Faith in the Fire “Faithful When We Plead”
- Text: Exodus 32:7-14 Big idea: God answers bold prayer
- I have received many free things because I have asked. Vehicles, food, experiences, etc.
- When I go to a restaurant I ask to sit somewhere, I ask for menu changes. Room upgrades
- I’m just not afraid to ask. Same thing with God. He gives me much of what I ask bc I ask.
- The Bible references prayer over 650 times in various forms, emphasizing its necessity in the believer’s life. It includes direct commands to pray (15+ times), examples of people praying (25+ times), and intercessory prayer (30+ times) where individuals pray for others. Personal supplication (60+ times) highlights asking God for guidance, provision, or intervention, while promises of answered prayer (10+ times) assure believers of God’s response. The Bible also teaches praying in the Spirit (3+ times), prayers of thanksgiving (4+ times), and the importance of corporate prayer (3+ times). The NKJV specifically mentions prayer-related terms over 600 times, reinforcing its vital role in faith, obedience, and relationship with God. From Genesis to Revelation, prayer is shown as an act of worship, intercession, and dependence on God, demonstrating that a life of faith is incomplete without it.
- Moses Intercedes because God is faithful when we plead (Exodus 32:7-14)
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- We talked last week about idolatry, so no need to overstate the obvious from last week- but just want to make it clear- God hates sin. It tarnishes his name and breaks relationships.
- God never looks past sin. It always gets dealt with and will always have a day of reckoning.
- Either you repent and receive forgiveness, or you get destroyed in this life and the life to come
- God has ANGER towards Israel’s sin READ v 7-10 “Leave me alone that I may consume them”
- You want to sin less? Think about God more! Maximize the punishment, don’t minimize it
- Psalm 7:11 – God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
- There’s an important connection here that I don’t want to Gloss over- Moses is pleading
- Moses stands in the gap (v.11-13 READ) He doesn’t argue that Israel is innocent. HE IS PLEADING
- He pleads based on God’s character—His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- A preview of JESUS– 1 Jn 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
- We’ve always had a means to get to God through an intermediary (Moses then Christ)
- There’s a picture in Moses that is the preview of Christ the messiah to SAVE US
- God knew and knows we will sin and makes provision for them and for US
- Jesus bore the punishment for sin on behalf of humanity:
- Isaiah 53:6 and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,.
- 1 Peter 2:24 – Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree
- 1 Pet 3:18 Christ also suffered once for sins…that He might bring us to God.
- Moses as a Foreshadowing of Christ
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- Moses serves as a type of Christ, pointing to Jesus as the ultimate Deliverer and Mediator.
- Moses as a Mediator of the Old Covenant → Jesus as the Mediator of the New Covenant
- Moses as a Deliverer → Jesus as the Ultimate Redeemer
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- Moses delivers Israel from slavery; Jesus delivers humanity from sin (John 8:36).
- Moses Provided Manna → Jesus as the Bread of Life
- The Bronze Serpent → Jesus on the Cross
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- Num 21:8-9 – Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, and those who looked at it were healed.
- John 3:14-15 – As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
- Moses Brought the Law → Jesus Brought Grace and Truth
- John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- THIS IS IMPORTANT THEOLOGY because it shows us our redemption in Christ
- You can be forgiven- God forgave through Moses, God will forgive you through Christ
- Moses turned away wrath for a moment—Jesus turned it away forever.
- Moses is BOLD in his Intercession. God is faithful when we plead.
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- Moses isn’t just some sort of half baked somewhat concerned leader. He sees the ultimate is at stake and goes to God with a strong bold prayer of intercession begging God to relent (11-14)
- “Turn from your wrath” “Remember your promises you made” “Remember who you are”
- GOD PLEASE DON’T DESTROY THESE PEOPLE! Please give them another chance!
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- The Bible is full of bold prayers where God moved on bold prayers. Where God was FAITHFUL
- Joshua commanded the Sun to stand still to win a battle! COSMIC EVENT
- Hannah desperately prayed to have a child when barren. So strong they thought she was drunk!
- Elijah prayed for rain after a drought of 3 years. 7 times he prayed. He didn’t give up!
- Elisha prayed for his servants eyes to be opened! Surrounded by an army to see God’s angels
- Nehemiah prayed for favor to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem- its restored! FAITHFUL
- The early church prayed ferverently for Peters release from prison- An angel releases him
- Bold prayers appeal to God’s power and ability to intervene.
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- Who are you going to turn to in impossible situations? Who else can bring it to pass?
- Mark 11:24 – Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. HE IS FAITHFUL WHEN WE PLEAD
- Why would Jesus tell his disciples this if it were not true? To whom should we place our faith?
- The Bible says without Faith its impossible to please God- please him by believing in Him
- And if you’re an intercessor? PRAY FOR OTHERS WHO WONT FOR THEMSELVES
- Last week- Clean brother- I’VE BEEN PRAYING FOR YOU FOR TEN MONTHS
- Intercessors pray for others even when the situation seems impossible. Why pray for possible?
- Faith-filled prayers often lead to miraculous breakthroughs. HE IS FAITHFUL WHEN WE PLEAD
- Weak prayers get weak results—bold prayers change history.
- God ‘Changes His Course’—But Never His Destination (Exodus 32:14) Faithful when we plead
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- It says God “relented” (or repented) from the disaster.
- v14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
- There is an important truth in this scripture that is important to understand when it comes to bold intercessory prayers and God’s clear willingness to partner with man to accomplish his will
- We all use GPS. you put the destination in the GPS, might be rerouted, same destination
- God’s redemptive purpose was always salvation through Jesus, but He worked through different means—through Israel, the law, and ultimately Christ.
- Galatians 3:24-25 – The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ—the method changed, but salvation remained God’s plan.- Salvation was first for Jew then Gentile- always about Israel.
- Abraham interceded for Sodom: pleads with God to spare Sodom if righteous people are found. God agrees to lower the number, though ultimately, Sodom is destroyed due to its wickedness.
- Ahab repents, and God delays judgment: God postponed his judgment until after he dies
- Hezekiah prayed, and God extended his life: The prophet Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will die from an illness. Hezekiah prays, and God grants him 15 more years. HE IS FAITHFUL WHEN WE PLEAD
- Nineveh repents, and God spares them: Jonah warns Nineveh of destruction. The people fast, repent, and pray, and God withholds judgment. HE IS FAITHFUL WHEN WE PLEAD
- Does God Change His Mind? The Bible presents two clear truths about God:
- God’s Sovereign Plan – He is all-knowing, unchanging in His nature, and works all things according to His divine purposes.
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- God’s Relational Engagement – He listens, responds to human choices, and allows prayer, repentance, and obedience to influence how His will unfolds.
- The Bible repeatedly affirms that God does not change in His character, truth, or eternal purposes:
- Num 23:19 – God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Mal 3:6 – For I am the Lord, I do not change; Isa 46:9-10 – I am God, and there is no other… My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. Heb 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- These verses affirm that God does not change who He is, nor does He waver in His ultimate plans. His promises and His overarching purposes remain firm. He is faithful when we plead.
- But God Responses to Human Actions- repeatedly in scripture.
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- While God’s eternal nature and ultimate purposes do not change, the Bible records several instances where God “relented” or altered His course of action in response to human choices. The Hebrew word often translated as “repent” or “relent” (nacham, נָחַם) means to grieve, reconsider, or change in response to circumstances.
- Specifically here with Moses and Israel- but also the aforementioned Nineveh
- 1 Samuel 15:11, 29, 35 – God “regrets” (nacham) making Saul king, yet His ultimate will for the kingship remains unchanged.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 – God states that if a nation repents, He will relent from judgment, but if it turns to evil, He will revoke His blessings.
- God is not detached from this earth. He actively engages with his people! Faithful when we plead
- Our prayers, choices, repentance or lack thereof affect the trajectory of our lives.
- The first explicit conditional statement involving human with God appears in Gen 2:16-17:
- “the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'”
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- Here, God establishes a clear condition with Adam: obedience leads to continued life in Eden, while disobedience results in death. This foundational “if-then” framework sets a precedent for the conditional nature of the relationship between humanity and the Divine.
- The term “if” is a primary indicator of conditional statements. In the Bible, “if” appears approximately 1,595 times, with 993 occurrences in the Old Testament and 602 in the New Testament
- God is both a King with a decree and a Father who responds. Why else pray?
- Sovereignty and relationship are not opposites—God rules and responds.
- God is Sovereign, and Our Prayers Still Matter- he is faithful when we plead.
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- The key to understanding these passages is recognizing the difference between God’s unchanging will and His responsive actions: He is faithful when we plead. Just as with moses.
- God’s Eternal Purposes Do Not Change His sovereign plan for history and salvation remains firm (Isaiah 46:10). His nature and moral law do not change (James 1:17).
- God’s Actions Can Respond to Human Choices He invites people to pray, repent, and obey, and He responds accordingly (Jeremiah 18:7-10). He listens to intercession and may withhold judgment (Exodus 32:14). mercy extends when people humble themselves (2 Chronicles 7:14).
- God remains in control, yet He allows people to participate in His unfolding plan.
- He does not force obedience or repentance but welcomes it and responds to it. Faithful
- He knows all possible outcomes and works through human choices without violating free will.
- God never changes in His character, promises, or ultimate plans, but He engages with humanity dynamically. He sovereignly directs history while allowing human prayers, repentance, and obedience to shape how His will unfolds.
- Thus, when the Bible says God “changed His mind,” it means He responded to human choices in a way that aligns with His perfect wisdom. This does not indicate weakness or inconsistency but rather a God who both reigns over creation and interacts with His people in love and justice.
- Faithful when we plead- We must pray boldly.
- Moses prayed boldly- we must pray boldly. We must plead and we must not give up.
- Jesus and the persistent Widow-
- In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells the Parable of the Persistent Widow to illustrate the power of persistent prayer and unwavering faith.
- A widow repeatedly petitions an unjust judge for justice, and though he initially refuses, he eventually grants her request due to her persistence—showing that if even an unjust judge responds to persistence, how much more will God, who is just, answer His people’s prayers when they cry out to Him day and night?
- She is persistent, relentless, and refuses to quit.
- Jesus is calling us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)—for ourselves, for the lost, for our families. We must be people of bold continual prayers. God will answer our prayers
- James 5:16 – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
- This series- Faith in the FIRE- last week- God is faithful when we wander- God is faithful when we PLEAD- When we pray and we don’t give up. We don’t relent We don’t give up. We continue
- We Pray for OTHERS like Moses did. Family, friends, Lost, national leaders, neighbors
- We pray for OURSELVES like the widow- Healing, breakthrough, wisdom, victory over sin
- We pray for THE CHURCH- spiritual hunger, intimacy, growth, revival, unity, boldness, strength
- If Moses pleaded, we can plead and see God’s hand move mightily.
- Your prayer today may be the miracle tomorrow—keep praying!
- The most powerful prayers are the ones that don’t stop
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