WEEK FOUR

Yahweh Makes His Move

Book Reading:  Supernatural, Chapters 7-8
Heritage Sermon:  Sunday, April 3 (watch here)

Today the story picks up with an epic showdown. God's chosen people, the Israelites, have been taken captive by the Egyptians. Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, has enslaved the Israelites, oppressively lording over them.  The Egyptians view Pharaoh as a representative of the gods - one who would become divine after death. No one dares cross Pharaoh. Imagine the faith Moses and Aaron had in Yahweh (Hebrew name for God) as they confronted him with the message to release the Israelites so they could be free to worship the one true God!

Pharaoh refused, and the showdown begins:
 
EXODUS 7:1-13

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake."

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
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Yahweh vs. Pharaoh really isn't a competition. Pharaoh should have realized this once Aaron's snake consumed the others, but Pharaoh's heart was hard, and God had chosen this moment to send a message to the false gods and their followers.

Exodus 7:14 - 12:30 details the 10 plagues God sent against the Egyptians. But there's much more to the story -- each plague was a direct assault against the gods they worshipped. God will not be stopped, and His plan to rescue the world was in full effect!

After the final plague, Pharaoh relented and told the Israelites to leave, only to change his mind and pursue them with his armies by his side. But once again God brought them victory in epic fashion, causing the Red Sea to part for the Israelites, and then to close in on the Egyptians, killing them all (Exodus 14).

Now read Exodus 15:1-18.  This is the song of worship Moses and the Israelites offered to God after this dramatic event. Notice  verse 11:

Who among the gods 
is like You, Lord?
Who is like You — 
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,  
working wonders?

Imagine yourself in that moment. Take time as a group and just talk about how awesome God is, maybe even singing your own song of worship together. 

After God rescues His family - His nation - the Israelites, it is time to implement the next phase of His plan: giving the Laws. Through our 21st Century lens, Old Testament laws can sound harsh, strange, even unfair. But the laws were actually a beautiful gift from God packed with symbolism and a tool to help His people become a lighthouse for the nations:

"I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6).

God was teaching His people that, apart from Him, death and destruction was a certainty. But in Him we find purity, cleansing, forgiveness, and LIFE! His desire was actually to raise up a nation that would look and live so differently that it would draw the world back to Him.

How powerful is that!?!

Today, Jesus is the fulfillment of all the laws:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).

Just as the laws in the Old Testament were a tool to draw the world to God, today our obedience to Christ serves the same purpose. Salvation is the free gift of Christ - it is not based on our works:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But our works are very important as God still wants us to live in such a way that we, too, light the way home so lost children can be reunited with their Father:

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16).

Heiser makes a profound statement in Chapter 7:

"Personal failure is not the same as trading Jesus for another god - and God can tell the difference" (page 73).

Eternal life is not based on works, it is the free gift given to all those who pledge allegiance to Jesus as Lord. Similar to speaking vows of marriage as one enters a marriage covenant, God asks His followers to make a personal and public declaration to Him through confession and water baptism. Consider the following passages:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4).

Is there anyone in the group who would like to make a personal confession of allegiance to Christ? If so, take time to pray with and for them.

Is there anyone in the group who is a follower of Jesus but has never made the public declaration of baptism? We are having a special corporate baptism celebration the final Sunday of this series: April 24. It would be the perfect way to conclude this experience together!

Now it's time for the most thrilling events in this study. Just when it looks as though humanity will be lost to sin and rebellion, God has a plan that will take the enemy by surprise. Get ready to see the arrival of Jesus like never before. The principalities and rulers of darkness don't stand a chance!

Note to Group Leaders
Thank you for your willingness to walk with others in discipleship. We are here for you whenever you need us. We are praying for you and cheering for you. One tool we want to offer: ESPN.
Each time you gather together, make a point to:

E: Encourage (offer words of hope to everyone in your group)
S: Scripture (always let God's Word be your guide)
P: Prayer (prayer changes the atmosphere - we encourage you to begin and end your time together in prayer)
N: Next Step (if anyone is facing a particularly difficult circumstance in life, we have many Next Step tools available for you)

Reach out anytime:
Chrissie Forehand (Small Groups Pastor):

Or send a note to:
Brian Lassetter (Discipleship Pastor):