The Redeemer Retriever

Transcription

1 The Redeemer Retriever When people think of the most miraculous and amazing works of God, it would be easy to go to His creative works. But God s most spectacular accomplishments were His redemptive works. For, it takes no love to create, but it takes an incredible love to redeem and retrieve; especially since God is willing to retrieve those that actually rebelled against Him. There are only a few chapters dedicated to creation, and the rest of the Bible is entirely dedicated to redemption. How God buys back mankind from slavery and sin. This is the theme of Exodus. The word Exodus comes from 2 Gr words that mean the road out, road way out of bondage, not just out of Egypt, but out of slavery to sin! The picture of redemption in this section of scripture parallels so greatly, depicts so presently, the picture of Jesus buying us back from the grips of Satan, sin, and selfishness. If you ve felt chained up, locked in, or laid up lately, if you re looking for a way out, then this book Exodus is for you. You could say that Jesus is the Redeeming Retriever, believer receiver, for He stepped into darkness to retrieve what was rightfully his, but at the highest of costs. It was for the price of his life that receives any who would repent & believe! 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" 2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." 3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." Afterward...after what? Moses baulking for 2 chapters. Man called to a mission, to save the Hebrews from slavery, tries to save one man by killing another, leaves his calling for 40 years, lost heart... Now God is calling Moses back to the mission, but he falters, he s fearful, like we can be when God prompts us to GO, move forward, push out of our comfort zone...and obey the command and commission of Christ. Moses gets on same page with God in chapter 4, he gets over his gripe, over himself...enough to reluctantly obey move forward. We get to see the miracle of faithfulness, God's faithfulness...encouraging words for those of us that falter, stammer and stumble as we reluctantly obey. Moses gathers the group, see the Lord is with them through signs and wonders, they believe & worshipped. They are ready to take on Egypt and the world, for Egypt in the Bible is a pic of the world.

2 2 Moses the Lord of Israel, the all encompassing I AM has sent me to tell you, let us worship please, 3 days. Vs 3 this is the God...Notice how polite Moses is "please" Moses has orders from the God of the universe. Still, he has humility. Pharoah, who is the Lord. Reminds me of Pilate John 18 when He has Jesus, the way the truth and life right in front of Him, asks what is truth Who is the Lord. This is a pivotal verse, for many of these chapters are spent revealing exactly that, who the LORD is! Yahweh will say that they may know,i am teh LORD, over and over in these 5 chapters alone. May we also ask to see the Lord revealed so we may know and show him more. Ph, Hebrews, Egyptians & the whole world will come to know who the Lord is, for that is God s mission through all of life s happenings.in the hope that all of mankind will see him, know him, believe and receive him. Truly this is a story of redemption. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. God s heart is to see even Pharaoh saved, to repent and receive. Never forget that's the mission of God. With His sovereign mighty hand and the heart to our Savior...is to save. But he also must ultimately after much patience judge sin... Pharaoh will find out who the Lord is.. 4But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens." 7"You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.' 9Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words." Pharaoh's response, get back to work Mo and Larry.work harder, produce bricks, and no straw will be given to you. And no worship in the wilderness for you either! Oh don't we try to put blame on others for our pride to justify our prideful decisions, then blast the ppl who are forcing us to face our faults?...conviction or condemnation, use anger to cover the sin Straw acted like a binder, aggregate, hold the bricks together. Egyptians provided the straw, Hebrews made the brick. Now they had find their own straw and make the same amount of bricks, in the same time period.

3 3 14And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?" 15Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, "Why do you treat your servants like this? 16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people." 17But he said, "You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' 18Go now and work. The Hebrew forman were in for it now, beaten because they missed their quota. And they would pay with their hides...literally. After they were beaten they ask PH "Why have u done this, your own ppl are the reason we can t produce, there is no straw" Pharaoh s response " you're idle! " He s growing more irrational, More insane! * Reasoning with the unreasonable, not advisable or necessary, we have HS direction. Polite does not mean foolish! The enemy loves to see us engage in mysteries never meant to be solved. Trying to make peace with the ruthless is always fruitless. The the Hebrew foreman turn the tables, they see Mo and Arry on the way out PH court after being beaten "The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." End of ch 4 they were beloved and worshiped the Lord Now, vs 21, the Lord judge you, Mo & Aaron! 22Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all. " Moses passes the buck, questions God, "why have you sent me?" Remember how short sighted we are and that God all seeing! Things have only gotten worse since serving & doing what you asked! I ve been praying for three whole weeks and my 30 year mess still isn t entirely fixed! * Jeremiah, 40 yrs service, not ONE! * Jonah, you ve got the wrong guy, no heart for these ppl, but it's God's rescue plan, not ours In answer to Moses, God is so patient... 6:1 But the Lord said to Moses, " Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh;...2 I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty God patiently reminds Moses of WHO HE IS, the all sufficient God, almighty God

4 4 Just wait, see what I am about to do! Like the song, Come on see what God has done, Noel! Jesus is the full HiDef image of God s power and love. * Revelation, signs wonders bowls of judgment... Mo, you forget who I am, remember the name burning bush? I AM! How fast after we are called and commissioned do we forget who we serve? Instead we focus on who is serving us grief. At the 1st hint opposition we flounder and flee, forgetting who it is we serve, the Lord who needs nothing and is everything. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. I have heard, I remember. 'EL SHÂMA God who hears Psalm 17.6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. As if God isn t listening or forgets...his promises are forever, & He keeps them! 6:6 Say therefore to the people 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 slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. God deals with Moses here, letting him know exactly who is in charge, who has the power, who is leading and who he should follow. But in this we see the message of hope laid out for us all. For we have all been in bondage, need to be delivered from the grips of satan and sin. Arent we thatnkful for the outstretched hand of JEsus that reaches into our hearts to redeem us and buy us back, for we hae sold ourselves to sin over and over again. 6:7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.'" 7 I will s...i am the Lord I will... bring you out form burdens Be your God Deliver you from slavery Bring you into the land Redeem you Give it to you as your own Take you as my people 25 personal pro-nouns about what he has done, is doing, will do Then...you will know that I am the Lord. The Lord makes it clear in this section of script. that He has the power to save. It s always up to God what happens to peoples hearts, the pressure is off, we are free to simply share the message of hope, God is into restoring the lives of those He redeems!

5 5 But like Moses we see only what s right before our eyes, and Moses was seeing a people who doubt & don t believe. 6:9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. Don t be discouraged, don t be derailed, even mighty men like Moses felt like their words fell on deaf ears. 6:12 But Moses said to the Lord, "Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?" 6:28On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, " I am the Lord ; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you." 30 But Moses said to the Lord, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?" Acts 7:22 Steven says Moses was mighty in words and deeds. Ultimately it doesn t matter a lick how equipped you are, how you feel... If God has called you he will equip you and make you fit for that test. Your deficiencies are not an excuse when The Great I Am has sent you because he is self sufficient. The aseity of God. Moses was a timid man now, humbled by 40 years in the desert where before he was eager ready to deliver the Jews in his own power, he thought he was God's gift to the Hebrews & now he thinks he is so small & insignificant, how could a guy like me be used by God? I think there is something healthy about feeling inadequate and humble. DL Moody's said, Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh's Court thinking he was a somebody. 40 years in the desert learning he was a nobody. And then 40 years showing what God can do when a somebody discovers he's a nobody. God always uses what's little & broken, Moses was full of himself in Egypt, in Midian he was at the end of himself. We lose our own inadequacies when we get lost in God's sufficiency! Remember, it took God 40 years to make a Moses. He spent 40 years on the backside of the desert in God s school of preparation. When an artist paints a masterpiece he can t be rushed. When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel it took him 4 yrs. Likewise, when God makes a man, He can t be rushed. Guys, don t get impatient. Let God continue to make you into the person He desires you to be. Chapter 7 begins the plagues that God said he would bring to redeem the Hebrews from Pharaoh Renewal of Commision. God is a giver of gifts not a taker back of gifts, keep trying, God himself encourages Moses. Then, the Lord tell Moses, that He will harden Pharaoh's heart, he

6 6 won t listen to Moses, then God is going to let a series of plagues of epic proportion come down on Egypt so that 7:5The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. He is the Lord, it is his plan will and might. 9'Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.'" 10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Moses & Aaron now go into Pharaoh's court,before the plagues are unleashed God has the boys perform a miraculous sign. God is so willing to allow us to come to him on easy terms, it doesn t have to be the hard way! Aaron casts down his staff and it turns into a serpent, now the magicians of Egypt do something amazing. They also did the same. BUT, Aarons staff swallowed up theirs. You might think Pharaoh would get it. But he hardens his own heart, settles himself in, diggs his boot heels into the ground as if to say, I am the only god of this country!...and it was on from here. The 9 plagues are as follows Blood, frogs, lice, flies, mad cow disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness...10 death 1st born Plagues seemed so trivial to me for years. Cast lots, pull straws to see what kind of sick destruction he would stomp the Egyptians with? No, God is being very calculated, He is always in the business of redemption. Redeeming the souls of men and woman. Not just the Hebrew, but also the Egyptian, Greek, you and me. Every plague targeted the idols of Egypt, as if to say, I am the only God, true God, and you shall serve none other. He broke down the barrier between man and Him one by one.? Is God trying to knock something down in your life today, is there something in your life that causes separation & space between you and God? Maybe it s what s on your incognito mode on your google search, or it s bitterness or unforgiveness, maybe there is a wall of anxiety the Lord wants to break down because it causes distance between you and Him. Whatever it may be, make no mistake,, God wants to free us from every form of slavery. The kind that sends us to hell, and the kind that hamstrings our souls from being on mission for God. The plague of Blood

7 7 7:17 Thus says the Lord, "By this you shall know that I am the Lord : behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."'" 19And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'" 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. The first plague was aimed at the Nile River. It was turned to blood. The Nile was the life force of Egypt, it was the sustenance they lived off of. It brought fertilizer and water to the crop field throughout their land. The river was also sacred to the god Osiris, & was believed to be the vein of Osiris flowing with his blood. Nile was depicted as the god Hapi. A fat man with breasts of a woman indicating nourishment and fertility. How ironic that the life force of Egypt was turned into a force of death & blood. God was so intentional here. He went after their false gods, breaking down walls that kept the people from seeing Him. Interestingly the local magicians used their demonic forces to recreate the phenomenon. Wouldn t you ask your sorcerers to reverse the curse rather than intensify it? 2nd Plague Frogs Note that frogs in Egypt, like pretty much every animal, were an idol and god. In fact god Heka was the frog goddess of fertility, and was closely linked to the god of the Nile. 8:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, "Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. God is going after their gods with a heavy hand. 3The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 7But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. There were frogs coming out of everywhere, under tables, in the ovens, out of their beds even. There were so many frogs in the streets that they were getting caught up in the engines of their cars, the frogs were killing the engines leaving them stranded on the side of the road... so they had to get TOAD! Pharaoh then asks Moses to take the frogs away. I ll let you and your people go sacrifice to your God, just take them away. Moses agrees to plead for Pharaoh, asks him, okay Pharry when do you wanna see these frogs go away? His response is amazing...tomorrow! Not so crazy though, how many of us have heard of the drug addict who says, tomorrow tomorrow I'll kick the habit. Give me one more day with my sin, Pharaoh is saying here.

8 8 Tomorrow comes and the frogs go, well they all croak actually, they are left for dead...pharaoh does what so many of us have the tendency to do... 8:15But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. How many times before you were saved did you make a deal with God? God, if you would just do this, get me out of that, I will do this for you. The second we see our grief subside, how quick we were you to go back on our end of the bargain, return to your sin? Proverbs "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly" Jesus said to so many of the sinners he rescued, go your way and sin no more He knows the nature of us all. 3rd Plague Lice, Gnats 8:16 "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'" 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt 18The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, " This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. The local magicians could not reproduce this miracle of power. God was systematically convincing the Egyptians that He alone was God. For you see the god of the earth was the Egyptian god Geb. Geb made his report to Osiris about the state of the harvest, and here God turned their earth god into lice or gnats. Even Pharaoh s own men said this has God written all over it, yet Pharaoh hardens his heart even more. Pharaoh is really settling into this hard heartedness. Read through this section yourself, see Phar hardens his heart the first 6 times, then God gives over, gives in and allows Pharaoh to have what He wanted, then God hardens Phar heart. 4th Plague Flies This plague is different, in that God specifically states that he will set his ppl in Goshen apart from this plague. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen."'" God s word, God Himself keeps us, protects us, and makes us holy, set apart for God s good, for our joy, & for others blessing. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active,

9 9 sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Jesus wants to divide our heart and win us back from death and depravity, to cut away the old ways of thinking and living by giving us a passion for HIM! This plague also was an assault on the Egyptian idols. For the lice, gnats may have been scarabs, beetles which they worshipped also as the god Kephri. Scarabs were also sacred to the sun god Ra, and you find them all over Egyptian artifacts. Here it seems as if Pharaoh is going to come around 25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God... within the land. " 26 But Moses said, " It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us." 28 So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me." 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. Interesting how Pharaoh will let them go, but not far. Stay in the world your buddies will say after you get saved. The enemy would love, since he can t steal a soul that has been won to Christ, he would love to see us keep one foot in the world and one foot in the door of life with Jesus. All right go sacrifice, but it s okay to compromise your walk with God, keep one foot in the world and one in church. Race It s been said we are in a race with 2 horses. 1 black & 1 white. If you decide to put one foot on one horse and one on the other you ll make a strange discovery. The horses will run in opposite directions. You must make up your mind quickly which horse you are going to ride, and ride it fully. Sweet Home Alabama You can't ride two horses with one rear end, sweet heart 5th Plague Livestock killed off, mad cow disease 9:3 behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die."'" 7And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. Once again the gods of Egypt were being systematically torn down, making way for God in their lives. The livestock, cows and such, were being killed off. Egypt worshipped the bull god Apis.God made a way for the Hebrews to escape, so that the Lord would be known world wide. The 2nd largest temple was in Memphis where the black bull Apis was worshipped.

10 10 6th Plague BOILS Boils cover every Egyptian s body. But not the Hebrews! Interestingly enough, this plague actually shut down sacrifice, religion, and idol worship entirely for a time. For in order for the priests of Egypt to serve in the temples they had to be pure, clean, and free of blemishes. These boils, the 1st plague to affect mankind directly, would totally keep them out of the temple, therefore shutting down idol worship. God is trying to get there attention and is removing every stumbling block in the way, all the while He is accomplishing his plan for the rescue mission of redemption. 11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses. 7th Plague HAIL 9:16But for this purpose I have raised you up, t o show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them."'" 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field. God gives full out warning to all the people, Egyptian & Jew alike. In this section God actually reminds Phar that He could have destroyed them all with one swipe of the tongue. But God is patient and long suffering. How long was God patient with you and with me, B.C., or even now? Use this section to pull out the amazing parallels of 2 other scriptures. Genesis, account of Noah, God gave the people over 100 years of warning. Had any of them repented & headed the word they also would have found grace in the eyes of the Lord, like Noah and his family did. Sadly none at all did. They mocked Noah for 100 yrs. Revelation (esp 6-19) parallels this account of plagues so poignantly. There are plagues of blood, even frogs from the dragon's mouth, lice, flies, locusts, food sources are plagued, boils, hail, locusts, darkness...all plagues are found in Revelation accept the death of the 1st born, for Jesus, 1st born of the Father has since died to save all of mankind. Question is, have you heeded that call, that warning, to believe and receive? Nonetheless God gives ample warning to the world, and often times more than not, he uses this vessel, the church, and the many voices of the church to share the message of hope for a plagued world destined for judgment. Pharaoh gives, says Uncle...

11 11 9:27Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, " This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. False repentance, Pharaoh is sorry for the consequences, but not enough to change his actions, change his direction, and submit to the Lord. Heart or repentance, isn t just saying sorry but actually doing an about face and running into the arms of the Lord, under His protection, direction, and in submission to Him. So many times people can, we can say sorry merely to avoid the consequences of sin without ever truly repenting indicator of that?...is, when the consequences are removed and they run back to their sin again...like Phar in verse 34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, h e sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. 8th Plague LOCUSTS 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 10:7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?" 8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, "Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?" 9 Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord." Okay serve but do it close by, don't go where God told you to. We must leave Egypt in the world entirely behind, we are all in or nothing Moses would say. Okay go and serve but only leave your children and your possessions. It's a whole family affair we're not to run in ministry without our family, only leave your possessions. It's a total life affair, not just family, not just our kids, but also our possessions our bank accounts our talents are gifts. It s an all or nothing deal Pharaoh, says Moses. 10:26 Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. Locust show up and Pharaoh is freaking again...plays the I have sinned, set me free card, but now the Lord hardens his heart, and Pharaoh does not let the people go.

12 12 9 DARKNESS The Lord continues to break the idolatry mold of Egypt, for the god Ra, was the god of the sun. 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt. " Oh how merciful and gracious God truly is. In a last ditch effort to see Pharaoh and his people repent the Lord brings a plague that gives the greatest opportunity for redemption. A darkness that could be felt The fact of the matter is we all live in darkness until Jesus the great Redeemer & Believer Retriever saves us & brings us out of darkness and into the light. But like me, how many of you didn t even realize you were living in darkness? It wasn t until I was able to feel the darkness that I was able to recognize my need for light. God never wants to leave us comfortable in the darkness, for 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die." 29 Moses said, "As you say! I will not see your face again." For, after this the Lord would send a final plague of utter judgment on Pharaoh. The birth of the great illustration and signpost to Jesus, the one who all wrath and judgement is placed upon, the Lamb of God in the Passover is coming up, stay tuned! Next weeks time in the Word is going to be riveting! Conclusion statement? We ultimately fall into one of 2 categories 1. believer receiver 2. a denier on fire. If a believe receiver we have a double calling on our life. To follow and forgive... - Follow Jesus, spend time with him relationally. - Forgiving the sins of many by leading them to the great Forgiver & Redeemer, Jesus. Like Moses found, leading ppl to the forgiveness of Christ there will be opposition, but if God is for us who can be against us? Prayer 1.The Lord our Redeemer, sent His Son on the greatest rescue mission impossible ever, to save souls like yours, like mine, and others to come, save us from a darkness that can be

13 felt. If you re feeling that darkness now, in need of light and life, invite you, want to introduce you to the Light and Life himself, the Man, none other than Jesus Christ, Savior of the world! Come and receive the gift of Jesus Christ. Live Stream, please write, , call, come here. Don t delay like Pharaoh. 2. If you ve already met the God Man, & you re feeling like darkness is lurking, the enemy is trying to beat you back into a place of bondage...come up a reignite your heart with light and love, vigor and life. 3. He has called you to accompany Him on this special mission, but maybe you re scared to speak, afraid you ll stutter and stammer your way through like Moses...remember God is the source & giver of words. Come up for prayer, or ask your neighbor to lay hands on you to receive the power of Holy Spirit, for it s only by Him and through Him that people are saved, it s entirely up to God and not us, he is the source of life. He is just looking for a willing vessel, are you willing? 13