Long Story Short 6 – Moses: Prince, Shepherd, Deliverer

Redemption Church Plano Tx

Hello from Redemption Church in Plano, Tx. Thank you everyone for joining us online. And thank you for worshipping with us in person today.

Long Story Short

Last week we talked about Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in the land of Egypt. Joseph, because the Lord was with him, rose to rule Egypt as Pharaoh’s 2nd in command. All of Joseph’s family, his father, his brothers, and sisters came to live in Egypt to escape a famine.

They ended up staying in Egypt. The family multiplied.

Exodus 1:8 (NIV) Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

There was a new Pharaoh, and the name Joseph meant nothing to him. The new Pharaoh had no understanding of his own Egyptian history. He did not know the virtuous story of Joseph, how he was a man of God, with a gifting of dreams and leadership, and how he saved the lives of many and grew the riches of Egypt. This Pharaoh did not even recognize the name Joseph.

Exodus 1:11 (NIV) So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

Slaves in Egypt

• The people of Israel became slaves.
• They were mistreated and brutally oppressed.
• They were forced to build monuments to false Egyptian gods.

How could this happen? They were the people of promise.

#1 We can’t ignore that the brothers sold Joseph into slavery into Egypt, and that this terrible act ended up enslaving all of them.

If you cause destruction for others, destruction often comes to you.
If you lie about others, it is amazing how liars often lie about you as well.
If you bless others, it won’t be long to you see blessing flow to you.

NOT KARMA – but the law of Sowing and Reaping… the law of planting seed and then harvesting exactly what you planted.

#2 God had already told Abraham that his children would become slaves in Egypt for 400 years.

On the same night that Abraham received the cutting of the covenant…

Genesis 15:12 (NIV) As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 

Slaves in Egypt

They were slaves in Egypt, but it was not a surprise to God. God already knew they would be in Egypt, and God already had a plan to get them out.

God already has a plan!

 

Because these Israelite slaves kept multiplying, the Pharoah ordered the killing of baby boys. The pharaoh thought that one day these boys might grow up to handle a sword and overthrow his reign. So, the Pharoah ordered that all baby boys found, would be thrown into the river Nile.

Exodus 2 talks about a mother who had a baby boy and tried to hide him from the guards. She was able to hide Moses for three months, but sensed she could no longer hide him.

She does a strange thing.

 -She builds a small ark – like Noah’s Ark.

 -She puts the baby in the ark, and then she puts the ark into the Nile.

No where does it say that God told her to do this… Perhaps God gave her the idea… or perhaps she just prayed that God would somehow rescue her son.

Someone found the baby in the ark floating along the Nile riverbank. It was Pharaoh’s daughter.

The sister of this baby had been watching the ark from a distance, and she runs up to the Egyptian princess and says, “Would you like me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”

The actual mother who had built the Ark, and trusted God, ended up nursing her own baby for Pharoah’s daughter. God is faithful.

Exodus 1:10 (NIV) When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

Moses – the prince

This is the story of Moses, the prince.

Against all odds, this Hebrew boy became a prince of Egypt. This slave was seen as royalty.

What the slaves experienced was far different than what the prince experienced.
Slave – Goshen   Prince – Palace
Slave – Struggle for food Prince – Never lacking
Slave – Mistreated and abused Prince – Pampered in luxury.

Although Moses was far removed from the life of a slave, he understood and cared for his fellow Israelites.

Exodus 2:11 (NIV) One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Prince Moses wanted to do something to help the abused slave. This was good.
Prince Moses decided to kill the Egyptian task master. This was bad.

Sometimes we can have the right desire, but the wrong method. Although Moses meant to do good, he did wrong.

Exodus 2:13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”

 

Your sins will never stay hidden. (Luke 12:2)
Moses’ murder was known, and the Pharaoh found out and tried to kill Moses, but he escaped to a far land called Midian.

The name Midian means strife/argument/fight… and that perfectly describes where Moses was.
When we seek to do things our way, we end up in a place like Midian.

Moses – the prince

The prince of Egypt is now called at outlaw.
 

While in Midian Moses meets a woman named Zipporah and marries her. They have children, and Moses takes on a new profession.

Moses – the shepherd

The royal Moses is no longer found in the palace, but in the wilderness tending sheep.

Some would consider the wilderness a step down from the palace…
Some would consider the role of shepherd to be a step down from prince…

But if the wilderness is where you encounter God… it is a step up.
But if the role of shepherd is a God given job… it is a step up.

Exodus 3:1-3 (NIV) Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

God is going to use Moses to deliver the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
REMEMBER – Moses wanted to deliver the slaves, but he had killed a man.

God chose Moses to do the very thing that was in Moses’ heart to do – deliver the bound.
BUT God was going to deliver in a different way… God was not calling Moses to be a warrior who would swing a sword, but a Shepherd who would lead people like sheep.

What is God calling you to do?
How might you be going about it the wrong way?
I guarantee you that God is calling you to be a shepherd of people… to lead people out of bondage and slavery and into the freedom of God’s Kingdom.

Moses, the prince, and the shepherd returned to Egypt to lead his people to the land God had promised Abraham… but there was a problem…

Pharaoh did not want to let the people of Israel go free.

Moses would need to become a deliverer.

Moses – the deliverer

God would use Moses to deliver.

God would tell Moses what to say… God would tell Moses what to do… and when Moses was obedient God would deliver.

10 times, God spoke to Moses, and ten times Moses obeyed, and God poured out 10 plagues upon Egypt.

#1 – Water into blood
#2 – Plague of frogs
#3 – Plague of gnats
#4 – Plague of flies
#5 – Plague on livestock
#6 – Plague of boils
#7 – Plague of hail
#8 – Plague of locust
#9 – Plague of darkness
#10 – Plague on the firstborn

-These plagues were a product of OBEDIENCE! OBEDIENCE BRINGS DELIVERANCE.
-These plagues denounced the false gods of Egypt and exalted the one true God of Israel.
 -The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a god. The true God plagued the Nile with blood.
 -The Egyptians worshipped the sun as a god. The true God darkened the sky.
 -The Egyptians worshipped Pharaoh as a god. The true God plagued Pharaoh’s first born.
 -OBEDIENCE exalts the TRUE GOD.
 

God delivered the People of Israel through a deliverer named Moses.
God wants to deliver people through a deliverer named… You!

It takes a brave person who is willing to obey God.

Pharaoh finally begs Israel to leave… Israel walks out of Egypt free, healed, and wealthy.

The Red Sea

But Pharaoh once again changes his mind and decides he will go after Israel with his army of chariots.

Israel is trapped at the Red Sea.  An uncrossable sea on one side and the Pharaoh with his army on the other, with Moses and the Israelites in the middle.

 The same God who spoke from the burning bush, became a “Pillar of cloud.”
Imagine a swirly cloud that becomes a tall pillar from the ground to the sky…  God Himself stood between Israel and the Egyptians. 

(Exodus 14:20) The supernatural pillar brought light to Israel, but darkness to the Egyptians.

Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, and God caused a strong East wind to part the Red Sea and dry the ground for them to cross.

Then, Pharaoh and his army tried to cross the Red Sea behind them, and Moses once again stretched his hands over the Red Sea and the waters returned with a crash and destroyed the Egyptian army, washing them away.

Moses – the Prince, the Shepherd, the Deliverer

Moses continues to lead Israel toward the promise land. God continually does supernatural miracles for them. The pillar of cloud goes with them, a rock gives them water, bread from heaven feeds them… and they travel with the tabernacle of God, the Ark of the Covenant, and the very laws and commands of God.

But what is this story about?

#LongStoryShort #AllAboutJesus

The entire story points us toward Jesus.

Jesus – The Prince, The Shepherd, The Deliverer

Jesus is the royal one from a Kingdom called Heaven.
Jesus is the shepherd who leads us.
Jesus is the deliverer.

Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16) He sits on the throne of Heaven.

Jesus is the “good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Jesus is the one who delivers us from evil, sin, and death!

 

The story of Moses points us to Jesus.

John 5:46 (NIV) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.

Where did Moses write about Jesus?

Genesis 3:15 (NIV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Exodus 18:15 (NIV) The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Deut 18:18-19 (NIV) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

Scripture goes on to say that Jesus (John 6:51)

-is that bread from heaven that fed the Israelites in the wilderness.

-is the rock that gives spiritual water. (1 Corinthians 10:4)

-is the bronze snake that is lifted up for all to see. (John 3:14)

Jesus – The Prince, The Shepherd, The Deliverer

Is Jesus your royal authority? Is he your king today?
Is Jesus your shepherd? Is he leading you?
Is Jesus your deliverer? Do you want Him to set you free today?

This is always something to pray for.

But perhaps you have never made Jesus your Lord before.  I invite you to come today and make him Lord.

John 1: 17 (NIV) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The law of God came through Moses. The 10 commandments… thou shalt not steal… kill… lie… We are thankful for that.

Grace and truth came through Jesus.  If you want truth Jesus, gives it. If you want grace, Jesus gives it.

The Grace and Truth you need only comes through Jesus today…

God called Moses, and God is calling you. Will you come?