join us next week to find out.

Ps. 40:9 says, “I have proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, Lord, You know.”
Pro. 25:25 says, “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.”

As is customary for my New Year’s message, I like to look back to review the top news stories of the past year. After looking at a number of news outlets, here are what I believe were the top ten stories of 2025. See how many you remember.

2025 Year in Review

10. Texas Flooding

Devastating flash floods swept through parts of Texas in early July 2025, following intense rainfall over the Fourth of July weekend. The Guadalupe River rose with catastrophic speed, overwhelming communities like Kerr County, where a summer camp was tragically engulfed. The disaster resulted in more than 120 deaths, with over 150 adults and children still reported missing in the aftermath.

9. California Wildfires

From January 7 to 31, 2025, a series of 14 destructive wildfires affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego County in California. The fires were exacerbated by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation from the previous winter, and hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, which in some places reached 100 mph. The wildfires killed between 31 and contributed to the death of 400 others, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, and burned over 57,529 acres.

8. Air crash

Jan. 29: A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 operating as American Eagle Flight 5342 collides with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. on approach to Reagan National Airport, killing all passengers on both aircraft and causing a shutdown of flights in and out of the airport.

7. Media misinformation

American’s confidence in mass media dropped to a new low with just 28% expressing a fair amount of trust in newspapers, TV, and radio. Politically, Republicans confidence is 8%, Independents 27%, and Democrats 51%.

6. Government Shutdown

The federal government is shut down for the first time since 2018 when the Senate failed to pass the House approved appropriations budget. Senators voted along party lines and failed to reach the 60 votes needed to pass the continuing resolution. Due to media misinformation, getting down to the truth is difficult. Democrats argued it would take away healthcare for millions of Americans. The Republicans argued that the tax subsidies for the ACA (Obamacare) that were designed to expire in 2022 should be allowed to expire. The CATO Institute summed it up beautifully by saying, “The current government shutdown matters, but not because of temporary inconveniences that will be resolved when Congress strikes a deal, as it always does. It matters because the shutdown reveals a fundamentally broken Washington, where services are needlessly funded by annual political fights rather than sustainable revenues, an executive branch—thanks to cowardly legislators—claims ever-greater authority to spend taxpayer money without congressional approval, and a political class—in both parties—would rather engage in budget theater than address the nation’s unsustainable fiscal trajectory.”

5. Protests

Protests are held at Tesla dealers across the U.S., Canada, and Europe in response to Elon Musk’s role in the Trump Administration and proposed cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency. On June 14^th, No Kings protests were held in more than 2100 American cities to protest the authoritarian policies of President Trump. More protests were held on Oct. 18^th.

4. Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are deployed throughout the country to conduct raids in an effort to round up and deport the estimated 11.3 million illegals in the US. Alligator Alcatraz is opened in south Florida sparking controversy over harsh and inhumane living conditions. Earlier this month, the Trump Administration paused immigration applications from numerous countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

3. Division in the United States

America has turned into an us vs. them society. Often driven by political ideologies, people have become unwilling to listen to other viewpoints even when presented with facts. The division has evolved from simple policy disagreement to animosity where some view the opposing party’s supporters as a threat to their way of life. Party affiliation has become linked to racial, religious, cultural, and geographical identities that intensify loyalty to one’s own views and diminishes tolerance for the opposition.

2.  Shootings in America

Feb. 4: Two people are killed and four others are injured after a shooting at a warehouse in New Albany, OH.
Feb. 22: Two people, including a police officer, are killed and seven other people are injured in a shooting at the UPMC Memorial Hospital in West Manchester Township, PA.
Apr. 17: Two people are killed and six others are hospitalized in a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. The suspect is arrested by local police
Apr. 26: 11 people are injured in a shooting during an altercation in Myrtle Beach, SC. The suspect is shot and killed by responding police officers.
May 21: Two Israeli Embassy staffers are shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., after attending an American Jewish Committee event at the museum.
June 14: Two Minnesota lawmakers are shot at their homes by a gunman impersonating a police officer. State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband are killed at their Brooklyn Park home, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife and injured at their Champlin home.
July 28: One person is killed and ten others are injured in a shooting in the nightlife district of Sweet Auburn in Atlanta. Five people are killed in Manhattan including an NYPD officer and the perpetrator. Five others are injured, including four with non-gunshot injuries. Three people are killed and eight others are injured in a shooting at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.
Aug. 27: Three people are killed, including two children and the perpetrator, and 21 others are wounded in a mass shooting at a Catholic church and school in Minneapolis, MN.
Sept. 16: Five people are wounded in a shooting at a homeless encampment near the I-35W and Lake Street Metro station in Minneapolis, MN. Later that same day, eight people are injured in a shooting at another homeless encampment. Police say they are investigating a possible connection between the shootings.

1. Charlie Kirk Assassinated

September 10 – Charlie Kirk, co-founder the conservative student organization Turning Point USA in 2012, spent more than a decade building influence among young Americans. Kirk became a prominent voice in conservative politics, particularly among college students and younger generations seeking to engage with right-leaning ideas. Increasingly, his message centered on the role of faith in public life and the call to live according to Christian principles. Kirk is shot dead at a campus event in Utah. The FBI releases images of the gunman the following day and a rifle is found nearby. On September 12, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson is arrested after confessing to his father. Many people on the far left including celebrities and media personalities celebrate Charlie’s death.

In other news, self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of New York City, AOL ended dial-up internet service, President Jimmy Carter died, the US Mint made the last penny, and it snowed in St. Marys, GA.

As followers of Christ, how do we respond in times that seem so bleak? How do we respond to other believers who seem to be held captive by their circumstances? We have good news that is timeless. If you’re a follower of Christ, you have been changed and redeemed by this good news. In Rom. 1:16, Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” We just celebrated the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah making it possible for us to be justified before a holy and perfect God. As we move into 2026, there will be challenges, problems, crises, and tragedies. My challenge to you is to respond to the circumstances in life from a biblical perspective. As I look forward to the coming year, there are a few things I’d like to see happen:

First, I’d like to see people genuinely commit their life to Christ. In 1 Tim. 2:4 Paul says God, “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” There is only one truth. There is not your truth or my truth, only the truth. In Jo. 8:31-32, “Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We have redefined sin in America because it represents an uncomfortable truth. We call evil good and normal and we call good evil. We’ve spiraled down into a moral abyss where those that speak truth are vilified, maligned, and canceled. Heb. 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” Is. 64:6 says, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Rom. 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But the good news is that despite what seems like a hopeless condition, God is still at work, He still drawing men to Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit using the circumstances that are present in our lives. Jo. 6:44 says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

God made a way through Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We have been justified in Christ: we are declared righteous based on the merits of Jesus. We have been sanctified: Christ’s righteousness is applied to each of us every single day. It’s our responsibility and our privilege to tell everyone they’re welcome in the family of God, but the path is only through the cross. Jo. 6:37 says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Peter told us, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  (2 Pet. 3:9) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  (Jo. 3:16) You can certainly come as you are, but don’t expect to remain that way in the presence of a holy, just, and perfect God.

Second, I’d like I’d like to see God’s people passionate about their personal faith and ministry. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Nowhere in Scripture is this change as evident than in the life of the Apostle Paul. Saul was lost, recognized where he was without Christ, made a decision to follow Him and immediately began preaching. His conversion experience is found in Acts 9. Acts 9:22 says, “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” The people of the day were confused at this miraculous transformation, but that didn’t deter Saul from telling others what had happened. The same Holy Spirit that transformed that murderer into an apostle lives in us so why do we have such low expectations from Christians today? Why are we not seeing the incredible life changes today? Why aren’t we seeing spiritual growth in believers today? Why are we so uncommitted to Christ? We’re satisfied with mediocrity; we’re satisfied being halfway committed to Christ and His church. Committed means to be wholeheartedly dedicated. Intentional faithfulness has been replaced by indifference. We spend time and energy engaged in things that don’t matter when you consider eternity. One day we’ll really start really serving Him when life isn’t so complicated and isn’t so busy. Maybe when the kids are older or when I get that new job. Remember Saul persecuted the church and then met God and his life was never the same. Today we have people meet this same God and their lives are no different. What’s really disturbing about that is many people in the church are okay with it.

In 2026, I’d love to see people get more involved in the opportunities we have at our church:

Sunday School.
Student ministries.
Bible study.
Nursery.
Children’s church.
Community Groups.
Greeters.
River Kids Club.
Exploring God’s Creation summer camp.
Back Stage Kids.
Men’s ministries.
Women’s ministries.
English as a Second Language.

Do you want to get to know the people at your church? Start serving. What I have observed over the last 26 years of ministry is that people who consistently study and apply the Bible to their lives and consistently serve grow stronger and more steadfast in their faith. When the challenges of life occur, you’re better equipped to handle it. Other people see this, ask you how you do it, and encouraged and challenged to do the same thing. You use that as a springboard to tell people about the power of God that is available to them.

Our faith walk has become so mundane and un-exciting that we spend more time on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram than we do participating in the fundamentals of the faith. Church is no longer a place to faithfully participate or be engaged. It’s no longer a place to be encouraged, challenged, and held accountable, but has become a place where we go if nothing else is going on, unless we don’t feel like it. God has become the last option instead of our first choice. How can we have one foot in the church and one in the world? Matt. 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

People say faith is important, but our actions speak louder than our words. You can’t love Jesus and hate His bride. We seek instant gratification and tend to be unwilling to be consistent. Fewer and fewer people are willing to work hard. Fewer and fewer people make themselves available to do the hard, stressful, and emotionally draining work of the ministry. Why is it so emotionally draining? Because people are worth it and it can be incredibly challenging to instill that hope in others. Fewer and fewer people are willing to persevere. More and more people say no to serving in the church. What have you said yes to? I’d like to see people really make connections with others. There are people very casual about participation in the things of the church. We have people that miss one, two, three, four weeks and no one seems to notice and if they do notice, nothing comes of it. I’d like to see people participate in intentional, consistent ministry. Make a phone call, send a message, have someone over for lunch.

Third, I’d like God’s people resist Satan. James says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  (Ja. 4:7) We cannot resist the devil in our own strength. We must first submit ourselves to God. Then we can stand against Satan in the strength and power of the Lord. Resist his destructive plans. Satan is a destroyer. He will try to destroy your home, your church relationship, your testimony, etc. We see Satan moving in books, movies, TV, music, and across the internet. Satan’s way is never good, but unfortunately, even Christians are sometimes too ignorant to recognize this. Today’s culture is a direct reflection of Satan’s efforts to destroy humanity. We have a choice to make and it involves a five-letter word that we rarely have trouble with when it comes to education, medicine, our job, our vehicles, or our finances. It’s called trust and it is a decision that you must make.

Finally, I’d like to see Jesus come back in 2026. Take a look at Phil. 3:17-21. Jesus promised in John 14:3, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” We’re too attached to this temporary home. We work to have things that will pass away. We spend the majority of our time on things that have no bearing on eternity. If you’re a child of God, this place is not your home, you’re just passing through.

What do you want to hear and see by the end of next year? How many will you share Christ with? How will you serve the Lord by serving others? Will you live the life of holiness God has called you to live? How authentic will you be?

Check out the service here.

Last week, Pastor Zane kicked off our Christmas series and answered the question, “Why Joseph?” Joseph was willing, Joseph was righteous, Joseph was obedient. This morning we’ll look at a very special lady in the Christmas story.

Take a look at Luke 1:26-38.

In the classic Christmas movie “Jingle all the Way”, Howard Langston attempted to make the season just right for his son. Howard, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a procrastinator and tended to put his job ahead of his family. All his son Jaime wanted for Christmas was the Turbo Man action figure and Howard promised him there would be one under the tree. Turbo Man was the hottest gift of the year and every kid wanted one. Of course, it wasn’t until Christmas Eve before Howard thought about the gift. Howard was trying to make Christmas perfect for his son. To make things worse, his neighbor Tim, played by Phil Hartman, planned the perfect Christmas, including getting a Turbo Man action figure for his own son. He had a picturesque house filled with decorations with all the presents neatly wrapped beneath the tree. For Howard, the search for that perfect gift – that perfect Christmas – led to a frenzied mission to find Turbo Man. His quest included fights, deception, theft, burglary, racketeering, assault, obstruction of law enforcement, numerous violations of traffic law, and a bomb. And of course, what Christmas movie would be complete without the perfect neighbor making a play for our main character’s wife? Howard tried to make Christmas perfect, but the reality is there is no such thing. For many people, Christmas is a reminder of heartache, tragedy, and suffering. Clever marketing and Victorian Christmas traditions have replaced the biblical principle of Immanuel – God with us.

Our nativity scenes often portray the parents lovingly looking down over the holy Child lying in a hay lined cradle, not a manger. In our pursuit of the perfect Christmas, we forget that Mary and Joseph were spending the night in barn – a place where animals live. Where there are animals, there’s poop. Where there’s poop, there’s insects, and smell. There’s noise from the animals. There was no medical treatment available and Joseph was the only support Mary had and if he’s like most of us first time dads, he didn’t have a single clue. We want this clean, picture-perfect nativity with no complications, no heartache, and no trouble. We have this idea that if we sincerely love God then He will grant us peace on earth. No fuss, no muss in our dainty, clean, sanitized, Christian lives. Luke tells us it was anything but perfect and anything but simple. Lu. 1:26 tells us it was the sixth month of Mary’s pregnancy before any answer to her dilemma was made evident.

Lu. 1:30-33 says, “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

“Do not be afraid, Mary.”

Easy for the angel to say. How was she going to explain this? How easy would it have been to explain to her parents? To Joseph? To the town’s people? Mary faces an unwanted teen pregnancy. This was different from pregnancies today. She had never been with a man. Is she thinking her life is over? Put yourself in Mary’s shoes; she knew the truth that no one else knew. The angel says, “Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you.” This is where it starts for all of us. We are favored because of God’s great love; His unconditional sacrificial love. This is where Christmas begins. Not just that Christ came, but that He is still here.

Mary is favored, not perfect. It’s hard for us to comprehend unconditional love. God wants a relationship with you even if you’ve been naughty or nice. Why? Because you are highly favored: created in His image. It’s easier to understand when you consider your children. You favor your kids over someone else’s kids simply because they’re yours. It doesn’t have to do with their abilities, or their aptitude, or what they look like. You favor them because they’re yours. It’s the same way with God. The favor He shows you is because of Him, not you. Being favored does not mean bad things won’t happen. Look at Mary again. As far as relationships, she had done right; had kept herself pure and she finds herself with child. Interestingly enough, unlike Joseph, nothing is mentioned of Mary’s righteousness. Even after the angel’s explanation, Mary is left asking, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lu. 1:34) I’m pretty certain the theological implications of the baby she carried were not fully realized for some time. How many of us have been in similar situations of uncertainty where we are called on to exercise our faith? You have done all you can to remain true and pure and faithful to God and then that suddenly hits. Think about Mary’s emotional frame of mind. God’s favor would bring a significant measure of pain and suffering to her life. We read about this miracle of life knowing that the stone was rolled away and the tomb was found empty. We look at this event through the sanitized lens of knowledge. Mary didn’t have the luxury of knowing. She shares the story with her fiancé who she likely believes would put her away certain she is lying. He had never seen or heard of any virgin becoming pregnant. She faces death by stoning for the sin of adultery.

The walk of faith provides no guarantees for a neat and orderly life free from life’s suddenlies. No where in Scripture does it say everything that happens to us will make sense. As a result of Jesus’ birth, King Herod ordered the execution of all male babies under two. Hebrews 11 is known as the hall of faith. Stories of great faith abound in this chapter. What are the results of this great faith? Abel was murdered by his brother. Noah suffered 120 years of ridicule while he built the ark. Humanity, save eight, was destroyed by a flood. Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his only son. Take a look at Heb 11:35-12:2. How about Paul? Surely, he escaped problems. Nope, look at 2 Cor. 11:24-29. Paul warned Timothy that even a desire to live godly will bring persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12) Do any of us really count the cost of an authentic relationship with Christ when we choose Him? In his book, The Present Future, Reggie McNeal concluded that, “church culture in North America is now a vestige of the original movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, worldview, and lifestyle match theirs.” We have rewritten the original Christmas story of pain, suffering, and loneliness to one of unrealistic perfection with a hint of cinnamon and ginger.

Mary asked, “How can this be?” Listen to the answer in Lu. 1:35: “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.” After that triumphant declaration – silence. No bells and whistles, no warm gooey feeling, just silence. In that silence, I wonder if doubt crept in? We can face the same thing. The Holy Spirit is with you always and particularly in life’s suddenly moments. The angel goes on to tell Mary her relative Elizabeth is also with child. To give you the back story, Elizabeth is married to a priest named Zacharias. Elizabeth and Zacharias had no children. Lu. 1:6 tells us, “They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.” They were advanced in years and Elizabeth was barren. It came time for Zacharias to perform his priestly duties so he went into the temple and the angel of the Lord appeared to him. You need take a look at Lu. 1:12-17. Zacharias encounters the angel who tells him, “Do not be afraid.” His petition or prayers have been heard. More than likely, he had been praying for years for a baby.

The angel promises “joy and gladness” over the birth of this future baby. Get the picture in your mind. This man and his wife had been praying to God for years for a child, a son. They sought answers from the God of the universe and when the angel says, “God heard,” Zacharias says, “How can I be sure?” This man is serving as a priest in the Temple of God, has devoted his life to God, but when it comes time to exercise faith, he says, “How will I know this for certain?” He’s in the Temple talking with an angel who appeared out of think air and speaks to him. This isn’t the voice we hear in our hearts. As a result of his doubt, Zacharias is rendered mute until the baby is born. Lu. 1:18-23 says, “Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.” The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly made signs to them, and remained speechless. When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.”

Sometime after that encounter, Elizabeth becomes pregnant and goes into seclusion for five months. It was the sixth month of pregnancy when Gabriel visits Mary and tells her what’s going to happen. Gabriel also tells Mary that Elizabeth is pregnant. Mary is so excited, she went in a hurry to Elizabeth’s house. When she entered and greeted Elizabeth, the baby leaped in her womb. Even the baby got excited to be near the baby that Mary carried. We know Elizabeth’s baby is John. Mary responds in what is known as Mary’s Song. It’s found in Lu. 1:46-55.  Why Mary? She recognized it’s not about her. It’s all about God. In her song, she recognized 11 things God did for her and humanity.

Is Mary blessed? Of course, and so are you. Why did God choose Mary? In v. 38, “And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” This is the conclusion we should have when we learn truth or when truth is revealed to us. Be willing, be obedient.

Last week, Paul encouraged this church to be on the alert and pray, to persevere on behalf of the saints. He also asked they continue praying for him. He was specific too: he wanted their prayers for boldness and to make known the mystery of the gospel. He wanted boldness in his speaking because that’s what he ought to do. As he brings his letter to a close, there’s something he wants them to know.

Eph. 6:21-24 says, “Now, so that you also may know about my circumstances as to what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”

No true minister of the gospel wants to keep knowledge to themselves. There are people that claim to have knowledge that use gimmicks to get you to buy whatever they’re selling with the promise that their book, seminar, Bible study, or whatever will unlock the mystery of prayer, or fasting, or giving, or financial success, or relational bliss. Paul wants them to know something. Know is the Greek word gnosis that means to understand, to grasp or ascertain; especially to be familiar or acquainted with a person or a thing. He wants the church to know about his circumstances. Right before this, look at what he said in vs. 18-20: “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints, and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

He’s asking for prayer because of the particular circumstances he finds himself in. No one would blame Paul if he got discouraged or distressed as he sat in jail. No one would tell him he needed to buck up and make the best of it. People should say, “Paul’s in jail, that’s unfortunate, I hope he’s doing okay. I pray the Lord will give him strength and courage to continue in the work he has been sent to do.” That’s what should be said. Too  often when we’re in a tough predicament, our tendency is to pray it away. No one wants to be uncomfortable, unsettled, or undone. “Pray for me, I’m having a hard time.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with that but what if we changed our focus from ourselves to God?

Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer in Chicago in the 19^th Century. He invested heavily in real estate in the Chicago area, but the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ruined him financially. He suffered additional financial setbacks in the economic downturn of 1873. He planned to travel to England to help D. L. Moody in some evangelistic meetings. Instead of traveling together, he sent his wife Anna and their four daughters ahead on the French steamer, Ville Du Havre while he stayed behind to work out some zoning issues resulting from the Chicago fire. On Nov. 22, 1873, the Ville du Havre collided with British ship Loch Earn and sank in 12 minutes killing 226 people including Spafford’s four daughters. He received a telegram from his wife Anna that said simply, “Saved alone.” Spafford rushed to England and as he passed the spot where his daughters died, he was inspired to write the words of his timeless hymn,

“It Is Well With My Soul.”

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul!”

It is well with my soul!
It is well, it is well with my soul!

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live;
If dark hours about me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

It’s okay to say, “Lord, I’m having a hard time. Help me praise You in the storm, help me focus on Your goodness and Your love. Lord, I want to glorify You even in these difficult circumstances knowing that You love me.”

Again in verses 21-22, “Now, so that you also may know about my circumstances as to what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul wanted the Ephesians to know how he was doing. He wanted them to know what he was up to. We get update letters from our ministry partners. We want to know how they’re doing and how we can specifically pray for them. There are lots of ways to communicate these days and we can even get instant updates and needs from those we partner with. Paul had Tychicus for this very reason. We don’t know a lot about this man because he’s only named five times in the Bible. His name means child of fortune. Tychicus is first mentioned in Acts 20:4 regarding Paul’s third missionary journey: “And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.” Tychicus is called a, “Beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond servant in the Lord” and was entrusted to carry Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae according to Col. 4:7. Paul planned to send either Tychicus or Artemis to relieve Titus in Crete according to Titus 3:12. There is evidence that Tychicus carried Paul’s second letter to Timothy when Paul sent him to Ephesus. Paul had confidence in Tychicus. He was in Paul’s circle, a partner in Paul’s mission. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Can you imagine being called a faithful minister in the Lord? Tychicus was to carry word of Paul’s condition, his ministry, his health, whatever the Lord was doing through Paul, Tychicus would deliver the news to the churches Paul was connected to.

In a time of instant information, it’s hard for us to imagine how eager people were to hear of what Paul was doing. We used to have to wait for the evening news to hear what was going on. Newspapers were delivered to your doorstep bright and early so you could find out what happened overnight. If something was particularly newsworthy, you’d hear an announcement on TV, “We interrupt this programming to bring you this special report.” This was followed with something that was of interest to every adult. When the announcement was heard, you’d stop what you were doing to listen to the news anchor. Walter Cronkite and Harry Reasoner of CBS. David Brinkley, Chet Hunley, and John Chancellor of NBC. Barbara Walters and Peter Jennings of ABC. They brought news of JFK’s and Martin Luther King’s assassination. Of men walking on the moon, the Kent State massacre of 1970, the Munich Olympic tragedy in 1972, of President Nixon’s resignation in 1974, the fall of Saigon in 1975, Elvis’ death in 1977, the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981, Challenger’s explosion in 1986, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the beginning of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the whole O.J. saga of the 90s, and Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

Times sure have changed. The shift from mainstream media to social media began in the early part of the 21^st Century. Whitney Houston’s death in 2012 was reported on Twitter 27 minutes before any mainstream media. Today, more than half of all adults get their news from social media with Facebook and YouTube as the top news sources. We live in a time where communication is instantaneous across the globe. Even in remote parts of the earth, communication is available. This letter was written in the middle of the first century. Communication took time. Think about it this way. You send that text asking someone a question or inquiring about some situation. The expectation these days is you get a response immediately or at least within a few minutes. When that doesn’t happen, you start to wonder and probably text again. Back in Paul’s day, it could take months to receive communication and when you finally receive word, it is as said in Pr. 25:25, “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.” Tychicus carried the good news and glad tidings so that their hearts would be comforted. Comfort means to cause someone to be encouraged or consoled. Even though Paul is in prison when he’s writing these words, he encourages these believers in Ephesus. In this letter, he has written some incredibly encouraging things. Paul told them that God has, “Blessed them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” in 1:2. He said God chose them to be holy and blameless even before the foundations of the world were laid out in 1:4. They were predestined for adoption through Jesus Christ in 1:5. In Christ is redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sin in 1:7. He reminded them that God made known the mystery of His will in 1:9 and they have an inheritance in Christ in 1:11. They were sealed in Christ in 1:13.

Eph. 1:18-23 says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

That is the God who liberated them from sin, who broke the chains of bondage that held them tight. That’s the comfort and encouragement we share with the Ephesians.

Paul’s closes with, “Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.” He encourages them with three attributes. The first is peace. This is a word we use a lot but may not fully understand what it means. It means tranquility, to have no worries, a state of undisturbed quietness and calm. After peace is love with faith. This is agape love. Unconditional. Faith here is complete trust and reliance. These are made possible because it’s, “From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Finally, there is grace. I hope at this point we have a good handle on grace. Unmerited and undeserving favor. These last two verses serve as a benediction to his readers.

It is with that our study of this letter comes to a close. We have been encouraged to walk the walk that we talk. We are to be authentic Christians standing up for truth with courage and boldness. Paul unveiled the mystery of the Gospel – how Jew and Gentile are reconciled through Jesus the Messiah. That reconciliation enables us to live for Christ knowing who we formerly were and who we are now because of Christ. We are to submit to authority. We need to remember who our real enemy is and we should be ready to enter battle at any moment. This is a powerful letter full of great truths. I hope you have been as blessed by it as I was.

“Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”