Today we’re starting a new sermon series. God’s Will, God’s Way, not My Way. And don’t we kinda wish we’d see more and more of that in the world today? It doesn’t always seem to be the case. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it more and more difficult and challenging to catch, uh, the national news. It’s almost like you need those words of warning that come up when you’re watching even the news Now these days. Story is told about a grandfather with his granddaughter catching the evening news, and his granddaughter had been sitting next to her granddad and, and of course it had been another hard week in the world Violence disaster division. And at the commercial break, the granddaughter sits up, she looks up at her granddad, and she says, granddad, what happened to God? What a question, what a weight for a child to bear. And it’s the kind of question that a, a ready answer isn’t always easy to come to. And I think the truth is it’s not just a child who might ask that, but perhaps we all, perhaps you have even asked that question, what happened to God? Just yesterday, it was a gut punch, wasn’t it? To learn about the news up in Minnesota. Lawmakers being shot in their own homes, spouses, and news like this. It’s just far too common. It’s tragic and disturbing and certainly our prayers are with the families of the victims and, and the people of Minnesota. This week we’ve seen escalation in the Middle East, tensions and missiles. There. Here at home, we’ve seen reports of protests filling our streets and cities and, and yet, you know what I gotta say around that last point, even here in the us, even with all that political tension, I’m grateful to live in this country and here’s why. We live in a nation where rights like in our first amendment are protected rights. To peaceful protests, rights to free speech, to petition our government even. And those rights, they’re not universal. Much of the world does not experience this, these rights, they’re a gift. And I’m grateful. We are blessed as a country challenged as we are, and let’s not take this freedom for granted. But I think even as we look at the world and how it seems to be going south in so many ways. There’s a, perhaps a more personal question that some of us might be asking When our own life is facing challenges itself, what happens when the tension we see online or on screen moves from headlines to har own personal heartache? Beyond the debates and demonstrations, many of us are, are quietly, perhaps, but deeply wrestling with things far more personal, and it can bring us to a place like this. Where is God when life gets hard, when prayers seem to go unanswered, when the blessings dry up and the pain starts to multiply, boy, that is right where we are at in the Bible, an exodus. Chapter one. It’s right where God’s people are at. The Israelites. Once honored guests in Egypt have now become slaves and whips of crack and babies cry in heaven. Silent, and that’s this ache. It’s not new. It’s certainly where the Book of Exodus begins. And in this whole series, God’s will, God’s Way. It’s not about a neat and tidy and easy faith. It’s about the ache in life, the ache of slavery, the ache of waiting, the ache of questions. But my prayer is that even in that ache will find something even better than easy answers. We’re gonna discover a God who does not abandon his children. To remain in chains, but actually moves even through the difficulties to fulfill his covenant promises.
So we’re gonna read an interesting chapter, Exodus chapter one. There’s kind of two parts to this, so pay attention. Here we go. These are the names of the Sons of Israel. Who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family, Ruben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar, Zein and Benjamin, Dan and Naftali, GAD and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered 70 in all. Joseph was already in Egypt. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful. They multiplied greatly, increased the numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing came to power in Egypt. I. Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come we must deal shrewdly with them, or they’ll become even more numerous. And if war breaks out, we’ll join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields and all their harsh labor. The Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. And here’s kind of part two, the King of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives whose names were Shira and Puah. When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill ’em. But if it’s a girl, let her live. The midwives however, feared God and did not do what the King of Egypt had told them to do. They let the boys live. Then the King of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live? The midwives answered. Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. Yes, this is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray. What a curious account, living God of your people, and you are up to things then and with us, your people today. You’re up to things now. Come Holy Spirit and enliven our hearts to learn from your word here and to hear your word to each of us this day. I ask in Jesus name, amen.
As we begin this series, we’re gonna look at God’s people, very real people, fragile people, people like Moses, who’s coming up, and today our stars are Shira and Pua. We’re gonna see in this whole series how God works not through polished heroes by any sense, but through trembling obedience and courageous faith. And in all this, I hope we can hold tight onto the Biblical promise Red Forest in Romans eight, if God is for us, who can be against us. So as we begin here in Exodus chapter one, let me remind us of the context that Israelites, they’d gone from being in blessing to being in bondage. The Egyptians had once welcomed them, but now a new Pharaoh rules, and he doesn’t remember Joseph for that generation at all. Instead, he actually sees God’s people as a threat. So he enslaves them. He oppresses them, and then he tries to systematically eliminate them. And it is here that God’s promises kind of pulls through unlikely heroes and kind of the, I, i dunno, the original biblical version of Call the Midwife. If you’ve ever watched that show, these two midwives, Shira and Puah, they’re given this instruction from Pharaoh. When you serve as a midwife, if you see a son, you shall kill him. But verse 17 says, the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them. They refused to comply, and though their courage was quiet, it shook an empire. And even more importantly, though, God may seem to have been silent in all this, he was not absent. So here’s my first assertion. God’s promises persist in our pain. I don’t know if you noticed, but the count here in Genesis, it begins with a genealogy, a listing of names. You know, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah. But if you’re familiar and remember back in the previous book, the first book of the Bible genesis, you’ll know that this list has a meaning. These are the people of God’s promise. God had sworn to their ancestor, Abraham earlier, that his descendants would one day suffer in a foreign land, but also that he would bring them out. So here we are now in Exodus and God’s people multiplying, thriving until they weren’t. And verse eight shows us how everything changed. Then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing came to power in Egypt. And with this new ruler came this new fear that sets in and Pharaoh threatened by the fruitfulness and the increase of the Israelites. Enslaves them and forces them into hard labor. But the Bible says the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. I. Now actually that verse, that’s kingdom language. That’s covenant language. In Genesis 17, God promised Abraham this, I will establish my covenant to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And so now nearly three centuries later, here, they are multiplying even under oppression. And the more they were beaten down, the more they grew. And why. It’s because chains cannot cancel. Covenant pain does not nullify God’s promise. What Pharaoh saw as a threat was actually a sign that’s God’s promises. They don’t wither with suffering. It may look like it on the surface, but instead they grow deeper roots and eventually stronger. The Israelites, they’re being worked to death literally. But God’s word and his promises still alive and kicking, still moving, still multiplying, and it might be the same for you in your own life. You might not see it on the surface, even if the evidence looks thin, God is still at work. This aligns with what we read in the New Testament, which Fred read for us earlier.
I consider that our present, well actually you didn’t read this, Fred. This is in the, in that same chapter a bit earlier. I consider. That our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. That’s powerful. Israel was aching, but God was still at work. Martin Luther once preached this, even in suffering, God is more present than in prosperity for in suffering. We are brought to rely on his promises alone. Boy, that’s true. That’s what God was doing in Egypt. Not abandoning his people, but anchoring them to his word and his promises, and he might be doing the same for you. God’s promises persist in our pain. Second God’s people can resist with holy courage. In our text today, we meet two of the Bible’s unique quiet heroes, Shira and Pua. The King of Egypt commands them to really commit genocide. But verse 17 says, the midwives feared God and did not do as the King of Egypt commanded. I mean, think about the danger these two women faced. They were really powerless, and yet they were, they were resisting. The most powerful man in the known world. Their fear of God outweighed their fear of Pharaoh. And so Shua, they resist with kind of a, a subtle and subversive strength. And they say the Hebrew women are too vigorous in childbirth to be stopped. Was that the truth? I don’t know. Perhaps not. But it was certainly a righteous move on their part, their courage. It wasn’t in speeches being made or public protests, but it was in quiet, risky faithfulness and God’s people have echoed this courage throughout the centuries. Think earlier about the disciples of Jesus after he had sent the Holy Spirit. We met, we celebrated that at Pentecost. Now we see in the New Testament that they’re boldly told by the Jewish leaders to stop doing what they’re doing, preaching Christ, or they’re gonna be punished, and they say, we must obey God rather than men. And as Christians, we’ve seen this in the Christian Church throughout history, all but two of Jesus’ original disciples were killed for their faith by the authorities as have been thousands. Of Christian Martyrs ever since. I think more recently of some examples like Corey 10 Boom, if you’re familiar with her story. She and her family who defied Nazi laws and hid Jewish people in their homes, some of her family were lost to that Dietrich Bonhoeffer who led the underground church in Germany and lost his life in World War ii, even Martin Luther. Nailed 95 feces to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Some of our Lutheran faith documents, the Augsburg confession affirms all citizens are bound to obey their magistrates and laws save when commanded to sin. For then they ought to obey God rather than men. You do realize we here at Victory, we’re part of the founding source of what is called the protest and church, the Protestant church. It started as a protest. We’ve been counter-cultural all along, and that’s what these two women were doing, and that’s what we continue to do today. Just a little personal example, for my own life, back in my college days, I was very active in the pro-life movement in Montana, the state I was in part of Montanan’s for, Montanan’s for Life it was called. And we were running against a culture and trying to make a, a. A difference for God’s kingdom in the lives of people. I was once ushered off the grounds of a public junior high school for teaching on human development in the womb and then encouraging the students to sexual abstinence. Turns out the teacher who had invited us in hadn’t made the obligatory invitation to Planned Parenthood, and so after the lunch hour, we were courteously, but clearly escorted offsite by the principal.
Kicked off a public school ground another time. We blitzed the high schools as classes were, uh, exiting with flyers, promoting a a, a pro-life, uh, show That night on, on network television highlighting the value of life, there was only one abortion provider in the entire state right there in Billings. And I rem remember doing sidewalk counseling those days, standing on public property. I wasn’t loud, I wasn’t aggressive. I was just simply offering a better way. And yes, I, I got yelled at. Some days were kind of tough, but it was worth it because Christian protest often looks like kindness and conviction in the same breath. Our Lutheran confessions affirm, even civil disobedience. It says this, it is necessary to obey God rather than men. When the command of civil authority contradicts God’s law, and these two midwives remind us that our Christian witness, it’s not just about what we believe, but also who we obey. And these women remind us, you don’t have to be loud to be brave. You just gotta be faithful. And their resistance was quiet, faithful, but risky. They didn’t make speeches. They saved babies. They didn’t make headlines, but they certainly made history. I wanna highlight one way among many that victory is involved in this right here. In the East Valley Choices Pregnancy Center, located right here in Mesa, it’s a vibrant Christian ministry that offers women and men compassionate, confidential, and entirely free help during times of unplanned pregnancy and crisis. These services include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, options, counseling, so much more. All designed to affirm life and provide hope to people in crisis. And choices we get to support them as a church. Members here have served there even today. They do. So now, even as far back as 15 years ago, the Women’s Ministries here brought on the leader a couple years ago to speak at a luncheon. Do some of you remember that? And a woman at our table said, oh yeah, she’s, she’s a member here. I remember doing counseling there 15 years ago, and some of our people are still doing that this very day. Check out this picture here on the screen. Our Victory Lutheran Foundation recently awarded a $2,500 grant to strengthen Choices lifesaving outreach. Together with them, we are standing with women facing difficult decisions, celebrating the gift of every child, and pointing families to the abundant life that Jesus promises, this Christian ministry and us partnering with them. It’s, it’s like being a modern day, Shira and Pua. God’s promises persist in our pain. God’s people can resist with holy courage. And finally, God’s provision is already in motion. Back in our text, even after the midwives defiance, Pharaoh doubles down. It’s the next verse we didn’t read. We’re gonna start there next week, but it says, every son that is born to the Hebrews, you shall cast into the Nile. I mean, it sounds like evil’s gonna win, right? But what Pharaoh doesn’t know is that God has already begun his rescue plan. Next week we’re gonna pick up the story and see God’s hand. At work we’re gonna see a Levite woman who gives birth. She places a son in a basket in a river, and an estranged twist of God’s working.
Pharaoh’s own daughter raises this child under Pharaoh’s very nose. God didn’t just send help. He actually grew help. Inside enemy territory, and this is replete throughout scripture. It’s what Joseph meant, another ancestor to the people of of Israel. When he told his brothers in Genesis 50, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Profound. It’s what the Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians chapter four, but when the fullness of time had come. God sent forth his son the fullness of time. There had been over 400 years of even waiting for another word from God, let alone centuries. Where is his promise? Messiah. But when the fullness of time had come, God acts when the whip cracked, when the babies cried, when Egypt tightened its grip, God was preparing a deliverer and that deliverer. Would one day foreshadow the greatest one to come? Jesus Christ, who was born into suffering, threatened by kings and yet destined to save his people from their sins. If Exodus one shows us anything, I think it’s that God’s deliverance is already underweight even before his people cry out. Then. And for we his people today. Now, the greater truth, the one that we know in full is this, that God has already given us the ultimate deliver. Jesus Christ. Paul writes in Romans eight, if God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own son, but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Pharaoh was against Israel. Sin is against us and our real enemies today. Death, shame, condemnation, spiritual bondage. These are the real enemies. But if God gave his own son to break those chains, then nothing. Absolutely nothing can stand against us. And here’s the good news. That in all this Jesus Christ has stood for us who will condemn us. The Bible says no one for Christ. Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us. Jesus didn’t just suffer with us. He suffered for us. He suffered for you. He bore the whip of sin, the condemnation we deserved. He went to the grave so we don’t have to remain in ours. He rose again to lead us out of bondage, not into Canaan per se, but into everlasting life. And now Jesus stands in heaven at the right hand of the Father pleading for us and interceding on our behalf. So whatever chains you might be feeling today. Guilt, fear, rejection, failure. They do not define you. Jesus does in Him. You are forgiven. In Christ, you are righteous and in Him you are free. Let’s pray. Gracious. Father, thank you for not sparing your own son. But giving him up for us all so that we don’t have to fear, but can live free from every chain of sin, fear, or condemnation.
Lord Jesus Christ, our true deliverer, we praise you for dying for us, being raised again for us, and now pleading for us at the right hand of the Father. Let that truth anchor our hearts today in you. By the Holy Spirit, strengthen us to live in the freedom and confidence of your love, knowing that nothing can separate us from you now or ever. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. Amen.