OCR Document

"God Will Find Away"

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

August 21, 2005

Exodus 1:8-10,22,2:1-10, Matthew 2:16-18, Hebrews 3:1-6

I have a confession to make. I can be a worrier! And it seems that life always supplies ample reasons for worry! One of the reasons I must read and study the Bible again and again is that I constantly need the reassurance that only God can provide.

The Bible tells the story of humankind's trials, troubles and worries, and that God is working His purposes out. In Genesis, Joseph, once despised and sold into slavery in Egypt by his own brothers, rises to a position of prominence through God's providence, and is able to save his whole family from starvation by bringing them to Egypt. There are those wisdom filled words that Joseph shared with his now fearful brothers, when they realize the one they once sold into slavery now holds the fate of their lives in his hands: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good..." (Genesis 50:20). But Exodus 1:8

bursts the hope of happy ever after with these words: "Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." Times had changed for the worse. Reason for worry! Omigosh, what IS God going to do now? A new pharaoh in Egypt began to fear the existence of the resident alien Hebrews. Pharaoh decided to press the Hebrews into forced labor. As they continued to become more numerous even in spite of oppression, Pharaoh commanded "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile." Into such a setting, Moses was born. Moses' mother, however, hesitated to obey Pharaoh's command that all male children be thrown in the river. She hid Moses the first three months. When she could no longer hide him, she decided to follow Pharaoh's order in the literal sense, by casting him into the Nile. But first she got a papyrus basket, plastered it with bitumen and pitch to make it float, and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river--at a place the current would not carry the basket downstream. Then Moses' sister was stationed near by to keep an eye on her little brother. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and found a crying Moses in the basket. Pharaoh's daughter took pity on him, though she knew him to be a Hebrew. Moses' sister ran up and offered to find a nurse, and the end result was that not only did Moses get to live; Moses' own mother got to nurse young Moses, and Pharaoh's household paid her to do so!

God's plan for his people has a fragile beginning. The thread on which everything hangs is exceedingly thin. This theme is reinforced hundreds of years later! Jesus is almost not born, as Joseph is tempted to put away Mary because of her pregnancy. When they arrive in Bethlehem for a census, there's no room for them in an inn, so Jesus is born in a stable. Pharaoh is the evil ruler in Exodus, and King Herod at the birth of Jesus. Both evil rulers approve the murder of innocent male children. Both Moses and Jesus escape death as infants by a thread. In both cases, God's redemption eventually comes, in spite of the grim murder of the innocent. What can we learn from these birth stories that might help us today?

1. Our first lesson is that God has a plan for the redemption of his people. The situation may look hopeless: powerless Hebrew slaves in the grip of an unjust, mighty Pharaoh. Your situation might look hopeless as well. Perhaps you've lost a job, or learned you have health problems. You're tired and discouraged. But don't count God out! God has a plan! Recognize that God's plan might not be the same as your plan! We human beings tend to devise plans that inevitably make us look good, and save us from significant struggle and hardship.

.2. We are invited to participate in God's plan. We are not responsible for the redemption itself. There are things which only God can accomplish. But amazingly, God desires to work through human beings. Shiphrah and Puah were midwives who were instructed by Pharaoh to kill baby Hebrew boys at birth. They refused to do so, telling Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were faster in birthing babies than the Egyptians, and the midwives wound up arriving too late! There are people who refuse to cooperate with the forces of evil today; are we among them? Many Nazis at the end of World War II sought to escape punishment in the Nuremberg war crimes trials by saying they were just following orders. It takes a lot of courage to be a Shiphrah or a Puah, to risk the wrath of Pharaoh and do the right thing. Exodus tells us that at times, God depends upon a slender thread that weaves through our lives to work out His purposes. Are we willing to do the right thing? We can't always just say "Let your conscience be your guide", because some consciences are not as fully developed as others. Pharaoh and Herod and a host of other villains have slept peacefully after doing evil things. The Wayne County jail likely houses some who have broken the law without a twinge of remorse, and their only regret is that they got caught. But let us remember that there are also Shiphrahs and Puahs in our day, and Pharaoh has some daughters that don't cooperate with the imperial politics of evil. God may be depending on you to do the right thing today!

3. There is suffering and pain involved in the working out of God's purposes. Weare called to live and serve God in a very imperfect, and at times, unjust world. Many seem to have the idea that if you do the right thing, you will always prosper in this life. I don't read that in the Bible. Certainly, there are times when doing the right thing is the smart, healthy choice. Those who live sexually chaste lives do not need to worry about developing certain diseases. But there were innocent Hebrew babies that were murdered in Exodus, and in Bethlehem. The book of Job emphasizes that, sadly, good people like Job may face significant suffering. Jesus certainly did, and He was without sin! We can't expect to avoid all forms of pain and suffering; that is a part of life. But if we're going to suffer anyway in life, why not enlist as a servant of God, because...

4. God's purposes will ultimately bear fruit. This is what gives me the greatest hope and encouragement. There are times when I, like you, can get discouraged. It's easy to look at outward circumstances, and my limited abilities, and get discouraged. That's when we must realize we need to spend more time looking at God, God's power and purposes, and spend less time considering ourselves! Ifwe get discouraged with our circumstances, how do -you think the Hebrews felt, when they were forced into slavery, and Pharaoh gave a death sentence to all their male children? Yet again and again, the Biblical message tells us that God will find a way to bring about his purposes, and we are called to participate in this salvation activity. It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail! It's better to lay down a sacrifice bunt for the team that will win, than to hit a grand slam homer for the team that will lose! It is better to please God than to please humankind, because people may forget what we do for them, but God will remember! It's better to die, hungry and exhausted, on the road to the promised land, than to die with a full stomach in a hovel in Egypt! God's purposes will ultimately bear fruit. He'll find a way to get the job done.

While there are many parallels between the lives of Moses and Jesus, the third chapter of Hebrews points out that Jesus stands head and shoulders above Moses. We read "Take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor Moses did a good job in God's house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house."

One of the reasons we need to gather in worship each week is that we need to be reminded, in the midst of our worry-filled lives, that "though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." A victory was won at Calvary, when Christ faced the full force ofthe world's evil and gave His life for our sin. That victory was redoubled on Easter Sunday, when Jesus was raised from the grave. Our world's pharaohs

and Herods continue their ministry of death, while God continues to call forth Shiphrahs and Puahs, Moses, and scores of ordinary folks like us to offer our lives for His kingdom. Pharaoh had at his disposal all the wealth, power, resources possible. The Lord God had only Himself and a slave people. Yet it was Moses, raised and educated in Pharaoh's household, that later God used to deliver his people from slavery in

Egypt. King Herod had the power of the Roman Empire behind him, yet the infant Jesus, exiled with his parents to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath, later was used by God to deliver his people from slavery to sin. It's good you're in worship today, because you won't hear this message anywhere else. God has an answer for our worries: God will find a way to bring His will and purposes to bear! "God Will Find A Way" August 21, 2005

Exodus 1:8-10,22,2:1-10, Matthew 2:16-18, Hebrews 3:1-6

The Bible tells the story of humankind' s trials, troubles and worries, and that God is working His purposes out. In Genesis, Joseph, once despised and sold into slavery in Egypt by his own brothers, rises to a position of prominence through God's providence, and is able to save his whole family from starvation by bringing them to Egypt. There are those wisdom filled words that Joseph shared with his now fearful brothers, when they realize the one they once sold into slavery now holds the fate of their lives in his hands: "Even though you intended to do harm to

me, God intended it for good..." (Genesis 50:20). But Exodus 1:8 bursts the hope of happy ever after with these words: "Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." Times had changed for the worse. Reason for worry! Omigosh, what is God going to do now? A new pharaoh in Egypt began to fear the existence of the resident alien Hebrews. Pharaoh decided to press the Hebrews into forced labor. As they continued to become more numerous even in spite of oppression, Pharaoh commanded "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile."

Into such a setting, Moses was born. Moses' mother, however, hesitated to obey Pharaoh's command that all male children be thrown in the river. She hid Moses the first three months. When she could no longer hide him, she decided to follow Pharaoh's order in the literal sense, by casting him into the Nile. But first she got a papyrus basket, plastered it with bitumen and pitch to make it float, and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river--at a place the current would not carry the basket downstream. Then Moses' sister was stationed near by to keep an eye on her little brother. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and found a crying Moses in the basket. Pharaoh's daughter took pity on him, though she knew him to be a Hebrew. Moses' sister ran up and offered to find a nurse, and the end result was that not only did Moses get to live; Moses' own mother got to nurse young Moses, and Pharaoh's household paid her to do so!

What can we learn from these birth stories that might help us today?

1. Our first lesson is that God has a plan for the redemption of his people. The situation may look hopeless: powerless Hebrew slaves in the grip of an unjust, mighty Pharaoh. Your situation might look hopeless as well. Perhaps you've lost ajob, or learned you have health problems. You're tired and discouraged. But don't count God out! God has a plan! Recognize that God's plan might not be the same as your plan! We human beings tend to devise plans that inevitably make us look good, and save us from significant struggle and hardship.

2. We are invited to participate in God's plan. We are not responsible for the redemption itself. There are things which only God can accomplish. But amazingly, God desires to work through human beings. Shiphrah and Puah were midwives who were instructed by Pharaoh to kill baby Hebrew boys at birth. They refused to do so, telling Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were faster in birthing babies than the Egyptians, and the midwives wound up arriving too late! There are people who refuse to cooperate with the forces of evil today; are we among them? Many Nazis at the end of World War II sought to escape punishment in the Nuremberg war crimes trials by saying they were just following orders. It takes a lot of courage to be a Shiphrah or a Puah, to risk the wrath of Pharaoh and do the right thing. Exodus telfs us that at times, God depends upon a slender thread that weaves through our lives to work out His purposes. Are we willing to do the right thing? We can't always just say "Let your conscience be your guide", because some consciences are not as fully developed as others. Pharaoh and Herod and a host of other villains have slept peacefully after doing evil things. The Wayne County jail likely houses some who have broken the law without a twinge of remorse, and their only regret is that they got caught. But let us remember that there are also Shiphrahs and Puahs in our day, and Pharaoh has some daughters that don't cooperate with the imperial politics of evil. God may be depending on you to do the right thing today!

4. God's purposes will ultimately bear fruit. This is what gives me the greatest hope and encouragement. There are times when I, like you, can get discouraged. It's easy to look at outward circumstances, and my limited abilities, and get discouraged. That's when we must realize we need to spend more time looking at God, God's power and purposes, and spend less time considering ourselves! Ifwe get discouraged with our circumstances, how do you think the Hebrews felt, when they were forced into slavery, and Pharaoh gave a death sentence to all their male children? Yet again and again, the Biblical message tells us that God will find a way to bring about his purposes, and we are called to participate in this salvation activity. It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail! It's better to lay down a sacrifice bunt for the team that will win, than to hit a grand slam homer for the team that will lose! It is better to please God than to please humankind, because people may forget what we do for them, but God will remember! It's better to die, hungry and exhausted, on the road to the promised land, than to die with a full stomach in a hovel in Egypt! God's purposes will ultimately bear fruit. He'll find a way to get the job done.

One of the reasons we need to gather in worship each week is that we need to be reminded, in the midst of our worry-filled lives, that "though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." A victory was won at Calvary, when Christ faced the full force of the world's evil and gave His life for our sin. That victory was redoubled on Easter Sunday, when Jesus was raised from the grave. Our world's pharaohs

It's good you're in worship today, because you won't hear this message anywhere else. God has an answer for our worries: God will find a way to bring His will and purposes to bear!

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