SAVED BY GRACE
NO COMPROMISE
Exodus 10: 26
Sermon By:
Rev. P. den Butter
PUBLISHED BY
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA
(December 2004)
No Compromise
Sermon by Rev. P. den Butter
(September 14, 2003 AM)
LITURGY
Votum and Salutation
Psalter: 250: 1, 2, 3
Law
Psalter: 289: 12, 13, 15
Scripture: Exodus 8: 25-32 & Exodus 10: 7-11, 24-29
Text: Exodus 10: 26
Pastoral Prayer
Offertory
Psalter: 420: 3, 6
Sermon: No Compromise
Psalter: 365: 3, 4
Prayer
Offertory
Psalter: 376: 3, 4, 6
Benediction
Doxology: 13: 7
No Compromise
Congregation, God brought Moses and his brother Aaron to go to Pharaoh and in the name of the Lord, Moses had to say to Pharaoh, in plain language, “Israel is my first- born. Let my son go that he may serve Me.” God claims the people of Israel to be His. They are suppressed. They are in a position of being slaves. They are treated like slaves. They are in a very miserable condition and yet….God says, “They are Mine. These people are my son,” and God wants this son to be free. Israel may no longer be under the tyranny of the Egyptian monarch, Pharaoh. Israel must go free! And the Lord is fully determined to deliver His people from Pharaoh’s cruel tyranny. But…when Pharaoh heard the word of God, spoken my Moses, he hardened his heart and he said, “Who is the Lord? Who is Jehovah that I should obey Him? I serve my other gods; my own gods! I am not going to let Israel go because Jehovah says I should!” Pharaoh does not at all agree. The only thing he does is aggravate the burdens of Israel so that he makes their situation even more miserable and instead of deliverance there is even more cruel bondage! However, the Lord is fully determined that His people shall go free and the Lord will attain His goal. How will the Lord that? By breaking Pharaoh’s will and by putting so much pressure upon Pharaoh and upon his servants that at last they will be found on their knees begging the children of Israel to PLEASE leave the country. They will supplicate Israel that they will be gone. And so, the people of Israel will depart out of Egypt laden with silver and with gold.
There was a time when everybody was against Israel and whoever could speak against Israel, did so. They were slaves and they were treated like that BUT the day is coming, according to the Lord’s promise, that not even a dog will move his tongue against them. Even the dogs of Egypt will be under God’s control. The dogs will not even dare to bark when Israel leaves Egypt. Then the promise will be fulfilled; the promise spoken by Moses in the name of the Lord in his last encounter with Pharaoh; the promise that not even hoof shall be left behind. God will deliver His people. He will redeem them and He will fully, completely and totally redeem them. However, it is not going to go in a very easy way; in fact it will be a long way before, finally, the people of Israel will depart.
You know, of course, that the position of Israel, in Egypt, is often understood as being also an illustration of how it is with a sinner as long as he is under the power of the hellish Pharaoh: the devil. And the deliverance of the people of Israel from under the bondage of Pharaoh is often seen as an illustration of what happens when God delivers His people from the power of the evil one. There was much opposition against the deliverance of Israel and so there is also much opposition against the redemption of a sinner by God. Satan and all his hordes are always occupied and busy with putting all sorts of obstacles in the way. Not only all sorts of obstacles but the means used by the devil most often is the instrument of making compromises. Often the devil tries to make an effort to drive a bargain with God and so make a compromise. Satan tries for a long time to keep sinners away from the way of salvation. When finally the Lord is overcoming the devil’s powers Satan will try to do as much as possible to compromise……for he is not willing to give up those that under his control. Certainly he is not willing to give them up. He has them in his power because they have fallen into sin and because of the continual corruptness of their own heart. So, the devil seeks to control and to keep on controlling all their lives. But…..finally when the Lord is determined to rescue such a sinner, the Lord will be able to do what He planned to do.
Pharaoh was also very reluctant to let the people of Israel go. Many a time he has, to a certain extent, promised that he would consider the possibility of letting them depart but again and again he hardened his heart. So, the Lord came with one plague after another. And now when we come to our text, particularly in Chapter 10, we are informed of what has happened after the ninth plague; the plague of the thick darkness. Thick darkness had come upon Egypt for 3 whole days!! The thick darkness was so…..thick that nobody could rise from his place during all of these 3 days. Think of it! Nobody was able to rise from the chair where he was or from another place that he was sitting for three whole days. Terrible! A very terrible thing indeed! Well, as a result of this plague Pharaoh seems to be willing to let the people go and to comply with God’s demands. But when we read, very carefully, verse 24 of this chapter we are informed that what Pharaoh, all this time, is proposing is not really any different than a compromise. And it is not the first proposal to compromise. Moses has said, “In the name of the Lord, let my people go,” and Pharaoh has already said a few times, “I will let them go UPON one condition” and then he made the counter proposal and so he is doing this here also. But the answer from Moses is clear for there cannot be a compromise. The Lord never makes a deal with Pharaoh. Israel will be completely delivered; not a hoof shall stay behind.
And to understand what this means, it is, I believe, very wise to consider for a moment the first, the second and the third compromise he has made already. The first time when Pharaoh seeks to compromise we find in verse 25 of chapter 8. Please turn with me to that portion of the Word. “Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.” This is after the fourth plague; the plague of the swarms of flies that have come upon Egypt, into the palace of Pharaoh, into the houses of all the Egyptians. It was another terrible plague. Is says that the land was corrupted and that it was destroyed by reason of the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and he shows a certain willingness to do what the Lord has told him to do. Moses demanded that Israel should go free; to be able to serve the Lord. Pharaoh is willing to allow them to serve the Lord. He is willing to give them an opportunity. They may have a few days off. They may have some holidays in which they do not have to make bricks and these holidays may be used, by the people of Israel, to serve the Lord. The only condition is……..that they stay in the land!! The Lord says, “Let my people go that they may serve Me.” Pharaoh was willing to comply with the second command that they should serve the Lord but he does not agree with the first command of “Let my people go.” Pharaoh thinks, “If they would so like to serve the Lord…well, I’ll let them do so BUT let them do so here in the land. They may not leave!” He will not obey God’s command to let the people go.
Moses refuses. He says, “Impossible! We have to go! We have to depart! We have to make a three days journey into the wilderness. That is God’s command and nothing less than obedience to that command will do.” Well, something similar happens when God delivers sinners. The same applies to man’s condition: A slave to sin and to him the call comes; depart……depart! God calls the sinner to go out and to be free but Satan is not willing to allow them that liberty. Satan tries to keep hold of them and so he makes compromises. Satan proposes, “Well, if you please to serve the Lord, that is fine but do it here. Do it in the land. You do not need to go out of the world. You can serve the Lord if you so please but you can do it in the world as well. If you would like to serve the Lord and be a Christian….well fine….go ahead. I will not deny you the right to serve the Lord as you please. I cannot deny that one must be a Christian but one can be a Christian and still remain in this world and continue to live in sin.” Can you tell me in how may cases Satan has been successful by proposing this compromise?
Are there not many, especially in our days, and maybe also especially in our society, our western societies, that want to be Christians, want to be able to claim to be believers, who however, do not serve the Lord so precisely. And of these is cannot be said that they are living in true consecration to the Lord. Some may even make big statements and claim to be believers. They say they are the children of God and that the love the Lord and so on but their life does not give any evidence that they really love the Lord! Their life gives the evidence that they are friends of the world!! What they enjoy…..is not the Word of God and reading the Word of God but what they enjoy are the pleasures of this life. In many cases even sinful pleasures. They are of the opinion that one can serve the Lord any way; “but ye can do it in the land” exactly as Pharaoh suggested and exactly as the devil suggests. We cannot be too particular can we? We should not be too……precise. We can keep company with the people of God but why should be not at the same time to keep company with the world. Is that really a possibility in the light of what God has revealed? Is it possible to serve God but to do it in the world?
Moses flatly refused to accept this compromise and the Bible tells us clearly that it is NOT possible to serve two masters; God and the mammon. We may try to serve God and yet live in the world but the Bible then tells us and listen carefully to these very plain statements; “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” Another statement from God’s own Word is, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Well, that is plain language. Then why is it that so many ignore these words from the Bible, as if God has never spoken them? Why, then, are there people that go as far as they can to the border line and yet keep up hope? No, this compromise will not work. We should, with Moses, flatly refuse this compromise when it is suggested to us by the devil.
Then, there was another one. The next compromise made by Pharaoh at the same occasion. He first proposed that Israel should go to serve the Lord and to do it in the land of Egypt and when Moses refused to do so, then Pharaoh said to Moses, “Well, OK. You say that you have to go out, that you have to journey into the wilderness for 3 days. Alright.” In verse 28 it says, “I will let you go that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness only ye shall not go very far away.” Pharaoh said, “You may go. You may leave the land for a little while but do not go too far. Do not go very far away. If you go, stay at a close distance.”
And again Moses refuses. He does not even say that he refuses. He does not even care to give an answer to that proposal. Again, I must say, this compromise of Pharaoh is often used by the devil too. When a man begins to understand some of his position; that he is called upon to serve the Lord; that he must be in earnest about his soul and his soul’s condition; when he, for that matter, begins to inquire about the things of God; Satan is often very much willing to let him go…….a short distance. He allows that man to sit under the Word, the preaching of the Gospel. He allows him to listen to what the Lord has to say and then Satan comes and tells him, “Well, things are a little different already in your life, are they not? You have changed some habits. You have given up some evil habits. You are a regular church attendant now. You are quite a different man already! You are really a Christian! Should that not be enough?” And again, many believe the devil and his compromise. They have gone so far that they think that some religion will do; some religious duties will do. They do not go all the way. They just go a little way but that is enough. Don’t go too far! And if you would like to be a Christian, if you would like to be religionist……fine…..but keep that religion as a private matter; keep it to yourself. Do not make it public.
So, there is another category of Christians, that call themselves Christians but when you look at their lives; they hardly ever speak a word about the Lord. They have gone only a little way. Now, of course, is this satisfactory? Is this what can content the Lord or does the Lord expect and demand from a sinner that he fully breaks away from Egypt and that he is completely dedicated to the Lord and his cause? Do you think that the Lord would ever be pleased with half of our heart; half of our will and half of our mind and with some efforts? If you never understood that the Lord asks or the whole heart and for the whole will and for all of our strength and that all of our soul has to be devoted to the Lord and His honor. Half-hearted religion is not pleasing to the Lord. He wants ALL of it or none of it. He wants a complete breaking away from Egypt or you can, as far as that goes, stay in Egypt.
And then, Pharaoh makes a third proposal. Now, we come to chapter 10 verse 8 & 11 and this is after the 7th plague; the plague of the hail. And after that plague, even only if it was announced that another plague will come, Pharaoh’s servants will begin to be so….. desperate that they say to Pharaoh in verse 7, “Well Pharaoh, well King, it is about time that you now begin to listen to that man Moses otherwise he will become a snare to us. Let those people go that they may serve their God; that they may serve Him in the wilderness otherwise we will end up with an entirely destroyed country.”
And then Moses and Aaron are brought again to Pharaoh and Pharaoh says to Moses and to Aaron, “Go, serve the Lord your God but first tell me who are they that will be going?” Then Moses tells the Pharaoh that they will all go. “We will go with our young and we will go with our old, we will go with our sons and we will go with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.” Then Pharaoh says, “Not so. I will allow you to go but only your men. You will see this in verse 11, “Go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord for that ye did desire.” In other words, let the men go. Let the women stay. Let the children stay. Let the cattle stay.
Why? Well of course, Pharaoh was sure that if the men went for a little while, while their wives, children and possessions stayed behind…..they would return as well. You can see that of course. So, Pharaoh has gone a little further yet but is this compromise acceptable? No, it is not….for God’s demand is that they ALL shall leave; not only a part of the people but the whole nation. God is not willing to make this deal with Pharaoh either. He is not willing to make ANY deal.
This is another compromise tried by the hellish Pharaoh. Satan suggests to many, “OK, if you would like to be religious, that is fine but keep it to yourselves. Do not make it a matter of the family. Do not worry your wife with it. Do not say anything to your husband about it. Keep it for yourselves. Be religious, be a believer but do not bother further anymore. Keep your religion in private. Do not make it a matter of the family.” And so, there are many that think this is pleasing in God’s sight. If they are only obeying Him to a certain extent then they will not bother their family with it. Their family life is completely different from the family life of a man of the name of Joshua, for instance, about whom we read, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Pharaoh says, “Let your children stay behind. Let your wives stay here.” Moses says, “No, we will ALL go. We will go with our wives. We will go with our children.” Satan says, “Let your children stay here.” Many a parent does not take the stand Moses took. Many a parent agrees, “Let your children stay here.” They show that they have made that choice by allowing their children much more than is good for their souls. They easily give in! They hate the trouble of saying NO and refusing them certain things!
So, the child is allowed to do all sorts of things that can never be condoned by the Lord. The parents say well, “You cannot always say no. You cannot always forbid them.” In the meanwhile the child stays in the world and is allowed to follow the pattern of Egypt. Would that satisfy the Lord? Do not believe it!! Those who accept this compromise are sadly mistaken.
Then, Pharaoh comes with his final proposal. This is what we read in verse 24 of chapter 10. “And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: Let your little ones also go with you.” So, what he first denied, what he first refused; that the little ones would not go, he now allows but the condition is this time; let the cattle stay behind. And we can easily see what is behind this proposal because even if the people, ALL the people, will go and if they know and realize that their possessions are still in Egypt, then finally……of course, after having served the Lord for a couple of days in the wilderness, they ALL must return and they will come back voluntarily. Again Moses refuses and he says, “No, no Pharaoh, this is not possible either! For when we go we must serve the Lord and we must serve the Lord by bringing sacrifices and we do not yet know completely what the Lord will demand from us and what kind of sacrifices He is expecting from us. It is certain that we must sacrifice from our cattle in the service of the Lord SO our herds must go with us as well! Not a hoof may remain behind!!”
And here again, we have a compromise that is often suggested by the devil. First, he tried to keep the children behind. That was a terrible trick and many a child, in this way, is sacrificed to the modern idols. Now, he tries to make man believe that one can serve God and leave his possessions in the world. That means that he tries to make us believe that it is sufficient when we serve the Lord with our heart and it is no matter of any concern if we serve Him with our money. If we only serve Him with our soul well, that is satisfactory and the rest is of no importance and your possessions you may use at your own convenience. They can stay behind. And so, many a man who has made a promising start, so to say, who has started out alright and who gave evidence of being really concerned about matters of life eternal, for the love of money and for a good job and things like that…..have returned because they have left something behind. Think of Demas. What a promising man he was; a co-fellow of the apostle Paul; a co-preacher of the Gospel in the days of the Apostles. What a promising man……..BUT he loved the world and he returned to the world.
Think of Lot’s wife. She was delivered out of Sodom together with her husband and their daughters BUT there was something she left behind; cattle….a house…jewelry, money and she looked back. What a terrible death!! She turned into a pillar of salt!
Congregation, let us be aware of these compromises. They are deadly dangerous! Do not listen to the voice of Pharaoh for he only aims at our destruction. When the Gospel comes….believe it and obey it and pray and pray that God will give the power of His Spirit that we may indeed “go out” and be free and that Satan will not have any success in keeping us back in what ever way; that we may “break away” completely from his government and his dominion.
In the light of ALL of this, congregation, in the light of ALL these failures, of ALL these people that have compromised, of ALL these people in whose life the devil has been successful; in the midst of all these disappointing experiences, people that have gone out a little way, people that have tried to serve the Lord in the land; people that leave their wives and their children behind; people that leave their possessions behind;….. in the midst of ALL these failures, for they are ALL failures, God has revealed a rich Gospel promise. He has promised a promise of FULL redemption for ALL those whom He has chosen and whom He loves and whom He is determined to deliver. He has promised a FULL deliverance, not a partial deliverance. No, God is not satisfied with a partial deliverance. He did not send Moses to Pharaoh to ask from Pharaoh that Pharaoh would make the tasks of the people of Israel a little less heavy……and that he would make the whip a little less cruel and that he would put some kind of taskmaster over them. No, no!! The Lord demanded, “Let my people go!” So, the Lord is not satisfied with the partial deliverance of any sinner as if He would have sent the Lord Jesus into the world to make people less miserable and to make them a little less sinful. No! He has sent His Son into the world to put ALL their misery right away and to put ALL their sins completely away! Salvation…….God’s Salvation is always a perfect salvation!
Pharaoh was not willing to obey the Lord and there are many people that are not willing to obey the Lord to the full, either. And even when God is determined to deliver a sinner….that sinner is in danger of falling into the snares of compromises.
Have you never experienced that in your own life? Have you never experienced that you are inclined to listen to the suggestions of the evil one. Yet, when God is determined to save such a sinner He is determined to do so even if it may cause unrest in his life. The Lord creates unrest. The Lord takes away man’s rest. It is as if some of the plagues of Egypt fall upon us. It is as if the frogs have entered into our bedroom and we cannot get any sleep anymore. Or, it is as if flies have filled our houses and we cannot be at ease anymore. Or, it is as if some “gloom” falls upon all what we have formerly loved or liked and we cannot love it anymore and we cannot like it anymore. It is as if a thick darkness falls upon us. All these things are intended, only by the Lord, to make us aware that we have to come; that we have to depart; that we cannot stay in Egypt; that Egypt is a dangerous place; that Egypt is the way of perdition.
And so, finally, the Lord, when He reached His goal, He brings His people “out” and He delivers them. He delivers them, FULLY.
However, I must say one more thing. As long as we are in this life, that FULL deliverance is still something that will be attained in the future. As long as we are in the body of this death deliverance, in a certain extent, is experience as being partial. Remember, for instance Paul, nobody questions whether Paul was a real believer; whether he was a redeemed sinner. We are all convicted that the work of the Holy Spirit in his life was genuine to the core. Now, hear that man speak about his own experiences; speak about deliverance and the redemption he has experienced. And what does he say? Listen for a moment to what he says in Romans 7 and there you will find that Paul is not content with what he is at that moment. He would like to serve the Lord without any flaw; perfectly…..but he cannot! He is not able to do it. He would love to give the honor of the Lord, which is due unto him, but he feels shortcomings. “When I will do good, evil is present with me. How to will….he finds. How to do…..he finds not.” And Paul was not an exception here. Everyone who is truly turned to the Lord, everyone who is truly graced with the mercy and the grace of the Holy Spirit, he realizes that as long as he is on this earth his obedience is a partial one. His faith has many failures. His conversion…there is much lacking. The deliverance is only partial so far.
Sometimes Satan is powerless because the Lord makes Satan powerless. At other times it seems that Satan has regained so much power again. At certain times sin seems to have lost ALL its attraction and then again we find that sin is so…attractive again.
Deliverance is not perfect. Sometimes we feel delivered and “free” to bring praise and honor to the Lord and at other times we feel, again, how far we come short. There are even times in this life, as there was in the life of the children of Israel, after they have gone out of Egypt and when they were wandering in the wilderness, times that they wanted to return. You hear them speak about the cucumbers and about the fishes they were eating in Egypt and they longed to have these cucumbers and these onions again. That tells us that the life of God’s children is by far not perfect. To say it with the words the apostle Paul used, “There is always this war going on; this fight going on between law and grace; between sin and grace.”
But now, in the midst of all of this, listen to God’ precious promise. Moses is encouraged by what the Lord has promised him and what he may say in the presence of Pharaoh which is these very comprehensive words, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.” In other words, nothing that belongs to God’s people will remain in Egypt. Nothing that belonged to the people of God will remain under the dominion of Pharaoh. So, it is spiritually as well. Whatever the Lord Jesus has bought with the price of His blood, or to say it differently, whatever has been loved by God the Father for ALL of eternity, because He loved them, He chose them. Whatever the Father has given unto the Son and entrusted into His care, whatever Father, Son and Holy Spirit have loved with an eternal love; it still is under so much of the power of sin and it still is often influenced by the tricks and the strategies of the evil one. BUT….the Lord says, “Not a hoof can stay behind.” Finally…, when I deliver them I deliver them to the FULL; the WHOLE man: the WHOLE man in the life of any true believer shall be redeemed.
Now, there may be sin remaining and that may plague us, that may dissatisfy us, and it may make us weep at times, but there is a time coming when all that is imperfect now, will be gone. Now, there may be many a corner of our heart which is filled with sinful inclinations but the time is coming when every corner of the heart and every particle of the soul will be given to the Lord. “Not a hoof shall stay behind.”
And in whose life is this true or will this be true? In the life of those who have learned to obey; “Depart!” In the life of those that have learned to no longer compromise; in the life of those that have learned that God is worthy to be honored and to be served with the whole heart and with the whole soul. No, that have not attained to that during their earthly pilgrimage but they will attain to perfect salvation. The whole heart and the whole soul and all of our strength, finally, will be delivered from all that is sinful and that is evil and it will finally be dedicated to the honor of God’s name.
To be more specific: now the tongues, even of those that truly fear the Lord, now the tongues are not always willing to speak the praises of the Lord. Shall these tongues stay behind? No! Now, their feet are not always willing to run in the path of obedience. Shall these feet stay behind? No! Now, the hands are not always willing to do the Lord’s work and to serve Him. Will these hands then, stay behind? No! Not our hands. Not our feet. Not our tongues. Not our mouth. “Not even a hoof shall be left behind.” I believe this refers to man’s body as well. At death, the soul of God’s true children enters into glory, to be united with Christ the Head, forever. But, the body is buried. Shall the body then stay behind? Shall the body miss out as far as eternal salvation is concerned? Shall the body be lost and only the soul be saved? No, “not a hoof shall be left behind.” Also, the body shall be raised incorruptibly. When the trumpet sounds the graves will be opened and the bodies of those that died in the Lord will be raised incorruptibly and united again with their souls. They will be completely and fully redeemed. And what is true for every individual believer is also true for the church as well and for ALL God’s people. They may be small or great. They may be weak or fearful or whatever. They will ALL be redeemed for “Not a hoof shall be left behind.”
Congregation, where are you at this moment? Where are you at this point in time? What condition are you in? To what compromise are you listening to? In what way did you compromise so far? STOP IT! STOP IT!! FULLY agree with God’s command; “Depart!!” Fully agree with God’s command and demands that we should serve Him with ALL our heart and with ALL our soul. And if you say, “How can I do that? It is an impossible thing to do that for I am always inclined to stop half way and to be satisfied with a partial obedience.”
Ask the Lord for honesty. Ask the Lord that you may indeed finally deal honestly will your soul and give the Lord what is due unto His name. ONLY true obedience saves us! True obedience to God’s command! True faith in God’s promises! God’s Word stands for sure, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.” Would you like to partake of that perfect salvation? Would you desire to be saved by the Lord with a perfect deliverance? Then comply to His will. Comply with His demands and seek the shelter behind the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek and flee unto Him because He, and He alone, is the ONLY one who is able to save to the full and to rescue completely. He has done a perfect work and by His Spirit He will continue to do a perfect work in the life of all those who obediently follow Him and take up the cross, deny themselves… and follow HIM.
AMEN
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