Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

TRANSCRIPT

In our previous message we have learned that when the Israelites were oppressed by the Pharaoh, they blamed Moses. What did Moses do when the Israelites accused him? He blamed God. Instead of dealing with Moses harshly, God was very patient with him. He explained to Moses that all these things happened for a purpose. ‘Now you shall see what I will do to the Pharaoh. I’ve already told you that the Pharaoh will not let the people go, and only by my strong hand will he let the people go. Now you will see how, by my strong hand, Pharaoh will be the one to drive the Israelites out from his land.’ So God revealed to Moses that He was sovereign; He was in control of the situation.

God revealed another thing to Moses, His covenant name: Jehovah, the Lord of Salvation. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew God’s covenant name Jehovah. It wasn’t that they did not know that covenant name. They knew that covenant name by promise. But God said to Moses, ‘You will know my covenant name, Jehovah, not just by promise, but my me demonstrating my saving power.’ God wanted His people to understand that the answer to all their troubles was found in Him alone.

Consider this: if the Pharaoh had released the Israelites the first time Moses and Aaron approached him, the Israelites would have given Moses all the credit, right? But that first time backfired and Moses had to take all the blame. Therefore, everyone knew that Moses was unable to lead the people out of Egypt. Only God alone could lead the people not only out of Egypt but ultimately into the Promised Land. God was teaching His people to put all their trust in Him.

Dear friends, in a similar fashion, God wants all of us to put our trust in Him. When there’s trouble in the church, when there’s trouble in the family and there’s no peace, God wants us to know, ‘I am the Lord. Come to Me.’ When there’s a broken relationship and it cannot be mended, God wants us to know, ‘I am the Lord. Come to Me.’ When nothing seems to go right, everything seems chaotic, God wants us to know, ‘I am the Lord. Come to Me.’

Tonight, from this passage in Exodus chapter 6 verse 6 to 12, we want to learn what God promised He would do and how the people responded to His promises, including Moses. If you notice in this passage, when God commanded Moses to go to the pharaoh, again Moses gave excuses, very similar to the excuse he gave in Exodus 4:10 when he said, “I am not eloquent, neither heretofore,” – which means ‘in the past’ – “nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” So tonight I have titled our message as ‘Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice’.

I. God said, ‘I will.’

Firstly, let us see what God promised to do. Our first point is: ‘God said, ‘I will’.’ Remember, Moses had blamed God saying, ‘Why have you brought all these trouble to the people? Why have you sent me? Didn’t I tell you that you should send someone else? And you promised to deliver the people but you have not delivered them at all. You. You. You. It is all your fault.’ Now God revealed to Mose what He would do. Essentially there are seven ‘I will’s in this passage which can be categorised into four things that God would do.

Firstly, God said, ‘I will liberate the people’. Look at the verse part of verse 6. Exodus 6:6, “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage”. In other words, God promised to be their deliverer. Secondly, God said, ‘I will redeem the people’. The second part of verse 6, “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments”. To ‘redeem’ is a financial term. In ancient times it was used to describe the release of a slave by the payment of a ransom. If an Israelite had to sell himself into slavery to pay a debt, his family members would redeem him by paying the price for his freedom. This responsibility rested upon a near kinsman, which means a family member or a close relative, like the story of Ruth where Boaz was the kinsman.

But before God would redeem the Israelites, they must be part of His family, right? Therefore, God said, ‘I will adopt you.’ Verse 7, “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God:” – which means that God took the Israelites to Himself to be His people, and He gave Himself to them to be their God. And because of that relationship, He would be their kinsman redeemer. He would redeem them. Fourthly, ‘I will bring you.’ Look at the second part of verse 7, “and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” And not only will God bring them out of Egypt, but He will bring them into the Promised Land. Verse 8, “And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.”

So notice that there are altogether seven ‘I will’s which can be categorised into these four things which God promised to do for His people, the Israelites. ‘I will liberate you, or deliver you. I will redeem you. And the reason why I will redeem you is because I will adopt you. You will be my people and I will be your God. And finally, I will bring you into the Promised Land.’

Do you realise that this is the same salvation we have in the Lord Jesus Christ? And the same thing that our Lord Jesus will do for us. Jesus says, ‘I will save you, liberate you, deliver you. I will redeem you. I’m the one who paid the penalty of your sins on the cross, and redeemed you with my precious blood. I’m the kinsman redeemer. I will adopt you. Through me you are adopted into God’s family. And ultimately, I will bring you to the land of glory, and that is Heaven.’

When God said, ‘I will… I will… I will…’ seven times, what does that teach us about our salvation? Salvation is not about us doing something for God. Salvation is about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. All that is required of us is to trust and believe in Jesus, what He has done for us. He has saved us, delivered us, redeemed us, adopted us, and ultimately He will bring us to the land of glory. Fundamentally, salvation is about trusting and believing in the finished work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Another amazing thing about these two verses is that although in English, the phrase ‘I will’ speaks of something in the future, something yet to happen, but in the original Hebrew text the verb ‘I will’ is in the emphatic perfect tense. What does that mean? As far as God is concerned, the things He promised to do, the promised events were all accomplished, they were all completed, a ‘done deal’ so to speak. You see, God does not think and see the way you and I think and see. His thoughts and His ways are higher than our thoughts and our ways. God is omniscient. He’s not limited by time and space like we are. As far as God is concerned, everything is in the present. What He intends to do, He does it, and it is done.

Dear friends, have you ever doubted God’s promises? Have you ever questioned God’s promises? The reason why we doubt God’s promises is because our thoughts and our ways are limited. The reason why we question God’s promises is because we are limited by time and space. We know that those are God’s promises, but there is this period of time for the promises to be accomplished, and our thoughts are often subjected to circumstances, especially adverse circumstances. That is why we doubt, we question ‘Why? Why is it not happening yet? Will it ever happen?’ especially in adverse circumstances. Isn’t it comforting to know that what God has promised in His Word, as far as God is concerned, it is accomplished, completed.

When Jesus says “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself” (John 14:2-3) – when Jesus says He will come again, He will come again. When God says He will receive us unto Himself, He will receive us unto Himself. When God says, ‘When you die, your soul will depart from your body to be with Him forever. And one day your body will be raised from the grave to be united with your soul in a glorified body’, your soul will be with Him, your body will also be raised from the grave, and it will be a glorified body.

As far as God is concerned, it is a done deal. Our attitude should be as Reverend Dr Jeffry Khoo used to say, ‘God says it. I believe it. And that settles it.’ My God says it. I believe it. And that settles it. Is this the attitude of Moses and the Israelites? Well, let us move on to see how Moses and the Israelites responded to God’s promises, when God said seven times, “I will… I will… I will…”.

II. The people said, ‘I will not.’

Our second point is: ‘The people said, ‘I will not.’’ Look at verse 9, “And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” The literal meaning of the phrase, “anguish of spirit” is ‘shortness of breath’. The idea is that the physical, emotional and mental pressure was so unbearable that they could not breathe. Their spirits were broken because of the cruel bondage. So when Moses spoke to the Israelites they did not listen to Him. In other words, when He told them the good news, ‘The Lord, your covenant God, has promised that He will do this, He will do this and He will do this…’ Seven things Moses mentioned. What was their response? ‘We will not listen. We will not believe. We do not care about His covenant name.’

Isn’t it true that that is exactly what happens to most people when they hear the good news, the message of salvation in Christ? When you share the gospel about receiving the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the people will not listen. Some will try to change the subject as you evangelise. Others will tell you that they already believe in God. Others may tell you that Jesus may be great for others, but He’s useless to them. Yet others will outrightly tell you that they are not interested. They will not listen. Why would anyone reject the gospel? The good news that the torment of Hell can be avoided and all the blessings of Heaven are available – why would anyone reject such a blessed good news? Because of sin. They are in the bondage of sin. They are slaves to sin, and no matter how hard they try to free themselves from sin, they always go back to sin, again and again. And one of the things sin will do to them, is prevent them from truly hearing the gospel, the good news of salvation.

Just like the Israelites, they would not listen to what Moses said because of anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage. They were enslaved by their slavery so much so that they would not listen to the good news of freedom. All they cared about was how are they going to slave for the Pharaoh? How they would be able to look for straw to make the bricks? They lost all hope. Their spirits were broken, so broken that they would not listen to the good news of deliverance. As one theologian said, ‘What kept them in bondage was their bondage itself.’ In a similar fashion, sinners cannot save themselves because they cannot and will not come to God. This is perfectly illustrated by the Israelites who would not listen to the promise of freedom because they were enslaved. The only way a sinner can come to God is by divine intervention. God Himself has to break the bondage of sin. And He does this by the Holy Spirit who opens up the hearts and the minds of the sinners to hear the gospel. The reason why you and I would believe the gospel is because of this divine intervention. The Holy Spirit has opened our hearts and our minds to hear the gospel, to receive the gospel and embrace our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is God’s work and God’s work alone.

But what about the believers? How can we apply this passage to the life of the believer? Isn't it true that some believers, whenever they face trials, tribulations, and afflictions, their hearts will be hardened? So much so that they will not listen to the word of God. When another brother in Christ says to them, "But didn't God say this in His word? Didn't God promise this in the Bible? You must believe in Him, you must trust in Him," their response will be, "Please do not quote to me what the Bible says. I do not care about what the Bible says. I don't want to hear what the Bible says." Why do they do that? Because of the adverse circumstances. Just like the Israelites, remember? One moment they were bowing their heads and worshiping God, and the next moment they refused to listen, even though Moses spoke to them and said, "God said I will do this, I will do this seven times." They would not listen.

Actually, adverse circumstances can do one of two things to us. It can either drive us to God, because when we face adversities, we will run to God. But it can also drive us away from Him. We pray that it will be the former and not the latter. When we face adversities, dear friends, do not run away from God, do not drift away from Him, but run to Him. Remember, God wants us to put all our trust in Him. When trouble comes, He wants us to know, "I am the Lord. Come to Me."

So, the Israelites refused to listen. And what about Moses? Look at verse 10. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he let the children of Israel go out of his land.'" Verse 12, "And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?”

This passage seems similar to the conversation that God had with Moses in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. Although there are many similarities between these two narratives, they were different. There were two different occasions happening in two different locations. The first conversation was in Horeb, and this second conversation was in Egypt. The first time Moses spoke to the Israelites, they believed in him. But this time, they did not listen to him.

In the first conversation, Moses gave the excuse that he was not eloquent, he was of slow speech and of a slow tongue. Here, Moses gave the excuse that he was a man of uncircumcised lips. What does it mean, a man of uncircumcised lips? The act of circumcision was for the purpose of purifying or sanctifying or to set apart. Again, here Moses was putting the blame on God. He was like saying, "You could have sanctified my lips if you wanted to, and it is obvious that you have not sanctified my lips, otherwise I would not be rejected by the Pharaoh the first time."

It is not surprising that Moses gave the same excuses on these two occasions. Dear friends, whenever we face difficulties, we always go back to our own ways, right? We start to give excuses. Have you ever been tempted to give up? Sometimes, as we serve the Lord, we can be discouraged, and it is tempting to stop doing something, even though we know that God has called us to do that thing. We face a few problems, and then all the old fears and doubts return, and we start to give the same old excuses again. "I cannot do it. I'm not good at it. I don't think I'm called to do it. Maybe someone else can do a better job."

And then God will show us through His word, through a change of situation, God will bring people into our lives to encourage us, to remind us, and most importantly, through the wonder-working of the Holy Spirit, He will convict our hearts. And subsequently, we will repent and we will trust and obey Him again. Just like Moses, oftentimes we have to learn the same lesson twice or even more. If we have learned everything God wants us to know and to apply, we will not fail, and God will not have to repeat Himself. But the sad reality, the sad truth, is that we are slow to understand, slow to believe, and most importantly, slow to obey.

In Moses' mind, if I cannot get my own people to listen to me, how can I ever persuade the Pharaoh to let the people go? Sounds like a reasonable excuse. But remember, God already told Moses that the Pharaoh will not listen to him. God already told him that the Pharaoh will not let the people go until God shows His strong hand. So Moses' job was not to persuade the Pharaoh. His job was to obey God and deliver the message faithfully and accordingly. That was his job.

Again, many a time we are just like Moses. When we serve the Lord, we tend to even decide what the outcome should be, whether in evangelism, in discipleship, when we teach in the Sunday School, or whether we facilitate in the DHW classes or lead in the fellowship group meetings or teach our own children. Our attitude is, "I have evangelised to my unbelieving family members, my grandparents, parents, and children, and they do not believe."

How can I evangelise to the world? I have taught my children, and they will not obey. How can I teach other people's children? I have preached in my church, and my own members will not listen. How can I preach to the visitors? We forget that it is a spiritual work. And if it is a spiritual book, then my friends, from beginning to end, we are not in control. God alone is in control.

From the beginning, when the Lord calls us, in the process of doing His work, even the result, the outcome, God alone is in control. The one key requirement on our part is obedience. What God requires of you and me is obedience and faithfulness. What Moses needed to do was to listen, obey, and go to the Pharaoh and deliver the message according to what God had said to him. That was his job. Trust and obey. Remember, we used to sing, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way."

God wants us to respond to His word, to respond to the different situations of life, challenges of life, to respond to our services, to respond to the worship of Him, whatever be the circumstances. He wants us to trust and obey, for there is no other way. I pray that all of us will learn this one important lesson so that it will not be repeated in our lives. Learn it once and apply it. Trust and obey, for there is no other way. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scripture in Exodus chapter 6, verses 6 to 12. Help us to draw valuable lessons that we will apply into our lives. We thank Thee for every opportunity that Thou has given us to consider Thy infallible and inerrant word, Thy word that Thou has inspired and preserved for us, that we can hold in our hands, to read, be encouraged, and edified.

We pray that as a church, we will always be mindful of Thy truth, as Thou has taught us tonight, that we ought to trust and obey. Oftentimes, we always fall back to our ways and start to give excuses, just like Moses. Oftentimes, when trouble comes, when we face afflictions and trials of all sorts, we are just like the Israelites. Because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage, we harden our hearts and will not listen to Thy Word. Oh Lord, forgive us and help us always to open up our hearts and through Thy working, the Spirit’s working, that we will respond in good faith, trusting and obeying Thy precious Word, no matter what the circumstances would be. Trust and obey, for there is no other way. We give Thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. God said, ‘I will.’
• II. The people said, ‘I will not.’

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

How We Ought To Worship God

How We Ought To Worship God

Exodus 24:1-4, 7

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

Exodus 24:4-8

Responding to God’s Invitation

Responding to God’s Invitation

Exodus 24:9-18

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23