Destination-Driven Dreams, Part 2

As someone who wants to honor God.

Every decision we made.

Sometimes it's difficult to know what he expects from me hopeful for instance, if God would speak to us in an audible voice. So how does God communicate with his children. How can we truly know whether or not our dreams are selfish or motivated by him today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll tackles these long-standing questions about knowing and following the will of God were looking at Matthew chapter 2 Chuck titled his message destination driven dream may be that you have experienced in your life a number of things that have brought a distance between you and the one who made you and you feel ashamed you may be one of those halted by your past, whatever it may have been.

I wonderful news for you. You have a shepherd to understand one thing about a great shepherd. He never embarrasses those he leads God will never intensify your shame or drive you deeper into guilt. He's come to bring you relief and where there has been sin. Admittedly, his grace is always greater than that sin and you can know our relationship with the living God you've never known before taking his son who will provide you all the grace you need to take care of all the guilt you've had, like you, to bowel with me for a few moments, not very long. Just a few thoughts together in prayer. Marvelous grace, marvelous grace of our loving Lord. Grace greater than all our sin. Today, our father, we find comfort in that thought. We need great grace because our sin has been enormous person-to-person sitting here today who can look down on anyone else for we all have things in our lives, about which we feel ashamed wrong words wrong actions stupid decisions foolish journeys we've taken. We've heard ourselves and others.

We've gone through it.

Not just once but sometime repeatedly slight will never learn this why we need your grace to be greater in all our sin and it is thank you for the hope that that brings for the relief.

The last thing we want to do is hoard it and keep it to ourselves. So that's why we give we give that this message might be given wings to fly to reach another life as it has reached hours to bring relief for there is now only sadness, disappointment and regret minister.

During this time Lord as we give our gifts in Jesus name. Everyone's study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll sure to download is searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies. Now, let's resume the message titled destination driven dreams. So let's talk about for a few moments, the leaving of God and how it happens give you five things you need to remember. First, remember this, you need to be a Christian if you hope to be led by God. Romans 814, as many as are led by the spirit of God. They are the children of God. That was Romans 814, number two God leads us through his written word. God leads us through a careful intelligent diligent study of his word. We read from the psalmist. Psalm 119, 105 your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Your word third, God leads you through inner promptings of the Holy Spirit sounds weird but it is did you know when you came to Christ, the spirit of God took up residence in your life. He will never leave you for God often uses the Council of wise qualified mature, trustworthy fellow Christians.

Number five God leads us by replacing a restlessness and fear with an inner peace. Colossians 315 let the peace of God, or the peace of Christ rule in your life. Now we move back to a time in which people were led by dream and visions and voices in the night in the presence of angels and supernatural moments why they didn't have a Bible. The Bible was incomplete that none of the New Testament, and many of them were familiar with only a portion of the Old Testament.

Furthermore, the spirit of God didn't live in them permanently, like he does, not with us because the Holy Spirit would be lifted out of a life when sin was present for some time the Holy Spirit would be brought in when there would be the need for great power or great decisions or great courage.

So in those days, things were different. In other words, God moved through supernatural manifestation.

One of the ways he did.

That was in between us now pull out your pan.

Have it ready to mark five places in these two chapters, wherein chapters 1 and two of Matthew get your pen ready able to show you some five times were going to read in a dream, how did I know that I observed the text.

I read it over and over. Suddenly the words came off the page. Look at chapter 1 verse 20 the he's Joseph. And as Joseph considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream underline in a dream Joseph son of David, the angel said don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. Up until then.

He didn't know where the child came from. She told him the child was from the Holy Spirit and that she left town for three months. The angel appears in a dream and says it's a good decision it so the Lord in a dream.

Verse 12 of chapter 2.

Look at that when it was time to leave a this would be the Magi.

The wise man return to their own country by another route for God had worn them in a dream mark that not to return to hear it. How would they have known otherwise. God could've spoken, but he chose to reveal it while they were asleep in the middle of a dream.

They get the will of God revealed to them. Look at verse 20 are verse 13 it is again after the wise men: an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream underline that get up and flee to Egypt with the child will read about that verse 19 when Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream mark that he appeared to Joseph in a dream while they were in Egypt, one more verse 22, with the end then after being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee market five times in two chapters anytime you run across the repetition of a phrase or word that many time it's telling you something God is leading them into his will through dreams. Now hold on. This is not now.

This is then at a fella come to be at the first service and say you mean God doesn't leave me in dreams. Today acid know that God can do anything he wants to, but it's rare very rare that God would do that and he said man in my relieved. While I know how you felt because I dream last night that Cynthia and I were on a little boat and a guy with a turban, was in charge of the boat and he was big on Cynthia's always hitting on my wife right there in this little boat and were in the middle of the ocean. I can get away and I can't find them all and I'm in a real predicament and then I woke up was so great, had nothing to do with my ministering to people who were turbans are going on the boat with someone has nothing to do with the will of God. It was a weird dream.

Two nights earlier.

I dream I was that we had all the animals of the zoo in our home. I woke up fully expecting a zebra to be looking down on me or hippo in the kitchen get a snack. You know I mean I got I got weird dreams and are all in Technicolor and some time away coming along soon. I was a dream hauling incentives on one hers, and they are oh yes, her dreams are open predicament. No, I'm not going until they were hilarious also to tell, but I don't want to do that now. Let's go hear what's going 13 to 15.

To be really interesting as you see it unfold.

Now that you got this in the background.

The wise men, and then there they brought the grips of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

One of the because Herod said come back through here. I want to find out where the child is because I want to worship into.

They don't know Herod. They lived all their lives in the East. They come quick visit another leaving after the wise men were gone and angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and now it's in a dream earlier they were told in the dream don't go back to Herod go another way so that saved them from their lives being hindered or to or hurt or maybe even taken and Herod quickly going without a warning to take the life of the child. Never.

Herod is threatened by the presence of some other king. Now, after the wise men are going to needs of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, get up fully.

The word is fugal in the Greek ended mean the same word for fugitive to become a fugitive in Egypt, get out, get away from Bethlehem be on your way.

So he's Jesus it's in the middle of night. That's when you get dreams and his Job. Joseph flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. The angel said stay there until I tell you to return because Herod is going to search for the child to kill middle of the night. Joseph is awakened and he hears something he never soars that you never dreamed you would hear before he never imagined. And now he's told.

Get up, get out that night you haven't respected Joseph maybe until now, but look at this. Here's a man who's married a woman who was pregnant and he can never fully explained it to anyone else.

How God did that to this day, we can explain some miracle that baby in her womb and is going to marry her while she's three months pregnant and then they go to all the way to term and only after six months she has the baby and all the neighbors are talking. We've all talked about that we would imagine that he's willing to go through that and now they're finally a place with the child is beginning to grow in the Lord says get up go to Egypt.

I take it that he's never been to Egypt before the Lord often leads us to places we've never been before, says go to Egypt take the child and his mother by the way, Matthew's very careful it's never your child with your wife.

It's her with her son, and you see is nothing to do with child biologically's assist, take the child and his mother and stay there until I tell you to return. Here's the reason why look at this. That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary his mother is met his wife and had the dream he had the dream. Mary Mary cannot get up baby because you down here. What cannot she gets up she prepares the baby for travel.

I take it they left some things in a hurry and they're on their way.

You have artist Egypt to the edge.

The very closest border is 100 miles from Bethlehem. You can track it yourself. If you go all the way to Alexandria where Alexander the great had set aside a section of that vast city is a refuge for Jews.

There were million Jews there at that time be a great place to hide away from her desk, 320 miles from Bethlehem. Think they don't own animals. Maybe the one that she rode there when she came to have the baby. Maybe it was a donkey so that's hundred to 300 miles of rough travel to a people lose language they don't know to a culture there unfamiliar with and it was God's will and there to do it now while you may be impressed with Mary for getting up right away and trusting your husband going unimpressed with Joseph he got it.

There's not a resistance is not an argument there's on a wrestling. Let's go God says this, let's go. He's a fine man. Not enough is ever been said about Joseph. What a tough journey is an old hand that has these words in shady green pastures so rich and so sweet. God leads his dear children, along for the water school flow bathes everyone's feet. God leads his dear children, along not always. Sometime it is in shady green pasture sometime in the desert of Judea going into the desert of Egypt. Sometime it's leaving the familiar lease well because I familiar in Bethlehem to go to a place middle of Alexandria, how could they do that because it one great goal in life that was to please their heavenly father. Hell easy for us to live selfish lives and have the brakes on. We like it here because her family is here.

We like the climate we like our house or we like it we finally got pay things paid offer. We finally got settled old old old old you don't know. Today is the end of the line came following the first service kid waiting to speak to me and he said I've been here for years.

I want you to know I'm I'm on the way to Pennsylvania separately. How wonderful. Tell me about.

He said you know the Lord made it clear to me and he didn't describe what he threw several of the ways you describe that I need to leave. I need to go teacher in high school and encourage some of those students back at the place of my roots go back. He has no idea the details of what is going to be facing his position is getting over with high schoolers.

He spent his life in the movie industry figure that one out, but he has such peace. I embraced him and I said let me give you little tidbit from the words of a missionary who wrote in his journal shortly before his martyrdom. Jim Elliott, wherever you are, be all there live to the hilt. Every situation you believe to be the will of God. Good advice. Thanks, Jim smiled, and I think he walked over the side, sat down and wrote that down. I said when you go to Pennsylvania be all there. Don't look back. Don't waste time looking like it used to be looking for. It is where God is leading. They didn't go to Egypt licking their wounds. They would Egypt trusting God, even though it was a sudden quick decision and a big one. So that night they left. They stayed there. In fact, it fulfilled what Hosea is written in chapter 11 verse one you'll see the words I called my son out of Egypt.

Matthew lifts that verse out of Hosea 11 one and says that fulfilled that prediction, but is not true.

So the real Egypt and how long do what they did. Probably they use the gold from the Wiseman gift to finance the trip.

They would need money for food maybe was able to buy another beach to ride on. Make the travel on four legs instead of their own and they made their way to reach. I should add that parent threw a fit.

Verse 16, he was furious when he realized Wiseman and outwitted him and he sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the Wiseman's report of the stars first appearance in the my last message but I spent time on verse seven he wanted to know specifically when the star first appeared because Herod is doing the math he's figuring how old the child is now so that's why kills the two years old and younger. He had figured the baby Jesus the Savior. The King of the Jews must be that age, so he kills all the boys that age and younger. You might think. Would anybody be that brutal. If you think that your pretty naïve individual. Herod was approved. I called him a monster. He slaughtered the last remnant of the Hasmonean dynasty who knows how many hundreds he executed more than half the Sanhedrin during his reign. He killed 300 court officers out of hand.

That means for no cause he executed his own has ammonium wife, Mary Emily, her mother, Alexandra and his sons Everest Douglas Alexander and Antipater.

This man Herod the murderer. Finally, as he lay dying he arrange for all the notable men of Jerusalem to be assembled in the hippodrome and to be killed as soon as his own death was announced man of ruthless cruelty with the fanatical neurosis about any threat to his kingdom. Caesar once said of Herod, it's better to be Herod Sal than Herod's son for the sow had a better chance of life. We can make keys speak to some of you today who have not awakened in the real world. I don't mean that to be insulting but some people live in a dream world as if everyone can be trusted. Some people cannot. Some are wicked to the core brutal for the Nazis were at the end of the 1930s and early 40s. That's what ISIS is, as it makes its way savagely through countries beheading killing slaughtering without unconscionable acts wicked to the core wicked man, you think I'm too harsh to check out Genesis 65 God saw God saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

That's why brought about the flood you're raising children you better protected for their predators who live to hurt your child. There are monsters who become serial killers and they will take your daughter if you don't train her to protect herself not make foolish decision. They will rape her. They will murder as much as we love our Lord and as deeply as we desire to please him and serve him and be as good as citizens, we can possibly be. We are not surrounded by old people like that. Never forget that train your children to be Street. Why in the will thank you for the rest of their lives. Otherwise doubly taken advantage in many of them will be here. None of us wants that this is one of the abiding principles we draw from Matthew's account and there's much more to come. Chuck Swindoll titled today's message destination driven dreams. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org checks comprehensive study in Matthew has never been shared on Insight for living until now and over the next few months. We are confident you gain a whole new understanding of the king's arrival by joining us for this fascinating study. It begins with the birth of our king and crescendos with his great commission at Insight for living ministries. It's our hope you'll resolve to listen every day. Matthew's unique perspective provides a magnificent view of our Lord's life and when we truly engage with King Jesus, our love and affection for him grows immensely concurrent with Chuck's new teaching series on Matthew. He's just recently completed a practical commentary as well. It's titled Swindoll's living inside commentary on Matthew and it comes in two hardbound volumes and we encourage you to request your copies now in order to make the most of this in-depth series to purchase when dolls living inside commentary on Matthew call us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/store and then here's another resource for the entire family. Many of us are making every effort to understand our changing times and were learning how to communicate truth with the next generation what Chuck is been impressed with the insight in a new book is recommending to is called a practical guide to culture. The authors John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkel provide a biblical view on key issues in our culture that all of us face such as sexual orientation and gender identity, racial tension and more. You can purchase a copy right now by going to insight.org/store. The book is titled a practical guide to culture and there's a similar book targeted for younger readers titled a student's guide to culture.

This call listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org/store. Join us again Monday, when Chuck Swindoll continues our study the book of Matthew right here on Insight for living.

The preceding message destination driven dreams was copyrighted in 2014 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited