Getting close to god
Key Passage: Exodus 3
Date: March 25, 2024
And amen for that. Exodus chapter number three, would you please? Exodus chapter number three.
And Exodus three, we have been on Moses. Now, I’m not sure. I think it may be the seventh, eighth Wednesday, something like that, on Moses. And actually, if you count Brother Gregory, he started it off.
So eight or nine weeks, I don’t know, but he did a great job of getting it going. He really did. But we’ve been on the life of Moses. Most of you here tonight, you know the life of Moses fairly good. You can divide it into three parts.
First 40 years in the palace, for the vast majority of it being raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. Then 40 years in the backside of the desert. Learned he was somebody, then learned he was nobody, and then the last 40 years—we’ll write this 80-year mark right now—the last 40 years, he finds out God uses nobodies.
And we’re kind of at this turning point from me on the backside of the desert. And God is calling him, he’s commissioning him, to give him his task at hand. God’s about to use him in a great way. And that’s where we’re at here. He just met with the Lord of the Burning Bush.
The Lord said, “Take your shoes off. You’re standing on holy ground.” And we’ve talked about that. God begins to speak with him about what he wants him to do. And that’s where we’re at tonight. We’re just going to try to cover, really going to try to cover through the chapter here. But I will send the unto—
Would you pray with me that the Lord would just give us what we need tonight? Would you do that? Lord, we’re grateful that we get to come to you, Lord. Sometimes I have my eyes too much on me. Forgive me that, Lord. Father, you’re able, and we’re grateful. Lord, you’re able to give every person here tonight what they need. And Lord, we ask in faith that you would do so, every person give them what they need tonight. Lord, bless this service, and just put your hand on the service tonight. And Lord, we’ll thank you for what you do. And, Lord, we’re asking for this in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. Just this verse, verse number 10, just want to make a small note, if you would. Notice how Moses is getting close to the Lord.
“Take off your shoes. You got all the dirt of the world, get that off. You’re standing on holy ground.” You’re getting close to God. But I do want you to notice when you get close to God, it is not just a position or a place that you maybe just stay there. Now, our flesh has always taken us away. God never changes. But can I say this? When you get close to God, God, he’s got missions.
There is a sin-messed-up world down here, and he has all kind of things that he would like to use his people to minister in this sick, sin-ridden world. And when you get close to God, it’s not like you just get close to—you don’t have anything to do but just kind of hang around with God. Now, that’s a wonderful thing to do, but when you get close to God, God is always—
Can I put it in simple terms? He’s going to put you to work. He’s got something for you to do. He’s created you to do something for him. And when you get close to God, and I’m not saying he won’t overwork you. He won’t drive you to the ground. You always grow when you’re working for the Lord. Satan wastes his people. God grows and builds his people. But Moses got close to the Lord, and the Lord said, “Hey, Moses, I’m doing something here, and I’m going to let you be a part of it.”
But by the way, you remember that verse, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.” But a companion of fools doesn’t necessarily say fools are walking. They’re going around, they’re just sitting around doing nothing, if you will. We don’t know. But a companion of fools shall be destroyed. But notice, you’re going to walk with a wise man. You don’t stand or sit around wise men; you walk.
“He that walketh with wise men.” Any interest over there in Psalm 23? “The Lord is my shepherd.” You know it. Let’s get—I think it’s the first verse or two. If you know it, let’s say it out loud together. Okay, just verse number one, two. Here we go: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake.”
Did you notice that? You won’t want if he’s your shepherd. And then he takes you by the still waters. He leads you by there, and the green grass—makes a lot out of green grass—that’s the first thing. And then the still waters. And then he restores your soul. But the next thing was, did you? He leads you in paths of righteousness for his name. He puts you to work. Now,
I love it. I love it when I saw this. He heals you. He restores your soul before he sends you out. But man, he restores your soul. You get close to him. He brings healing. He works over—and he perfects us over there, and Peter talks about that—then establishes us, and then he strengthens us, and then he settles us. That settles so he can build something on top of it.
Same thing was over here in Psalms 1. Same thing here in Moses. Moses got close to the Lord, and the Lord said—the Lord said, Moses got something to do now. That’s why God works. And God, he puts us to work in a sin-messed-up world. And that’s why God’s people are always the key. That’s why before God brings his judgment on a nation, he always looks at his people, because that’s the people he works through.
I was thinking about it like a vacuum cleaner. I know that’s a dirty word. Can you believe it? The preacher is using that word “vacuum cleaner.” That’s a bad—ladies, close your—men, man, men, all of us, close your ears. You don’t want to hear that, you know. But a vacuum cleaner, well, man, it don’t work unless you plug it in. And a Christian’s going to have no power unless you’re plugged into the Lord. But a vacuum cleaner, once it’s plugged in, isn’t for just sitting there.
It’s designed to do something. You get close to the Lord. You know, he’ll restore your soul, but he’s going to say, “All right, not somebody down the street, they need you to go love on them and witness to them and minister to them.” That’s just God. He’s got a thousand things he wants you and me to do. And Moses got close to the Lord, and God said, “All right, got something to do now.” Let’s keep going. Let’s look at the next verse, would you please?
We’re in verse number 11 there. Exodus 3, would you look at verse number 11? “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh? And that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Now, they’re just going verse by verse for a minute here. I like it.
And the Bible bears witness of this, and you’ll know that, but I like the humility of Moses. “Who am I? Me? I’m supposed to go lead all those Hebrews? I mean, they’re bad enough. They don’t want to listen to me. I’ve already tried it 40 years ago.” But then Pharaoh, later on, it calls him the king of Egypt. Phoo! I mean, who am I?
Now, we’ll read it just a second here, but God really changes Moses’ focus from himself to the Lord. Now, I like the humility of it, but if I keep my eyes on myself too much, I often say this: it leads to one of two things: either pity or pride. And I like he’s starting off humble: “Who am I?”
But if “who am I” stayed there too long, he’d have got the pity. And he did a little bit. We’ll get into it in the coming weeks, you know, and all the things he can’t do anymore. And God’s so wise, he changes his focus off of himself. If I just keep my focus on Paul, it’s just not going to turn out good.
And pity is a weird form of pride anyway. It’s all about me. But it really can’t. So watch what God does. Watch what God does. Look at verse number 12. Verse number 11: “Who am I? I should go and deliver him out of that.” Verse number 12: “And he said, ‘This is the Lord,’ and he said, ‘Certainly I will be with thee.’” Notice how he’s changing his focus off of Moses. “Moses, I’ll be there. Certainly I will be with thee.”
“And this shall be a token to thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” But it wants you just see how the Lord turned the focus off of Moses. Moses, yeah, yeah, you can’t, you can’t, you can’t. “Certainly I, God, I will be with you.” And God’s trying to get his focus off himself and onto the Lord.
It’s always—it always is a bad thing when we just get so self-centered: me, me, me, me, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. Or pride: look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me. Both are both about me.
The children of Israel, when they—years later, years later, well, not too much farther after this, about a year or so later—but they remember over there about to enter in the Promised Land, southern border, Kadesh Barnea, they sent in the 12 spies. Would you look over there, Numbers 13? Let’s just look at that for a second. And you’ll remember when we get there, the 10 said, “We can’t do it,” and the two, Joshua and Caleb, said, “We can’t do it.”
And I want you to see where their focus was. Numbers 13.
And would you look in verse number 30? Numbers 13 and verse number 30. They’re all stirred up because it just talked about—well, let’s start verse number 28 right there: “Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land; the cities are walled, very great. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak [that’s the giants there]. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites and Jebusites and the Amorites dwell on the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.” I mean, they’ve got them all stirred up. Man, there’s giants over there, the people all over that land. “We can’t take that land.”
And I like this, verse number 30: “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.’” Now, he’s talking about himself there, but he’s got a lot of faith: “We are well able to overcome it.”
But the men that went up with him said, “We be not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we.” They brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search it is a land that eat up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
And they’re looking at themselves. “We can’t do that. No way we can do this. We’re like little bit of grasshoppers compared to them.” I mean, they’re NBA basketball players all over there. I mean, they’re just—no way. And they’re looking at themselves.
Now, Caleb, man, he had faith, but where is he getting this faith from? Where is his eyes, his focus at? Would you look in chapter 14 there, chapter 14, look in verse number eight. And this is Caleb talking, Joshua and Caleb, verse number eight: “If the Lord—I want you just notice that—where is this focus?—the Lord (capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, that’s Jehovah)—if the Lord delight us, then he will bring us into this land and give it us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not against the Lord.”
By the way, Sunday night we’ll talk about the King James a little bit. The King James is very careful if it’s capitalized all across, Jehovah. A lot of those new versions mess that up too. But anyway, “Only rebel not against the Lord. Neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not.”
I’m just saying if I get focused on me, I’m going to be like the ten. But Joshua and Caleb, their focus is on the Lord. “We can do this thing,” not because of them, but because of the Lord.
Even the Bible, when it’s over there, what is it? Psalm 139, and he says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works.”
And that my soul—no threat. It really wasn’t—it doesn’t become, and yes, you can—well, I need some confidence. I can get it from that verse. And I understand that. But it really doesn’t go to you; it goes beyond you to God that made you. “I’m fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works.” And that my soul—and another. And you see, but it goes back when I get my eyes on the Lord. He’s the one that made me.
Humanism focuses on us, us, us. Lift yourself up, look at the mirror and say, “You’re all this.” But true Christianity goes beyond that and says, “You know what? I do have some good points, but not because of me, but because of him. And he’s good.” A whole lot more confidence in him than me.
And there’s always—and God, God’s talking to Moses, and Moses, “Who am I? I can’t do that.” And Moses—Moses, “Certainly I will be with thee. Get your eyes off yourself, Moses, get your eyes on me. I’ll be there. You’ll have what you need. I’ll be there.”
Friend, I’m guilty of it, just having my eyes on me. “I can, I can, all on,” all those “woe is me,” all this other stuff. And God says, “Paul, quit all that.”
No, you can’t, but I can. That’s always a key for it. Forty years before, remember over there, Moses, he’s 40 years old, man, I’m going to deliver him and the children of Israel, they’ll follow me. They didn’t follow him. “Well, I can get the job done.” What happens? He kills a man, he’s running. Now, he’s not that way. He’s not all proud, but he’s about to follow another trap this time: getting pity. My God said, “No, no, no, Moses, look here. I’ll be with you.”
“Don’t let Satan get you just down in the dumps. I can’t.” No, no, no, no. By the way, when you’re going to do a job for God, maybe—maybe it’s a neighbor you want to witness to. How many of you have ever been, whether you did it or not, but you’ve ever been burdened about witnessing to a neighbor somewhere in your neighborhood? Yeah, I think pretty much all of us. I’ve been there for sure.
And when those things come, don’t go thinking, “Well, I’ve got to go witness to them.” Go think: you have a King that has commissioned you. He’s sending you out. And you’re not going to them based on, you know, me and what—you’re not, you know—you’re going to them based on the one you serve. You’re just his ambassador.
And if I go, said, “I can’t witness to my neighbor or a family member.” Family members can be really tough to witness to. That can be very hard to witness to. And sometimes the toughest ones to witness to. But don’t think: “I’m going to that family member on my own.” You’re not. It’s not about you and your ability and all that. It’s about your commission by God. And the Lord is going to them through you.
Don’t get the mind and said, “I’ve got to do this.” No, no, no, no. It’s not about you what you can or can’t do. It’s about the Lord. And the Lord’s getting his focus back on the Lord. Instead of saying, “I can’t, I can’t,” just tell yourself, “The Lord can do this.” As you’re walking over there to the neighbor’s yard, don’t say, “Oh, la, la, la,” just say, “The Lord can do this, the Lord can do this, the Lord can do this. The Lord can do this. The Lord can do this.” He’s the one using you.
But it’s a different mindset, but be careful of getting the focus on yourself. No, the Lord can do this. The Lord is able. The Lord can do this. The Lord’s able. And have that mindset. The Lord really is turning his focus back to the Lord. Moses, “I’m going to be with you. Everything’s going to be all right. We can get the job done.” When I look at myself, small tasks seem huge.
And when I look to the Lord, huge tasks seem small.
It’s just really where your eyes are at, where my focus is. And the devil loves to get his focus on ourselves. “The Lord can do this. The Lord can do this. The Lord can do this.” So good. Verse number 13. Let’s get the next verse in here. Just going to get a couple verses. Then we’re going to go—we’re going to read a little bit here. Verse number 13. Exodus 3, verse number 13. You all still out there tonight? Verse number 13: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you…”
I like how Moses—I said, “All right, the focus isn’t on me anymore. Focus is on you.” And he took it. He’s talking about the Lord. “And shall send to them, ‘I’m Moses, I’m going to deliver you.’” No, it’s all about the Lord. “The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you. And they shall say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say unto them?”
Now I like it. Moses has taken the leadership of the Lord. He’s got his focus off of Moses so much of the time here. And he said, “When I go to them, I’m going to go to them and say, ‘Hey, God’s sitting here.’” And Moses knew—he’s really starting to understand it looks like—that it’s not so much about Moses; it’s about who Moses knows. And he says, “They’re going to want to know who you are, if you will. They’re going to want to know, ‘Do I really know—I mean, you’re the guy all those years ago, those raised in Pharaoh’s court, you’ve been educated, you’re mighty in words and deeds—but do you know, do you really know Jehovah God? Do you walk with Him? Have you spent time with Him? Do you know who He is?’”
And Moses is a little bit like saying, “When I go there and I tell them, then they’re going to know who you are. Do I really know? What’s your name? What shall I tell them?”
Can I just say a word or two here? People, honestly, for the most part, people are not really concerned about you being the most knowledgeable person of the world. I mean, sometimes if they ask you a question, you don’t know, and you’re just saying, “I really don’t know, I’ll go find out.” Sometimes that gains their respect. This is—you’re honest about it. You don’t have to be the most talented. You don’t have to know the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to Genesis. You don’t have to know all that. But they do want to know: are you a true, real, sincere Christian? That’s what they want to know.
You go witness out in the marketplace, wherever it may be, in the factory, on the job, in the neighborhood. They want to know: are you a sincere Christian? Do you really walk with God? We know you’re not perfect. They know you’re not perfect. But are you really trying to live for the Lord? Are you a hypocrite? Are you sincere? You really love people? Are you not all—are you really someone that walks with God? That’s what they want to know.
And Moses is saying, “When I go tell them, ‘The God of their fathers hath sent me,’ the next thing—well, who is he?” And Moses is right. Now let’s keep going. Let’s find out what God says, verse number 14.
Verse number 14, Exodus 3, verse number 14. And let’s see what the Lord says to Moses. “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM.” And he said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
There are so many things about this “I AM.” I really don’t know that I grasp it fully. I think it’s one of those things where the Bible’s so shallow, nobody will drown in it, but it’s so deep, we’ll never get to the bottom of it. And I don’t think I really got very deep on this “I AM” part, but a couple of things about it: God had already revealed himself. He began to reveal himself as Jehovah Elohim over in Creation, Genesis 2:4, he did that. And in the beginning of God, that’s Elohim. And he had revealed himself to the Hebrews. But he had never, ever revealed himself in this way up to this point.
And this is the first time he’s ever, ever revealed this part of himself: “I AM THAT I AM.” And he’s really just opening up. Remember, Moses is the one that knew God face to face. And this may be the beginning, really, the Burning Bush and this, where God really begins to get to know him face to face—not to see, but know him face to face.
And God begins to reveal himself, open up himself to Moses like he never did to anybody before at this point. And a couple of things about that. One thing about it is when Moses said, “All right, Lord, we’ve gotten close.” But God says, “All right, Moses, we’re going to start working together now.” Well, when you start working with God,
you get to know a side of God he’ll never reveal until you work with him. I look out and just see people I can think about. I look back and see Bill and Tabitha, and they’re working with those third through sixth-grade boys. I guarantee you they pray for those boys. You have to pray for the boys to teach them every Sunday, you know. But maybe they pray for those boys, “God, would you work with those”—and they’ll see a side of God work and move like you won’t see God. I see Brother Joel, Mr. Jody, and Liberty Station, and well, they prayed for God to do a lot of great things, and I love it. And they’ve seen God reveal himself to them, like they, I’m sure, like they never had before. Because when you start working with God
in tasks in this sin-cursed world, God says, “I want to make it—I’m going to do something in this world, I want to use you to do it.” That’s when God begins to reveal himself to you. You know God in the intimate way. And it’s a wonderful thing. And God began to open up and reveal himself to Moses like he had not done to that point.
This name, “I AM THAT I AM,” it has to do with: I am, I always have been, and I always will be. I’m self-existent. Nobody—that’s Jehovah—has to do with that. Nobody ever made him. He always was. You ever have a kid come up and ask you, “What does it mean that he always was?” You’re like, “Shut up, kid, I don’t know. Let’s go on,” you know. He always was, you know? I mean, how do you explain that, you know?
Well, that’s God. He always has been. He always will be. And that’s part of the name that I AM. I’m the only self-existing eternal: eternity past, eternity present, eternity future. I AM. He’s the I AM God. He says, “I AM, but I AM.” And that has to do with he never changes. Billions of years ago before there was time, he was the same that he is today. In eternity future, billions of years from now, in eternity, he’ll be the same that he is today. I AM THAT I AM. He always has been, he always will be, he always is, and he will always be the same.
Spurgeon words it this way: He says, “Our God forever exists and is forever the same.” What the name has to do with, God—not only that about this name, but God is revealing himself to Moses saying, “Look, Moses, we’re about to embark on a huge endeavor. We’re going to deliver a whole nation, two million, three million Jewish people, from the mightiest military power at that present time.” Moses, “I’m about to use you, and through you, I’m going to work, and we’re going to deliver this nation from bondage underneath this huge nation.” And he’s saying, “Moses, what do you need to do that? I AM THAT.”
You need some mighty power to bring down ten plagues and turn the water to blood and bring the frogs out, the lice out, the darkness out, and the hail and all that, and the death angel? I AM THAT.
You need someone to split the Red Sea when Pharaoh and his army are chasing you? I AM THAT. You need someone to provide water from a rock in the middle of the desert for millions of people? I AM THAT. You need quail in the middle of the desert? I AM THAT. You need manna every morning to feed you? I AM THAT.
You need someone when you lift your hands in prayer, like Brother Pastor talking about this morning, and lift in prayer that I bring victory? I AM THAT. You need someone to meet on the mount up there for 40 days and give you the Ten Commandments? I AM THAT. You need someone to come down and dwell in the tabernacle and dwell in the midst of you? I AM THAT. You need someone to be a cloud to guide you in the daytime and fire to guide you at nighttime? I AM THAT.
Someone said—I don’t know if it’s true or not—but someone said that cloud in the daytime in the desert gets so hot in that sun coming down, that cloud would shade the children of Israel. And that night time in the desert, when it gets real cold, that fire would come up and just like a blanket warm that whole nation. And God said, “I AM THAT.” And he’s saying, “I AM THAT I AM.” Moses, what do you need in your life? I AM THAT. He’s saying, “I AM God.”
He’s revealing himself to Moses. Moses, if you got me, buddy, you got it all; everything’s going to be okay. It’s amazing. God’s revealing himself to Moses in a wonderful way. And, friend, whatever in your life—we all have our unique situations. You know the answer to that is the I AM God. He is I AM. I AM THAT I AM. The Lord is what we need.
Now let’s keep going and we won’t be too much longer tonight. Look at verse number 15. Verse number 15. I’m going to take a sip of water. I hope you don’t mind this real quickly here.
Look at verse number 15, if you would please. Verse number 15: “And God said, Moreover unto Moses, he’s adding on, let me tell a bit more, Moses: Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God [that’s Jehovah Elohim right there], the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
Let me just say aside—no, it wasn’t plenty of saying it—but I think it’s in John 8 over there. Remember Jesus, he’s talking to the Pharisees, and he’s really—John shows the deity of Christ. Remember he said, “I AM”? Jesus was saying that name over there in the Old Testament, Jehovah, that’s me, I AM. Boy, they weren’t happy about that, by the way. Either Jesus was a liar, or he is God in flesh, and he was God in flesh for him. He is the I AM God.
But let’s go back. And I want you just kind of notice this a little bit. You’ll find it many times in the Bible, but he references himself: “the God of your fathers,” the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Now, remember Abraham is the one that he started the nation of Israel with, the Abrahamic Covenant. And how many ever sang “Father Abraham” with the little kids sometimes? How many wore yourself out doing that song? Amen? Well, I tell you what, we do that sometime in chapel. I enjoy it, but sometimes I enjoy it. Amen, you know. But it’s early in the morning, get you away, get your blood flow.
But anyway, Abraham. Abraham’s the one that God started the nation of Israel with. Remember, he’s the one of the seven-fold Abrahamic Covenant. And God renewed that with Abraham and kind of, you know, “I’ll multiply that.” And then a while later on, Abraham’s son, Isaac, the Lord met with him and said, “Hey, remember that covenant I gave to your dad? I’m fulfilling it through you.” And then remember Jacob? Now, Jacob was crooked, but God changed Jacob, and it became Israel—principle of God—and renewed that covenant through Jacob.
Now this name, I really believe it has a lot to do with God. God is a covenant God. God’s made some covenants. And it’s coming to Moses and saying, “Moses, hey, remember way back, your great, great, great grandpa, Abraham? I made that covenant. I haven’t forgotten about it. I always keep my word. And I renewed that covenant with Isaac, and I renewed that covenant with Jacob.” And it’s kind of like God’s saying, “Hey, Moses, you’ve been 40 years back here. I’ve been trying to wait until you get ready because I’m about to remember that covenant and fulfill that covenant. And I’m going to bring the children of Israel out of that Egypt land back over here to Canaan land because that’s my covenant.”
And he’s saying, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” But God’s saying, “Look, I’m the God that made this covenant. When I make a covenant, it’s a done deal.” How many used to do the—what’s the—“Cross my heart, hope to die, stick an eel in my eye”? You know, anybody ever do that and all that stuff? Probably not right to do. I don’t know. I don’t know where it all comes from. I’m not sure, so I probably ought to think about that before I say it. But I—men and my wife don’t do all that stuff. All right now, you know. Praise the Lord, it’s not working online tonight. We need it. Oh, my goodness. Let’s delete that. Let’s rewind that. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes.
And when God makes the promise, it’s good as gold. And God said, “I haven’t forgotten the covenant. His covenants I made with your fathers, I’m about to fulfill it. And Moses, I’m going to use you to do it.” He’s a covenant God. And I believe he’s referenced in a little bit of that, “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Let’s keep going on. We’re going to read a little bit here. We’re going to read a little bit here. We’re in verse number 16. Verse number 16. God’s talking to Moses here: “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, in the land flowing with milk and honey—ice cream.”
“And they shall hearken to thy voice; and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us.’” By the way, notice how they’re designated—not the Egyptian gods, no, no—“the Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us. And now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.”
“And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof. And after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass that when ye go, ye shall not go empty; but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment. Ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.”
Now, he’s given Moses really marching orders, and he said, “Moses, not only am I going to deliver you, but before I deliver you, I’m going to give you favor.” By the way, God’s the one that gives you favor in the eyes of people. Don’t try to manipulate that. What’s your shame when God’s people try to jockey for a position? God’s the one that gives you favor in the eyes of people. Don’t do that. God said, “I’m going to give the children of Israel—I’m going to give you favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. And I want you to borrow things from them.”
It’s interesting, somebody sojourning, visiting. I tend to think he’s talking about there when that last plague, the death angel, some of the Egyptians learned, “Man alive, I’m going to go over there to Israel. They don’t get any of this judgment. I’m going to go live with them for a little bit. Can I stay with you for a bit? I’m tired of getting the hail and the fire and the plague and the sickness and the frogs and lice.” Let me go stay with you, you know. And I think that’s a little bit what he’s talking about there, but he said, “I want you to borrow all this stuff.”
By the way, sometimes—I don’t know that it’s true here in this instance—but sometimes they would actually keep their nest egg, their savings, their retirement, in jewelry, sometime in earrings, and they’d wear it. They’d have it with them. You know, back of the day, used to stick their nest egg underneath the mattress. Well, back in the Bible time, sometimes they would wear it that. And God said, “I want you to borrow all that. And I’ll give you favor, and they’ll give it to you. And when you leave town, I want you to take it with you.”
God’s saying, “Look, not only am I going to deliver you, but I’m going to give you back pay for those 400 years you’ve been working under bondage. You’ve been building all those pyramids and all that for the Pharaohs and all that. You’ve been slaves for them all these years.” God said, “I’m going to get you paid. I’m going to get your pay for you. I’m going to get your pay for you. I’m going to get all your back pay.”
And he did. And he did in God’s time. Moses, you were 40 years earlier. You were over there trying to get it done. You couldn’t get it done, but 40 years have been trying to grow you, get you ready. And this is what we’re about to do together, Moses. I’m going to use you to do it. Just in God’s time, God’s way. When God does it, I’ll get in there and I’ll mess it all up. Man, I’ve been guilty of that too many times. I’ll solve this problem, I get in the middle of it, it’s about ten times worse than when I got in the middle of it, you know? Especially in relationships, by the way.
But God in his time, God’s going to work it out. It’s going to be so marvelous when God does it. I’m not just delivering you, and I’m getting your back pay for you. Would you look over in Galatians 6, just this first, and we’re going to be done tonight? Galatians 6, you’ll know it. You’ll know it. Galatians 6 in verse number 9, verse number 9. I want you to think about maybe—well, you’re looking at it. You found it already. You’ve seen it. And now would you look up here for just a second? Would you look up here for just a second? We’ll look at the verse again. I want you to think about the situation in your life that maybe the Lord has brought to your mind right now. Maybe it’s a relationship problem. Maybe it’s a—you’ve been working at something. You’ve been praying for someone to get saved for years and years. But whatever it may be, I want you to think about that. And now let’s read this verse. All right, Galatians 6, verse number nine: “And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
For Moses, due season was 40 years later. Think about 40 years. “For in due season, we shall reap if we faint not.”
Moses, you knew when you were 40 years old, you knew I was going to use you to deliver the children of Israel. You knew that. You tried to do it your own way, you messed it up, you thought the children of Israel were going to follow. They didn’t follow you. But just keep doing right. “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap.” Man, Moses is about to reap—not just deliver them, but they’re going to get their back pay. “We shall reap if we faint not.” How many of you—how many of you know that verse in song? My wife does. Anybody else? “And let us not be weary in well-doing.” Anybody else know that? Miss Tammy, I’m going to put you on the spot. Oh, my goodness, I’m going to get it. Can you stand with me tonight? Let’s stand. We’re going to try to sing that. Brother Josh, can you get this thing? Well, I tell you what, maybe just turn this off and put the—come on, baby, you’ve got to come with me.
She—I didn’t warn her. I didn’t know I was going to do this part here. I just don’t want to sing it by myself, amen. Besides, I don’t want to stand by a pretty lady anyway. If you know what, sing along. If you don’t, we’ll sing it in a time or two. I want you to sing it with us, okay?
“And let us not be weary in well-doing. And let us not be weary in well-doing. For in due season we shall reap if we faint not. And let us not be weary in well-doing.” Good, good, good. Y’all are getting it good. Let’s go a touch slower. Get all those words in there, all right? Here we go, everybody, here we go. “And let us not be weary in well-doing. And let us not be weary in well-doing. For in due season we shall reap if we faint not, and let us not be weary in well-doing.” Good. Y’all are getting it good. Let’s go a touch slower. Get all those words in there, all right? Here we go, everybody, here we go. “And let us not be weary in well-doing. And let us not be weary in well-doing. For in due season we shall reap if we faint not, and let us not be weary in well-doing.” Brother Adam, would you sing it now? One more time and we’ll be dismissed. This will be it. We’ll be dismissed. Y’all ready? All right, here we go. Brother Ted, you’re going to sing it real loud. All right, he’s ready. Good, good, good. “And let us not be weary in well-doing, and let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not, and let us not be weary in well-doing.” Thank you, babe. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Amen. Sing that song. It’s a great verse. It’s a great way to learn the Bible, just singing it. Go home singing that thing. And Brother Marlon and Ms. Stacey, they’re going to be singing at each other in their car riding home. And hopefully, Ms. Stacey, won’t get sick. I was going to save both of the old—I’m joking with it. Amen. Brother Marlon, would you dismiss with a word of prayer, please, brother.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - Wednesday PM 11302022