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Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

God is a good God to us, and God is going to bless us and reward us reward us when we get to heaven but we’re not there yet. So sometimes I like what not only the Word of God says but what it doesn’t say and it makes a statement here in verse 13, these all died in faith not having received the promises but haven’t seen them afar off. We’re persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

See, that’s all we are right now is strangers and pilgrims. Strangers means we’re away from God, pilgrims means we’re going home. We’re away from God, but we’re going home. Doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to be a be strange or a pill, but you are a stranger and a pilgrim. So the Lord has promised all these wonderful things and He made promises to them and they didn’t get to fulfill them in their lifetime. They never saw the acquisition of all this land that God had promised.

Did you know that God promised them the land from the river of Egypt all the way to the river Euphrates? Over there where Babylon is in Iraq, do you know all that land is going to belong to Israel? I don’t know if people understand how big of a piece of property that we’re talking about, that God promised Israel. and Israel will be the greatest nation in all the world someday. Now look down there in verse 23. By faith Moses when he was born was he had three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

By faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. That’s when he was about 40 years of age. You see, he knew and understood who he was, and he believed before he ever went on the back side of that desert. He knew that God was going to deliver Israel by his hand. He just didn’t know how God was going to do it or when God was going to do it. But it believed that God was going to do it, and so he committed himself and he’s going to do it and follow me.

And they said, who are you? Who are you? And so he fled and went to the backside of a desert. But you see, before he ever did that, he had already made up his mind and he chose, he chose the affliction with God’s people over the treasures of Egypt. See what he makes the statement here in verse 26, it’s steaming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

Did you know that what’s not here is those forty years on the backside of the desert? He didn’t put that in there. Just kind of like skipped right over all of that. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Genesis in chapter 15. The book of Genesis and chapter 15. And you’ll notice there in verse 2, Abram said, Lord God, what will thou give me? See, and I go childless. And the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.

God, you said you’re going to make a great nation from me, and I’m an old man. Where’s this kid? And an offspring has to come from me. like you promised. So how are you going to do this? Abraham said, Behold, to me thou hath given no seed. One born in my house is my heir. And behold the word of the Lord came unto him, sayin, This shall not be thine heir, talking about ishmael. He said, But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

And he brought him forth abroad and says, look now toward heaven, tell the stars or count the stars if they’ll be able to number them. And he says unto him, so shall thy seed be. Who doggy? When that blow your mind. Have you ever tried to count the stars? And verse six you ought to underline this verse in your Bible. And he believed God. He believed in the Lord. And he counted it to him for righteousness. Now even in the New Testament, in the book of Galatians in chapter 3 and verse 8, it says Abraham believed God and it was counted in the hymn for righteousness.

What hath Abraham found that a man could be justified by faith without the deeds of the law? Because Abraham was justified by faith for 130 years before the law was ever given Moses on Mount Sinai. But there’s something that God told them here. You are going to have a son and you are going to have as many as the stars of heaven. So he says there in verse 13, and he said unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them for hundred years.”

So did God tell Abraham in advance that they were going to go to a strange land, and they’re going to be there for 400 years? Just think America’s a little over 200 years old. Give us 200 more years. How many people would there be in this nation? Israel went down into Egypt about 70 of them, came out with a couple million. Nobody knows exact number. Some believe two, two and a half million. I don’t know how to count them on.

But there’s a bunch. And God says there’ll be 400 years. And the reason they’re going to be there for 400 years is because God is building a nation and He put them in the best place in the world at that time to take care of them and gave them the choice land of all of Egypt, the land of Goshen. And God used them and blessed them, and they were fruitful, and they multiplied. And then there came a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, and now began to put the thumb on him and became afraid that if an enemy was to attack Egypt would find that Israel might side with the enemy and destroy Egypt.

Therefore they was going to kill all the male children. Now did God already say about how long it was going to be? Yes. Isn’t it amazing that those years in advance God had already knew exactly what was going to take place in the time and has got to be just right. Gotta be just right. Look also what he says there in verse 15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age.”

Well he should, he was 175 years old. You realize that after he had that child, Isaac, at 100 years old, he lived another 75 years, God, I’m another wife and a whole bunch of more kids. I ain’t making that up. It’s in the boat. And then He says there in verse 16, but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Now this is a list of the people that will be in the land when the time is right.

Because God is giving those people time that’s in the land of Canaan. And the land of Canaan, Canaan was the son of Ham, and he was the one who had the curse. It was not upon the black folks, it was upon Canaan. Canaan went into the land of Canaan, and they’re the one that was under the curse, and God’s going to take it away from them, and he gave it to his own people. And see what he says in verse 18, in the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river the river you frades.

See I didn’t make that up. He was in the book all along. So this is what God says, now take your Bible and look there in the book of Exodus and chapter two. The book of Exodus chapter 2. And look in verse 21, verse 21. You see, Moses had left Egypt and he went on the backside of a desert. And in verse 21 it says, and Moses was, and you ought to underline this word, content. Do you believe that God was going to get Moses out of his comfort zone?

mind in his own business, he had been greatly burned because he supposed and it didn’t happen that way. He thought they would understand, they didn’t. Follow me, boys, and they wouldn’t follow. He says, so much for this leadership business. If those people are coming out of Egypt? God’s going to have to use somebody else. He had the death of a vision. God, you’ll have to get somebody else. He went on the back side of the desert and was content.

See there in verse 21, to dwell with the man and he gave Moses a pore at his daughter. She buried my son, called his name Gursam Solomon. No, just Gursam. Y’all know the guy named Gursam Solomon. I met him over there in Israel and I interviewed him 20 something years ago, 20 years ago I guess. And it says here in chapter 3 that Moses kept the flock. Now he was content doing nothing more than hurting sheep, just taking care of some sheep.

Can you imagine that God has taken this little old sheep herder from the backside of a desert who was in the pits and had finally got content. This is good enough. This is all I’ll do. And he never thought of what was coming down the road of how much God could do with him. He never saw thought. Did you know that a lot of time that’s the way you and I are? We don’t see down the road and we can’t see what God’s going to do.

Can you imagine a few years ago when I lived in Georgia in the backwoods of Georgia, when my daddy was a bootlegger, went barefooted to school and were overalls. I never didn’t go to church, didn’t know one verse of the Bible, didn’t know there were books in the Bible. At that time I didn’t even know there was a Bible. And that’s the truth. Never saw my mom and dad have prayer. High in the world of God ever going to use that little old, low snotty-nose Georgia boy.

He don’t know anything, but there was a hunger. And then how the Lord worked it out to where I came across this man. And I believe the Lord opened doors and his perfect timing of men sit down with men, explain the gospel to me and I trust He Christ as my Savior. And I had never finished high school. As I look back over all those years, it blows my mind. Did you realize that you may be sitting here right now and you think, well, it’s all over.

I’m already, maybe I’m an old man or maybe you don’t have this, you don’t have that. You haven’t let the Lord work on you yet. It over yet. When I think about some of these things, I thought almost 40 years ago, 1968 I went to Colorado 43 years ago. And it seemed like some things worked beautifully, and it some things it seemed like it’s just a God. And some time you think I would be just as content to be on the backside of some mountain just going elk hunting and deer hunting and my own business and just doing my thing.

Just whatever I wanted to do. Because whenever you serve the Lord you got to serve people and people are problems. You got 10 people, you got 10 problems, minimum. Most people have 100 problems each. If you got 100 people, you got at least 100 problems. I think being on the backside of that desert doesn’t sound too bad. Just hurting some sheep. In Colorado, I worked at a turkey farm. Bunch of turkeys. You ought to work with turkeys. They’re worse in sheep.

God of be. But as he goes through here in the mentions a few things and look in verse seven and the Lord says, I have surely I’ve seen the affliction. He says, and I’ve heard their cry and I know their sorrow. Now if he knew this about those people at that time down in Egypt. Do you believe that God in heaven that could see that sees you and the Lord sees your afflictions? The Lord can hear your cry. The Lord knows your sorrow.

Can you believe that? Do you believe that because of what God wanted to do, God was looking for the right person to do the right thing? Do you think God in heaven knew where Moses was hiding? Do you think God knew that Moses was content? He had a wife and kid now back inside of a desert. He just heard and she did you think God knew where he was? Did you think God knew that he was going to walk by this one burning bush?

Who do you think made that bush burn? Just a coincidence. I don’t think so. In verse 10 he says, come now therefore, and I will send the under Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, who am I? Who made you a ruler and a judge? See Moses has been humbled. There’s no pride. He had been stripped. You see, before he had been trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.

He was somebody. And God says whenever you think you’re somebody, God says he’ll have to humble you. But if you humble yourself, then God will exalt you. So Moses was about as low as you can get. He could walk under the belly of a snake on stilts. That’s pretty low. And verse 11, Moses said to God, who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Down in verse 13, Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers have sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name?

See, the question changed from who am I? But who are you? Who am I? Who are you? What’s your name? Because he wanted to be sure. Did you know that he gave to God five excuses on why he was not the man for the job? He did not believe he was the man for the job. And so he says, you just need to get somebody else. See there in verse 13, he said, Oh my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou will send, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.

And he says, is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he cometh forth to meet thee. Look at the timing. 40 years has passed, and lo and behold, here comes Aaron his brother, just a coincidence. Moses says, I can’t speak right. Did you know at one time the Bible says that when he was learning all the wisdom of the gyps and he was great and mighty and word and deed. Now something’s happened over the 40 years.

Either he lacked confidence or he couldn’t speak right. Something was wrong. And he didn’t want God to use him. He says, get somebody else. So God used Aaron. Did you know in spite of all the things that Moses did for the Lord and all the rewards he’s going to get when he gets to heaven, I believe that Moses also robbed himself of a lot because he made God angry with him and didn’t do some of the things that God told him to do.

You see, your obedience is going to get you all awful lot with God, but your disobedience is going to be a good one. is also going to cost you. I have met people over the years that have told me point blank and that have talent, that have ability. I will not. I said, can I count on you? Nope. I said, why don’t you let God use your talent in the middle because I don’t want to. I don’t want to do it.

And I meant, man, I wish I had the talent and ability some of the people have that tell God no. Isn’t the shame to be able to have so much potential and then never use it for the Lord? Did you think that you could be given a talent from God and then not use it for the Lord and escape the consequences? I don’t think so. I think God will take out the razor strap and Jesus’ strap. And God may have to put you in the backside of a desert for 40 years or put you on a shelf and not use you.

40 years later, it was God’s time and He finally got Moses where Moses needed to be. Humble. So convinced in Him’s own mind, I’m nothing. I’m nothing. Now God can use Him. See God can’t use you when you have so much confidence in yourself because then you don’t trust the Lord. You try to manipulate, try to figure out a way that you can make it happen instead of just trusting the Lord and see how God’s going to work things.

We don’t always understand all these things. But I work on the principle that I believe according to the Bible, God has great things in store for all of his children. He left you here for a reason. There’s a purpose. Just like I asked this morning about this little piece of paper to fill out just to see what people might be able to do. We might be able to use them in a greater way. But you know what? There’ll probably be a bunch of people that will.

I will. Not if they know body’s business. Were I work or what I do or what I can or cannot do or my educational background or my professional ability. I’ll do whatever I want when I get ready and I’m not ready and blah, blah, blah. And I’ll never know what they could have done. Because God has to use me.

And I have to know what I can do. You see, I can’t read minds. God hasn’t given me that ability. I’m not God. I’m just a man. And I want to do God’s work, God’s way, with God’s people, with God’s given talents, and I want God’s blessings. And I think we could do that. But there are times when, just like Moses, I supposed that they would understand, and not everybody’s going to understand. It won’t matter what the dream may be or what the gold may be, there’s always somebody that carries around with them a bucket of cold water.

You know what that’s for? So they can throw it on your dreams. So they can wipe it out. There’s always people that are a little bit on the negative side. But praise the Lord, there’s always somebody that says, preacher, you can use me. I’ll do whatever it takes. You can count on me. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I think that’s wonderful. What we could have done for the Lord, if all of God’s people work together to get something accomplished.

I have seen the death of visions and dreams, but I’ve also lived long enough to see a lot of things fulfilled. I used to tell the kids in college, your dreams are more likely to be fulfilled if you don’t over sleep. Too many people just over sleep never get out of bed spiritually. Just never wake up. But anyway, you know the Lord, you know you’re going to heaven when you die and… It doesn’t hurt to find just a little bit of things about manlike Moses.

And you may find yourself on the backside of a desert and you might even get content. And lo and behold, here you are doing fine and a long comes pastor Arnold and he wants to wake you up out of your comfort zone. And may call upon you to do something that you’ve never done before in your little life. Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you going to hide? Are you going to run? Don’t leave me now. You’ve got me here.

We’re in this together. Look up here. Letting this hand represent you and me. This wallet represents sin. You and I have sinned. We have come short of God’s perfection. We’ve all done things wrong, but God says that He loves us and He hates our sin. But the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God. But God says to go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous as God and none of us are perfect, none of us are righteous.

We’ve all sinned and come short of God’s righteousness. So God says you can’t save yourself, you cannot earn your way to heaven. This hand represents Jesus Christ, he is the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us but he hates what we do wrong and he says our sins separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die took our sins and died in our place. And God says that if we’ll believe that he paid for our sins and was buried and came back again from the dead if we would believe he did it for us, he would give us as a free gift everlasting life.

And he says, these things have written into you that believe that you may know that you have eternal life. Can you know you have eternal life? I know that I have eternal life and that I’m going to heaven when I die. Best is in the world. Let’s pray, show him. Every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you have never trusted the Lord or if you’re watching by internet tonight, right where you are, just simply say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner.

I believe Christ died, paid for my sins, and I’m gonna trust Him to take me to heaven whenever I die. And when God said, if you would trust Him, He would save you and give you eternal life. Just like this morning I gave the invitation, just like I’m doing now. And I asked for a raise of hands. Somebody in the back did raise their hand. I found out later, but I didn’t know it. I don’t always see it, but I got some good news for you.

The Lord does. The Lord sees every individual in this room. He sees every person that’s watching by internet. And he knows, if you believe, that his son paid for your sins. He knows, if you believe, that he came back from the dead. And he knows that you’re trusting him as your only hope of going to heaven. And God says, because of what he knows, he’s going to give to you as a freak. You have never lost him life. Will you trust him?

Father, we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us for this time together. Bless each one. In Christ and we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you are blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible Line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bible line programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.