Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 8/23

      • Deuteronomy 6:5NIV2011

  • Hard times hard choices
    It is a pretty regular situation where we hear about.
    There is so much sin, there world is such a dark place
    I have talked about it before but sometimes we need to really look at our own histories and even the Bible to get a good insight into the Darkness our world has experienced and gone through.
    Exodus 1:8–11 NIV
    8 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.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

    Too many

    Listen I wrote this slide multiple times and I read this passage multiple times and we have to have an honest discussion
    Is our Country being dangerously like the Pharaoh
    I want people to come here legally the right way our laws should be enforced but we also need to be careful about how we are treating people
    I think that is about as unpolitical as I can make it but the truth is there in scripture for us
    The Pharaoh wanted to oppress because of fear
    We are called to love to the whole world
    this will mean at times we have to do what feels contrary
    Remember what Jesus said on the Sermon of the Mount
    Matthew 5:43–48 NIV
    43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
    Oh man that last one is hard, but it through Christ that we are able to seek that kind of approach to life
    Some of us might be saying right now but we are losing our country...You are right we have been losing our country for a long time now because we have sacrificed our pursuit of this las line. following after God in our whole life
    The best defense we can have for what feels like an invasion is sharing the gospel and showing love to everyone and not being like the Pharaoh and just trying to oppress and kill our enemies.
    What happens though when we live a life that Honors God in spite of persecution and trials
    Exodus 1:12 NIV
    12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites

    God Blessed

    Despite oppression, despite, harsh work conditions, despite all that the Egyptians could have done God blessed the Hebrews and they grew in numbers
    It is an important reminder that God blesses despite persecution.
    Matthew 5:11–12 NIV
    11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    I want us to be very cautious here.

    We aren’t being Persecuted

    Christianity in the united states is far from being persecuted. That doesn’t mean there aren’t incidents that are creating problems
    We need to be careful to take on the moniker of the persecuted when we need to be reminded that things are not as bad as they could be
    This draws us back to the idea that the evil in the world and the evil that the Hebrews faced.
    Exodus 1:15–16 NIV
    15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”

    The Murder of Innocents

    The Pharaoh ordered the murder of innocent children just for being born male.
    This was a dark time in our world
    Yet, in all of this something happened
    Exodus 1:17–21 NIV
    17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

    Fear of God

    The Fear of God gave the midwives a respect of God because they knew what he was capable of
    This isn’t a fear born of abuse but of love and respect
    they were subversive to the ruler of Egypt but why?
    They recognized God’s authority over the Pharaohs
    This doesn’t give us free reign to do what we want against the authorities but it does make us realize there will be times we need to question and challenge.
    This is done with prayer, guidance and careful consideration
    Did the women lie yes, is God going to judge them for that, yes

      • Exodus 1:8–11NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:43–48NIV2011

      • Exodus 1:12NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:11–12NIV2011

      • Exodus 1:15–16NIV2011

      • Exodus 1:17–21NIV2011

Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
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