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God's Will, God's Way

Fellowship in the Word / Bil Gebhardt
The Cross Radio
August 7, 2020 8:00 am

God's Will, God's Way

Fellowship in the Word / Bil Gebhardt

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August 7, 2020 8:00 am

Make God's will your will and life will be much easier for you.

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Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ manned up in a loveless marriage manned up with wayward children you manned up with collapsing company Mama land up with a better life cannot doing here's a great principle of the word of God. God is joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word meets the Bible still wanted a famous passages in the book of Proverbs Proverbs chapter 3 in verses five and six. I call this proverb the before and after Robert. Something has to happen before and then something will happen after the before verse five.

Trust in the Lord rely on him, let him take the lead trust in the Lord with all your heart, notice, trust the Lord with all your heart, no reservations. This is a case in where you go for broke. You have to trust in the Lord with all your heart and then he says and do not lean on your own understanding. Don't rely on the crutches of your own making. As I got one you don't lean on your own understanding. And then he says again it before in all your ways acknowledge him, that were acknowledging Hebrew has a little bit different meaning it just simply means the recognize in everything you do recognize him, acknowledge him, those of the before's and you know something about the before it's all in us. This is the part you do.

This is the part I do trust normal all my heart. Me, not my own understanding all my ways acknowledge him, and then the after and he will make your paths straight. We paraphrase, he will make your life smooth and interesting thing before and the after, who does want to smooth like see who would want that it's a tremendous principle to live by. Unfortunately, it's a principle that very few Christians ever live by one of the greatest battles you have as a Christian. Is this is not about understanding what God's will is for your life. It's doing it God's way and not your way see most of us most the time would say we want God's will in our life but if you really honestly to find out is what I wanted my way and execute that will my way. Take another proverb train up a child in the way that he should go and when there although not the part from it.

Again, a great principle absolute of God for us and I have never met a Christian couple that had a family that didn't want that, but you want to train up a child in the way that God says you want to do it your way, and unfortunately so many of us do it our way.

For instance, God says, you raise a child in the admonition in the nurture of the Lord. The admonition the discipline the nurture of the Lord.

The idea of affirmation that is a tremendous balance between discipline and affirmation in child's life. In fact, it's pretty clear in the word of God. There's a lot of guidelines on how to raise a child on what we are doing so often as we say well I don't really want a parent that way but I do want my child when answer trained up to combat the walk with the Lord that's doing God's will your way. You see this all the time you see people to say I want to do something it's God's will.

But I want to do it my way. That is a battle that we face is not new.

By the way, it becomes a problem, even to the best of us. Once you open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 2 no introduce this principle with Moses. Verse nine Pharaoh's daughter said to her, take this child away and nurse him for me and I shall give your wages so the woman took the child and nursed him the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son and she named him Moses because I drew him out of the water. You know the story you know exactly what happens here. Moses is taken all the male children were being executed, but Moses is taken and protected and these raised in Pharaoh's house. Josephus in his historical work antiquities. The Jewish historian says tradition is that Moses daughter design Moses for the throne as Pharaoh had no son that may or may not be true, but he was clearly raised in Pharaoh's household. He was tutored in the court he would had all of the court or Royal protocol in his life in a very significant place will be the most significant on earth.

Egypt at that time, the population of Egyptians in Egypt was a little over 7 million. They probably had that many slaves as well. So it's a very significant place that Moses finds himself but are something else interesting here it says that it came about in those days that Moses had gone up and he went out to his brother and he looked on their hard labors that this is kind of an interesting format because Moses now finds himself grown up effect. If you look at it in verse 10, and then you find verse 11. It's almost 40 years pass us a lot of time between verses see what happened in between these verses what exactly happened to them in a situation while let's look at it through the lens of another camera holder play circus were coming back in the book of acts chapter 7 Stephen is being martyred is going to be stoned to death for his belief in Jesus Christ and for someone who's going to be stoned to death.

He gives one of the most remarkable sermons in entire word of God. Verse 21 chapter 7 is and after he had been set outside Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own.

Just what I read in Exodus, the word nurtured means trained or educated. He was trained and educated and in all the wisdom. Notice it says in this text that it says all the learning of the Egyptians were really is wisdom.

He was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.

He attended the University of the sun, raw, the Harvard of the day the finest place you could ever be trained in Western civilization. He studied the hieroglyphics I he studied the sciences and medicine, astronomy, theology and philosophy, law, and he had military training and according to some traditions even had military victories leading the Egyptian army. He apparently is a tremendous student notice verse 22 again. Moses was educating all the learning in the Egyptians and he was a man of power in words and deeds is accomplished in an interesting 40 years later, the burning bush. Remember when God showed up and totally one of the new Moses said Ida Ike I can do anything I don't speak well what happened to the service. But while there, he lost all his confidence went to see why you decided to do God's will his own way and is one of the one of the prices that he paid for the whole thing. It's interesting he apparently is a good student, he has a lot going for. No doubt about my opinion, is he has too much going for. That's Moses Propp.

He has too much going for him. He was vulnerable because of his own competency in ascertaining the truth. A lot of you. In other words, how to get it done so you discern something as God's willing to go on and make it happen. That happens to us often. That's exactly what happened. Moses it's often suggested that Moses did not know the will of God until the burning bush.

I would reject that and rejected on the basis of the words of Stephen, let me continue.

Notice what happens here when he approached the age 40. This is in his late 30s.

Now watch it entered his mind and see God sitting. It just said it entered his mind. What entered his mind wants us to visit his brother sons of Israel felt he knows his Jewish dinners, mind, and when he was 10 or 20-30 now near the end of his 30s and enters his mind to visit his brother. I'm convinced that Moses knew there was a will of God to be the deliverer of his people and so he goes and visits him a watch and when he saw one of them being treated unjustly. He defended him and he took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. There's a clue there. Should we take vengeance, you see the word of God is pretty clear on that. Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay, Moses decides to take the vengeance. I believe it's all part of his plan. By the way gazebo he saw someone mistreating he saw slave master mistreating a slave yes how often do you think that happens in Egypt. How many times you think a slave master mistreating a slave outing. Moses saw when he was five he saw when he was 10 he saw when he was 1520 2530. He sought every day.

They bring slaves into submission to get them to do the work. This is an unusual like all overlooked someone civil rights are being violated. I want to help us monitor all Moses, all part Moses plan so he struck him down and then the key verse, verse 25 and he supposed that his brother and understood that God was granting them deliverance through him as a Moses new. He said I'm to strike him down and the Jews are going to know that I it's God's will that I deliver them out of Egypt.

But notice they did not understand they did not understand. Now let's go back to the story. Nexus to step one. The idea of how to carry out the will of God is initiated by Moses not God. It never says a God led Moses to kill an Egyptian believe it was his own conviction.

Why do you think he did well how long did he realize that he was to be the deliverer of Egypt. I don't know maybe two years maybe four years maybe six years what happens when you think some might be the word of the will of God in your life you get impatient sure you start getting impatient.

I think he's thinking of things are happening fast enough. We should get this move will all I me I got the strong impression more than I'm to be deliver the people that we should try to move this along and he gets anxious and impatient and any launches this premature strike and the result is a 40 year setback designed to do the will of God, eager to do great things for God. What happens as he forces the situation and leaves the personal disaster. See his action step is energized by his flesh how to kill him with a knife, club him sperm beaten to death with his fist kung fu fighting on how you think he did it mean just chose this man right on the spot dedicated himself to the will of God, but he did not dedicate himself to the God's will was.

That's what happens. That's a real threat to you and me sensing the will of God in our lives and then taking the matter in our own hands and leaving God completely out of the loop. I find Christians over the years of Dennis all the time. I know Christians that have kicked down the door to pursue the will of God and then come to me and praise God because there's an open door in front of the risen open door because you keep it down and then when things don't turn out. See, God will not bless what is not.

Again, that's what happens here you see this a terrible problem that we have is not just some mimosa so I'll go to Sony, the more impressive the Moses is go back to Genesis chapter 15 and Abraham known chapter 12 of Genesis, Abram is given the Abraham a covenant by God and God basically says look everybody in the horse can be blessed because you not only a nation like Israel, but all people of faith for all time can be blessed all through you.

I understand our old couple. They were having kids, so they start wavering a little bit in a chapter 15 verse five. God tries the reinforcement.

It's as God took Abram outside me said to him, look toward the heavens count the stars if you are able to count them and he said to them, so shall your descendents be God's is going to look up things at which innumerable.

That's why it's good to be with your descendents now watch then he believed in the Lord and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. There is Abraham is a great example of faith.

That's what Paul wrote about in the book of Romans.

Abraham believed God was reckoned to him as righteousness how to get righteous before a holy God you believe it's faith in Abraham as our shining example something seem to be going well. This Abraham noticeable of God that the whole earth and the people fated to be blessed through his descendents. Yes chapter 16 verse one and now, sir. I Abram's wife had borne and no children and she had an Egyptian made his name was Hagar and so Sarai said Abram. Now, behold, the Lord is prevented me from bearing children. Please go into my made perhaps I shall obtain children to her and Abraham listened to the voice of Sarah or the consequences of that, all the way today. Now that they know God's will.

Yes they do it God's way know they did their way out of their own impatience. I understand you know when you are 90s and you haven't had a child yet be pretty impatient with this I can I get that.

But, by the way, it's not too long later and she conceives you see it's exactly what the Lord is trying to teach.

There's a tremendous danger in this. If it happens to people like Abraham and Moses, how much more likely to happen to people like you and me. You see this whole idea of doing God's will, but doing it our way. Well, is go back to Exodus 2 couple things in verse 12, you kinda know something's not right here because in verse 12 it says so.

He looked this way and that the given notice that about yourself. If you look around when you go to do something to see if anyone seeing you do it you probably should be doing that. I mean, that's pretty much it. You find yourself like looking around and that's what he did notice one place he didn't look you did look up and he struck him down the Egyptian. And then what they do. He hit him in the sand when you act out of the will of God in the flesh, usually have something to cover up and happens all the time.

You might have to bury your motive. Sometimes we try to do things for the will of God because we want to impress others that were so spiritual you might have to bury some half-truths you used in order to get ahead or get to the will of God.

We might have to bury a plan you made in the plan wasn't from the word of God. It was from the real world that you live in. You might have to bury if there's a problem you do that. The sand always yields its secrets essay by the way, a proverb among Muslims.

The sand always yields a sequence in a different Moses. You see, there is a way that seems right to amend, that's a proverb right there is a way that seems right to man and but in the end you have a dead Egyptian.

In this and that's exactly Moses thought he thought something was going to work. By the way, take notice that Moses thought this was all part of carrying out the will of God.

He went out the next day know about you but if you kill the guy buried in the sand.

Would you go back to the sign scene of the crime.

The next day, hang around, but he goes right back out because this is part of his plan. He says he got out the next day, and behold to Hebrews were fighting with each other and he said to the offender while you striking your companion Stephen Ladson is the brother what wiring a brother what are you striking another Hebrew. Now he's waiting for some he's went to the tickertape parade to begin write about here. You see, he's thinking this is going to be great are deliver. Moses seeks it looks like it might work. It doesn't, he said, who made you print and judge over us. Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian auto.

He looked this way and that the currently not well enough to the Egyptian you would kill me to then Moses was afraid of it and said shortly. The matters become known. Now let me read. I just of the back to the passage.

Let me just read again what Stephen writes in the same thing he says and when he saw one being treated unjustly and defended him. He took vengeance on of the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian and he suppose that his brother and understood the got a scream and deliver something and understand not using all of a sudden doing God's will your way didn't give you the result you thought was going to give you back. Not all.

So what happens the Moses as his confidence is now turned to confusion and his faith is replaced by fear. See he was expecting hell Moses the great deliverer of our people mislead the rebellion against Pharaoh delivers out of the land, and when he got his who are you when you try to murder me like you murdered someone else and as bad as that seems it gets worse, because in verse 15 it says one further this matter. He tried to kill Moses and the Pharaoh was not that happy with Moses all along, probably did like the idea of a Jew being raised in Pharaoh's house probably didn't trust him fully, but there's no question Pharaoh heard about it. Now he tries to kill Moses think this if you're Moses. Now I risk everything I gave up everything to do the will of God is what I get. You see that's the case, Moses said, look, I'm supposed to be the leader but Izzy no but what you can't declare yourself a leader. I definition a leader has that one essential element followers okay there's a statement that a man who thinks he's a leader and has no one following him as a man taking a walk today and that's what is with Moses. He has no followers all writing. He took action on the basis of his own plan and now he reaps complete disappointment. He had great ambition but little knowledge he had great desire, but no discernment.

He had great aspirations, but little humility he had great zeal, but almost no wisdom in this. In the end is bitter disappointment. It's interesting what he does now it says, but Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian may set down by well how to do that. What he do he start running take off on foot, but we went between 250 and 300 miles and one of the worst habitats in the planet is in terrible spot so that he will do it on foot that he take a horse to drive the wheels went off his chariot. I mean, what did he do and by the way Abby got like 100 miles later hundred 50. Anything went far enough know why he's terrified because his enemies formable which Pharaoh and so he goes all the way to the land of Midian is how tragic that is how sad that is all this training. All this giftedness, all his desire to carry out the will of God. One misstep, he decided to God's will is only because of that, 40 years, when you try to do God's will yours where you often end up in the desert. It's just the way it works. You may end up in a loveless marriage you manned up with wayward children you manned up with a collapsing company email will end up with a better life. It can happen dream, but here's a great principle. The word of God. God is and through with you and to us through see as long as you're alive. God is great about this got steadfast love of the Lord never changes his mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning. And so Moses finds himself in the land of Midian, but the first idea that something may turn in his behalf is right there and he sat down by a well know when you're in the Sinai. There's one thing you really need is water. Moses finds it not a priest of Midian had seven daughters and they came to draw until the trust the water to the father's flock and the shepherds came and drove away. But Moses stood up and help them. One of the flock notice or multiple shepherds. Moses, in the form of man. He's trained is the Prince of Egypt and change them off. It's as and when they came into Reuel's is why we come back so soon. Today he expected to be delayed because every time he sent them to the well.

The shepherd use the wall first and then the daughters got the well so they said in Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds and what is more, even to the water force in one of the flock and he said to his daughters. Where is he then why is it that you have left the man behind invite him to have something to eat and Moses was willing to dwell with the man that had water now has a roof over his head and he gave his daughters up Laura to Moses and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, I have been a surgeon or a foreign land that amazing what did Moses get water, shelter and support support gives him two sons Gershom is the first by the way support saves Moses life a little later on in the book and the one without the Moses to come at that time was not Pharaoh it was God's up or intercedes for Moses and saves her husband's life while so he gets the well. He gets the room forgets the wife he gets to sons and gets 40 years to think about doing God's will. God's way instead of doing God's will your way. That's a long time to think about it seems a simple story but it makes so much sense. The last time Moses did God's will, we did it his way. The next time Moses will do God's will to do it God's way and all the difference to half-million people are delivered out of Egypt.

Moses becomes the great Redeemer and deliver his people.

In a perfect type of Jesus Christ is important lesson for us understand it's good to know God's will for your life. It's even better to know God's will for your life and then do God's will not do trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways knowledge him pastoral giver on the radio ministry of Fellowship in the Word if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google great website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

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