Study

Does God Really Care

August 23, 2018 by in Study

Text:

Exodus 3:1-8:

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

 

Theme:

Does God Really Care?

 

Introduction:

  • The Book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible and the second book of the Pentateuch, the five books of the law of Judaism, is the one of the primary texts of this study.
    • The Book of Exodus documents God’s leading of the children of Israel out of their Egyptian captivity, into their 40 year passage through the wilderness, and to the Land of Canaan.
    • The main character is Moses whom God chose to lead the people of Israel.
  • Moses’ life is divided into Four Pivotal Points
    • First Pivotal Point à Age 0 à The baby Moses is put into the river to be found by the Egyptian handmaiden.
    • Second Pivotal Point à Age 40 à Moses murders the Egyptian and is runs into exile in the wilderness
    • Third Pivotal Point (our text) à Age 80 à Moses is commissioned by God to go back to Egypt
    • Fourth Pivotal Point à Age 120 à Moses is given a view of the Promised Land before God buries Moses
  • In this text, the 3rd chapter of The Book of Exodus, we find Moses at the third pivotal point of his life
    • Moses called by God while tending to his father’s sheep à Moses at work
    • Angel appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, but God called from the bush à God speaking through the angel through the bush
    • Moses on Holy Ground à Moses Glorified
    • God sharing with Moses à God knows…
    • God commissioning Moses to lead the children of Israel into Canaan à Moses sent!!!
  • We are going to focus on one of the verses depicting this third pivotal point…verse 7

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry    by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

  • This scripture tells us HOW God “knows”
    • We say “God knows” so loosely and never truly understand what the entails!
    • We will now take the time to understand what it means for GOD to KNOW!!

Body:

“And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry    by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”

  • NOTE: “I have surely…” à God assures us that He knows
    • God CAN know because…
      • God is OMNISCIENT è He SEES all
      • God is OMNIPOTENT è He has all POWER in His Hand
      • God is OMNIPRESENT è He is EVERYWHERE
    • Just like we are His…He, all of Him, is OURS!
      • Jeremiah 32:38, “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:”
  • What is God’s argument that He KNOWS!
    • è God has “seen the affliction”
      • In summary, 2Corinthians 11:23 identifies our suffering, “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.”
      • God sees it all! à God is always watching us!
        • God is not pleased with what He sees!
          • On one side à He sees your lying, stealing, cursing, irritation, etc.!!!
          • On the other side à He sees our afflictions!
            • There is the reality of Psalms 44:22 (Romans 8:36), “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
            • When we say that “HE KNOWS” our afflictions, we are actually focusing on the fact that he SEES what is happening to us
              • It is like our being all the stronger and tougher when we know that our “Big Brother” or “Father” is looking. We will talk and act bad to the bully when we know that somebody’s got our back.
              • Old folks would say, “I know He knows!!” à That is our comfort!
          • As the old gospel says, “All night, all day, Angels watching over me!!”
        • YES, GOD SEES!!!!!!
    • è God has “heard their cry”
      • We often feel the question that Job was bold enough to ask in Job 27:9, “Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?”
        • Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire for change…unspoken…unuttered!
        • However, Supplication is the expression to God of the soul’s desire.
          • When we really want something from God we are first concerned about whether God hears our prayer or, more correctly stated, supplication.
          • Nehemiah knew what it meant to want God to hear him
            • Nehemiah 1:6, “Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, ….”
          • David is a primary example. In Psalms he asked God to HEAR him 23 times, such as:
            • Psalms 54:2, “Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.”
            • AND, Psalms 88:2, “Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;”
        • Although God can hear, it does not mean that He always hears (or acknowledges) à Sin “deafens God’s ears”
          • As God said in Jeremiah 11:14, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.”
          • Then it is made plain in Micah 3:4, “Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.”
          • God CAN hear, but the question is whether he ACKNOWLEDGES you and your cry!
            • Without REPENTENCE, BELIEF, and CONFESSION, God will speak as in Luke 13:27, “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
        • God will HEAR the cries and supplications of His own!!
          • Isaiah 30:19, “For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.”
          • David seals it up in Psalms 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
          • YES, GOD “HEARS”!!!!!!
      • è God does “know their sorrows”
        • HE KNOWS è God already has the information or the “low down” about our lives!!
          • As Job said in Job 31:4, “Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?”
          • 1John 3:20 reminds us, “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
        • HE KNOWS OUR SORROWS…
          • Jasper Williams used to say…
            • “Whenever a child of God cries, it is believed that an angel is dispatched from Heaven to come down and catch that tear as it falls. The angel takes that tear then up to Heaven’s laboratory and puts it under the Holy Ghost microscope.  It is believed that God finds the problem with the person and what is wrong in that life through that tear.   God then acts on their behalf and attends to their prayer so that before the prayer is even over… IT IS ALREADY DONE!”
          • He KNEW before we did à
            • Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”
          • He knows WHAT we go through à Physical vs. Philosophical
            • 2Corinthians 11:23, “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.”
              • Labor à Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
              • Stripes à Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
              • Prison à 2Timothy 2:9, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.”
              • Death à God made death a requirement in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” and it was exemplified in Joshua 1:2, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise….”
          • He “FEELS OUR PAIN” à
            • Psalms 44:22 (Romans 8:36), “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
        • GOD “KNOWS”!!!!!!

Conclusion:

  • Does God really care?

  • Don’t worry! He has intentions for you and your sufferings!
    • He wants you to make it through à 1Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
    • He means it for our good à 1Peter 5:10, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
      • Make you PERFECT à Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
      • STABLISH you à 1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
      • STRENGTHEN you à Psalms 27:14, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
      • SETTLE you à Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

  • Does God really care?

    • I know He cares
      • 1Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
      • HE CARES!
      • HE CARES!
      • HE CARES!

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