Exodus: Going With God #1 A New King
Part 3 A New Strength - Exodus 1:12-14
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.
Prospering Under Affliction
No matter how hard the whips of the Egyptian taskmasters fell on the backs of the Children of Israel, the Bible says God’s people flourished. Do you know why? Because, in spite of it all, they were, and they still are God’s people. Despite their imperfection and flaws they were still the people of the covenant. Despite their apathy they were still protected by the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Despite their sin, they were still the people of God that will rule the earth with their Messiah as prophesied in the Covenant of David. They are God’s people, and He will not forget nor forsake them.
Isaiah 49:14-16 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. (The Lord answers) 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…
Isaiah 54:8-10 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
Suffering, slavery, and even sin cannot undo God’s love for His own. Those things cannot make God forget His covenants with Israel, nor His promises to those He has called to be his own. He is the eternal God and His promises are eternal promises.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
1 Samuel 15:29 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Protection In Affliction
Israel has endured untold, endless and merciless persecution and yet Israel still stands, and we rejoice with them because the same God who protected Israel in Egypt, is the same God who is protecting the true church today. God’s covenant with the Abraham, will never be broken and God’s new covenant will never be broken.
Just as Israel in Egypt continued to flourish even under the burdens and lashes of the taskmasters, the Lord churches today grow and strengthen even as the persecution of the Satan and his minions increases.
Christian Persecution Today
It is easy for us in the United States to miss the fact that the greatest persecution in the world today is poured out on Christians, while Jews are the second most persecuted.
In 2019 According to Open Doors USA, an average of 105 churches are burned or attacked every month. That is more than three per day, and almost all of those attacks get ignored by the mainstream media in the western world. In addition, an average of 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons every single month.
And even though the persecution of Christians is more widespread outside the United States, we are no immune. Here is a short list of the church shootings that have occurred since 1999 in our nation.
Over 23 church shootings since 1999
1999 Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas
2001 Greater Oak Missionary Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
2002 Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Lynbrook, New York
2003 Turner Monumental AME Church in Kirkwood, Georgia
2005 Living Church of God in Brookfield, Wisconsin
2005 World Changers Church in College Park, Georgia
2006 Zion Hope Missionary Baptist in Detroit, Michigan
2006 Ministry of Jesus Christ Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2007 First Presbyterian Church in Moscow, Idaho
2007 First Congregational Church in Neosho, Missouri
2007 New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado
2008 First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois
2009 Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas
2012 World Changers Church in College Park, Georgia
2015 Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina
2017 Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee
2017 First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas
2017 St. Alphonsus Church in Fresno, Texas
2019 West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas
2022 The Church In Sacramento in Sacramento, California
2022 Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California
2022 Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa
2022 St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama
2023 Covenant Presbyterian Church and School Nashville, TN
Churches Burned - When churches are not killing fields they are often targets of hatred in the form of arson. Back in 2015 It was estimated that half of all church fires were arson. Some deranged Satan inspired soul, hated the Lord’s church so much that they could not even stand to see the building.
During the 2020 Black Lives Matter and Antifa Anarchist riots churches were burned and vandalized in cities all across the nation. It made little news in the midst of all the other destruction, but understand the radical Marxist leaders of BLM and Antifa hate Christianity as much as they hate the police.
Shaun King on the most influential leaders of the BLM movement made this statement on social media for all the world to read, “Yes. All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down. They are a gross form of white supremacy. Created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down.” And come down they did during the riots.
East Texas Church Burnings - And lest we think those things only can happen in big cities or outside the Bible Belt, do you remember 2010 right here in East Texas? Here is the list of churches burned by just two individuals.
January 1 – Little Hope Baptist Church, Canton
January 1 – Faith Church, Athens
January 12 – Lake Athens Baptist Church
January 12 – Grace Community Church, Athens
January 16 – Tyland Baptist Church in Tyler
January 17 – First Church of Christ, Scientist in Tyler
January 20 – Prairie Creek Fellowship of Lindale
February 4 – Russell Memorial United Methodist Church in Wills Point
February 8 – Dover Baptist Church outside Lindale
February 8 – Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church, on CR 426 near the Smith-Van Zandt county line
And in 2020, it was not arson or gunmen that shut down our churches it was our own Federal Government. At first this seemed reasonable, even wise but in many cities when the lockdown just dragged on and on, churches had enough and they began to meet again. When that happened, many pastors were threatened with arrest and many were arrested, some right in the church building others in the street after services or at their homes. Churches were padlocked and in one liberal city, the mayor ordered the city workers to fence in the church so that no-one could even get into the parking lot.
Just last year in 2022, 25-30 FBI agents arrested Christian pro-life activist Mark Houck after storming his home with holding automatic weapons, helmets and body armor. The rifles were pointed at the man and his wife in front of their young children. Mark Houck was arrested. His crime? Praying at an abortion clinic when a man accosted Marks 12 year old son and his dad had to intervene between the man and his son, the man was knocked down and filed charges, which the local police refused to act upon. Good thing the FBI decided to rectify that omission. He was acquitted in January of this year, if he had been convicted he faced 11 years in prison.
In England, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, the director of the U.K. March for Life, has been arrested twice since December of last year for daring to silently pray in front of an abortion center. She was acquitted both times but the second time told by the court not to come back.
What is the result of all this persecution?
Have the people of God, the church of Jesus Christ given up? Have they walked away? Have they decided that it’s just not worth it? You know the answer because you are living the answer right here this morning. Just as the Children of Israel could not be defeated by Pharoah’s taskmaster’s, the church of Jesus Christ will not be defeated by Satan’s taskmaster today. No matter how high in authority they sit in our school boards, cities, state, and federal legislatures or even in the White House.
The true church will not be conquered, cowed or coerced because we stand on the promises of our founder and protector, Jesus Christ. We know the promise He made to us. "…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
We know just as surely as Paul knew and told Timothy in his epistle, 1 Timothy 3:15 “the house of God, …is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” It will not cease until the Lord calls us to Himself when He prepares to return in glory and power.
