in your Bible, Exodus chapter 1. We're going to be looking at a number of passages in Exodus this morning. I was praying, I know I'm deviating from the series we were on there in Revelation, and we'll most likely come back to that here in the next few weeks. Obviously not this coming weekend with the Bible conference coming up, but here in Exodus chapter 1 verses 8 through 14. This is just a background, and then we'll be looking at several other passages of scripture. I've entitled this morning's message, Focusing on God, Not Pharaoh. And you'll understand where I'm going with this here before too long. In Exodus chapter 1, verse 8, Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people, the children of Israel, are more and mightier than we. Come on, let us deal wisely with them, unless they multiply and come to pass that When they fall without any war, they join also into our enemies and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore did they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Python and Ramses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew, and they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor, And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. I want to ask you several questions here. What do you do when you're trapped in life? What do you do when life around you or things around you are falling apart? How do you respond to the challenges and struggles with sin and culture and potentially maybe even government. The message this morning is going to focus on handling a life falling apart or a society disintegrating into chaos and how to react. The message is to focus on handling a life and what to do with it. The Egyptians, obviously as we see here in this passage of scripture, were cruelly treating the Jewish people, the Hebrews. They subdued unto themselves. They counted the Jewish people who were as shepherds as an abomination, Genesis 46. The Egyptians went from living alongside of the Jews to a great envy of the Jews, as the king evidenced here. And we certainly see our culture and society going in direction that is very baffling. But to the person caught, this also has application to a person caught maybe in the trap of an addiction or unhealthy habit of life. They may feel helpless and hurt, maybe struggling to make it through day by day. Your mind is a mess, maybe of anxiety, fear, stress, depression, anger, and a variety of other emotions. And you may even be asking, how am I going to make it? You're looking all around you. You feel bewildered by the actions of others, maybe even your own family. And you know what our natural inclination is? To look at a microscope at the problem and focus hard upon our problem while avoiding the world going by and the God who sees the entire pictures. I don't know where you're at this morning, but one thing is for sure. We cannot focus on Pharaoh. which is representative of the object that is enslaving us or causing us challenges. We need to rather focus on the God of our salvation. I listened to a message as I was traveling on our holidays and it just reminded me of this very thought. It is so easy to focus on Pharaoh and not on God. And if you've studied Exodus or looked at Exodus for anything, you'll understand a marvelous book of God's deliverance of Egypt. And this morning, as I'm going to go through a number of chapters here in this book, we'll look at, obviously, from a more large scale, a macro scale, looking at this book in general, that God gives us some amazing truths in dealing with life. But the fact is, as a principle, do not focus on Pharaoh, but the God of Pharaoh. Let's go, Lord, and ask for his blessing and help on this time, and then we will look further at the passage of Scripture. We'll find ourselves in the next passage in Exodus chapter 5, but let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I do thank you for this day. Father, I need your help. Father, I ask that you would just direct me and guide my lips and my thoughts. Lord, I submit this time into your hands. Father, wherever each individual is at this morning, Father, I pray that you would help them. Lord, it is so easy to focus upon the pharaohs of life. And Lord, this morning is just a kind of a redirect to focus upon you. That God, you're still good and you're still in control. Lord, I ask you to do what only you can. And if there's anyone this morning that is uncertain of their salvation and their eternity, Lord Jesus, I pray that they would come to you today. For those of us as Christians, Lord, may we be encouraged, comforted, and lifted up. And so, Lord, I dedicate this time to Thee. I love You. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen. In Exodus chapter 5, if you find your next place in Scripture, we're going to look at what's going on here in the next passage. In Exodus chapter 5, Leading up to this, God had told Moses as he was out in the wilderness and speaks to him through a burning bush. God tells him, Moses, I want you to go back to your people and I want you to deliver them. And Moses reluctantly goes back. He says, God, I stutter. God, I'm not someone you want me to go. And again, Moses is much looking at Pharaoh, and he's looking at his own abilities, but he's not looking at God. Here in Exodus chapter 5, verses 1 through 15, Moses goes into Pharaoh. And verse 1, and afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go. they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness and pharaoh said who is the lord that i should obey his voice let israel go i know not the lord neither will i let israel go and they said the god of the hebrews hath met with us let us go we pray thee day's journey into the desert and sacrifice and the Lord our God lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword and the king of Egypt said unto them wherefore do ye Moses and Aaron let the people from their works get you unto your burdens And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore let them go and gather straw for themselves. In the tale of the bricks which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them. Ye shall not diminish ought thereof, for they be idle. Therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. and let their more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words. And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get your straw where ye can find it, yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. The people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw, and the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works. Your daily task is when there was straw. The officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and demanded. Wherefore have you not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and today, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came, and what did they do? And cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? What does Israel do? Moses goes in and says, let my people go. Let them serve me in the wilderness. Let us have a time apart. And we found in Exodus chapter one that it was envy, and as the oppression increased, God multiplied his people. The harder the pressure came, God multiplied his people. And reluctantly, Moses goes. And so God's message of deliverance to his people, and if you were to look in Exodus chapter 4 verses 28 through 31, Moses comes to the people first before he goes to Pharaoh, verse 28, and Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him and all the signs which he had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, what did they do? Then they bowed their heads in worship. So the message comes, yay, there's deliverance, yay, God's heard our cries. So Moses does what he needs to do, and he goes to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh makes their life more miserable. Have you ever had that in your time in your life where maybe you've heard a message or preaching or you've heard something that's really been a great encouragement and help to you, only to find out if you begin to apply these particular truths to your life, it seems like life gets a little bit more difficult. Your excitement and thanks and like, yes, there's freedom. Yes, it's on the horizon. Our God has heard us. And it's easy to preach on deliverance and freedom. But it's quite another thing to actually conceptualize freedom when you're in the throes of tyranny or enslavement to sin. The message to these people of Israel, the Hebrews, has given hope. You know what? Many people receive a message, they hear it, but they don't do it. Because few, truly, in order for them to receive deliverance, they are not willing to go through the process of attaining God's defending hand. You see, any process of freedom involves hard work and commitment. Will you commit this morning to stop focusing on Pharaoh? Whether, whatever it is, it could be whatever that thing in your life is that's creating such strong emotions. Instead, would you commit to focusing on God? Through the adversary's agenda, much like I spoke about in Sunday school, but in John chapter 10 verse 10, the thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and destroy. I'm come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. As we found in Exodus chapter 4 and then in Exodus chapter 5, and the people are excited at first, I mean they're overjoicing, they're praising God, they're worshiping the God of Jehovah, the God of Israel, He's heard our cries, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, He's heard our cries, praise the Lord, hallelujah, He's on high. But when the very fact remains, when the trials come, the hardships come, Moses says, let my people go. And Pharaoh says, no longer are we cutting the straw for you. You yourself have to cut the straw, but don't reduce the amount of bricks you're making every day. Well, they obviously do because they have to get their system in place. They haven't. They're not used to it. And then they cry to Pharaoh, it's too hard. Who should they have been crying to? to God. And it's very symbolic of what we as Christians do in our lives. Our natural position is to those who are causing increased agony and hardship on our lives is to decry those who are oppressing us. You see in Proverbs 4, verse 23, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. I have to protect my heart. And as we find in James 1, 15, that sin brings forth death. Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death, the latter portion of James 1, 15. And Satan, in 1 Peter 5, verses eight and nine, it talks about he's our adversary and he seeks to devour us, 1 Peter 5, eight and nine. So the answer to Satan's illicit desires is a steadfastness in the faith. It is trusting in God, not myself. You see, when we have an improper attitude, it leads people to deep, dark valleys where they sometimes need counseling to get out of, or where they've got discipleship. An improperly placed mind, it leads to mental instability, sometimes shame, as seen in the lives of Adam and Eve. And so many times in their Christian life, I'm guilty of this. And as God works on my heart in life, as I see things going around, I'm giving place to Satan. The way to give place to Satan in our lives is anger. Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4, 26 and 27. He uses deceitful tactics, or he calls the wiles of the devil. He uses fiery darts. In Acts chapter five, verse three, it talks about Ananias and Sapphira. Why has Satan filled thine heart? The apostle Peter would ask. An additional we find in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11 He says to whom you forgive anything I forgive also or if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ lest Satan should get an advantage of us We were not ignorant of his devices now Regards to this unforgiveness at the same time in my own heart some of the things that are going on in some of the political Situations it created some real animosity in my own heart I'm not saying I agree with it But it created some animosity in my heart and what I was doing was allowing Satan to get an advantage in my own heart I was actually just speaking with a particular pastor about a political situation. And in this situation, there's a particular politician who was standing their ground in protection of the people, but through intense pressure, they capitulated. And over and over again, we've seen this, that these particular politicians, when the great pressure comes upon them, they capitulate, they give in. And the opponents, the enemy knows that if I put just enough pressure on them, I'll get them to do what I want them to do. And if we do not stand for doing what God wants us to do, then we're not going to see the hand of God mighty on our behalf. Israel, as the increased tyranny of Pharaoh comes upon them, They should have said God give us the strength and the wisdom to produce the bricks that we need to produce What do they do? Pharaoh let us go back to where we were before Realizing that our very testimony God talks about in first Timothy 3 about particularly in a pastor that in pride is It brings them into a bad report and also into the reproach and the snare of the devil. We find in 1 Timothy 6, greed and materialism. It brings in, the adversary uses that. Debates. People eager to believe anything supernatural God talks about and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. Your position in Satan's clutches in 2nd Timothy 2 26 it speaks about and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will and Israel put themselves in a harder position as Pharaoh under Pharaoh asking Pharaoh they said listen, let it be Pharaoh it's too hard Moses is the one that came and gave him the good news. Why don't you go to Moses? They will eventually And what this does, and even in Exodus chapter 5 verse 1, we find Moses and them, and they go in, and there's a doubt on Pharaoh's heart. And then verses 3 through 7, there's an increase in hardship. So for instance, you've made the commitment, I'm going to trust God, I'm not giving in, kind of like maybe a person in an addiction or some foolish or some hard habit of life, stubborn habit of life. I'm going to praise God, I'm going to do right, and God's going to help me. And maybe you're requesting a leave or freedom from that addiction. And what happens when you try to get free of Satan's clutches? Satan begins to draw closer. Satan begins to make life more difficult and challenging, exactly what Pharaoh does. Exodus chapter 5, verse 9, we find that the people, they have a dependence upon themselves. We're going to work harder. We're going to do it ourselves. And then in verse 15, what do they do? They moan and complain. I can complain against the tyranny of government or bound in critical attitude. I can try secular programs or secular principles to seek deliverance from an addiction or some aspect of life. I can argue and complain with a boss or other workers about a situation being unfair, but the issue really is, am I going to Pharaoh for my deliverance or am I going to God? Verse 17, the response of your captor, look with me at Exodus 5, 17. Look with me at what Pharaoh's response is to the people's complaints. But he said, ye are idle, ye are idle, therefore you say, let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. He's saying you're lazy. He doesn't have a heart for him. And in verse 16, the Israelites say, There is no straw given unto thy servants. And they say to us, Make brick, and behold, thy servants are beaten. But the fault is in thine own people. What do they do? They say, It's the Egyptians' fault. Pharaoh, it's your people. So you shift the blame. You blame others for your misfortune. You attack those who present you with biblical truth, verse 20 and 21, and they met Moses and Aaron who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh and they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants to put a sword in their hand to slay us. What do they do? You attack those who present biblical truth. Some do, some people do. You're beginning, you're looking at Pharaoh. You're looking at the source of the problem, or what you believe is the source of the problem, as being the savior of your problem. The mess we find our nation in today is not, yes, they have exacerbated, yes, they have created massive problems. However, the attack is ultimately we get back, and I'm gonna talk about this tonight, our obligation as Christians Not only when these, when Israelites and the Hebrews, when they begin to complain, they shift blame, they begin to blame their Godly leadership, then they come to verse 22. What happens because of this? Moses returned to the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, ye have done evil to this people, neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Your godly leaders even begin to doubt God's direction and wisdom because of the massive peer pressure. And what this does is in the abused Hebrews, it creates great anxiety. I want you to look at Exodus chapter 6 verses 1 through 8. A little bit lengthier passage, but there's an anxiety amongst God's people. Verse 1, Thus saith the Lord unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand shall he let them go, with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses and said unto him, I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham and to Isaac and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty. By my name Jehovah was I not known to them, and I have also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Cadan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were strangers. I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant, 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, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments, and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will bring you in unto the land concerning the witch. I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it you for an inheritance. I am the Lord. You know what the children of Israel should have said? Exodus chapter four, praise the Lord, God has sent a messenger. God has sent us to deliver. Exodus chapter five, praise the Lord, our deliverance is soon coming. Praise the Lord that we will no longer be under Pharaoh. Yes, life is getting harder. Yes, life is not the way I want it. Yes, life is not in my control, but I'm going to praise God because my deliverance is soon coming. But in verse nine, and Moses spake so unto the children of Israel, but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage." They're saying, Moses, you don't know what I'm going through. Moses, you're not the one out there breaking your back every day. Moses, you're not the one that has to deal with these cruel Egyptians as they beat us and mock us and criticize us. Moses, you're not the one to deal with it. And I'm not trusting God. What they should have said is, wow, what a message. Lord, give me the strength till we get out of here. And so what did they do, verses 10 through 13? And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 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? And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel and unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. What does Moses do? Lord, I know you've given me your word, but I'm uncertain of how to apply it. The Bible says God's gonna be with me at all times. God says he's gonna help me through those times. God says he's gonna give me rest. God says he's gonna give me peace. I believe that the Bible says that, but I don't know how to apply those truths. The Bible speaks about it, but what am I supposed to do? God doesn't know what I'm going through. As a leader and sometimes even as a more mature Christian, we can exhibit a timidness in applying God's word because I'm uncertain if it'll help me. Is this really the answer? God, it doesn't make sense. And I can look at the reaction of the people around me, and fear instills, can I really trust God? And in my prayer time, I go to God, I plead for answers. And He tells me what to do, but I doubt it. Here's a quote I heard some years ago, and I don't remember who said it, but you cannot doubt in the dark what God has revealed in the light. It means when life is tough and you're unsure of yourself or the proper course, you need to continue on the path that God has given you to in the clarity of the day. If you know God wants you to do something, then do it. If there's an addiction or some struggle in your life, you can't doubt your recovery when you're struggling so much. You need to hold to the commitment you made to the Lord even when life gets tough. I can't say I'm not going to believe God. If you're uncertain whether the political or cultural environment around us is going to change, you know what I need to do? Hold to the truth that God will bring us one day into deliverance. Next it is chapter 6, verses 28 through 30. And it came to pass in the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt. The Lord spake unto Moses saying, I am the Lord, speak thou unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say unto thee. And Moses said before the Lord, behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? God, you got the wrong man. God, look at Pharaoh. He's smart. He's powerful. Lord, I'm not a great orator. God, I don't have the ability. And what we begin to do is we look at ourselves in comparison to those whom we're up against. And I find every reason why I'm unable to overcome the obstacles of life. The future looks bleak. And what do we do? We begin to live in abject slavery. I'd rather say nothing than to face opposition. You'd rather excuse our sinful thinking behavior as this is just who I am, rather than resorting to obey God's word. You'd rather stay bound in your addiction than truly face the hurdles to overcoming the harsh treatment and find victory. I'd rather complain than trust. Exodus chapter 7 verse 1 notice with me the Abba's assurance The Lord said unto Moses see I have made thee a God to Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet Now shall speak all that I command thee and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh that he send the children of Israel out of his land And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs my wonders in the land of Egypt. What does God do? God says I'm gonna be against Pharaoh God can make an individual who sees themselves as a puny, minuscule individual as a giant to those who oppose God. Notice with me, I mean, he says, I'm going to make you as a God. I have made thee a God to Pharaoh. Pharaoh is going to see Moses, who was a shepherd out in the desert, who got married. I mean, Moses was out in the desert for 40 years. He makes him seem as though he's uneducated and all of this, and Moses sees himself as that. But God says to Pharaoh, to the government against you, I'm going to make you seem as a god to them. God's not saying you are a god. I'm going to make you seem as a god. It is God that establishes. It is God that lifts up. It is God that protects us. If I look at Pharaoh, I receive only harsher treatment and I never find victory. In 1 Kings 18, speaking of Elijah the prophet, then said Elijah unto the people, I even I only remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. I heard this once said, this quote, with you and God, you make a majority in whatever situation you find yourself in. If you're fighting a stubborn habit and addiction and evil government, our obligation is not to capitulate for the battle is God's. Would you look with me at 2 Chronicles chapter 20. We'll come back here to Exodus. 2 Chronicles 20 verse 15. 2 Chronicles 20 verse 15. He said, this is, He said, Hearken ye all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go ye down against them. Behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz. And ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. And ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you. O Judah and Jerusalem, fear not. or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them for the Lord will be with you." Here's an incident in which Jehoshaphat, and I mean, they've got a very bad situation. I mean, they are overwhelmed, overpowered. Jehoshaphat comes before the Lord and pleads with God for help. In 2 Chronicles 20, verse 29, same passage of scripture, and the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. I want to ask you the question this morning, will you allow God to fight for you? God can turn utter despair or absolute famine into victory. as we find in 2 Kings 7, verses 6 and 7. I'm going to read this. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host. And they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore, they arose and fled in the twilight. and left their tents and their horses and their asses, even the camp as it was and fled for their life. And this very situation here is Israel and the children of Israel, I mean, they are children of Judah, they're surrounded. I mean, it goes so bad that even one woman kills her child to eat them. I mean, it is like they are selling dove's dung and eating it just for food. I mean, you talk about famine, it is bad. And in this very situation, the prophet comes on the scene, says, tomorrow we're going to have a bountiful amount. Two lepers, they come into this camp of the Syrians as they left, and they find all this food, exactly as was spoken the next day. There's abundance of food in the land. They went from abject, awful famine to the next day, tremendous food. Why? God fought for them. I want to ask you this evening, or this morning, what is the position of my heart and mind? Am I looking to Pharaoh? Proverbs 3, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. In the midst of our battle for freedom from sin or tyranny, our great and loving Father gives great assurance that he is still for us. He is still good. He is still almighty. Psalm 118 verse 6, the Lord is on my side. I will not fear what man can do unto me. Going back to Exodus chapter seven, God shows himself mighty through prayers and works in our life. Exodus chapter seven, verses nine and 10. Christian, I don't know why we're seeing what we're seeing around us in this day. I don't know. I'm not God. But one thing I know based upon the authority of God's word, God is still willing to fight battles. God is still in control. And my obligation is not to be fearful and fretting over Pharaoh. My obligation is to still believe that God is good. In Exodus chapter 7 verse 9, when Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you, then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Some people may seek to oppose God's actions in our lives, but obedience to God's will supersedes the actions of a wicked person, government, or addiction. and the assailant's compromise. We find that Pharaoh, in verses 14 through 25, Pharaoh's heart is hardened and he does not listen to Moses. And he will oppose us, he makes life harder for us, and you might be thinking, God, I give up. God, it's just too much. And I might even seek to abandon God because it seems like God doesn't hear my prayers. It seems like God has abandoned us. God has forgotten us. God has left us alone. Why is this happening to me, God? In Exodus chapter 8, God sends another plague. He sends first of all the blood, and then he sends the frogs. And Pharaoh makes a promise, I'm going to let you go. But when God gives a slight reprieve, what happens? Bam! He makes life harder. Pharaoh's going to give us false hope of release, but he still wants control over us. And you may feel that Pharaoh is starting to soften, or your addiction, stubborn habit, or mental battles are starting to go away, but only to find that it returns with a vengeance. In Exodus 8, 15, but when Pharaoh saw that there was rest, but he hardened his heart and hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said. Look with me at verse 20. If you want to read the whole passage, 16 through 28, we're not going to do that for the sake of time this morning, but in Exodus 8, verse 20, And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh. Lo, he cometh forth to the water, and say unto him, Sayeth the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. What do we do? Reiterate God's word, let my people go. How about Psalm 119, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Keep repeating, reiterating, God's Word is still true. And you're going to begin to see a breakthrough in freedom as you maintain the Word of God and His will for you. Verse 23 of Exodus 8. And I will put a division between my people and thy people, tomorrow shall this sign be. God says, you know what, I'm going to now just judge the Egyptians, I'm not judging you. The enemy, your captor, will seek you. And then in verse 25, and Pharaoh called for Moses, for Aaron, and said, go ye, sacrifice your God in Israel, in the land. What does he want him to do? He said, you don't need to go out to the wilderness, you can just worship God right here. What does he want you to do? He wants you to compromise. He wants you to worship where they tell you to worship. He wants you to, verse 28, he wants him to worship close to the Egyptians. Pharaoh said, Moses says, I can't do that. God told us to go apart. And as you maintain your firm resolve for the Lord, guess what? There's going to be opposition. There's going to be a desire to compromise. But you have to keep reiterating what does God's word say? There is no freedom in compromising. What would have happened if Moses said, okay, that's fine. We'll just worship in the land. We'll just worship amongst the Egyptians. What would have happened? They would have never found deliverance. The strings of Pharaoh would have still been attached. You want to give in. You want to be done with this mess. But if you give in, there's a continuance in bondage if you're doing against what God's will is for your life. There is no freedom in compromising with the world, only prolonged slavery. There is no freedom in capitulating with an addiction or ungodly behavior. You must follow God's word or face the consequences. Verse 29, look with me at Moses says, and Moses said, behold, I go out from thee and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people tomorrow. but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully anymore. Not letting the people go to sacrifice the Lord. Moses says we cannot worship in the land, you need to let us go. Pharaoh hardens his heart, verse 32. Pharaoh's not going to want to submit to God. Pharaoh, an addiction or vice of Satan or any temptation in your life, is not going to want to submit to God. Satan's greatest desire is your ruin and not your freedom. There's many facades of freedom. The government may give many enticements to freedom, but freedom is only gained when God works on our behalf, as we're obedient to him. Freedom from the bondage of this world is gained by maintaining a preeminent focus on the Lord and following His will for our lives. There's a little saying in the office where I was studying, the will of God will not take you where the grace of God will not protect you. Exodus 9, verses 1-7, there's all dead cattle amongst the Egyptians. Reiterate God's truths. And the fight to be released from bondage in whatever form will be a struggle and there's going to be hard times. Pharaoh is not my path to freedom, God is. Who is doing the work of judgment on the Egyptians? God is. Who is doing the work to deliver God's people? God is. And the tendency is to see only the judgment. The tendency is to only see the pressure on my life, not realizing that God very well may be allowing the pressure in my life because he wants to get me to freedom. As an average Jewish laborer, life was miserable and the government was extremely oppressive. If someone is bound in an addiction or habit of life, they're going to say it's too hard. But you can't give in. You can't compromise. Boils and hail come, chapter 9, verses 8 through 17. And they'll try very hard to exalt themselves against God and believers. Then verse 28 of chapter 9, notice with me here, Pharaoh's empty promise. Entreat the Lord, for it is enough that there is no more mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. says I'll let you go only to break it verse 35 we find that he hardened his heart I find also in chapter 10 verse 17 now therefore forgive I pray thee my sin only this once and entreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death only chapter 10 there's locusts and darkness the captor will let you serve God up to a point, but not all the way. He says, the men can go away, but not your sons and daughters. You need to leave your men in the herds. The men can go away. You can partially serve God. You can kind of serve God, but not all the way. Verses 24 through 26, when there is no light and there's absolute darkness in the land of Egypt, there's still lights in the Hebrew portion of the land. When there's strings still attached, the captor is willing to oblige, but he does not want full freedom. In verse 24 of Exodus chapter 10, notice with me, look at this. And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, Go ye, serve the Lord. Only let your flocks and your herds be stayed. Let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifice and burn offerings that we may sacrifice in the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us. There shall not an hoof be left behind. For thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God. I just lost my place. And we know with what we must serve the Lord until we come thither. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let them go. All of you can go, your entire family can go, but you can't take your sacrifice. We can't serve God then. Moses says it's everyone and the animals. No worship of God, not in hoof be left behind. If it's a stubborn habit, You may have longer periods of freedom, but there's going to come a time in a life where those strings that are still attached, those areas of compromise you've still allowed in your life, are going to begin to reel you in back into their clutches. And Pharaoh even displays great anger at the gobliness of Moses, chapter 10, verse 28. Look with me. And Pharaoh said unto him, get thee from me. Take heed to thyself. See my face no more. And the day that thou seest my face, thou shalt die. What does God do? The Adonai answer, or the Lord's answer. Verse 11, verse 1, the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterwards, he will let you go hence. When he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. And this is where the Passover comes into play. The world will not give in to godliness. Verse 9, Pharaoh doesn't hearken. A deliverance by God involves a full submission and surrender. The Hebrew people were to go in their house, sweep their house, keep it clean. They were to put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost and the lintel of their house. As you walked in, that sacrificial lamb was a deliverance of that house. They were to get rid of all leaven, all yeast from that house. Full submission, full obedience to God. Because anything less than full obedience would not bring deliverance. If you want deliverance, you must deal with sin. If you want freedom, there needs to be sacrifice. You cannot hold back from God and expect God to work the unshackling of sin. Pharaoh wants just one string attached. Addiction wants just one bottle, one pornographic website stored away in your house. Anger wants just one outlet for the justification of venting. Tyranny wants just one finger in your world. And if I continue to look to Pharaoh, there's strings attached in my life. You must completely remove all known and exposed sin from your life or face living under the harsh conditions of Pharaoh. The pleas to Pharaoh by Israel yielded only increased agony, but the cries to God from Israel ultimately brought a deliverer who in time would deliver God's people from their misery. You either submit to God or you stay in Egypt. And as I come to the conclusion, God sent the death angel over, killed every first child upon the house that did not have the blood applied. And then when Israel got out, what happened? Egypt, the Egyptians and Pharaoh, he chased after him to the Red Sea. What happened? God again delivered. So the question I'm gonna ask you this morning, are you following Pharaoh? Are you looking to Pharaoh? What happens when you follow Pharaoh? Only produces greater heartache and labor. You might have a temporary, seasonal time. When you follow and look to Jehovah God, it yields deliverance, wisdom for life, peace in your soul. I'm not talking necessarily that problems are going to go away, but I can still know peace when there is no peace to be had around. There is a lot going on in our country right now, and the temptation is to fret, worry, fear, stew in anger, or do nothing. All ungodly actions. I need to do as Moses did, continually look to the word of God, getting his direction for life. I need to follow Ezra's example. Look with me at Ezra chapter eight, our last passage of scripture this morning. Ezra chapter eight, verse 21. Ezra 8, verse 21. We'll look more at this idea this evening. Ezra 8, verse 21. This is Ezra. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahabba, that we might afflict ourselves for our God to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way. Because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us." What happens here? Ezra realizes we're in big trouble and we need God. Our deliverance from the vices of this life or the government bent on removing liberty is not by any human means. It's only going to come about from the hand of God. Christian, as we think about pharaohs in our life, the very things that cause such strong emotional reactions. Are you looking at the pharaohs in your life or are you looking at the God that still delivers? I don't know what the future holds for this country, nor do any of us. We do, excuse me, we do know what the end of the book says. And the fact remains that Moses looked at himself. He looked at Pharaoh's capability. Israel looked at their troubles. They looked at their problems. They looked at Pharaoh's power and realized that if we don't do what Pharaoh wants us to do, life's going to get a lot harder. So we're going to follow Pharaoh. But God wanted them to do, I mean following Pharaoh, but God wanted them to keep their foresight, their sight upon himself and that is where deliverance was found. It does not matter where we're at in life. We find freedom from the power of sin in salvation. We find freedom from the power of sin as a Christian as we look to God. Where was the deliverance had when they looked to God? God uses pressure in life to get us to see, are you going to look to Pharaoh? Are you going to look to me? Israel's first reaction was to look and complain against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It was Moses' reaction. But God has called you and me In the very fact of our hearts and minds, if I profess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, look unto me. As we come to the time of invitation, I'll have Miss Pat come forward. Christian. As I studied this message and looked in the Word of God, all too often I find myself looking at Pharaoh. I find myself in the complaints and the throes just as the Hebrew children. God, it's not fair. All the while God is working behind the scenes. The judgments on the Egyptians, the increased pressure, God was doing it because God would show Himself mighty. And this morning, as the Word of God was preached, I don't know how the Spirit of God worked in your heart, but I want to challenge you this morning. Would you look to God, not Pharaoh?