The Plagues [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Allen Wright. When you praise God, there is something powerful spiritual that is happening. I cannot overemphasize this to you. When we come in, we're not just singing songs. We are engaged in a spiritual battle.

It may not look like we're fighting, but oh, that's the way we fight. We turn on the praise, and the joy of the Lord will become our strength. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series called Moses, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It'll be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, we encourage you to go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Allen Wright. When you see Moses lifting up his hands like this, and he's got the staff in his hand. This is the staff that was cast down to the ground, became a snake.

He picked it up. It became a staff again. So it's a symbol of God's miraculous power, a sign, a wonder. It is the staff that struck the Nile, the source of life to Egypt, and turned it to blood.

So it is the picture of the ultimate judgment of God. It is the same staff that was held up, and the Red Sea parted so the people of God could experience unmerited favor, and then the enemies of God could be swallowed up. And this is the staff that struck the rock and brought symbolically judgment down upon the rock, but then water that just sprang forth miraculously like a river in the desert. That's the staff. And all of that, every time that staff is lifted, Moses remembers that, the people remember that.

So he's got his hands up like this, and he's got the staff. When a Hebrew man lifts up his hands like this, this is a picture really, it could be three different things. It's a picture of prayer. We think of the posture of prayer being maybe like this, or hands are folded, or put your hands in your lap and fold them. That's not the way that Hebrew people pray. They pray with their hands up like this.

But it's also a picture of praise. It's a picture of lifting up, lifting up holy hands to the Lord. Well, if you're new to this, you wonder, why do you see people lifting up their hands? Well, because in the first place, it's a picture of intercession, but when we're worshiping the Lord, it's like my hands are lifted up. It's like there's something that's being lifted up.

It's a symbol. It's an expression of lifting up the Lord. It's like a little child lifting up hands to my father. I love being held by you. It's a picture of surrender.

It's all of those things. So it's a picture of prayer, and it's a picture of praise. But there's a third thing that this symbolizes, and that is this is the way that the priest would have the posture of his hands when he would bless the people. This is why when I say the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord be kind and gracious to you, I have my hands lifted like this. Because what that symbolizes is that what I really wish is I could come and lay hands on everyone's shoulder.

But when there's a crowd together, you do it symbolically, and you put your hands like this because it's as if I'm laying my hands on each one of you to impart blessing. So prayer and praise and blessing are absolutely instrumental in the spiritual battle, and we see this all throughout the Old Testament. So Moses is up there first as the prayer warrior. Lifting up his hands is the intercessor.

What is an intercessor? An intercessor is someone who literally goes between, and that's what Moses was for the people. He went between the people and God, and many times we'll see Moses interceding for the people.

What is this essentially? This is essentially saying someone who had more faith than the people and more righteousness than the people would interact with God on behalf of the people, right? And would come to God claiming the promises of God on behalf of the people. So Moses was an intercessor. He was an intercessor in the way he lived his life, but in this moment he's up there interceding. Another word for this is an advocate.

He was an advocate, and an advocate is what you need when you have been accused. I had a little situation come up in Virginia not too long ago. I was on unfamiliar highways. I was unfamiliar with the speed limits. They were changing those speed limits every five minutes.

They were changing them. This was not related to the fact that I was talking to Bennett and eating popcorn. It was not related to that, and I had a friendly visit from a deputy sheriff there in Virginia, and we had a very pleasant conversation, and he left me a little piece of paper, sort of a keepsake from our visit, and I kept to that, but I decided to hire an advocate in that county in Virginia who would go and plead my case for me, which did not include...

I'm sorry, I was distracted by eating popcorn and talking to my son. It included some other strategies that the advocate knew better, and so the advocate went and interceded for me and wrote me back and was glad to report that my offense had been reduced to a non-moving violation of faulty equipment, and it's a very old car, and it's just got faulty equipment all over it, so it's an intercessor. Thank God for advocates, and so that's what Moses was doing. He was advocating, my arms are up, I'm advocating for the people of God. The arm is up, he's holding up the rod, he's holding up the staff, which is the symbol of the covenantal promises and power of God. What was Moses doing up on that hillside? I imagine he's doing this, God, I lift up my hands to you, and I remind you as we fight this battle that you spoke a promise to your servant Abraham, and that we are the sons and the daughters of Abraham, and we live and we move in the promises that were given to Abraham, and Lord, your word cannot come back to you void, and so I bring back the promises that you have given to us that we would be a nation, your treasured people, and that we would have a promised land.

Lord, we can't have a promised land if the Amalekites wipe us out today, so bless this people, oh Lord God, move on their behalf. I imagine he's just praying like that, and that staff every time you just lift it up, you're just lifting back up. Here's your promise to me. Remember the day that you told me to throw it to the ground, and it became a snake, and then I picked it up, and it became a staff again, and you reminded me that I'd have power over the enemy by your grace and your majesty. Oh, I lift it. See, he's praying like that.

Something like that's happening. He's lifting his hands, pray. He's their advocate, so he's up there interceding for them, and when he intercedes, they win the war.

When he's not interceding, something happens. But he's also a picture of praise. He is a picture of lifted hands symbolically to heaven. The staff is also a reminder of all of God's supernatural presence with them. It is the reminder that, God, you've done wonderful things, so when you lift up your hands, and you lift up, and he's lifting up the staff of God, what's going on in his heart, what's coming out of his lips is also this, and I praise you, God. I praise you because you're the one who brought us out of Egypt with a mighty outstretched hand. I praise you because I remember your faithfulness to us when we came through the Passover and then passed through the waters. I praise you, Lord, because you provided manna for us in the desert, and you provided water from the rock. I thank you, God, that you who has sustained us all this time are now sustaining the people in battle. I thank you in advance for the victory that's being won today, and I just praise you, and I thank you, and I worship you, and I praise you, and what's happening is he praises God.

The people are winning. I cannot overemphasize to you the power that is in praise. If I were to tell you just what's one thing right now that you could do when you're up against a spiritual battle, find somebody that'll praise God with you, and just praise God with all your heart recounting all of his mighty deeds, and let your soul say, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, and bless his holy name.

Forget not all of his benefits. When you praise God, there is something powerful spiritual that is happening. I cannot overemphasize this to you. When we come in, we're not just singing songs. We are engaged in a spiritual battle. It may not look like we're fighting, but oh, that's the way we fight. We turn on the praise, and the joy of the Lord will become our strength. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever feel like something's holding you back, as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. And then he's up there blessing the people. You know how much I love this picture of Moses.

I don't know if he's more the intercessor or more the praise leader or if he's more just blessing the people. I've got my hands raised, Moses saying, Lord, I just, I thank you for these people and I just bless them. Bless you, Joshua, you mighty man of valor.

Bless you in the strength of your hands and the sword may be sharpened to the target. And I bless this people that they remember who they are and just blessing, just blessing, blessing, blessing the people. And every time that they look up on the hillside and they see Moses hands raised, they remember that he's blessing them. They remember he's interceding for them. They remember that they're God's people. Just knowing that you're blessed fills your heart with strength to face the spiritual battle. This is a mystery, but it is just so, so powerful that when you get a sense that you're blessed, it changes your capacity to be a blessing. This is how you overcome the flesh. Awareness and infilling of the blessed blessing of God.

I mentioned several years ago study that just absolutely blows my mind, but absolutely foundational study. They were years ago wanting to see how just the general benevolence and kindness of people would manifest if a woman on a public sidewalk dropped some folders and papers. How many people would stoop down and help her pick up the papers? And the setting for this was that they would have the woman drop the papers just outside of a phone booth if someone is stepping out of the phone booth.

You know, a phone booth is an ancient structure that is like a cubicle that's upright, and there was a device in there hooked up to a cord, and you could put coins in there and push a button or two and call somebody. So at the end of the phone call, they'd hang up the phone, step out of the phone booth, and there this lady suddenly drops the papers. How many people will stop and help her pick up those papers? And what they found was an astonishing dismal four percent of people. Four percent of the people after they stepped out of the phone booth having made a phone call would stop, help her pick up the paper. But they noticed something else accidentally in their study about human behavior.

They noticed that almost a hundred percent of the people would do something before they left the phone booth. They'd reach their finger into the coin return to see if there was a dime. So somebody had the idea, let's kind of morph our study, and they started leaving a dime in the phone booth coin return so that after their phone call they'd reach in and find a dime. And they wanted to see if finding a dime right before you encounter a woman who's dropped papers would make you more likely to stoop down and help the lady pick up the papers.

And what they discovered was incredible. If people found a dime in the phone booth, they were 87 percent of them would bend down and help her pick up the papers. People were 22 times more likely to be kind to someone because they'd found a dime. Are you kidding me? You just find a dime and you go, it's a good day. Life is good. Can I help you?

Really? This is a true study which goes far to explain why it is that the kindness of God is what leads us to repentance. Which goes far to explain the transformation in a Christian's life who discovers the inexpressible gift of God that has been given in Jesus Christ. If your life could be impacted and you overcome the selfishness of your flesh simply because you find a dime, how much transformation could happen in a man or woman's life who finds that they've been given Jesus Christ Himself? So this is what happens when you are blessed and you know that you're blessed.

It changes everything about the way you live your life. It changes the way you win the battle over the flesh, the battle over sin and selfishness, and it changes the entirety of the spiritual battle. The whole spiritual battle depends upon the forces of darkness seeking to convince you that you're un-blessed and condemned. But when you're confident that you are blessed and forgiven and made an heir with Christ Himself, the enemy voice becomes silent and loses all of its power.

What is all this pointing to? This is pointing to the gospel. Most of the sermons that you'll ever hear on this text from the battle against the Amalekites will generally go in one or two directions. It'll generally say, so here it goes, Christians, you need to pray more. And if you'll just pray more, then you know the people would win the battle more.

And so it becomes kind of a heavy thought. Like maybe the reason that life isn't going well is because I hadn't done enough, I hadn't prayed enough, my hands got weary. The other way that preachers love to use this is that they'll say, this is a picture of the pastor of your church, and his hands are weary, and so you need to hold up his hands more, and y'all need to tithe more, and you need to give more, and you need to serve more, and plus I need some fresh homegrown tomatoes. But anyway, this is not the point of this story, because all of the Old Testament is pointing to Jesus Christ, and the story of Moses and the narrative of Moses has pointed us to the gospel and what Christ has done for us, because I'll tell you what the story really is about. It's ultimately about the reality that comes in Jesus Christ who becomes our intercessor, because what the scripture says is, first John, my little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin, but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world, and by this we know that we've come to know them, and we keep his commandments. What he's saying is that the capacity for you to be able to keep the commandments and have assurance of your sins is to know that Jesus Christ died for the propitiation of your sins, that all your sins would be expunged from your record, but he would make God also propitious towards you, meaning favorable towards you, because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and he's ascended to the heavens, and Paul says, what then shall we say to these things? Romans 8 31 to 39, if God is for us who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It's God who justifies.

Who is it that condemns? Jesus Christ is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who is indeed interceding for us. Jesus is our advocate. Jesus is interceding for us.

Jesus is praying for you. So there's a heavenly courtroom scene that the Bible conveys figuratively before our eyes, and then as so Satan himself comes, he's the accuser of the brethren, and he says to God, I accuse Alan Wright because of his sin. He doesn't deserve to be blessed. He shouldn't even be anointed to be able to preach a sermon. He shouldn't be able to have a long life. He shouldn't be able to remain. He shouldn't have anything good come to him because look at all of his sin. And there in the courtroom, my advocate says, excuse me, your honor, but I have to ask for the dismissal of these charges.

Why? Because this crime has already been paid for. I already died and suffered the ultimate punishment, and it would be unjust for you to punish two people for the same crime. Therefore, Alan is free.

And the judge says free, not guilty. Every single time the view, the accuser's voice comes, this is the picture that should come to your mind. Jesus Christ, the righteous, your advocate, interceding for you, and his hands do not grow weary. He's the prayer warrior praying for you, and he is the praise leader, the victor wearing the victor's crown, and he is the one who blesses you and imparts blessing upon blessing upon blessing. In other words, Christ, figuratively speaking, he is the Moses on the hill, and we're fighting a real fight. And it does matter whether we win or lose, but when you see Christ high and lifted up, you know you win. And that's the gospel. So, Alan Wright and today's teaching, Moses Intercedes for the Battle.

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. And Alan, the application I think here for our lives is, again, to keep our eyes on Jesus. In the heat of the battle, you don't look at Jesus and see perspiration in his upper lip.

He's not bothered. And that gives us hope. It's a wonderful, wonderful vision to see in your heart, see Christ as your intercessor. See him as the one who is in that heavenly courtroom and the one who's saying no charge can be brought against you because the debt's been paid.

Pleading justice, therefore, on your behalf. Seeing Christ, your prayer partner in the heavenlies. Christ, the victor, who's made a public spectacle of the forces of darkness in the heavenly places. Christ, who's risen and who blesses you. In other words, when you are going through a difficult battle, fix your eyes on Jesus. He's the author and the finisher of your faith. And he's with you.

And he is victorious on your behalf. I think the other thing is to understand that these we call them the plagues, but they really should just be called miraculous signs. God was showing that he is powerful and he is doing a redemptive work for his people. And so all things that were made through him, and if he let things unravel, that's what you see in the plagues. But ultimately what he did was when he went to the cross, he let all order and all creation unravel as the ultimate chaos and punishment was visited upon the righteous one, so that then we would experience his grace. So even in these stories of the plagues, we see off in the distance the picture of Jesus upon whom the ultimate plague fell so that we would not experience it. And the plague of our own sin and all the punishment due us has been put on Jesus. Wow. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.