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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. 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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Well, guess what we’re talking about today? Big one through some of the Old Testament giants in the Word of God, and we are now with Moses. So take your Bible and turn to the book of Exodus, the book of Exodus. I asked the college kids the other day, I said, where was Moses born? They said, Israel, Israel. Well, don’t you? Anybody know where, besides Tom, Tom is off, and he’s not allowed to answer the question. Where was Moses born?

In Egypt, an old godly saint here says Egypt, and she is correct. He was born down in Egypt. And why was he born in Egypt? Because that’s where his mother was. Doesn’t that make sense? His mother was there. So anyway, things were going on. And the other day they had a thing about whether or not Is Jeb Bush gonna run for president, Jeb Bush? Well, I already had two bushes, now this is gonna be the third bush. And somebody asked if, is the Jewish people gonna vote for Jeb Bush?

They said no. So it’s the last time we had a talking bush, we spent 40 years in the wilderness. So I know, I just made that up. I mean, that’s not, that really wasn’t on the news. But it should have been on the news, it should have been there. So the question is, God had a plan, and his plan goes all the way back from the beginning before he ever made the man. Before he created the heavens and the earth, God knew what needed to be done.

And so he created the world and he even knew what Satan was going to do. He even knew what Adam and Eve was going to do. He also knew what the flood was on its way and what he was going to do with Noah and his three sons and their wives and how that everything would start all over again. See God had a plan that he was going to institute. And he made a promise to a man named Abraham that I’m going to justify people by faith and faith alone.

So they couldn’t earn it. They’re going to have it free. So he made the promise. But he says that it’s going to come to the nation of Israel. Well, at this time there was no nation of Israel. So God began to work on how he was going to do all of this, using people and yet not overriding their wills but letting people make decisions. See, God doesn’t pre-program us to say we have to do this and we have to do that.

God allows you to make decisions, good ones and bad ones, and allow you to suffer consequences of your good ones and bad ones. So whatever it might be, otherwise there’s no responsibility, but there is responsibility between us and God. And so the Lord says, you do this and I’m going to do this. And if you do this, I’m going to do this. So that’s why we have chasting in the scriptures, where God chases individuals, God chases families, God chases church, God chases nations, God chases the whole world, because you can’t just do whatever you want to do without consequences.

So God is teaching us that as you go through Scripture. What kind of a person does God use? Well, he’s looking for those perfect individuals. No. If he was looking for perfect one, there wouldn’t be anybody to use. Everybody is a center. We’re all fallen and we all need a Savior. So God has Israel down in Egypt and when they went down there was about 70 of them total. And now after all these years, about 400 years later, that’s almost twice the age of America.

And now here comes all this persecution upon the children of Israel. In Pharaoh, the Bible says, there arose a Pharaoh that knew not Joseph. And so they begin to be afraid of the Jewish people, because they’re down there in Israel and in Egypt. And they said, well, if they was to side with some other nation, they could whoop us. And so they became afraid. Well God knew all of this and they made slaves out of them and worked them and Then told the wives of the Jewish people that if you have a child and if it’s a man You got to kill the man.

This is abortion way back then You got to kill all the boy babies because that way it would keep them from having too many and Overthwend their nation if they chose to do so Well, all this slavery also prepared those Jewish people to be pretty tough because of what God was going on. I bet there was one lean mean machine and this was before the Marines and they were going to go into the wilderness and God was going to use them in a great way.

But he had to have a leader, he had to have a leader. So it says here in chapter one of the book of Exodus, if you’ll notice there, look in verse 11. In verse 11 says, therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh, treasure cities, Pittaman, Ramses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor.

So they really laid it down. Then nine in verse 15, he says, the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives of which the name of the one was Chipprah and the name of the other, Pua, and says, when ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him. If it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them but saved men, children, alive.

So they didn’t get their wish and everything. But the thing to remember here is that some feared the Lord and they disobeyed Pharaoh. Some people say, well, you know, you suppose obey the law that’s over you regardless. Well, if everybody that knew the Lord, obeyed the kingdom. It’s over. Then Paul would not have been beheaded. Peter would not have been crucified upside down. None of these apostles would have died because they would have just always did whatever the government tells them to do.

And when they commanded them not to speak in his name, well, they would have done that. We wouldn’t have been reading about Daniel in the lion’s den because he wouldn’t have been in the lion’s den. He would have just stopped and not prayed. I don’t want to violate the law of the land and the three Hebrew children that were thrown into the fiery furnace. Well, they wouldn’t have been in there. Why? Because well, they would have just been in bowed and did whatever the king said.

No, it’s because they violated the laws, unrighteous laws of those that were in authority over them. And you have the same thing that’s mentioned here in many other places. So he says here, these people did not do what they wanted done. But anyway, they begin to multiply. And in verse 21, and it came to pass because the mid-wise feared God that He made them houses, and Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, every son that is born, you shall cast into the river.

And every daughter, you shall save alive.” Well, they took one and they did throw them into the river. I guess you could say Moses was the first basket case. They put him in a basket. They weaved it with some tar and so on, you know, so it wouldn’t sink and put him afloat. Now, isn’t it wonderful when when you stop and think about this, here’s this woman of Israel. She has a child. They saw that it was a goodly child.

And after about three months, I guess they couldn’t hide this little baby any longer. So they put it into a little basket and put it into the Nile River. And the mama has the baby. The daughter, she would follow and see what was going to happen to the baby. And lo and behold, there was Pharaoh’s daughter, the honor to river taking a bath. Now I’ve been there and you don’t want to take a bath in that river today. Now one time it might have been a nice clean river that is not a nice clean river today.

I mean, it’s more like a septic system. Anyway, so Daniel had taken a bath and all of a sudden they heard this little baby and they got this little baby. And so the little Jewish girl, you know, wound up going and get mama to work for the Pharaoh’s daughter so that she could raise the baby. So God had Moses raised in Pharaoh’s house and was looked after by his own mom. Wasn’t that wonderful how God intervened and did all of that?

I think it’s awesome. I really do. Then you see there in verse 7 chapter 2, then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter. Shall I go and call to the a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee? Hey, Pharaoh’s daughter said to her go and the maid went and called the child’s mother My my my how God can intervene in Situations We got had a plan and when God has a plan he can work things in the strangest of ways You and I are supposed to believe that he’s doing the same thing in our life You see that woman of Pharaoh’s daughter just happened to be there at the right time And everything just worked out just right.

I believe in the providence of God, that God is working in our lives. We don’t always see and understand how He’s doing it, but we’re supposed to believe that He is. And so now you look there in verse 10 where He says, and the child grew and she brought him on the Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, said, because I drew him out of the water. And when it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out into his brethren and looked on their burdens, that he spied in Egyptian, smite in the Hebrew, one of his workers.

So when he saw that, he decided to take a stand for the people of God. When he took this stand, it was, he killed the Egyptian and he hid him in the sand. And later on, somebody told him, says, are you going to kill us? because they were fighting against each other and said, what are you going to do? You’re going to bury us under the sand too? Who made you a prince and a judge over us? See, Moses knew and believed God was going to use him to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, but they didn’t want him.

He was rejected. So now in fear of his life and Pharaoh, he caused he knew that this thing was known. He ran into the backside of a desert and was there for 40 years. He spent 40 years of his life learning and gaining in all the wisdom of Egypt and how to be a leader. Now God had him on the backside of a desert, unlearning them, teaching him something new. And then when he was 80 years old, 80 years old, God came to him and says, Hey, I got a job for you.

Moses, I don’t want the job. He said, I don’t want to do that. So anyway, the Lord came to him and spoke to him through a burning bush. Look what it says here in verse 4 of chapter 3. Verse 4 of chapter 3 says, And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the mist of the bush and said, Moses, Moses, and he says, Here am I. And this is drawn up, nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standeth is holy ground.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the afflictions of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So God sees and hears, so he knows the problem and he has a plan. I’m gonna send the man down there and tell him, and say, now you go down there and you tell Pharaoh, let my people go.

Well, it didn’t all just jive with Moses. Moses had a problem with all of this. But first of all, I want you to hold your place right here and turn over there to the book of Acts, the book of Acts in chapter 7. Acts, chapter 7, I believe it’s chapter 7. It’s a good chapter anyway. Acts, chapter 7. And notice what he says here. As you get from the Word of God in the New Testament, a consolidated You know, capsule of what is going on.

What happened way back then? Steven is a deacon and he’s preaching maybe his first sermon, but I do know it was his last one because they killed him. So he said some things that they really didn’t like. And this is after the resurrection of Christ. You’ll notice there in verse 20 of Acts chapter 7, in which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair and nourished up in his fathers house. three months. Just like it says in the Old Testament where we read it.

When he was cast out Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, nourished him for her own son. Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Was mighty in words and indeed. And when he was four forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. Now, I believe that that was by God. It came into his heart. He had to make a decision. And in verse 24, and seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him that was oppressed and smoked the Egyptian.

For he’s supposed, now get this, he’s supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not. So at this point did Moses know and believe that he was supposed to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? Says so. But the people didn’t believe that and they didn’t understand that. So he has a problem on his hand. I I committed myself.” And they, look what he says in verse 26, The next day he showed himself unto them as they strove and would have set them at one again, sansers, he are brethren.

Why do you wrong with another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? will thou kill me as thou didest the Egyptian yesterday, then fled Moses at this saying and was a stranger in the land of Midian where he begot two sons and when forty years were expired okay that would make him how old? Eight years old and he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians so he had to be a one smart man mighty in word and deed get that mighty in word that means in what he says and in what he did.

He was next in line to be Pharaoh. Boy, he had it made. Now, take your Bible and turn to the book of Hebrews in chapter 11. Hebrews in chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 gives us a little bit more of an insight into Moses. Notice Here’s what he says in verse 23. Now we’re talking about the Hall of Faith chapter, what God looks at. And in the Hall of Faith chapter, God doesn’t record all of their faults and flaws and failures.

And yet you read all these things and these people listed in chapter 11. When you read the Old Testament, God records a lot of things that they said and did and were mad and bitter and upset and rebellious and you know they don’t have the things. But when you look at it from the faith part, God, that’s what God records and I like that because all the things that they did was wrong has been forgiven. Look what he says in verse 23, by faith Moses, now because this is what Moses believed 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.

Verse 24, By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Now he could have, but he had to make a choice. This is what everybody has to decide. In other words, we’re always making decisions, choosing. And And so when you’re limited in knowledge, you’re limited in ministry. So you need to have correct knowledge to make the right decisions. Now notice what he says here in verse 25, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Now he could have stayed where he was at, all the riches of Egypt, and he had it all. Or he could give that up and suffer with the people of God. What would you have done? For a little fame and honor and power and glory, I think I’ll just stay and be the Pharaoh. No, he made a decision. Why did God use him? Because he made this decision before he went into the desert. He made this decision first. And he thought that the people would understand, but they didn’t understand.

But he committed himself only to be rejected. You’d be surprised as you live your life. You can commit yourself, I’m gonna do this for the Lord and this for the Lord. And you think, well, everybody’s gonna be for it. And they don’t care. They don’t care about your dedication to God. How much you love God. Because see, if somebody else is, if they’re not in that same mindset, they don’t understand why you do what you do. Before I ever went to Florida Bible College, and I told him I was going to Florida Bible College, I was told you’ll never finish.

You’re making a mistake if you’re like, what are you gonna be when you go out of Bible College to Bible? And then you’ll say, how are you gonna make a living, you know, go to the Bible College? I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know you could get paid being a pastor. I don’t know if I thought I’d been a preacher. All I wanna do is just learn how to tell people how to go to heaven. I just didn’t want people to go to hell.

And I didn’t know that you could have a whole ministry your whole life doing this for over 50 something years. God knew that but I didn’t know that. I just wanted to know more about God’s Word. I wanted to know this Bible. So I went to Bible. It sounds like a reasonable thing to do. But notice what he says here in verse 26. Esteming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasure in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

By faith he foresoaked Egypt, get to not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He didn’t see God, but by faith he did. By faith he didn’t see those rewards he would get, but by faith he did. You see, we’re to walk by faith, not by sight, not by what you see with the natural eyes, but But by faith believe in that when I get to heaven, it will be worth it all.

And therefore you can go ahead and serve God. And it doesn’t matter what the world says or does. It doesn’t matter whether they accept you or reject you. As long as you do what’s right between you and God, nothing else really matters. Seek to please the Lord above everything else. Choose. Choosing. Those words are pit and hip. he had a choice, he could have chosen the other way, but he chose to serve God. And nobody can make you serve God.

Nobody can make you love God. Nobody can make you walk with God. We can try to make our children obey certain roles or suffer the consequences, but you can’t make them right with you and have a good attitude. You have a good attitude or else. It’s wonderful we can make a person have a good attitude. But generally that’s their option, isn’t it? Now you may beat the tar out of them and half kill them, but that’s still sometimes it doesn’t help one Iota.

He ever spanked the kid and they become more rebellious? That’s what God says in Isaiah chapter one, he says, I have whooped you and whooped you and whooped you. You’re sick from the head of your top of your head to the soul of your foot. You’re one sick individual. And that’s how he described Israel. You’re sick because they would not obey him. And so he laid down the law. Now go back there to the book of Exodus. Back to Exodus.

God comes to him and says, I got a job for you and this is what I want you to do. And notice there in verse 21 of Exodus in chapter two. Says in verse 21 and Moses was, and here what’s that next word? Content. He was content to dwell where he was doing what he was doing. Now remember what he was. Now he’s working with a bunch of sheeps and goats.

And then you look there in verse 23 and he came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage and they cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. God heard their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob and God looked upon the children of Israel and God had respect under them. So because of this, God called to Moses.

So Moses was walking out in the hills one day and next thing you know he saw something that looked kind of strange. A bush was on fire. And so he says here in verse 2. Let me just read that verse one. Now Moses kept the flock of Jeff for his father-in-law, the pre-somidian. So Moses now had done found a young lady, got married, had a couple kids and blah, blah, blah. He has a father-in-law and he led the flock to the backside of the desert.

That’s why you often hear me say on the backside of the desert for 40. Well, that’s what he was. The Word of God says that. And verse two, and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And he looked and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight while the bush is not burnt.

That would get your attention, wouldn’t it? Now remember Moses is now 80 years old and God has never spoke to him. And then all of a sudden, the backside of a desert upon the side of a mountain, a bush is on fire. God got his attention. Do you think all this time God knew exactly where Moses was on the backside of that desert? Knew who he had married, know that he was content. Sometimes we don’t like to get out of our comfort zone.

We don’t want God to shake up our world. A lot of people, they get in a groove, and they say, let me alone. And the job of the preacher is to try to make everybody as uncomfortable as possible. I’m supposed to try to stir you up. I’m supposed to try to get you to do something. And let me say, look, don’t rock the boat. Let me alone. And so you try to comfort the afflicted and try to to afflict the comforted.

Sounds like a wonderful job, doesn’t it? So that’s what you’re trying to do. And as you go through here and you see these things, and he says, Moses, I got a job for you. Moses says, not me, I’m out of here. So he says here in verse six. Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid look upon God.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the afflictions of my people, which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrow.” Now remember this. Wasn’t it God that allowed the famine to come in order for Jacob to take his family down into Egypt? God produced the problem that created the solution where they would have the best land, greatest safety, so they could grow and multiply. And He says the Amorites is not for yet the judgment, the sin that gone to them.

So God had already put a curse upon the Son of Ham, which was Canaan, Land of Canaan. He was going to give this land to Israel. So he has to judge them and take the land away from them and give it to Israel. So God’s got to get them out of there, but God’s got to allow things to take place and in periods of time they turned against the children of Israel. They made them slaves. They got them fit for traveling.

Well, it’s a new month, and that means a new offer to those who support Bibleline. And this month we have something really special for you, the brand new book by Greg Steer, the founder of Dare to Share Ministries, called Gospelize. What a fabulous book written about the model for evangelism according to the book of Acts. Greg is a way of teaching some profound truths in simple and easy to understand ways with practical examples that you can use immediately. I could not put the book down and when I finished it, I wanted to stop everyone on the highway and tell them of the free gift of salvation.

And this life-changing book is yours for a gift to Bibleline in any amount. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. 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. 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. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.