Beloved Radio Friend, we greet you heartily in the precious name of our wonderful Savior, who is a deliverer for every man and for every woman who may be bound by the chains of sin and Satan. I wonder, my Radio Friend, have you ever discovered from the Word of God the character of this world in which you and I are living in? Speaking of it geographically and physically, it may seem and is to be to us a wonderful world that God has created. But have you ever considered what is the moral and the spiritual state of this world in the sight of a holy God? Have you ever considered what are the conditions in which men and women find themselves in relation to life here within this scene. We have begun looking in the book of Exodus at lessons which may teach to us the character of the world in the very light of the story that took place in the early chapters of this book in relation to the nation of Israel. For in the history of Israel there are many great lessons for you and for me to learn a practical exhortation and benefit and blessing if we only will. May I quote a scripture that is found in chapter fifteen of the book of Romans in verse four. When Paul the Apostle said, referring to the Old Testament, these things were written aforetime for our learning. How important to realize that here are lessons that you and I can learn from the word of God in the very history of his earthly people Israel long ago. We have noted that the great theme of the book of Exodus, the great theme is redemption or deliverance, reminding us that here was a people, a nation, a multitude of people, perhaps in number two to three million of them. who were in bondage and under the tyranny of Pharaoh long ago. We would repeat the types that we learn in this story of Exodus that we can apply to ourselves today. Four particular types can be indeed emphasized. First, when we think of the land of Egypt, it was a great empire in its existence long ago in that day. A mighty empire was the Egyptian realm. But what a type it is of the world in which you and I are living. And then Pharaoh, who was the despotic ruler over it, is a type of Satan, who in the word of God is called the prince of this world and the god of this age. Then when we see the plight of the nation of Israel, and the bondage and the tyranny that they were under, under the despotic rule of Pharaoh in the Egyptians. How this brings home to us that every man and woman who has not been liberated from sin's power and Satan's authority is verily in bondage, serving sin and also serving Satan. but also in this great story there is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ the Savior and that type is found in the person of Moses who became under God the deliverer and the emancipator of God's earthly people Israel out of Egypt when we think of Moses being a type of Christ the great deliverer for the sinner May we quote the words of Paul as he wrote them in Galatians one, verses three and four, declaring that our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world. My beloved radio friend, have you ever recognized, acknowledged, realized, and understood that you need a deliverer, from sin's power and Satan's tyranny, as well as the eternal judgment that is yet to come upon this scene. For the world we have already noted, it's the sphere of Satan's authority. We have also noted in verses eleven and twelve and fourteen of our chapter in the book of Exodus, chapter one, The world is the sphere where we face and taste and experience the affliction as well as the bondage of sin. Just as we have read in verse eleven of our chapter, Pharaoh and the Egyptians made taskmasters over the Israelites to afflict them with their burdens. I'm telling you very frankly, my radio friend, the devil is a wicked. and a cruel taskmaster, and he will afflict us with many burdens. The wages of sin we verily deserve, and the burdens that are put upon us because of our sins as we serve sin and Satan, they are heavy. I wonder if I am speaking to someone who feels the burden of sin May I tell you, my radio friend, that it is real, and how we certainly should realize the world is the sphere where men and women know and taste and feel sins affliction and come under its bondage, serving sin and Satan. And I want to say again, you can serve the devil well, but he's not looking out for your benefit. but rather for your doom and for his own personal advantage. But now look with me in chapter one of Exodus at verses fifteen and sixteen, where we read that the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shifra and the name of the other, Pua. And Pharaoh said, When ye do the office or the work of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him. But if he be a daughter, then she shall live. Now let us note another characteristic, regarding not only Egypt, but the great antitype of this story, regarding the world which Egypt is a typon. The world is not only a sphere of Satan's authority, it is not only the sphere of sin's affliction and bondage, but in this particular like this of verse fifteen and sixteen, it is the sphere where the increase of God's people is opposed. Just as Pharaoh opposed the increasing number of the children of Israel and plotted as well as authorized the death of every son that was born, may I say very frankly, the world is a sphere where the increase of God's people is greatly opposed. The devil doesn't want men and women to be sane. The world is not anxious to see men and women become Christian. The world without God and without Christ has no sincere desire for the spiritual blessing and the eternal welfare of poor lost sinners. My beloved, you will never read in the Bible, you will never read in life that the world lost sinners I will say this, the world loves sin. And it is only God in His matchless grace through the Lord Jesus Christ that has given evidence that He loves sinners, though He hates sin. But within this world, there is opposition to the increasing of the people of God. And if you don't believe it, if you are a Christian, you witness for the Lord Jesus. You seek to win souls for the Savior, and you'll find opposition. And you, my sinner friend, who perhaps have been witness to and heard the gospel of God's grace, and yet you have never accepted Christ, you know as well as I do that the world has put hindrances in your path to keep you from Christ. The world is a sphere where the increase of God's people is opposed. Then may I go further. As you go to verses eighteen and nineteen, the king of Egypt called for the midwives, who did not obey his request. And he said unto them, Why have ye done this thing? And ye saved the men's children alive. And the midwife said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women. for they are lively and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Now may I point out, the world is not only a sphere where the increase of God's people is opposed, but it's also a place where even the spiritual growth of God's people is ended. Now let me be very, very faithful. I want to speak to my Christian companions. The world not only opposes you and I becoming Christians, but when we have become a Christian, it opposes us in our spiritual growth. I say this very earnestly as well as sadly. One of the great oppositions to the spiritual growth and development of Christians is the very world itself. Love not the world, said John as he wrote in verse John chapter two. Neither the things that are in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the father but is of the world. My beloved, I want to say very frankly, as a believer in the Lord Jesus, I know the world opposes my spiritual growth. and the spiritual growth of every believer. Oh, my beloved, let us recognize this. And let us also realize that as we see Pharaoh seeking to hinder the coming of the male children into the world amongst the Israelites, certainly the world is a sphere where the coming in of Christ would be prevented if possible. These are but a few introductory thoughts regarding the world and its character as found in the light of the book of the Exodus. God grant, we may be taught of God the Holy Spirit to know the character of the world and be delivered from it. Father, we ask thee in the name of the Lord Jesus sanctify thy truth at the glory of our Savior, the blessing of saints, and the salvation of sinners. Amen.