You Follow What You Are Tied Too
- Two hunters out hunting
- Come what appeared at first as an abandoned farm
- Barn sagging, house in disrepair, old car & tractor parts lying around.
- Only thing that made it a working far were a few chickens pecking away and a goat wandering around
- As they entered the yard they came across an old well
- One said to the other “Wonder how deep it is?”
- Other said, “We’ll have to drop something down and listen for the splash”
- They look around to drop something down
- They only thing close by was an old transmission
- They both hulled over to the well and dropped it
- Counted and waited for the splash
- It was deep a deep one all right
- Turned to leave and the goat was charging straight at them
- Head down and feet hardly touching the ground
- At the last moment they jumped aside
- They goat went right past them and straight over the side and down the shaft
- Looking at each other in amazement
- Never seen anything like it before
- As they started to leave the owner of the farm came into the yard
- Chatted for a moment
- Got permission to hunt on his land
- Farmer asked, “Have you seen my goat?”
- Hunters, “Your goat almost killed us charging at us”
- You should have had that goat tied up
- Farmer, “I thought I had him tied up”; Yes, I know I had him tied, He was tied to an old transmission
POINT – YOU FOLLOW WHAT YOU ARE TIED TOO
- What are you tied too?
Proverbs 23:7KJV
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Judges 16:15KJV
15 And she (Delilah) said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
MOSES
- Why was God able to use him
- He settled some basic questions to what he was tied too in his life.
1. Who Am I? - v.24
- Be Yourself - v.24 (Genuine, Real)
- Nobody who can be you except you
- Made for a purpose
- Moses had an identity crisis after being adopted – Jewish/Egyptian
- Had to decide - Who am I?
- Egyptian - Power, Wealth, Glory
- Jewish - Humiliated, Ousted, Slave
- Seeing Israel mistreated decision made
- Moses a man of character & integrity
- v. 24 circle refused
- Gk - to reject, to deny, to totally disown
- He wanted to do what God had made him to do
2. What Are My Choices? - v.24
- Accept Responsibility For Your Own Life – v. 25
- Society loves to let us pass the buck.
- Blame the environment."
"When you were a little baby your mom held your head under the water in the bathtub too long so you had these repressed emotions and it's no wonder you are what you are today
- Crave perpetual pity
- Blame others not yourself
- Where has that gotten you?
- Don't blame somebody else for your life
- Don't say, "It's not my fault."
- The fact of the matter is, nobody can ruin your life ultimately except you.
- Satan can't -- he doesn't have enough power.
- God won't -- He loves you too much
- The only person who can totally, permanently mess up your life is you.
- "Am I going to be bitter? or "Am I going to be better?"
- Do something about it.
- Decide to change.
- Circle “Choosing” - to prefer — to select freely and after consideration
- God has chosen you.
- Have you chosen Him?
3. What Is Important? - v.26
- Establish a Value System for Your Life v.26
- What is important
- Circle Esteeming NIV- “regarded”
NASV – “consider”
means "to weigh in the balance", "consider the options", "evaluate the worth", "consider the value"
- What are the World values?
1. The value of pleasure. "I want to feel good."
2. Possessions. "I want to be wealthy
3. Power – Prestige, Influence, Popular
- When you try to say "Yes" to everything it's called compromise.
- You have to decide what is important
- You don't have time for everything
- It’s easy to say "Yes" to God, but it is a lot more difficult to say "No" to everything else
- Jesus Mt 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. “Wealth” NCV -“worldly riches”
- James 1:8 (KJV)
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
4. What Are My Goals? - v.27
- Never Take Your Eyes off the Goal
- Moses never took his eye off the goal.
- “Seeing him who is invisible”
- Why should I do that if I want an effective life?
- Because we never make progress without problems.
- Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal
Moses problems
- Free 2 million slaves
- Crossed the most desolate land in the world
- No food, No water,
- Get them into the Promised Land?
- He focused on his goal, not the problems.
- Paul - 2 Cor 4:8-11,
17-18 - Calls them – light affliction
- God's purpose for your life is always greater than the problems in your life.
- Life has an eternal purpose
5. What Do I Believe – v.28
- Maintain A Life of Praise & Worship - Still slaves
- Heard the Word
Exodus 4:31KJV
31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
- Nine plagues have gone by & still no freedom
Exodus 12:17KJV
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:28-29KJV
28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
- “It came to Pass” 457x
Joshua 21:45KJV
45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
Five Key Words sums up his life.
• He refused. 24
• He chose. 25
• He esteemed regarded. 26
• He Endured 27
• He Believed 27
-You follow what you are tied to
- Be tied to Christ
- It will come to pass
