SERMON TITLE: WORLDLY WISDOM AND SATAN’S CONDITIONAL CHRISTIANITY

SERMON TEXT: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me”(Exodus 8:1).

THESIS: Submission to Christ is the believers answer to a Spirit filled, Spirit controlled life.

INTRODUCTION: There are three evil forces, or agents, at work in the universe that would take us captive and control our lives if we let them. These forces, or agents, are: the world, the flesh, and the devil. In these early chapters of the book of Exodus, concerning the ten successive plagues, and Pharaoh’s refusal to let God’s children go that they may serve Him, is a classic example of human control–one human being desiring to control another. In this biblical account, we see an evil ruler struggling to maintain control over a captive people. Very little has changed since the inspired writer pinned these words in Exodus. In our modern day world, the spirit of control is still alive and well. You do not have to go very far, or look very long, to find it in the husband-wife relationship, parent-child, in the public arena, in the work place, in politics, and yes, even in the church. During my thirty years of ministry, I have discovered that the number one problem with which the church has to deal is the problem of control. That is to say, “Who is going to be in charge?” I have yet to pastor a church where I did not have to deal with this devilish issue.

When God called Moses to go down to Egypt, and say to Pharaoh, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,” Moses was immediately confronted with a controller. For four hundred years, God’s people had been enslaved in Egyptian bondage and Pharaoh was not about to relinquish his control over them without a fight. What Pharaoh did not realize, however, was that his fight was not against a man, but against God. That being the case, he was sure to lose, and lose he did.

Needless to say, God never intended for His people to live in slavery. That is why He sent Moses to Egypt to liberate His chosen people, and that is why He sent Jesus to die on an old rugged cross. It was, and is, through His shed blood that men, women, boys, and girls, are set free from the enslavement of sin.

Paul speaks to this whole idea of freedom in Galatians, in which he writes . . .

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). 

The phrase,“Keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery,” suggests to me that the battle with sin does not end with a salvation experience. Satan himself will see to that. He will fight for control, as did Pharaoh, to the bitter end. As Moses learned, and so must we, if the enemy cannot have complete control, he will do everything he can to maintain partial control. In this message, titled: Worldly Wisdom and Satan’s Conditional Christianity, I will attempt to expose his manipulative tactics, and in doing so, better equip you to fight the battles which you face.

Worldly wisdom and Satan’s conditional Christianity, as seen in Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh, who is, I might add, a type of Satan, says . . .

I. YOU CAN WORSHIP/SERVE GOD UNDER A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT

Pharaoh was willing, it would seem, to let God’s people go, but only under this condition...

“Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land" (Exodus 8:25). 

What was the condition? Moses and the people of God must stay where Pharaoh could maintain control over them. This would be a limited freedom at best. Scientists often use rats in their scientific experiments. They often place rats in a maze in order to get them to respond in a certain way. In other words, they are in a controlled environment. In the real world, Satan tries to confine Christianity in a maze. In the book of Acts, he tried to keep the Christians in Jerusalem. He knew what would happen if they expanded their borders. I would imagine that the thing he feared most came upon him when persecution released the early believers to go everywhere preaching the Word.

I believe that Satan is perfectly content so long as we keep our Christianity behind stained glass windows. He whispers to us, “Keep your worship a secret.” God says, “Go!” Satan says, “Stay!”

Note: When Moses would not succumb to Pharaoh’s conditions, he then moved to compromise. We must always be aware of the fact that Satan will compromise with us in some areas only to trap, or entrap, us in another.

Have we as a people of God succumbed to Satan’s conditional Christianity? Worldly wisdom and Satan’s conditional Christianity says, you can worship/serve God in a controlled environment, but God says, “let My people go that they may serve Me.”

Second, worldly wisdom and Satan’s conditional Christianity says ...

II. YOU CAN WORSHIP/SERVE GOD, BUT DON’T GO VERY FAR AWAY

Now let us go to Exodus 8:28, for our second condition . . .

“And Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away” (Exodus 8:28). 

Pharaoh continues to try and keep the people of God within his reach. “You can go,” but, you cannot go very far.”

In his book, Morning By Morning, the late Charles Spurgeon wrote, “This is a crafty word from the lips of the arch tyrant Pharaoh. If the poor, enslaved Israelites needed to go out of Egypt, then he bargained with them that it should not be very far away–not too far for them to escape the terror of his arms and the observation of his spies!”

Satan, you see, will let us be a Christian without too much harassment until we begin to move beyond his reach. He isn’t concerned about a professing Christian who seldom reads his Bible, prays, witnesses, tithes, or attends church services. “Sunday morning Christians” are some of his best witnesses. If he had his way, he would never allow us to go beyond the carnal Christian stage.

Satan is a promoter of worldly wisdom and conditional Christianity. “Worldly wisdom,” in the words of Spurgeon, “recommends the path of compromise and talks of ‘moderation.’” He goes on to add, “Yes,’ says the world, ‘be spiritually minded by all means, but do not deny yourself a little frivolous society, an occasional ball, and a Christmas visit to a theater.’” In other words, be a Christian, but do not become a fanatic. Satan says, do not go very far away.”

Satan tried to stop Jesus from the outset of His ministry. In Matthew 4, he was saying to Jesus, in essence, “Don’t go very far away,” When he said, “Worship me!” If he could have stopped Jesus in the Wilderness, He would have never made it to the Cross. Jesus went all the way and so can we.

How far have you gone in your Christian life? Are you walking with the Lord in the light of His Word?” Or have you succumbed to Satan’s conditional Christianity and been taken in by worldly wisdom?

In contrast to worldly wisdom and Satan’s condition Christianity, in the words of the Apostle Paul, we must “Come out from among them, and be ye separate”(2 Cor. 6:17).

One writer said, “The further from a viper the better, and the further from worldly conformity the better.” I like the way in which someone else said it. “If we would follow the Lord wholly, we must go right away from the wilderness of separation and leave the evil of the carnal world behind us.”

How far have you gone?

Third, worldly wisdom and Satan’s conditional Christianity says...

III. YOU CAN WORSHIP/SERVE THE LORD, BUT YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU.

It is in Scripture that we find Satan’s third condition...

“Not so!” Go now, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desire” So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence” (Exodus 10:11).

How important is family worship? Someone has said, “If Satan cannot control us directly, he will control us through those we love.” He will hold our children hostage if he can. The great evangelists Billy Sunday, won over a million souls to Christ, and lost his three children to Satan’s control.

Many parents today are compromising with Satan. They are leaving their children behind. Such statements as, “My children are old enough to make their own decisions about church,” leave one’s children open for Satanic control.

Are you worshiping and serving God, and have you taken your children with you? Have you taken your children as far as the family altar?

Finally, worldly wisdom and Satan’s conditional Christianity says...

IV. YOU CAN WORSHIP/SERVE GOD, BUT LEAVE YOUR POSSESSIONS BEHIND

This was Pharaoh’s final condition as seen in the following verse...

“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”(Exodus 10:24). 

What would happen if Moses took God’s people into the wilderness to worship, and left all their possession behind? They would have to return for them. Thus Pharaoh would maintain control over them. Satan is never ready to release us to serve God UNCONDITIONALLY. We cannot, and must not, compromise to any of Satan’s conditions. Ultimately, everything we have and ever hope to be, must be laid on the altar.

CONCLUSION: Rather than being influenced by worldly wisdom and succumbing to Satan’s conditional Christianity, we can submit to the Lordship of Jesus, and allow Him to control our lives. Jesus is our example. He has won the victory for us? Will you order your life under His control?