WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:10.679 Our sermon text for this evening is read into your hearing already. It's our Old Testament reading from Exodus chapter 1, verses 1 to 14. 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:17.559 And as you see on the screen, the title of the message for this evening is, They Don't Die, They Multiply. 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:20.400 They don't die, they multiply. 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:35.299 And the point I want to get across to us in the message is that the promise of God ensures that neither the schemes of people nor the powers of hell are able to destroy his plan. 00:00:36.019 --> 00:00:43.539 God's promises are faithful and they are true and sure no matter what things look like. 00:00:43.599 --> 00:00:45.920 Would you pray with me? 00:00:45.920 --> 00:01:02.280 Father, we thank you again for your word that is not dead but that is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword that pierces to the division soul and spirit joints and marrow, judging the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:10.879 And we confess, O God, tonight that all of us in here are naked and exposed to you, the one to whom we must all give account. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:16.060 And so, Lord, you know precisely then what we stand in need of. 00:01:16.539 --> 00:01:19.780 So would you be pleased to meet us where we are and give us what we need? 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:26.199 Faith, encouragement, correction, conviction, hope, healing. 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:34.939 Lord, use the weakness of my preparation to do what only you can do by your power. 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:41.920 That we would be people who live not for our glory but for the glory of Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:43.000 Amen. 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:45.420 Amen and amen. 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:54.840 Back in 1984, 33 years ago, a movie was released that became kind of a cultural hit and phenomenon. 00:01:55.120 --> 00:02:00.340 They didn't know that that's what was going to happen with this movie, but it was the case. 00:02:00.539 --> 00:02:03.439 The movie was titled Gremlins. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:14.259 I don't know if any of you have seen that movie, but the story is a young, not a young, an older gentleman who was a struggling inventor. 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:20.460 Randall Peltzer was looking for a unique Christmas gift for his son, Billy. 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:27.319 And he was in Chinatown in his community and he came across this antique gift shop and he went in 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:35.099 and he saw this furry little creature that's named, that's called a mogwai. 00:02:35.239 --> 00:02:37.579 And he said, this is what I've got to have. 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:39.780 This is the perfect gift for my son. 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:45.139 But the store owner didn't want to sell it to him because he said, this is not like any old regular pet. 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:50.159 You've got to, owning one of these comes, well, great responsibility comes with it. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:56.900 And so Randall leaves the store disappointed that he couldn't buy this creature. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:07.460 But then the owner's grandson meets him outside and secretly sells him this mogwai because his family needed the money. 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:13.979 And so he says to him, listen, there are three rules that you have to follow. 00:03:13.979 --> 00:03:20.379 So, first of all, he says, you've got to keep him out of light, especially sunlight, it'll kill him. 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:26.819 Secondly, do not give him any water, not even to drink. 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:36.679 And then third, the most important rule of all that you can never forget is never, ever, no matter how much he begs, 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.239 never feed him after midnight. 00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:47.100 Happy Randall agrees and he names the creature Gizmo and gives it to Billy for Christmas. 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:53.080 And of course, how many of you know that it wouldn't be a movie if the rules were not soon broken. 00:03:54.040 --> 00:04:00.840 Some water spills on Gizmo and these fur balls pop out and all of a sudden they're starting to multiply 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:07.080 and you've got these other little mogwai and these mogwai are not as friendly as Gizmo. 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:15.560 And so the ringleader, Stripe, uses some trickeration to trick Billy into feeding them after midnight. 00:04:16.900 --> 00:04:27.280 And they grow these caterpillar-like cocoons and the next day comes out these rather ugly looking things called gremlins. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.879 And what does Stripe do? 00:04:30.979 --> 00:04:40.000 Rather, he finds himself a nice swimming pool and he jumps in it and he multiplies and all of a sudden the water is bubbling up 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.599 and there are gremlins, gremlins everywhere. 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:51.359 This handful of gremlins multiply into a swarm that practically fills the whole town 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.020 and terrorize it for the remainder of the movies. 00:04:55.340 --> 00:05:01.840 And when it came to the gremlins, the town's attitude, as much as they tried to stop the spread of these gremlins, 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:03.780 they couldn't, they wouldn't die. 00:05:03.860 --> 00:05:05.680 They just kept multiplying. 00:05:07.020 --> 00:05:14.580 Well, that is precisely the way the Egyptians felt about the Hebrews in Exodus chapter 1. 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:22.439 Try and try and try as they might to stop the spread of the children of Israel. 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:24.459 They just couldn't do it. 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:25.680 They wouldn't die. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.479 They just kept on multiplying. 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:36.620 The text tells us in verse 12 that the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 00:05:36.719 --> 00:05:39.439 That is, they loathed the people of Israel. 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:46.279 But this is not about the people of Israel terrorizing the land of Egypt like the gremlins did in that town. 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:57.279 What we are seeing in Exodus chapter 1 is the ongoing story of God's promise being worked out in real time and real space. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:02.819 The story that begins in Genesis 1 when God blesses Adam and Eve and says to them, 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:06.720 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:12.180 But that continues in Genesis 3.15 after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit. 00:06:12.460 --> 00:06:18.960 And God said that the seed of the serpent, the devil's spiritual children, would bruise the heel of the woman's children. 00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:23.420 But he promised that the woman's children would crush the head of the serpent's child. 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:31.420 And it pressed forward in Genesis chapter 12 when God calls Abraham and he promised him that he'd make him a great nation. 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:34.819 And he tells Abraham in Genesis 15, 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:38.960 Look towards the heaven and number the stars if you're able to. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:42.640 And he says to him, So shall your offspring be. 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:56.240 This is the continuing story of God's promise to fulfill his mission of making his name and his fame and his glory fill the earth. 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:59.960 And so because of his promise, his people don't die. 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:01.060 They multiply. 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.879 And so there are four things I want to share with you tonight from this text. 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:05.560 Four Ps. 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:10.240 The promise, the problem, the persecution, and the proliferation. 00:07:10.460 --> 00:07:14.319 Promise, problem, persecution, and proliferation. 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:20.019 And as I've just mentioned, this is about God's promise being realized in time and space. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:24.079 And it's being laid out for us right here at the beginning of the book of Exodus. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:30.639 Our English Bibles do not make this clear, but the first word of the book of Exodus is the word and. 00:07:31.159 --> 00:07:37.599 And it's not translated into English because you don't start a sentence with a conjunction in English and much less a book. 00:07:37.979 --> 00:07:41.620 But verse 1 should be translated and. 00:07:42.419 --> 00:07:48.839 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each man with his household. 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:58.679 And I'm pointing this out to you because there is an intentional connection at the beginning of the book of Exodus to what has been said before about this family in Genesis. 00:07:58.919 --> 00:08:01.399 Everything leading up to this point. 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:09.279 And so after Moses, the writer, makes this connection for us, he lists the names of the sons of Israel in verses 2 and 3. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:28.119 And this is almost a word for word repetition of what you find in Genesis chapter 20 to 35 rather verses 23 to 26. 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:35.259 And if you look there, what you would find is that the sons are not listed from oldest to youngest, as you might expect. 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:44.960 As Pastor Dan said, I've got four kids and when people ask me about my children, I start naming them and I list them in order from oldest to youngest. 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:46.799 But that's not what's going on here. 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:52.939 These children are, or these sons are listed in accordance with who their mama was. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:59.080 There was a lot of drama in Jacob's family in Genesis. 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:06.740 And the first six sons are the sons of Leah, his first wife. 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:10.080 The next come his second wife, Rachel's sons. 00:09:10.180 --> 00:09:13.480 And then the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.080 Then the sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant. 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:22.160 And Joseph is missing from the list because he's already in Egypt, we find out in verse 5. 00:09:22.540 --> 00:09:23.960 But listen, here's the deal. 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:28.420 It says in verse 6, then Joseph died. 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:30.540 And all his brothers. 00:09:31.040 --> 00:09:33.660 And that entire generation. 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:35.460 Everybody died. 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:37.300 But you know what didn't die? 00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:39.980 What didn't die was God's promise. 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:44.200 Verse 7 tells us that the people of Israel were fruitful. 00:09:44.520 --> 00:09:45.940 And notice this with me. 00:09:46.020 --> 00:09:54.820 The words that the people of Israel in verse number 7 are the same words translated as the sons of Israel in verse number 1. 00:09:54.820 --> 00:09:57.920 But it's rightly translated as people in verse 7. 00:09:58.020 --> 00:10:03.840 Because now we're no longer talking about this nomadic band of 70 people. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.379 We're talking about a numerous nation of people. 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:09.840 Listen to that description in verse 7. 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:11.000 They were fruitful. 00:10:11.300 --> 00:10:13.100 They increased greatly. 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:14.700 That is, they teamed. 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:17.160 They were like a swarm of people. 00:10:17.300 --> 00:10:18.060 They multiplied. 00:10:18.280 --> 00:10:20.940 They grew exceedingly strong. 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:23.340 The land was filled with them. 00:10:25.660 --> 00:10:32.700 They are starting to be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand by the seashore. 00:10:32.780 --> 00:10:34.040 Just like God promised. 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:35.740 But here is the thing. 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:42.380 It's not because they're this model picture of perfect people who deserve this blessing. 00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:53.820 This family was formed through trickery and deception there in Egypt because some of their great, great, great grandfathers sold their other great, great grandfather into slavery. 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.840 This is a family with a checkered past. 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:01.000 But the promise of God trumps everything. 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:04.460 The promise of God trumps everything. 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:09.139 The promise of God is not hindered by you and I. 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:14.039 You see, I don't know if you know it, but you're messed up. 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:15.960 And so am I. 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:31.399 But listen, the promise of God is not hindered by the foolishness, the stupidity, the trickery, the deceitfulness, the ignorance of people, or any other errors we might have of ourselves. 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:39.519 We're messed up, but we're not messed up enough to throw God off course of his kingdom promises and purposes. 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:46.439 The mess of this world does not make God sweat. 00:11:48.199 --> 00:11:49.860 It doesn't make him sweat. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.340 Yes, God grieves, but he doesn't worry. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:56.840 His promise of redemption and restoration. 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.639 His promise of justice and righteousness. 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:02.879 It permeates the book of Exodus. 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:06.139 It permeates, in fact, the entirety of the Bible. 00:12:06.460 --> 00:12:12.220 And no power of hell or scheme of man is able to throw him off of that course. 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:16.820 And the power of hell, it shows up right here in our text. 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:23.080 From the confirmation of God's promise, we move on to find out that there's a problem in verses 8 to 10. 00:12:23.160 --> 00:12:26.060 A new king comes to power in Egypt. 00:12:26.220 --> 00:12:27.720 Time has elapsed. 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:35.040 And we're centuries removed from Joseph serving as the prime minister in Egypt and saving the country from doom. 00:12:35.040 --> 00:12:41.940 And all this new pharaoh knows is that the whole land is filled with these Hebrews. 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:45.580 It says in verses 9 and 10, 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:48.520 And he said to his people, 00:12:49.140 --> 00:12:54.460 Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:59.000 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply. 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:05.820 And if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. 00:13:05.820 --> 00:13:16.940 Can I put pharaoh's words and speech for you in current modern-day American vernacular? 00:13:18.420 --> 00:13:21.360 A pharaoh is saying to his people, 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.200 We have a problem with these immigrants. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:31.240 A pharaoh in verses 9 and 10 is delivering what I call the Egyptian State of the Union address. 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:35.740 His people, the citizens of Egypt, are assembled together to hear him. 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:36.399 And he tells them, 00:13:36.659 --> 00:13:40.080 We have a major national crisis, pharaoh says. 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.779 These people are different than we are, 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.759 and we've let them practically take over our country. 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:47.860 They are stronger than us. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.940 Listen, the political tactic of leaders creating fear among the people 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:56.659 in order to get them to go along with the program is not new. 00:13:56.779 --> 00:13:57.980 It is ancient, in fact. 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:04.259 Pharaoh played on the Egyptian sense of ethnic and national superiority. 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:10.820 He didn't have to create that sense of ethnic and national superiority. 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:13.960 He just had to use it for his advantage. 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:16.180 He says in verse 10, 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:19.779 People of Egypt, we've got to deal shrewdly with these immigrants. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:25.840 We've got to be wise in how we deal with the Hebrew problem in our land. 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.940 They're a threat to our national security. 00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:33.000 We've got a whole nation of non-Egyptians living in our country. 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:34.540 They're not loyal to us. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:37.180 And if war comes, they'll join with our enemies, 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:38.519 and they'll fight against us. 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:40.019 They will take your jobs. 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:41.060 They'll take your wealth. 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:42.220 They'll take your property. 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:43.420 They'll take your power. 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:49.360 And yes, we should be seeing some parallels. 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:53.179 Yes, I know I might be stepping on toes, 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:57.159 but some bells should be ringing in our minds. 00:14:57.319 --> 00:14:59.659 You cannot look at our text, 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:03.799 and we can see the evil that is at work in Pharaoh's heart. 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:10.319 We can clearly see the power of hell behind the problem that is presented in our text, 00:15:10.439 --> 00:15:14.639 but we should be able to make the connection to our current day. 00:15:14.839 --> 00:15:16.899 Listen, the reality is, 00:15:16.959 --> 00:15:22.039 in almost every national presidential election in our country, 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:23.979 over even a generation, 00:15:24.199 --> 00:15:28.839 every candidate has had to talk about how they're going to deal with the immigration problem. 00:15:28.959 --> 00:15:30.559 That is not a new thing. 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:35.959 It's as if we are not talking about real people made in the image of God 00:15:35.959 --> 00:15:37.879 and deserving of dignity. 00:15:38.099 --> 00:15:40.719 What are we going to do about those people? 00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:47.259 In our country's current debate over immigration, 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:50.599 where we see those people attitude, 00:15:50.899 --> 00:15:54.759 they're different than us and are going to destroy our country attitude, 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:59.759 what we're seeing is a heart that is closer to Pharaoh than Jesus Christ. 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:06.639 And listen, I'm not taking some political possession on the right or the left. 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:13.239 I'm saying, how would God have his people view fellow image bearers? 00:16:13.979 --> 00:16:19.959 What attitude and heart and mindset would God have his people have 00:16:19.959 --> 00:16:25.759 when we're considering people who are deserving of dignity? 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:32.799 What we see Pharaoh saying here to his people in Exodus chapter 1 verses 9 to 10 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:37.819 reminds us of the fact that the image of God being imprinted on every soul 00:16:37.819 --> 00:16:41.960 has implications for how we think about people and how we treat them. 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:45.159 In Egypt, Pharaoh himself was the image of God. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.240 So if you were not his people, 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:52.720 you could be dismissed as unworthy of dignity and value and worth. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:54.259 And here is what I'm getting at. 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:59.120 We have a natural tendency to categorize people into groups of others. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.820 And whoever those others are, they become thought of as those people. 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:08.440 And it makes it easy to dehumanize people and think of them only as a commodity. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:13.519 We want to know, do these people add to or do they subtract from our society? 00:17:13.860 --> 00:17:17.019 We will determine their value and worth by that. 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:21.500 But God would not have us look at his image bearers in that way. 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:27.019 That mindset and that heart is incompatible with God's mission. 00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:33.279 Indeed, it's no small point that even our Savior lived as an immigrant, 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:38.299 as a refugee fleeing for his life in a foreign land to escape persecution. 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:46.599 And the problem of dehumanization and commodification of people in our text, 00:17:46.659 --> 00:17:49.359 it leads to a horrific persecution. 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:55.180 We're told in verse 11 that because of Pharaoh's powerful State of the Union address, 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:59.539 the people are on board with the slavery and oppression program. 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:05.319 They set taskmasters over the children of Israel to afflict them with heavy burdens. 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:09.519 They built for Pharaoh's store cities, Pithom and Ramesses. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.399 They laid on them heavy burdens. 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:20.960 It says in verse 14 that they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:23.879 and in all kinds of work in the field. 00:18:24.419 --> 00:18:28.539 Two times in verse 13 and then again in verse 14, 00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:31.980 it says they treated the Hebrews ruthlessly. 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:36.339 And that word always includes violence. 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:41.480 We're getting a picture of how bad it was for them. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.039 And here's what I want to point out in this persecution. 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:52.279 There's a connection here with what happened in the book of Genesis chapter 11. 00:18:52.380 --> 00:18:56.660 At the end of Genesis chapter 11, God calls Abraham to himself, 00:18:56.660 --> 00:19:02.500 and then he makes the promise to him that he's going to bless Abraham and make him a great nation. 00:19:02.800 --> 00:19:08.000 And that account in Genesis, it comes on the heels of the Tower of Babel incident 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.560 where humanity said we don't want to spread out over the earth. 00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:18.600 We want to build ourselves a city with a tower stretching into the heavens. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:19.860 And here is the connection. 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:28.619 The people who stood against God's command and built Babel use the same kind of language as Pharaoh does. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.279 Come, let us make bricks, they said. 00:19:31.379 --> 00:19:36.179 Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower stretching to the heavens. 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:38.679 And here is Pharaoh in Exodus chapter 1. 00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:41.119 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:47.779 Just as the people of Babel were building a city and a tower against God with brick and mortar, 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:54.799 the Egyptians are forcing the people of God to build cities out of brick and mortar to stand against God. 00:19:54.919 --> 00:20:00.179 So those who stand against God are committed to building monuments to their own glory. 00:20:01.419 --> 00:20:05.259 The concern of Babel was that they didn't want to be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:10.299 The concern of Pharaoh is that the children of Israel are dispersed over the face of the whole land. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:18.279 The persecution comes because we are seeing an ancient battle between the city of God and the city of man. 00:20:18.619 --> 00:20:24.599 In God's kingdom, in his city, he's acknowledged to be the one with all power and glory. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:34.239 What people do when the Lord is not acknowledged as the one with all power and glory is heap up power and glory for ourselves. 00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:38.719 And that's not just something relegated to the past. 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:50.960 A few years ago, Karen Ellis, a missiologist, a professor, gave a message for Campus Crusade for Christ, their inner city conference. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:57.819 And her message was titled, My People, My People, a letter to the church in America. 00:20:57.819 --> 00:21:04.240 And she made the point in that message that if God is on the throne, there is no power struggle. 00:21:04.399 --> 00:21:10.700 If we're on the throne through self-exaltation, then you have oppression somewhere, somehow. 00:21:11.299 --> 00:21:15.240 Power is always going to be abused in that situation, she said. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:20.659 And someone is going to be denied the right to the fullness of their God-given humanity. 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:32.279 She said, Satan is incredibly uncreative and unimaginative in his tactics, but he is effective because he's good at marketing. 00:21:34.100 --> 00:21:35.480 Here's a direct quote from her. 00:21:35.540 --> 00:21:45.800 She said, while the social fabric of oppression changed from age to age, the general contours of abuse and degradation remain the same. 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:47.759 It's just different packaging. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:51.440 Look at the similarity from one oppressive regime to another. 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:53.740 Destruction of name and identity. 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:55.279 Destruction of culture. 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:56.619 Violation of women. 00:21:56.920 --> 00:21:58.019 Emasculation of men. 00:21:58.379 --> 00:21:59.339 False accusations. 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:00.579 Unjust courts. 00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:01.920 The limiting of travel. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:04.680 Zone housing to substandard conditions. 00:22:04.819 --> 00:22:06.779 Denial of societal advancement. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:11.539 These are the same kinds of things that we find in the oppression of God's people. 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:15.379 In Exodus chapter 1 and throughout the early chapters of the book, 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:22.400 if you look and you read the book of Acts, you will see the same kinds of things in the persecution of the early church. 00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:24.940 You turn to the book of Revelation and guess what? 00:22:25.120 --> 00:22:33.060 You see the same kind of things in the persecution that Christians were enduring in the seven letters of Revelation chapter 2 and 3. 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:41.079 These are the same facets of human degradation that existed in this country in the days of slavery and Jim Crow. 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:49.119 These are the same tactics that are being employed today by people who are hostile to Jesus Christ all over the world and in power. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.740 Different faces and places, but the same tactics. 00:22:53.740 --> 00:23:02.680 And look, that fact might leave us depressed if it were not for the other reality that comes back around in the text. 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:09.720 We started out the message in this first few verses seeing how God's promise trumps everything. 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:15.120 It trumps the fact that the people of God are messed up and don't have their act together. 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:20.960 God's promise trumps the power of Satan in his attempts to destroy the work of God. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:23.240 Look at what it says in verse 12. 00:23:23.600 --> 00:23:24.220 It says, 00:23:24.380 --> 00:23:30.319 The more that they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.600 The more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied. 00:23:35.360 --> 00:23:38.779 The more they grew, the more they spread out. 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:43.440 The result of the persecution was proliferation. 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:50.579 Pharaoh's oppressive evil tactics had the absolute opposite effect of what he desired. 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:52.799 Why is that? 00:23:53.700 --> 00:24:01.799 Well, it's because no power of hell or scheme of man is strong enough to stop God or throw him off of his track. 00:24:02.819 --> 00:24:04.799 They expanded exponentially. 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.519 This is just a seed of what Jesus was talking about. 00:24:08.600 --> 00:24:12.059 We heard in our gospel reading in Matthew 16 where he said, 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:13.799 I will build my church. 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:21.279 I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:30.220 He promises that not even the gates of hell itself will be able to stand against his kingdom of God expansion program. 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:37.880 The church I pastored in Columbia, Maryland for 10 years is a song we used to love to sing titled, 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:40.299 Jesus, My Great High Priest. 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:44.500 And in the last stanza of that song, it says, 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:53.880 Should all the hosts of death and powers of hell unknown put their most dreadful forms of rage and mischief on, 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:59.980 I shall be safe for Christ displays his conquering power and guardian grace, 00:25:00.099 --> 00:25:03.160 his conquering power and his guardian grace. 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:09.480 You see, safe in the arms of Jesus is a song of the people who belong to Jesus, 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:15.160 especially in the most intense and harsh and difficult of circumstances. 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:19.600 Persecution in Egypt causes the Old Testament church to expand. 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:23.720 Persecution in Acts causes the New Testament church to expand. 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:28.380 Persecution in hostile lands today causes the church to expand. 00:25:28.620 --> 00:25:29.860 They do not die. 00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:30.960 They multiply. 00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:36.900 Let me quote Karen Ellis again as I wrap up. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:38.440 She said, 00:25:39.120 --> 00:25:39.920 She says, 00:25:40.040 --> 00:25:49.180 The church expands exponentially under persecution because Satan, the devil, unwittingly creates the very environment 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:53.960 where the need for hope and faith in Jesus Christ are most necessary. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:57.200 If you keep reading through the book of Exodus, 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:02.100 you'll find at the end of chapter 2 that Israel is going to be groaning 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:08.119 and crying out to God for help because of their harsh slavery and oppression. 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:14.539 And God is going to hear and God is going to respond like he always does. 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:21.839 The ultimate fulfillment, listen, of God's promise of proliferation to Abraham is not found in Exodus. 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:24.579 It is found in Jesus Christ. 00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:32.500 And Jesus Christ can declare himself to be both the divine promise maker and the divine promise keeper 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:36.859 who doesn't promise that his people will not have to endure persecution. 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:44.159 No, he promises that the persecution will not hinder his kingdom of God expansion program. 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:53.940 And that is possible because in Jesus Christ, we have a God who is both savior and sufferer at the same time. 00:26:54.860 --> 00:27:01.560 He is one who both delivers from oppression and was oppressed and afflicted himself. 00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:10.399 He took on every vulnerability, including subjecting himself to an oppressive regime. 00:27:10.399 --> 00:27:18.019 And the Bible says that it was fitting for God to make the founder of our salvation perfect through suffering. 00:27:19.899 --> 00:27:21.940 If you are in Jesus Christ, 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:36.620 If you are in Jesus Christ, what you have and what we have together is not an invented past of stories about people far away in distant lands 00:27:36.620 --> 00:27:40.059 that don't touch on the reality of the difficulties of life today. 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:46.900 What we have is the reality of a saving God from Genesis to Revelation 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:55.660 who continues to push back against the darkness of human degradation, oppression, violence, and injustice 00:27:55.660 --> 00:28:03.200 with his power that sustains and enables his people to flourish even in the middle of it. 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:11.060 In Jesus Christ, we have a God who continues to push his mission forward. 00:28:12.620 --> 00:28:13.900 Listen, here it is. 00:28:13.940 --> 00:28:15.820 The two things as I close, 00:28:15.819 --> 00:28:18.639 I want to, at least two implications of this text. 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:25.339 One, we can find ourselves in both positions described in this passage. 00:28:25.899 --> 00:28:27.279 The first is personal. 00:28:28.339 --> 00:28:31.460 And the question is, do you have a power struggle? 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.899 Who's on the throne? 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:37.819 When you sit in your seat of authority over others, 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:44.740 whether you are an executive or a teacher, a medical professional, a mom or dad, 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:48.620 whatever it is, when you sit in a position of authority, 00:28:48.620 --> 00:28:50.120 who is on the throne? 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:53.740 Is it the Lord Jesus? 00:28:53.960 --> 00:29:03.400 Is the Lord Jesus Christ ruling over and influencing and directing the way you exercise your authority? 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:08.060 If it's not Jesus Christ as Lord, 00:29:08.060 --> 00:29:15.220 you will some way and somewhere and somehow abuse your power and influence for your own glory. 00:29:16.300 --> 00:29:20.160 That's the hard work of self-heart examination. 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:23.180 But the second implication is more corporate. 00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:26.920 It's because texts like these remind us, 00:29:27.040 --> 00:29:31.759 remind us to be in constant prayer for the persecuted church. 00:29:33.140 --> 00:29:34.440 The church won't die. 00:29:34.580 --> 00:29:35.720 Jesus promised it. 00:29:36.080 --> 00:29:37.820 The church will multiply. 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:52.779 But the Lord delights to hear our prayers and to use them as a means to bring comfort and peace and even joy to those who are enduring persecution for the sake of his name. 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:57.919 And so, whether we're in power or persecuted, 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:07.039 we look to and we rest upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ because as our resurrected king, 00:30:07.120 --> 00:30:11.340 he sits on the throne with all power in his hand. 00:30:11.340 --> 00:30:19.060 And he got to that exalted place by embracing the vulnerability and the pain of the oppressed. 00:30:19.360 --> 00:30:21.019 And so, he's got both covered. 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:24.340 Therefore, his church will never die. 00:30:25.080 --> 00:30:25.700 She'll multiply. 00:30:26.380 --> 00:30:26.840 Let's pray. 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:28.920 Let's pray. 00:30:28.920 --> 00:30:29.920 Let's pray.