Topic: A God-Centered Message [Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 10 February 2021]

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A God-Centered Message

KEY PASSAGE: Exodus 6:1-2 | Exodus 6:6-8

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: Exodus 7:3-4

SUMMARY

The Bible is a God-centered book, with a God- centered message, for a God-centered people.

Although it was written long ago, it is not irrelevant. The truths it teaches us about the Lord, and lessons we nd in its pages still apply to us today. It’s not merely a history book, but the living Word of God that pierces hearts and demands obedience. There are only two ways to live—apart from the Bible or according to it. God-centered people are those whose hearts are bent toward God, who order their lives according to His Word, and who desire to obediently walk in His ways, fully trusting in His faithfulness.

SERMON POINTS

The book of Exodus not only tells the story of God’s miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, but it also contains an example of how the Lord worked mightily in and through the life of one obedient man—Moses.

The Hebrew people had been in bondage in the land of Egypt for many years. Moses was a Hebrew who had grown up and lived in Pharaoh’s palace until the age of 40. However, after killing an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew slave, he was forced to ee for his life into the desert of Midian.

Forty years later when Moses was 80 years old, God spoke to him from a burning bush, giving him a charge to return to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Moses obeyed, but Pharaoh responded by increasing the peoples’ hard labor.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.’ God spoke further to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the Lord’” (Ex. 6:1-2).

In this passage there are two truths that God emphasized.

• “I will.” This deliverance would be accomplished only by God, not by Moses.
• “I am the Lord.” God is the Master who controls everything. Moses’ role was simply to submit and obey whatever He said.

These two reminders are given to remove any doubts Moses may have had about this seemingly impossible assignment and to strengthen his trust in the Lord who is absolutely sovereign over time, people, and events. Moses didn’t have to try to gure out all the details regarding Israel’s deliverance or understand exactly what God was doing, he simply had to trust Him and follow His instructions.

This lesson is applicable to us as well.

We need to realize that when obeying the Lord seems dif cult or even impossible, He is the one who empowers our obedience. He is also the Lord of our lives. His ways are often beyond our comprehension, but He is always right, and we can trust and follow Him. If we rationalize and hesitate, we will step out of His will. Although obedience may be frightening at times, it is also a joy to know that we are doing exactly what God wants.

No doubt Moses felt fear as he faced Pharaoh, and the task looked impossible, but he also had the assurance that the Lord was with him, and He would accomplish Israel’s deliverance. Moses was simply acting under the orders of the sovereign Ruler of the universe who has all power and authority.

Whatever God calls us to do, He assumes full responsibility.

He will equip, enable, and supply us with everything we need to obey Him. The task may seem beyond our abilities, and perhaps we can’t comprehend how He could ever use us, but if the Lord has commanded it, He will make it possible.

The responsibility God entrusted to Moses seemed insurmountable. From a human standpoint, Pharaoh was the most powerful ruler in the world at that time, but God’s promises to Moses and His people were mightier than any earthly strength or authority.

In Exodus 6:6-8, God made the following promises to the sons of Israel:

• “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
• “I will deliver you from their bondage.”
• “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
• “I will take you for My people.”
• “I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
• “I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
• “I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.”

Nothing is impossible with God.

Whatever He commands us to do, He will be faithful to empower, and every promise He makes is true and cannot fail. Knowing this, we should be eager to obey, even if it seems impossible from a human perspective. God is able to accomplish His will in and through us as we submit and obey.

In the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh, Pharaoh seemed to have all the power while Moses had nothing. SERMON NOTES | SN190714 But in reality, Moses had almighty God, His words, and His promises, which were no match for Pharaoh and his army. God used Moses to accomplish His purpose of bringing down that powerful nation, rescuing His people, and providing them with riches and goods plundered from the Egyptians.

The Bible is a God-centered book, with a God- centered message, for God-centered people.

Both the Old and New Testaments are lled with lessons applicable to our lives today. We learn about God’s grace, mercy, and goodness, as well as His forgiveness, cleansing, and gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. However, if we neglect God’s Word and pay no attention to His commands, we will miss knowing the One who powerfully worked in Moses to achieve His good purposes, and we’ll forfeit the blessings that come with obedience.

We don’t need anything more than Moses did in order to obey the Lord—His Word, His presence, and His promises. Nor do we have to fully comprehend how God will work in our lives; we must simply trust and obey Him. Instead of looking at our own inadequacies or comparing our lives to the lives of others, we must keep our eyes focused on the Lord and His Word, trusting in His power to accomplish His will in and through us.

RESPONSE

• Do you consider the Bible essential for your life? Do you rely on it for guidance, truth, and encouragement? How has it changed the way you live your daily life? If you see no evidence that God’s Word has changed you, how can you make it an essential part of your life?
• Are you reluctant to obey God’s commands? What excuses have you made? Do you feel inadequate to do what He says? What have you learned from Moses’ example