FROM WORSHIP TO WHINING

EXODUS 5
How many of you believe that we serve a awesome God today?
Ephesians 3:20, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask
or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! AMEN
It doesnt matter how strong the storm is.
It doesnt matter how fierce the winds are.
It doesnt matter how high the floodwaters are.
It doesnt matter how bad it looks to everybody around you.
It doesnt matter how serious it looks right now.
Because God is well able to meet your need in just one instant of time. He is a mighty,
mighty God.
So today we have established that our God is able to meet your needs whatever the
need is.
But what about when the answer doesnt come right away?
What happens when we get a different answer than the one we expected to get?
What happens when we pray and things get worse instead of better?
What happens when deliverance is delayed?
Why do we face difficulties even when we are doing what God told us to do?
When these questions come does that affect our view of the mighty God that we
serve?
When the answer doesnt come do we think differently about God?
Wellmost often we whine!
Read text: Exodus 4:29-31
When the word comesit brings excitement. It brings anticipation. What is God going
to do?
Why is it our tendency to whine instead of worship?
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN WE
1) FACE DIFFICULT PEOPLE WHO HAVENT HEARD FROM GOD LIKE WE HAVE OR
DONT CARE WHAT GOD HAS SAID.
A) Chapter 5:1-5
a) Listen to Moses: vs. 1
b) Listen to Pharaoh: Who is the Lord? He didnt check with me
c) Youre just wanting to take these people away from their worktake a vacation
d) Get back to work!! God who?
B) Whenever we begin to make a move for God we can expect to encounter opposition
from the enemyand often that opposition comes in the form of people who dont
know or care about your God!
a) Why is it that when we feel that we have heard from God that we should be able to
move forward with little or no opposition from anyone or anything?
C) Have you even been on a spiritual highand you go to share that with someone and

they just give you that look?

a) Or worse-they tell you how ridiculous this whole thing sounds.
b) Youll get over it soon enough
D) Remember the story of Elijah?
a) Great victory on Mt. Carmelfire falling
b) Outruns the chariot in his excitement
c) Hears Jezebel is out to kill him
E) When we run into the wall of oppositionwhat is our response?
a) Whine or worship
LETS MOVE ON
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN
2) OUR RESOURCES ARE CHALLENGED
A) Especially when they are challenged for unjust causes.
B) God Im willing to follow you anywhere, just dont let it cost me anything.
Read text: Exodus 5:6-16
C) Listen to this thought
a) You give your tithes to God and you will never be without money
b) You help the sick and needy and God will always see that you lack nothing
c) You attend church every Sunday and you will never face any struggles in your life.
d) You answer the call to preach, or to missions, or to whatever and I will take care of
you always
D) Look at this text with me
a) Acts 16: 6-10
(1) A visiona glorious calling
b) Vs. 20-24
(1) From a vision to prison
(2) From a vision to a flogging
E) Back to Exodus
a) No one was probably more surprised about this event than Moses
b) The people were just waiting with anticipation to see what God was going to do
because they had just came from worship
F) Do you ever wonder why we become a Christian, and then think that exempts us
from any further challenges in life?
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN
3) WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE STATUS QUO
A) Question: Are these people happy with making bricks.
a) I thought that this was the whole reason for these actions.
b) The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because
of their slavery went up to God. 2:23
c) read text: 5:17-21
B) Just leave us to our straw and bricks.
a) At least that is something that we know
b) At least the beatings arent as bad then
c) Who knows, maybe if we make enough bricks Pharaoh may actually start to like us
C) Do you dream about being free? Do you dream about reaching new heights
a) But to get there Ive got to get out of my boat.
b) Ive got to leave my comfort zone.
ONE MOREWE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN
4) THE FOCUS IS ALL ABOUT ME

A) Read text: 5:22-23

a) Is this why you sent me?
b) This was about strawthis was about reputationthis was about what people think
about Moses
B) God wants us to get the focus off of ourselves
a) Listen to the next verse
(1) God had to get the focus off of Moses
(2) Off of the people ability, even with limited resources, to fix the problem themselves.
(3) John 3:30, He must become greater and I must become less
Are you a worshipper, or a whiner?
Have you been questioning what God is doing?
Has your patience for God been tested?
May we return to the way we startedWhen they heard that the Lord was concerned
about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped.

Pounding us Flat and straightening us Out by Michael Whittle

Exodus 5:1-6:1
Exodus 5:1-6:1 Pounding us Flat and straightening us Out (July 11, 2004)
Introduction:
Paul Li and I had a job to do last week at my house. We laid interlocking brick on my
driveway. That was bad enough, but the really had work had to be done before the
bricks were laid. We had to dig out 11 inches of dirt. Then lay 6 inches of gravel and 3
inches of sand. Even that wasnt the worst; we had to pound it down. To do that we
had to rent a machine called a compactor. It was very heavy. About 240 pounds. We
got it and then had to figure out how to use it. First we started it. Then we tried to
move it. It wouldnt move. We played with it and found out that the way to move it was
to get it pounding at the fastest speed. It then drags you around the driveway,
pounding everything flat. If you keep your toes out of the way, it will do the job for you
with no trouble. My driveway is now finished. It did not take long, thanks to that
machine. If I had not got the machine and tried to do it by hand, I would be still
pounding away.
Need: Our lives are often like that driveway. They need pounding into shape. To do that
God allows trouble into our lives. Troubles are Gods compactors. They pound away at
us causing us to think right, live right, and trust in God right. This is very important,
for if it were not for the troubles we face, we never give a thought to God, or the
danger we are in as we live in this world.
Topic: Lifes Troubles (Exodus 5:22-23; 6:1).
Theme: God can cause good things to come out of your Worst Troubles
I. Troubles teach us the Truth about his life (5:22-23).
a. One of the most important lessons we need to learn, and it is not an easy one, is

that this life is not our friend.

b. If you have ever tried to do farming, or even gardening, you will know this is true.
To make your garden nice you literally have to fight it. To keep it nice you have to keep
on fighting it. If you do not it will beat you.
c. Living in this life is like pushing a rock up hill. You have to keep the pressure on, or it
will roll back down again.
d. Our motto should be I live, therefore, I struggle. All of us struggle. It does not
matter who we are, it does not matter how old we are, or how rich we are. We all
struggle. All living things have to struggle to survive. Darwin called it Survival of the
fittest. I would call it the troubles of the breathing. If you breathe you are going to
have trouble.
e. When we are born, what is the first thing we experience? A smack to make us cry
and take our first breath. And those smacks will continue till the very last breath we
take. Every day will bring its own difficulties. Now the fact that you struggle every day
should teach you something about the nature of this life. This life is not human friendly.
To struggle is to live
f. James shared last week about a Chinese man who committed suicide. What
happened? He decided that he was not going to fight anymore. He gave up doing what
we all have to do.
g. Nor does becoming a Christian mean that you will not have to struggle anymore.
Christ told his followers very plainly that in this life they would have troubles. Our
troubles do not stop until we get to heaven. There are some churches that will preach
that if you are a Christian then in this life you will have blessings. That may be true
spiritually, but it is not true physically.
h. Mr. Zhang (Able) was telling me this week in the car that Chairman Mau once said,
To fight against heaven, the earth and your enemies is delightful. Even Mau knew
that life was a struggle. Though I dont think it is delightful - it might be necessary, but
not delightful.
i. This life is like those pit bull terriers. The owners will tell you how well behaved they
are, how loyal, how gentle, but then you will hear about one that turns on a child and
rips it to pieces. Ah, now we see the real nature of the dog. But we should have known
it from the beginning, it was obvious. Just look at its jaws and teeth. It does not have
teeth like that so that it can eat grass. No, it has jaws like a lion so that it can act like a
lion. Those teeth are warning us that it is savage and dangerous. It is the same with
the world. We think it is nice, and gentle, until it bites us and then we begin to see its
real nature.
j. Now, the troubles you face help you to realize this.
II. Troubles teach us the truth about ourselves.
a. Talking about pit bull terriers, I think there is a pit bull in each of us. If you face
enough trouble you will see how savage and mean we really are.
b. Who are you? What are you really like? Are you patient? Are you faithful? Are you
loving? Are you courageous? You really dont know until you are tested by troubles.
When in school, how much are you learning? You really dont know until you are
tested.
c. I cannot remember much I learned is school, but I do remember something we did
in chemistry. They gave us these little pieces of litmus paper and told us to dip them in
the different chemicals. The paper would turn a different colour dependent on what
chemical it was dipped into. That is what trials are like. They cause you to go different
colours so that you can see what you really are like. Some troubles will cause you to go
red with anger. Others will turn you blue with sadness; some will turn you green with

envy, or pink with embarrassment. Some will turn you black with depression, or yellow
with cowardice.
d. But when you look at what the Bible says it tells us what troubles should really do,
they should turn us into silver. That is how you should come out. Like silver. That is
what God wants. Most of us, unfortunately, come out like Jell-O! This is what happened
to the Israelites. Instead of turning them to silver, they turned to yellow Jell-O. Poor old
Moses got the blame.
e. We once had a tortoise. The boys would have great fun holding it up to the mirror so
that it could see itself. You know what it did when it saw its reflection, it would snap at
the mirror. This is what we do when we are unhappy. We tend to snap at other people.
We blame those who are trying to help us. The real problem is ourselves.
f. The English have a proverb that goes like this: We are born crying, live complaining,
and die disappointed. Recognize that it is possible to do that but then resist living like
that. Dont allow your troubles to turn you sour and miserable.
g. Last Sunday Greece beat Portugal in the European cup. It was a shock to everyone,
especially the Portuguese. The Greeks were delighted; but the Portuguese were
disappointed. However, the Portuguese fans still went ahead with their celebration after
the defeat. I thought that was good. They did not let their disappointment spoil their
life.
III. Troubles teach us about the uncertainty of the Future.
a. We should all know that our futures in this life are uncertain, but it takes us a while
to learn it. When we are young we look to the future with optimism. After we have
been around a while we begin to have our doubts.
b. The Israelites groaned because of their captivity. The future seemed hopeless.
Finally, God started the rescue process and the future seemed worse!
c. You guys in China felt the difficulties of life there. You looked forward to Canada, but
then you arrived here and though the country was different, the troubles were the
same. The troubles followed you over here, perhaps stored in your luggage. In fact,
they seemed to have become worse. Perhaps they are acting up because they are
home sick.
d. In China, you had trouble because you had a job; here you have trouble because
you dont have a job. In China, you have trouble because people do understand what
you say; here you have trouble because people do not understand what you say.
e. How can you handle this? You must place the future in the hands of God. James
4:13-16. The Old Chinese knew this. They said that we couldnt take a single step
unless heaven wills it.
f. You say, What difference will that make? All the difference in the world. I remember
when I first came to Canada; I did not like it at all. I was home sick the winters were
hard; I could not work because I was a student, and so I did not have much money. I
had no car and so I had to walk to school. I thought that I would stay a year and then
go back to England and plant a church full of English people. Look what God did. He
made it so that I would stay in Canada and plant a church full of Chinese people. What
would have happened if I had insisted on my own way? If I had said, I dont care what
God wants me to do, I am going back to England? We would not be here today. I
would not have a great marriage and good sons.
g. You guys are over here and you are experiencing many of the same troubles that I
experienced. You have all your great plans to be rich and successful in Canada and you
are disappointed. That man who committed suicide. He was disappointed because he
lost his professional job. He would not do a labour job, and so he killed himself. If he
had been able to say, Things are as the Lord wills. Who knows what great work he

could have accomplished for God. Now, for sure, he can accomplish nothing. You are
the same. Do not think that the future depends on your plans. It does not. Your future
depends on what God will do. Get this into your mind. Then when your plans do not
work out, you can say, Oh, God has something different in mind for me.
h. It is the troubles and the disappointments that will guide you into the Lords will.
IV. Troubles drive us to God for answers and deliverance (6:1).
a. The proof of prayer lies in the answer to prayer. I have been reading things lately
that really try to explain prayer away. They say things like prayer does not change the
things we pray for, it changes the person that prays so they will be satisfied that they
do not have it. That is not true. If your baby is crying for food, will his crying make it
so that he is not hungry anymore? No, he will cry all the more. Only the food the
answer to his cry will satisfy him.
b. It is the same with prayer. If you really pray, you will not be satisfied until you get
the answer. If you do not get an answer then you have not prayed correctly.
c. There are many ways that God will answer our prayers. In Israels case, he started
to answer by sending Moses to demand that Pharaoh let them go. That was the
beginning of it. But Israel and even Moses did not like the prayer being answered in
that way. They looked at what was happening; how Pharaoh was responding and it
frightened them. They became sorry that they had prayed. The more they prayed the
worse things were becoming.
d. I have known people in this church. They are working part-time jobs; they pay to
get fulltime jobs. No sooner do they pray than they are sacked from their part-time
job. Oh, they think, What is the use of praying. Things only get worse. Well answer
me. How is God going to give a fulltime job if he does not get rid of the part-time job
first? Even God cannot make an omelette without breaking some eggs. That is what is
happening in the story of the Exodus.
e. Notice that God does not tell Moses that he will stop the troubles, he tells him to
wait and see what He is going to do. Now that is what we must do. After we pray the
troubles may not stop, but what we are supposed to do is patiently wait to see what
God will do.
f. God does not tell the trees that he will stop the wind and the rain and the snow and
the frost. He says, Be patient, and I will show you what I will do. Those trees grow
tall and dig deep and live for centuries because God does not stop their troubles.
g. Most of us never really pray until we need something. This is why trials can be
useful. They are like little reminders that we cannot live successfully without Gods
help.
h. Let me make this important point: troubles cannot destroy you unless you let them.
Your life is in Gods hand. Ultimately, only he can take your life away. It is like the
famous story of how an old man in a village once handled a group of young men who
were jealous of his wisdom and decided to trap him. The youths planned to show him a
bird in their hand and ask the old man whether it was dead or alive. If he said it was
dead, they would let it fly. If he said it was alive, they would close the hand and crush
it proving the old man wrong. They approached him and asked: "Old man, is the bird
dead or alive?" "Young man," he said after a long pause, "it is in your hands." You are
in Gods hands. If you live or die it is God who determines it not you. The troubles you
experience therefore cannot destroy you without his permission. So, do not fear them,
try to learn what you can from them about life and about God.
i. The great example of course is the life of Christ. He was known as the man of
sorrows. His life was filled with troubles, and yet it was through his troubles that he
accomplished so much good for all of us. Every hardship he faced, every threat that

was made against him, evey argument he had, every lie that people told against him,
and every drop of blood he shed on the way to Calvary fulfilled a purpose. The purpose
was the fulfillment of Gods will. And like Moses the human race waited to see this
happen. God did this for you and for me, and for all. We are privileged because we
have seen that it has already been accomplished two thousand years ago.
Conclusion:
Nobody likes troubles, just like, I am sure, my driveway did not like pounding. But if
those troubles serve to make us think right about this world, and about ourselves. And
if those troubles cause us to realize just how uncertain the future is and they drive us
to God in faith and prayer, then they serve a good purpose in our lives.
But is it really true? Will God act to work out his will in your life? Many will not believe
it. They will think their troubles are pointless and meaningless. The entire struggle is
for nothing. And there is a sense in which if your troubles do not drive you to God then
they are right. Their pain their struggles are pointless and will accomplish nothing.
Once upon a time, a man was ship wreaked on a desert Island. The Island was
beautiful. It had fresh water, fruits of all kinds, and plenty of animal life to eat. The
man thought he had found paradise, and he would have stayed on that island except
for one thing, it was full of stinging insects. Every time he went out of his little hut the
insects would come and bite him. It was the insects that made him what to leave, and
so he started making a boat, and as soon as it was ready he set sail, and sailed all the
way home. The troubles of this life are like those stinging insects. They make us
homesick for Heaven our real home. Let the troubles of this life cause you to seek
the better home that God has prepared for you. Do not be like the Israelites who faced
the troubles of this life and did not want to escape. The troubles are meant to make us
want to escape.
May we not be so foolish that we fail to learn the lesson of our troubles. May they
cause us to escape to Christ and the cross. Only there will we see what God has done.
Only there we will experience forgiveness and hope. Only there we will find a trouble
free world called Heaven.

Trouble will come in Proclaiming the Word of God by Bruce Landry

Exodus 5:1-5:21
Trouble will come in Proclaiming the Word of God
World will reject you
Your tasks in the world may seem burdensome
The people to whom you minister to may at times reject you
DBF Sunday Sermon, 8/11/02

You know as much as I love the people, land, and region of Bristol Bay I cannot stand
here and say that our ministry of bringing the light and love of Christ to the Alaska
Native People of Dillingham and Bristol Bay has been pain free.
The first year I was here, I was treated completely as an outsider, and I can
understand with the large turnover of Non-Natives why that would be.

Who can say that they will be able to make it in a Bush community?
Housing costs, electricity, gasoline, heating oil, and all basic store bought necessities
are quite expensive. Add in the cost of airfare to Anchorage for a family of four and you
have enough to buy a pretty good used car in most communities.
You see God wisely chose to allow us to get to feel and understand the reasons that
people in Bush communities feel this way. Each year as I see new Non-Natives
arrive I wonder if they will make it past 6 months, 1 year or if they are truly hardy
enough to make it two years. It is rare to find the individuals that are able to make it
three years in any line of trade, and I have been seeing that it is not substantially
different for the people that come to Proclaim the Word of God.
You see the great commission tells us:
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
[18]And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world. Amen.
You see when he sends us to teach all nations, this includes the Alaska Natives, and if
these wonderful people have a hard time believing someone who hasnt spent a winter
or two out here then we should Praise God and enjoy a time of quietness and solitude
with God, learning what it is we are asked to teach.
You see every ministry field has its challenges, its blessings, and its own unique
opportunities. Let us walk with Moses as he experiences some of these in Exodus
Chapter 5.

World will reject you

Exodus 5:1-3 (KJV)

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. [2] And
Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not
the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. [3] And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath
met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the desert, and sacrifice
unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
afterward Moses and Aaron went inWhen God sent out his Apostles, when God
anointed David King, when God appointed Gideon what were they required to do that
Moses and Aaron start of well doing?
They were given special instructions to carry out plans that would further the Kingdom
of God. You and I as benefactors of our brothers and sisters who have gone before us

have no less of a requirement in fulfilling Gods perfect plan and the words of the
Great Commission might as well start with your name because it applies fully to each
of us.
Moses and Aaron had to put aside fear, misgivings, and trust in the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
This is so easily said but we falter in this very critical area often
When a loved one says they do not love you anymore
When you cannot see your way out of a bad situation
When you are held accountable by the various authorities set above you
When you are a loved one is diagnosed with what might be a fatal disease
You see we are called to gobut the world and Satan will reject much of what we say.
Dont despair when they dothey also rejected Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and
Jesus. It does not change the Truth which we are called to proclaim when we GO.
Moses told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people goThe message
has not changed much over the past 3000 plus years.
You and I proclaim today Let my people go from the sins of worry, homosexuality,
adultery, bigotry, murder, and wanton lusts.
You see the captor is the deceiver. The deceiver comes in many shapes and sizes and in
many positions, but it is always the work of the deceiver.
God sends you and I into the lost, hurting, and deceived world to bring the light and
truth of Christ to bear and to boldly statethe Lord God saysLet my people go.
And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
You see that is the same today. Many people use the words God and Jesus in many
colorful and less than glorifying ways yet do not even acknowledge or know whos
name they use in vain. They say like Pharaoh Who is the Lord, that I should obey his
voice?
We must be bold and ready with a reply from God. You know even Pharaoh is included
in Romans 14:11:
11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to
God.
Again in Philippians 2:
9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You see the word is very plain that no matter your lot in this current world you will
stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and receive your deserved judgment
and the bible clearly states there or only two options: Heaven or Hell. This is the
message that we are called to bring to a lost and dying world, whether that is in Bristol
Bay, Alaska or in Argentina. Go ye thereforeeven though
Your tasks in the world may seem burdensome
Exodus 5:4-14 (KJV)
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. [5] And Pharaoh said, Behold, the
people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. [6] And
Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers,
saying, [7] Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let
them go and gather straw for themselves. [8] And 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. [9] Let there
more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not
regard vain words.
[10] 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. [11] Go ye, get you
straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. [12] So the
people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble
instead of straw. [13] And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your
daily tasks, as when there was straw. [14] And the officers of the children of Israel,
which Pharaohs taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded,
Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as
heretofore?
King of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from
their works? get you unto your burdens.
To whom do we truly owe our burdens?
Is it to Pharaoh?
Is it to our secular bosses?
We were given the tasks of burdens in Genesis 3 just after the fall:
16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in
sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he
shall rule over thee.
17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of
it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life; 18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb
of the field; 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.
You see when we say Woe am I we should remember that truly our woe comes from

the original transgression of our ancestry. Pharaoh or you boss today may ask you to
do this and that, and increase your labors, but they were not at the origin of any of
our labors. Yet in spite of our labors we are called to bring glory to God in all things
even in our laboring.
Let there more work be laid upon the menOften times we bring this burden upon
ourselves in our pursuit of idols instead of God.
We will gladly seek our more secular work
For a new car
To be able to afford to go out
To get a boat
Or for various other benefits that we seek above God.
Satan also calls us to task in this light. Look at all the people chasing UFOs, sea
creatures, and bigfoot. Anything that the deceiver can do to keep ones mind off of our
God and Savior takes away from the effectiveness of the entire body of Christ that is
called to accomplish Gods good and perfect will. Do not be deceived, seek God first
and foremost.
What then should we do when troubles come our way?
Matthew 6
27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 31Therefore
take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal
shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
We are to seek the Kingdom ways in prayer and supplication and follow the path that
God lights for us by and by.
Remember above all else that there is no task to which God has called you that HE is
not sufficient to accomplish in you.
The people to whom you minister to may at times reject you

Exodus 5:15-21 (KJV)

Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying,
Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? [16] 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. [17] But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say,
Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. [18] Go therefore now, and work; for there shall
no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. [19] And the officers of
the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not
minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
[20] And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from

Pharaoh: [21] And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because
ye have made our savour 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.
Then the officers ofIsraelcried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus
with thy servants? [16] There is no straw givensay to us, Make brick: and, behold
servants are beaten; but the fault isthine own people. [17] But he said, Ye are idle,
ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Woe am I, its not
my fault, my little brother or sister must have done it.
What does this sound like to you?
It is something we could call the blame game. It to started in the Garden of Eden
right after the fallEve blamed the snake, Adam blamed Eve and the game goes on
today.
This is another very effective tool of the deceiver you see. The more he can get
Christians to stop their labors and labor instead at blaming or thinking up reasons they
shouldnt be blamed the less time they will have to do the kingdom work they are
called to. Do not be deceived into playing this blame game. Remember your place as
a Child of God and remember that you are part of the Body of Christ, as such we are to
seek to be of single minded purpose in bringing about Gods perfect will.
Thenthey met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the wayWhat are you and I called to
do?
We are to stand in the way of our brothers making critical decisions that will bring them
into opposition with God. We are called to exhort, edify, have prayer and supplications
for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for those who are still in the world.
How many people prayed for you that you might come to know Christ?
How many have lifted you up and comforted you on your walk?
We are sure to come under tribulation in this world, let it not be said that we did not lift
each other up during those times.
But remember the battle we fight daily is a battle of dominions and principalities that
we do not see. You see Satan is reluctant to give up ground that has been under his
dominion, yet the forces of God are striving daily to bring the light of Christ into the
dark areas of the world. Rejoice in this tribulation that it will lead to Gods good and
perfect will.
Of course it is difficult to understand anything that we have discussed today if you have
never called upon the name of the Lord and asked Jesus Christ into your heart. This is
the first step to starting to understand the Kingdom values and truths that we are
called to live by. You see the truths of man change with every man. The truths of God
are from the beginning throughout eternity. If you seek to come to the hope of the
truth, you must start be asking Jesus Christthe way, the truth, and the lifeinto your
heart. If you would like to do this today we ask you to come forward and someone
would be glad to pray with you. If you just want to ask Gods forgiveness for allowing

yourself to be deceived and pulled to and fro we ask you to come forward, if you have
been a brother or a sister who has not stood in the Gap edifying, exhorting, and
comforting your wayward brothers and sisters and would like to seek Gods forgiveness
and renewed strength in this, please come forward.
As always we would love to pray for you, if you have any specific prayer requests
please let us know. Please lift up the Alaska Native Youth Camp leaders, children, and
staff as they meet this week. Let Gods Spirit be even more powerful upon these
children and ministers that it has been in the past and pray that God will raise up HIS
chosen people to carry on this much needed work from their midst.