Forty Years Ahead of God

So before he can do speech together.

He sees two Hebrews fighting one another as if they didn't have enough trouble they were fighting each other and he says so are you striking your command, a companion, and this Hebrews says to him who made you prince over us.

In other words, what is the source of your authority is the 40 years later Moses would come back to the people with a rod in his hand and a message that I am coming under the authority of Yahweh, but they are basically asking him what is your source of authority and Moses have nothing to say.

Let me ask you this, when we find ourselves in those tough circumstances of life God wants us to pray.

He wants us to seek his help was an account in Exodus where Moses forgot that instead of talking with God and relying on him.

Moses took matters into his own hands were looking at that account today. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi were continuing through a series called out of Egypt. Stevens entitled today's lesson 40 years ahead of God.

Take your Bibles blaze and turn to the book of acts. The book of acts chapter 7 our study this morning has several parallel passages, one in Hebrews chapter 11 one in acts chapter 7 and then of course in Exodus chapter 2. As we continue in our study of the great Old Testament book. I want to read with you before we get into our study. The passage in acts chapter 7 let's start with verse 20.

It was at this time that Moses was born and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home and after he had been exposed Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son and Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians. He was a man of power in words and deeds.

But when he was approaching the age of 40. It entered his mind to visit his brethren the sons of Israel when he saw one of them being treated unjustly. He defended in the took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

For he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they didn't understand. On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together and he tried to reconcile them in peace saying men you are brethren. Why do you injure one another but the one who is injuring his neighbor pushed him Moses away say made you a ruler and judge over us. You do not need to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday. Do you that this remark, Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons hold your finger there in that portion of Scripture Exodus chapter 2, I want to read just a few verses that are given to the same account will start with verse 11.

Here you will note the similarity of the two passages. Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brother. Note this so he looked this way and that when he saw there was no one around. He struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand and he went out the very next day in the whole two Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to the offender why are you striking your companion and he said who made you a prince or judge over us. Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian and Moses was afraid and said surely the matter has become known. When Pharaoh heard of this matter. He tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well turned back to ask chapter 7.

If you have ever wondered if there was a scriptural illustration of getting ahead of God, you are about this morning to study one with me.

It's possible to serve God and the very same time ignore God.

It's possible to be interested in doing the will of God and yet doing it your way.

It is possible in the account of Moses to be so far ahead of God. When you total up the years you discovered that he was 40 years ahead of God's plan but yet God gave us this colossal failure by Moses, for reasons that we want to discover this morning.

Let's begin by discovering in context. What happened to Moses after we studied last session, Pharaoh's daughter taking him away. The text tells us that he was educated. Verse 22 of acts chapter 7 and all of the learning of the Egyptians.

We learned last week that Moses was given his name O'Shea from Pharaoh's daughter, not from his parents. O'Shea was actually a Hebrew ours gives me an Egyptian pond on a Hebrew word that means to draw out and and Pharaoh's daughter was saying this is my son who I drew out of the water so she gave him a new name here is perhaps a three or a four-year-old boy.

Then it tells us in verse 22 that he was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians and I would agree with most that Moses was being groomed. He was being prepared for nothing less than the throne of Egypt, he being the only son of Pharaoh's daughter was being groomed as the Pharaoh to be and as a result this idiomatic phrases given. He was learned in all of the wisdom of the Egyptians that the Egyptian commoners didn't have this opportunity. Archaeologists have helped us uncover what occurred back in those days, and they have uncovered the temple of the sun, which some of referred to as the Oxford of the ancient world. This was the place where where Moses was educated, his head would have been shaved.

He would've worn the gallon of the priest and he would have been given instruction in just about every area of study. Today he was schooled in mathematics. He was schooled in archaeology. He was schooled in the sciences, chemistry being one that the Egyptians still outdistance us and especially in embalming the dead. We have nothing that even compares to their process, the arts, painting. We have nothing that can even compare today to the Egyptians where their murals have lasted 4000 years and their colors are brighter than what we have in DuPont. I'm sure would love to get their hands on the formulas that they use back then because you and I have the pain our houses every four years Moses was schooled in law even while he was living the code of Hammurabi was in existence, and it was the legal system that he learned so well and I think God used as he would one day fill out the law for the people of Israel. I can't help but compare the fact that Moses traded in a humble slave shack for the palace of Egypt. He would leave a place that would have very simple meals for meals. The gourmet delights prepared by Pharaoh's own chefs. You can't imagine. We cannot help but try what he left what he potentially gained so we find Moses. Then in verse 22 being educated in all the learning of the Egyptians and the result was this will note verse 22, he became a man of power in word and indeed in other words Moses embodied the qualities of acumen leadership, extra biblical records reveal that Moses perhaps led the Egyptian army against Nubia or what is today Ethiopia and he conquered Ethiopia and he captured the capital city because of his education. He was a warring Lord Pharaoh was conquering the known world. And Moses was right in the middle of it.

But not only did he embody the qualities of human leadership. If you're taking notes. The second thing that strikes me is that Moses obviously exemplified the criteria for spiritual ministry because he's about to turn his back on everything that he had why because of his love for the people he longed I believe to be their deliverer.

He had a passion and end when the text says that he went out to lock it was with the word meaning with passion or greater motion. He wanted to lead these people out of tragic and severe slavery into freedom. He had all of the knowledge of the Egyptians, but he still lacked the wisdom that comes from God. So he hatches a plot before that I want to turn you back to Exodus, keep your finger in acts Exodus and I want to build a case on the premise that it's not specifically spelled out in Scripture, but I think to be consistent with Scripture.

You may agree with me that this is the case. Hebrews chapter 11 says that Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king. Perhaps you remember that passage of Scripture as we study Hebrews 11 however you remember reading when we came to the end of this passage that he fled in fear for his life. It sounds like an apparent contradiction.

However, the Scriptures revealed to us that he left to go view his brethren, and the word is given to us in verse 11. Look at it with me. Chapter 2 of Exodus.

Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up acts tells us what he was approaching 40 that he went out to his brethren and he looked on their hard labors turned back to acts chapter 7 look with me that verse, verse 23, but when he was approaching the age of 40. Note this it entered his mind to visit his brethren the sons of Israel. You can circle the word visit the word visit is used several times in the New Testament.

In fact, it's used in Luke chapter 7 verse 12 when Jesus Christ sees a funeral procession coming his way in the coffin is right beside Jesus Christ and the text tells us that Jesus reached over and he touched the coffin and as a result, the pallbearers stopped there March and Jesus Christ said to this deceased young man did and right in the middle of this funeral procession. This boy sits up and starts talking. Imagine being part of that one. Well, the people are amazed and they said this. Surely God has visited his people. Same word here, meaning that God has come to dwell among his people.

When the text tells us that Moses went out to visit his brother, and I believe what he is saying is that Moses went out to live with them. It was then, without fear of Pharaoh that he left all of the court. He left all of the wealth and he went out to view with the motion to dwell among the slaves, the Israelites wouldn't be until later when he murdered that Egyptian that he fled for his life. So I believe that Moses is at this point abandoning Egypt go back to Exodus and take a look at came about in those days, when Moses had grown up that he went out to his brethren. The look on their hard labors and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren, so Moses looked this way can fatten when he saw there was no one around. He struck down the Egyptian and he hit him in the sand. Now if you're taking notes only give you two things about Moses's untimely plan for deliverance. The first is this his actions were prompted by his own timetable. Acts chapter 7 records it entered his mind to go to the Israelite. Perhaps Moses had taken stock and he thought of all of the qualifications that he had. He looked out and he know from what was happening in the court that the Israelites were under an extermination edict the male babies were being thrown into the Nile River. They were being persecuted and killed, and perhaps he was so filled with emotion.

He looked around he saw Lord.

Perhaps this is the time I'm going and it entered his mind to go key phrase he looks that way. He perhaps looked behind him. He looks everywhere but up and at that moment, he lashes out with the stone with a hammer with the sword. We don't know, but he killed the Egyptian I think the first thing that strikes me is that his actions were prompted by his own flesh, his own timetable his own rationale and I'm sure Moses could've rationalized he was being beaten. Perhaps it would've been killed there. They are slaughtering the Hebrews it's time to whacked. I think this is the second point that his methods were inconsistent with God's plan. You know it's it's a difficult thing to try to determine the mind of God in fact God says that my thoughts are your thoughts. Your thoughts aren't mine, your ways are not mine. I think it's very difficult when we come to a conclusion that we are going to whacked and we look at all of the resources we see what's happening. Perhaps your thinking of investing some money and you gather all of the facts together and it all makes sense. The advisors say go for it. Now is the perfect time and you do everything but look up it's possible for us to contact our our own definition. Our own formula for rearing children or for loving our husband and wife and we never look at the manual. We never look up it's possible to rationalize our lives to justify our means and our methods. That is why it is so crucial to compare them to the record of Scripture.

I pulled out the book I mentioned earlier, the author megatrends which was a blockbuster bestseller John Nesbitt, and it represents pretty much the secularist thinking in terms of leadership and I quote what he says about leadership. He says leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it and and that's really clever. That's the worldview. If you're really sharp. If you're really on edge.

If you're watching you'll see the Opening up and just then, in the energy of the flesh, you manipulate your way in, you'll get in front if you can sense a mood change among the few people they need a leader and you're the one and at the right time you step in the place sounds so good.

Moses probably figured out that the parade was ready.

Maybe he even heard the band striking up.

It's time there's a need and God already told me, for my parents that I was the deliverer, so we stepped out in front. The problem is.

The parade was not going to be ready for 40 more years is methods were inconsistent with God's plan.

I I think this is a difficult thing because so often we can evaluate our methodology on the basis of pragmatism. What seems to work. It is crept into the church. It is crept in the Christian movements we do things because they work, and yet what may not seem to work with God's plan for 40 more years, more suffering, more death or tragedy, and yet in that forty-year. God was at work. I think of a man that I talked to recently came back from a a board meeting of the of a mission organization maybe WAN and they along with other mission organizations are involved behind the Iron Curtain and they cannot publicize it because they would give away people who are serving over there undercover underground. One man was brought back out of Russia regardless of what you and I may read. There is not a religious freedom over there today anymore than there was 40 years ago he had had a meeting with several Christian leaders. In fact, he told the story to this board that it gathered several hundred on this advisory board and he talked about how he was in Russia and he was ministering to what is called the persecuted church, not the licensed church. It is what they refer to themselves as the persecuted church.

This is the underground church in China. There are supposedly 40 million in the persecuted church with scraps of paper for Bibles and leaders who are sent to Siberia or if they are caught what he had a meeting with 2000 young people in the forest this past December and they met for four hours until the KGB discovered where they were and came in, waving their pipes and the rubber hoses when we suggest to that church, what would we suggest to the believer.

What should they do what methods should they use in propagating the gospel in building a church and living out their Christian lives. Should they take up the sword like Moses, should they kill. Should they use Egypt's methods to battle Egypt. Moses did and he was way ahead of schedule. This is the methodology of the New Testament church. Notice this first Timothy chapter 2 Paul is writing from a prison cell. The man in leadership in Rome is none other than Nero and the row has a habit that he enjoys.

He takes Christians and after killing them.

He impels them on a stake in the douses them with oil and then around his gardens are the bodies of Christians put the flame and while these Christians encircle his gardens.

He throws lavish parties and in the process of all of that he is persecuting Christians, putting them to death and the apostle Paul and aged man is writing from a prison cell and what is he say for the church to do notice verse two he says will first of all, verse one. First of all that is in priority.

I urge that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men. He could have stopped there.

We could've assumed that he was talking about Nero, but he says in verse two for kings of the words best the Lewis which means Emperor for the Emperor and for all who are in authority. In other words, the New Testament church is to not adopt the methodology of the world. It is in spiritual warfare and/or warfare weapons are spiritual and he says the priority is prayer.

He says don't forget to pray for Nero. Pray what pray that he may be deposed. Pray that he will pass moral legislation. He says pray because God desires verse four all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Pray for our Nero, pray for those in authority over us, even when it seems that our prayers do not work. What would you tell the Russian believer pray doesn't work, we don't know were dying by the hundreds we do not measure methodology by what seems to work. We measured by what the Scriptures teach and our primary warfare is not a sword.

It is a prayer will Moses had something to learn from the apostle Paul and God would take him for 40 years and teach them that but I want you to notice the results of what happens when he adopts the methodology of Egypt to liberate the people from slavery. Look at verse 13 Moses went out the next day and just pause there for a moment. What's he going with you doing going out. The next day he's going out the next day because he's going to announce himself he is going to say I'm here on the deliverer, God's man and it's time for me not to leave you out and let's begin shaping our plowshares into swords and he goes out and before he can get his speech together. He sees two Hebrews fighting one another as if they didn't have enough trouble they were fighting each other and he says so what are you striking your command, a companion, and this Hebrews says to him who made you prince over us. In other words, where is the source of your authority. Just because you announce yourself doesn't mean anything to us he see 40 years later Moses would come back to the people with a rod in his hand and a message that I am coming under the authority of Yahweh, and then they would follow, but they are basically asking him what is your source of authority and Moses has nothing to say why because he is there and the energy of the flesh.

This is his ministry. This is his work.

This is his timetable.

This is his job because of that, two things happen instead of being accepted. He was rejected.

The second thing that happens instead of becoming a leader. He becomes a fugitive.

Look at verse 15 when Pharaoh heard of this matter. He tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well set down is related to literally pitching camp.

Can you see Moses now on his steed racing across the desert as gallons of royalty are are are whipping about in the window seat as he gallops along for his life. And here is the premise here is the man. The leader now running scared. He ends up in a little oasis in the land of Midian, and he sits down and he pitches camp by well disillusioned ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest to you that whenever we operate in the flesh whenever we tell God what we are going to do whenever we discover some sliver of what God's will may be, and yet we define it by our own definition. We also can become disillusioned. Moses had had everything he prepared his plan.

He done everything but seek the face of God and over the next 40 years were going to study that next time God will take Moses and turn him from an obnoxious, brash, self imposing leader who has his life under under his own control into a man whose under the control of God by way of application I want you to consider these questions there are three of one is impatience.

A characteristic of your decision-making detent to make a decision whether it's teach a Sunday school class or invest money or purchase something or whatever you do on the basis of now I can't wait now is the time and everything seems to be right on will I go to the left. 55 look to the right why wait impatience, Hudson Taylor, the man who open China a century ago said that the primary qualification for one who will serve God is threefold. Patients. Patients. Patients and I am stepping all over my toes appear. Secondly, are you making some decision right now is an indicator of the patient's are you making a decision that is violating the Council of God, no matter how you define it, no matter how you rationale or rationalize or justify. Is there something in your spirit, where God is saying you're out of bounds, I want this. I want this job. I want this person. I want this position.

I want this place and Cheryl pray. Perfunctory prayer your way but in a sense it's it's my life here. I'm running and as a result violate God's command to see Moses knew that it was against God's nature to kill effect, Moses would one day with his own pain and I think immersed with conviction, write the words thou shalt not kill. What an afternoon that must've been very one of the keys in understanding whether or not you and I are in patient ministering by flesh is that we violate something of God's counsel. Thirdly, you look everywhere but often planning some project my office I have a little phrase or motto that reminds me often one of the greatest delights in life.

The greatest was written by missionary who said wise is the Individual Who Knows Which Way, God is going goes, Moses would need to Learn Which Way, God was going he would need to learn God's plan.

God's as I trust we going Stephen in a message called 40 head of God during the month of July.

We have a free resource to help you think biblically about politics it's an excerpt from Stephen's book. I pledge allegiance. The Bible tells us that we are citizens of two kingdoms of course were born as citizens of this earth and whatever country were born into.

But we are also citizens of heaven in a portion of the book of Romans, Paul wanted to help that church understand the balance between church and state in our relationship that we should have between those two in this resource. Stephen explores that relationship to what extent should the church be involved in trying to reform the nation and how far should we go in being involved in the political process. In this book Stephen clarifies the believers responsibility as a dual citizen of both heaven and earth.

He also examines the difficult relationship between the church and state, encouraging the church to focus on our most important mission. The spread of the gospel go to wisdom online.org for information is a link on the homepage that's going to direct you to this free resource do that today. Then join us back here next time Stephen continues through this series here on wisdom for the hearts