Our Theme Verse for 2017 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 1
Rainbow Forest Mission Statement Connecting the Disconnected to Christ, Community and the Call Our Purpose To glorify God in everything we say and do Connecting Through the Word Moses Setting the Captives Free Exodus 5-11 2
Exodus 4:27-31 27 The LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. Exodus 6:1-13 1 But the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 3
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. 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. 8 I 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. 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. 10 So the LORD said to Moses, 11 Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 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? 13 But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 4
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. Exodus 4 Moses goes back to Egypt and meets up with Aaron and is encouraged. Amazing how the Lord spoke also to Aaron to go meet Moses at the same time He spoke to Moses to go meet Aaron. In the last verses of this chapter, the elders of Israel gladly receive this great message of hope and deliverance and bow their heads and worship. It was the Gospel of God They believed, they bowed and they worshiped. Goodness, how exciting this moment must have been. What a great start!!!!!! 5
Exodus 5 Like Nehemiah, Moses meets with many unexpected difficulties in seeking to fulfil the task given him of God. Who has ever achieved great things for Him without having overcome bitter and desperate opposition? Moses Great Demand. "Let My people go" (v. 1). God would have His people (1) Saved (2) Separated (3) Serving Pharaoh is An Unyielding Enemy. "I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go" (v. 2). The Vain Effort of the Officers "The officers of the children of Israel cried unto Pharaoh" (v. 15). A Very Discouraging and Disappointing Meeting. (v. 21) The officers met Moses and Aaron after their feeble attempt to help themselves, and charged them as being the cause of this greater misery coming upon them. What did Moses Do? Exodus 5:22-23 Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For 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. 6
Exodus 6:1-8 God s Inspiring Answer & Promise! 1 But the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. All the resources of Omnipotence are now called into action for the fulfilment of the divine word. "Now you shall see what I will do." The time of Israel's deliverance was at hand. Moses is sent to his brethren with a sevenfold message from the Lord. He had a glorious Gospel to preach, a full-orbed sun of hope for the wretched, helpless, bondslaves. This is a magnificent picture of the Gospel of Christ made infallibly sure by the seven "I wills" of Jehovah. 7
1. Rest from their Burdens "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (v. 6). 2. Deliverance from the Power of the Enemy. "I will rid you out of their bondage" (v. 6). "He hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13). 3. Redemption with Great Judgments. "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments" (v. 6). 4. God's Claim on His Own Adoption "I will take you to Me for a people" (v. 7). Possession is the end of redemption, "You are not your own, you are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). We are "redeemed from the curse of the law that we might receive the promise of the Spirit" (Gal. 3:13, 14). 5. God's Assurance to His Own. "I will be to you a God" (v. 7). John 20:17.'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " 8
6. The Promise of Continued Guidance. "I will bring you in unto the land" (v. 8). "Commit thy way to the Lord and He will direct your steps. (Psa. 37:5). 7. The Promise of a Great Possession. "I will give it you for a heritage" (v. 8). "In my Father's house are many abiding places, I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2, 3). 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Exodus 5 & 8 The Work of God will always be opposed by Satanic forces!!!!! The King of Egypt, like the god of this world, finds his greatest difficulties in connection with the people of God. He looks upon them as a source of great danger to his kingdom. His chief object is to blind the minds, burden the hearts, and destroy the lives of those who oppose him. Notice how Pharaoh, like the devil, opposes Moses and the work of God. 9
He Denies the Lord. "Who is the Lord that I should obey Him" (v. 2). He Despises the Message. He called it "vain words" (v. 9). He Oppresses with Burdens The straw is denied, yet the full tale of bricks is demanded (vv. 17, 18). He Remains Unchanged. In Pharaoh's case the professions of repentance were frequent, but the tears of repentance were never seen. Remember in Nehemiah Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king? Nehemiah 4:1-3 1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that? 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, Yes, what they are building if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall! 10
Pharaoh Devices are Cunning. We are not ignorant of Satan s devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. If he cannot succeed with open scorn and oppression he will try the secret snare of compromise The Four Compromises Pharaoh Proposed Satan attempts the same today to keep us in the slavery and bondage of sin and the world!!!! 1. Go and Sacrifice in the Land (8:25) He offers them liberty to sacrifice to God if they kept within the land under his rule. This means: Be Christians if you will, but don't cast off the yoke of darkness; don't break the link of your connection with sin. The devil will allow us to sacrifice to God if we only remain his slaves. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). 2. Go, Only Not Very Far Away (8:28) So many seem to have accepted this condition, and try to live the Christian life with their eyes on Egypt. "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32). There is no getting within sight of Canaan until we get beyond the sight of Egypt. 11
3. Go, You That are Men (10:11) Save yourselves, but leave your wives and children behind. Entire separation is what Pharaoh and the devil dreads. He knew that they would not go too far, or remain away, who had left their families in Egypt. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house" (Acts 16:31). "The promise is to you, and to your children" (Acts 2:39). 4. Go, But Leave Your Possessions (10:24) To leave their flocks meant to serve their God without a sacrifice. Separate your money and possessions from your worship!!!!! Exodus 7-12 The Ten Plagues The purpose of the plagues was apparently twofold: To demonstrate to Israel the strength of their God. To show the Egyptians the total inability of their gods. The true power of God vs. the false power of Satan The magicians of Egypt could duplicate the first miracles of Moses and Aaron. It may be observed that each plague was directed against a particular Egyptian god. 12
The Ten Plagues The first plague of bloody waters was directed against Osiris, the god of the Nile. The second plague of frogs was against the frog goddess Hekt. The third plague of lice was against Seb, the earth god. The fourth plague of beetles (or flies) was against Hatkok, the wife of Osiris. The fifth plague of cattle disease was against Apis, the sacred bull god. The sixth plague, boils, was against Typhon. The seventh plague, hail and fire, was against Shu, the god of the atmosphere. The eighth plague, locusts, was against Serapia, the god who protected Egypt against locusts. The ninth plague, darkness, was against Ra, the sun god. The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, was an attack on all gods. God wants to completely redeem His people! 13
Remember His Promises in Exodus 6 He reminds Moses of His Covenant Name Jehovah (vs 1-3) He makes a sevenfold promise I Will. (vs. 4-8) He reminds them of His Power to Perform! Exodus 6:8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' " All the Power of God is behind His Word 14