In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’ (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11). We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him. There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God - ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’ (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions - but their hearts are not in it! We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’ (Church Hymnary, 85). ‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).
The Lord Strengthens Us With His Salvation.
‘I am the Lord… I will strengthen you’ (Isaiah 45:5).
How does the Lord strengthen us? He strengthens us with salvation. He comes to us as our ‘God and Saviour.’ He calls us to come to Him and receive salvation: ‘Turn to Me and be saved…’ Through faith in Christ, we are ‘saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation’ (Isaiah 45:15, 17, 21-22). We are strengthened with ‘everlasting salvation’. We look ahead to Christ’s Return ‘in power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30). On that Day, the glory of our Saviour will be fully revealed: ‘At the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’
Jesus is our Saviour. His ‘Name is above every name’. Our ‘strength’ comes from Him (Isaiah 45:23-24; Philippians 2:10-11).
Waiting On The Lord, We Renew Our Strength.
Jesus tells His apostles, ‘the Holy Spirit’ will ‘come upon you’ (Acts 1:11, 8). He gives them His Word of promise: ‘I send the promise of my Father upon you’. He gives them His Word of command: ‘stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high’ (Luke 24:49). They wait upon the coming of the Holy Spirit. They cannot fill themselves with the Spirit. They can only ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Waiting for the Spirit, the apostles ‘devote themselves to prayer’ (Acts 1:14). They do not earn the Holy Spirit as a reward for spending much time in prayer. Waiting on God, their strength is renewed as they receive God’s gift (Isaiah 40:31; Luke 11:13).
God Is At Work. Make Sure You Don't Miss Out On His Blessing!
Two great obstacles had to be overcome - Moses’ sense of inadequacy and Pharaoh’s stubborn resistance. Moses had to learn that ‘our competence comes from God’(2 Corinthians 3:5). Part of God’s provision for Moses was Aaron (14-16). We are not called to go it alone. What encouragement there is in the support of our fellow-believers. Weak believers need strengthening. Stubborn unbelief (Pharaoh) is ready to overwhelm us. We need strength if we are to ‘attempt great things for God’ and ‘expect great things from God’(William Carey). Concerning Pharaoh, God says, ‘I will harden his heart’(21). This was also Pharaoh’s own choice - ‘Pharaoh hardened his heart’(8:15,32; 9:34). God sent circumstances into Pharaoh’s life which led him to harden his own heart by rejecting God's Word. Pharaoh’s resistance did not hinder God’s salvation - he was ‘compelled by a mighty hand’(3:19). God is at work. Make sure you don't miss out on His blessing!
Exodus 5:1-6:13
In 4:29-31, we see Moses, the elders and the people worshipping God. Pharaoh opposes them - ‘Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice...?’(2) - , and ‘the foremen of the people of Israel’ start complaining (19-21). What does Moses do ? - He prays. Notice the honesty of his prayer - he asks the ‘Why ?’question, and he protests, ‘You have not rescued Your people at all’(22-23). God gives His answer - redemption will be given (6:1,6-8). Redemption - this is God’s answer to our suffering. He gave His Son to suffer for our sins. Through Christ, we receive salvation. Moses had to learn to wait for the fulfilment of God’s promise. God’s own people were not listening to him. How could he expect the unbelieving Pharaoh to listen to him (6:9,12)? It was not easy. Nevertheless, this ‘charge’ had been given - ‘bring the people out’. It shall be done!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Look To The Lord And Receive His Strength.
The Lord gives strength to those who put their trust in Him. Trusting in Christ, we have this great testimony: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13). How do we receive the Lord’s strength? We must ‘seek His face always.’ We must not think we can face difficult circumstances in our strength. Without the strength of the Lord, we will be defeated. He has helped us in the past. Never forget this. Give thanks to Him for every victory won. As you face temptation, remember the Lord’s promise of victory: ‘God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. With the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape...’ (1 Corinthians 10:13).
‘He brought His people out with joy’ (Psalm 105:43). When things are going badly and we feel like giving up, we must remember the Word of the Lord: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10). We are to ‘rejoice in the Lord always.’ The Lord does not leave us on our own when our time of testing comes. He is there for us in our time of need: ‘My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:4, 19).
When we are deeply conscious of our own weakness, the Lord comes to us with His Word of strength: ‘My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Through the Word of God, we receive strength. His Word brings joy to us. Let us sing ‘glad songs of victory’: ‘The Lord is my Strength, my Song, my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14-15).
We Receive Strength When We Trust In The Grace Of The Lord.
In Romans 9, we read about ‘Jews’ and ‘Gentiles’. We learn about salvation. The Jews are not saved because of their nationality. It is ‘not because of works’. The Gentiles are not excluded because of their nationality. It is ‘because of His call’.
Salvation comes from God’s grace, not from our good works. It is received ‘by faith’, not ‘by works’ (Romans 9:24, 11, 30-32).
There is for us here a word of warning and a word of promise.
* Here’s the warning - You can be religious without being saved: ‘not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel... it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God’ (Romans 9:6-8).
* Here’s the promise - You can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ: Through faith in Him, those who were ‘not God’s people’ became ‘sons of the living God’ (Romans 9:26).
Trust in Christ, not in yourself!