Between Impossible & More Impossible - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg wanted to see a special word of thanks to the harvest partners who make this ministry possible next time your online check out Pastor Greg's personal blog@blog.greglaurie.com with amazing and impossible him even more impossible situation. Praying when your face even a plausible situation. The gives were to get any worse for trial the mordant license to come coming up today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Maurice's that's where are you facing hardship right now. Trial you will hear your prayer rose stuck in possible situation time running out really make Kenny, Megan, and he's rescued just in the nick of time when we are not nearly as enjoyable. No inspiring music. Maybe just an icy lonely silent may look like our time is up today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Maurice's don't give up hope instead realize where you so let me start with this situation where the only way all was God. Have you made your that situation right now where the doctor delivers devastating news and actually tells you there is no real hope there is no medical solution or maybe it's a financial catastrophe we are on the brink of collapse.

Or maybe you have a marriage that is unraveling before your eyes, or maybe a loved one is died and you don't know how you're going to survive something as devastating as that. Or maybe it's a preacher that won't finish his sermon.

He just droned on and on. Let's pray. That doesn't happen today will I bring this up because little look at the nation Israel there facing the Red Sea there facing an insurmountable obstacle in right behind that was not enough, right behind them is the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. So basically it was then between the devil and the deep blue sea. There will between a rock and a hard place.

They were between impossible and more impossible. But God intervened reminding us that with God all things are possible. He's bigger than your problem never looked up that phrase.

But God and the Bible. Lot of interesting places where it appears were God intervenes. I take the story of Noah course the judgment of God came upon the earth through the flood, and there they are bobbing around in the ocean and that arc with all those smelly animals and I wonder if Noah started to lose hope.

But Genesis 81 says but God but God remembered Noah and the wild animals and the livestock that were with them in the ark of these in a window over the year than the waters receded and then the Lord give them a beautiful rainbow to look at, which is a reminder that God keeps his promises. So whenever you see a rainbow. Remember it's a reminder that God always keeps the promises he made her take the story of Joseph, sold by his brothers into slavery.

They thought he was dead.

God preserved them. Of course, an elevated him into a position of great power or he was in charge of the food supply and one day his brothers appeared before me Joseph made this statement to them. In Genesis 5020 you intended to harm me, but God, there's that phrase again but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.

This saving of many lives, even death does not have the final word on you know it seems so permanent so hopeless, but some 49 verse 15 says, but God will redeem my life from the grave he will surely take me to himself. So here's my situation, it's different. It's worth it's harder is it is it harder than the Red Sea in front of you in the Egyptian army behind you is that harder than some of the things we've already pointed out, God is bigger then your problem I mean the very life of Moses demonstrates that he had overcome obstacles.

He was just a little guy.

Actually, his parents had to overcome the you remember the Pharaoh gave a decree, all the Jewish baby boys are to be put to death those Hebrew midwives would not go along with that game plan. They spare the lives of those little ones, including the life of the beautiful baby Moses. The Bible actually tells us he was a beautiful child and so his parents put them in the little basket and give it a little push and it's kind of flowing down the Nile River and as if on cue, Moses cries in the Pharaoh's daughter. The princes of Egypt hears the cry looks in the basket see this gorgeous little baby and adopts him as her own son and now he's probably being groomed to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt and he was a prince raised in royalty but yet underneath his beautiful robes of royalty be the heart of the Hebrew is heartbroken over the mistreatment of his fellow Jews and you know the story.

One thing led to another and he took matters into his own hands and he saw an Egyptian taskmaster truly treating a Jewish man and so Moses looked a variety look of the left should've looked up and I would've said no no no and he killed that man then with the Pharaoh heard that he put a contract out of the life of Moses, so Moses went into exile for 40 years. But of course the Lord recommissioned him at the burning bush and said that he was going to use him and so now Moses goes then he demands a release of the Jewish people and actually the Pharaoh agrees to it. Moses begins his great journey to the new destination. The Lord was calling them to. He must've felt such a sigh of relief when they were finally out of the bondage of Pharaoh like Martin Luther King invited said, free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty. I'm free at last, a lot of troubles were still going to come his way, the Lord directed him to the new land. The promised land.

The land of Canaan would later become known as the land of Israel. Though they don't occupy all of the land that God actually gave them an answer making their journey.

The Lord set them up with this very interesting GPS system by day.

It was a cloud that would move in a night. It was fire in the skies of the fire moved you move that the fire stopped you stop in the cloud moved you moved to the cloud stop, you stop and you know a lot easier to figure than some of our GPS system. I did, I have a love-hate mostly hate relationship with GPS because you know sometimes I think it takes is the wrong way. I've read some very interesting stories. The people that work. One person was led to the middle of a runway in an airport and it actually drove out there and another person went off deep into the wilderness off the normal road and the cop came so what are you doing this it will be GPS said go here right now my GPS if I go off track or I follow it for a while and I make a wrong turn it it'll say recalculating, recalculating, recalculating that it will tell me to go do a U-turn or whatever then you know a little later if I don't do it it says it was a why didn't you do what I told you to do. It's very nagging GPS have to fix it but there GPS is very simple move in the Lord told him to move go over. The Lord told them to go. God directs us through his word. This is our GPS system confirmed to us by the Holy Spirit in our heart everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of the Bible.

Everything you need to know about life is found in the pages of the Bible, God tells you things you should do and things you should not do. If you want to be a happy person. A good summary of someone where it says happy as a man of the woman who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. So if you want to be happy.

According to someone, don't hang out with ungodly people go to ungodly places and do ungodly things within a goes on to say, but his or her delight is in the word of the Lord, and in it they meditate, they contemplate they ponder the word of God day and night, and then the be like a tree planted by a river waters of God says do this and you'll be happy to stay away from that is, I will bring unhappiness, but that will read these things and say but what is God, maybe you're young and you say, come on, man. I I've raging hormones. I don't like all the stuff in the Bible about these rules and regulations on sex.

I want to go hook up and go out there and enjoy myself.

You know, and then you engage in premarital sex or extramarital sex and you don't understand why God is laid these parameters out these laid them out for your own protection for your own good. And as you get older you start seeing the repercussions that come from these decisions that people make often when there younger might be another area will you realize God knows what he's talking about. Solomon was the king of Israel, very powerful man renowned for his wisdom but he decided that he wanted to go see for himself. Everything this world had to offer. He had unlimited resources, unparalleled power opportunity galore.

And so he just went for it hook line and sinker. Maybe I should say poker line and sinker because he also had a thousand concubine so he pushed the envelope and he said in Ecclesiastes chapter 2 I took everything I wanted.

I never said no to myself I given the every impulse I held back nothing. Then he says this then I took a good look at everything I've done looked at all the sweat and the hard work and when I looked I saw nothing but smoke smoke and spitting into the wind. This is a modern translation. Obviously, there was nothing to any of it. Nothing so he said I looked out at all.

It was all empty. It was a huge mistake. I wasted years of my life. And then he comes to this conclusion.

Ecclesiastes 12 he says here's the last and final word on this matter. Reference God to do what he tells you to do that to Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment we hear stories from listeners who experience tough times but also found a hole through the ministry of harvest cheer and darkness has been in a land far away from this pandemic told me closer to him and I can even imagine leaving dedicated our lives back to God through harvest home. We returned and I think God for your ministry so encouraging to hear the change lives through Harvest at Home experience harvest home for yourself@harvest.org if you have a story to tell of how the studies touched your life with that of a family member. I hope you connect with us today. Color special number 1-866-871-1144, 866711144. What were joining the Israelites as they flee the Egyptians today and pastor Grace message called between impossible and more impossible. Let's continue.

So the Lord leads Israel on a different route than expected instead of the direct route straight through to the land of Canaan. The Lord takes them on an alternate route and they end up at the Red Sea and word gets back to Pharaoh.

These crazy Israelites don't know where they're going and they're just sitting there at the Red Sea and the pharaohs. As you know what I should never let them go in the first place.

I want to go down there to wipe them out, bring some of them back to be our slaves again, but with the Pharaoh did and realizes he was falling into a trap. And guess who set the trap. God himself, he set a trap for the Pharaoh to go forward so the Pharaoh gets his army together, says let's go with his charioteers and their gleaming armor and their swords and their spears are now in hot pursuit of the Israelis and when the Israelites standing there at the Red Sea of thinking. This is so bad it's so horrible it can't get any worse. Wait, what's that noise here comes the Egyptian army and they sent it just got worse never been in a situation like that.

It's so bad. Then it gets worse. You can't get any worse and it gets worse. This is that this is as bad as it will get at it even gets worse than that.

So what do they do as the Army is closing in on them. They did what you would do they completely freaked out okay. Look at Exodus chapter 14 as Pharaoh approached the people of Israel looked up in panic, they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They said to Moses weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt. Hey Moses this is your fault. Yeah it was hard back there, but this is even worth you brought us out here to die. This is crazy you know it's an interesting thing ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years unnecessarily. I might point out but that was because of their disobedience. Have you ever been in a roundabout that a lot of those in Europe, especially in England and it's weird when You Dr. in England because first of all, there steering wheel is in my opinion on the wrong side of the car. Then you add to that the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road and then you add jet lag and you are the bad combination dry because everything is counterintuitive. You want to go right when you should go left and and so I was driving there some years ago when I was visiting and we got one of those roundabouts and you're supposed to go around and then you know exit but I couldn't figure because I wanted exit one way their souls exit the other way was on the roundabout for one week.

I it was certainly ever feel like you're on a any journal roundabout in your life is going around and around making the same mistakes in the same things over and over again.

That's a summation of what happened to Israel in the wilderness, so another upset with Moses you know it's interesting to God. One night to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel.

It was still in their heart so they play Moses, did you bring us here to die in the wilderness.

We do the same thing. We complain or upset with God. So that's how they were feeling the bruising to point number three when facing an impossible in even more impossible situation. Pray when you're facing an impossible situation. That is the time to pray.

Verse 11 says they cried out to the Lord and they said to Moses, why did you bring us here to die in the wilderness cry out to God, are you in trouble right now. Are you facing hardship right now, cry out to God, he will hear your prayer. You remember the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee.

A mighty storm came, Jesus was asleep. They will, they said, Lord, don't you even care I were good round wheel water coming over the top of the boat. What are you going to do, and Jesus rebuked the storm, but he also rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith but you ought to at least give them credit when crisis came when the storm did they called out on Jesus, as it has been said if your needs start knocking meal on them and so faith and worry cannot coexist. If worry is prominent faith won't be there. Faith is prominent worry will lead and that's why Paul reminds us of Philippians 4. Don't worry about anything but pray about everything. There was a problem there were letting their circumstances affect their outlook. Look at verse 10.

They saw the Egyptian army in pursuit. By the way, this was a mighty army armor spears powerful chariots. There was no mightier army on the face of the earth at this time and they took their eyes off of God off of the promises of God. Now I love what Moses says to them he reassures them that God will protect them and guide them. Look at Exodus chapter 14 verse 13 Moses told the people don't be afraid, just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you just decor your joking right were backed up against the Red Sea there in hot pursuit, and you're saying just show relax. Everything was great.

All the storm. You see, now they won't even be here tomorrow just be still and wait on the Lord's not easy to do that. Is it to when I put my eyes in my circumstances I can see them in a different light. Unbelief tends to create or magnify my difficulties.

But in contrast, faith rises up above them and helps me see them through the eyes of faith. So here's Israel there between an unconquerable Army and an impossible see there between the devil and the deep blue sea between a rock and a hard place but get Exodus 1415 then the Lord said to Moses, why are you crying out to me.

Tell the people to get moving.

Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea in the by the water, so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. In other can come a time in your life when it's time to move instead of praying that might sound strange. We should always pray.

Yes, we should but there can come a moment where you prayed enough, now it's time to take action. See there's God's part and there's your part. There's a time to pray and there's a time to move in their own calling out all God help us all. Lord, Lord, they'll care whatever start walking Greg Laurie great insight today on what to do when faced with an impossible situation. There's more to come from this study here on a new beginning. But if you missed any part of the insight Pastor Greg Broadus today. You can get an instant replay by going to harvest.org just look for the title between impossible and more impossible, or request a CD copy when you call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 yesterday.

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It's a story of redemption. You're gonna love it however takes us to a person's name is changed I want to get you a copy of. I still believe DVD is quickly as possible and we will make this film available to you for your gift of any size whatever you can give will be used to continue to bring our message of hope our message of the gospel. Our message of Jesus to our nation, and indeed our world so don't wait immediately order your own copy of the I still believe DVD. This is such a pivotal time to share the gospel. People are looking for hope, looking for answers, and Pastor Greg is so effective at pointing people to the hope found in God's word. We hope you'll help us message reach even further by way of your support and when you send your donation, ask for this outstanding film on DVD. I still believe and will only be mentioning this.

A short time longer, so get in touch right away. You can write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org ever start your day off wrong, you know, things started badly and just kept going downhill.

A lot of it has to do with your focus where your mind is centered as the day starts one it plug into Pastor Greg's daily devotions there free of charge. It's good encouragement to keep your eyes fixed on Christ. You can read each day's devotion or listen to the audio version. Your choice. Sign up today free of charge@evo.harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here and finding you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home.

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