Giving Thanks to God
When God Moves People know
God’s activities are organized activities
DBF Sunday Sermon, 11/24/02
You know a lot of times we are so busy looking at the bad things around us that we fail to see what is that good and perfect thing that God is doing in our midst. Lets remember those good things this week of Thanksgiving continually giving thanks to our Lord and God for all that they do instead of…
If someone works two jobs…then they might complain about the hours they put in or the time away from their family instead of the compensation and blessing that God allows them to receive and the possibilities that God could open through them to co-workers.
Oftentimes when a loved one is ill or in declining health we complain about the time we spend caring for them, yet normally do not cherish the remaining time to the fullest degree or consider the ministry opportunities towards all the visitors and the possibility of future ministries.
We out in the “Bush” have our share of complaints also.
I have heard and have used some of them myself.
Well, bread is over $3
Pork is over $4
Beef is over $4
Milk is almost $6
Gas is $2.60 something
It costs over $400 in plane tickets to be able to tell someone who might care
And vegetables…you don’t want to know.
A friend recently moved to the road system because he wanted to be able to by two oranges for a dollar. If you laughed at that…you must live here too.
We can find so many things to take our thoughts and time away from recognizing that God is continually working around us to accomplish what is that Good and Perfect will of HIS.
Things are expensive where we live, but these are offset somewhat by the subsistence activities we are required to do to live in this area and prosper. We can also save on electricity during the winter especially for freezing things.
We have a tremendous amount of school teachers who come up to Alaska because of the big pay increases they see on paper, never realizing that to live in “Bush” Alaska apart from the ability or will to do subsistence activities is extremely difficult if not impossible. This is shown in the tremendous amount of teacher turnover annually with many districts over 30 percent and some with far more. This is also caused by the fact that most do not look to see what is that good and perfect will of God around them.
Today we will walk with Moses as his father-in-law Jethro comes and praises God for the many and varied blessings which HE has bestowed upon Moses and the nation of Israel. We will also see wisdom given in helping Moses organize what would have otherwise been an impossible task and could have surely caused Moses to quit and go back, somewhat like a lot of the professionals who come to “Bush” Alaska do.
When God Moves, People know
Exodus 18:1-12 (KJV)
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; [2] Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, [3] And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: [4] And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: [5] And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: [6] And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
[7] And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. [8] And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. [9] And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. [10] And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. [11] Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. [12] And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; You see, although Jethro was in Midian he had heard that the Lord was good and righteous and the great feats that had been accomplished by HIS great and mighty hand.
Upon hearing them, Jethro came to return his daughter and grandsons to Moses their father.
the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: [4] And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh You might say wow, what strange names. A child named “I have been an alien in a strange land” and one named “The God of my father was my help”.
You know that we who are called Christians should also be known by these names.
Why?
Simply, we are aliens in this land. The kingdom to which we rightly belong is not of this land or time and it will stand forevermore.
Moses gave his two sons names to indicate the electing action of God in choosing Israel even when they were aliens in a foreign land.
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
We need to understand and know that although we were born in the United States or Canada or the Philippines are whatever country, if you have called upon Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are a citizen of the kingdom of God.
[7] And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. [8] And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. Another thing Moses did was to show respect to his elder Father-in-law in his greeting.
Is this something you do to your elders around you?
Is this something you do to your parents and community members?
This is something that we are called to do as believers in Christ.
Ex 18:12 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.
Ex 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
Ex 24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
You see God had elders involved in all aspects of HIS work. They are the sum of knowledge of any age and are deserving of respect to the highest degree possible. I would also include in this the requirements of honoring and respecting your parents.
Le 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Le 20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
De 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
De 11:27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
Do you as Moses gladly tell of the things that God is doing in your life?
If you are not telling people, why not?
[12] And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God Next Jethro praises God and states He “Knows” the God of Moses is above all Gods. He offers a burnt offering and sacrifice to God.
What offering or sacrifice do you bring to God?
You see, we should always be willing and able to bring a sacrifice of praise and honor and glory to God who is deserving of all things.
Jethro does show a great example today in his brings sacrifice before God, remember this in your life.
God’s activities are organized activities
Exodus 18:13-27 (KJV)
[13] And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. [14] And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? [15] And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: [16] When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. [17] And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. [18] Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. [19] Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: [20] And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. [21] Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: [22] And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.[23] If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. [24] So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. [25] And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. [26] And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
[27] And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
Next, after observing Moses as chief shepherd and judge of the nation of Israel, Jethro informs him that this will surely take Moses from HIS primary duty as God’s Shepherd.
Jethro suggests I think rightly--Shared responsibility (18:13-27). The appointment of judges for tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands illustrates a basic principle of the O.T. legal justice system.
Elders in little towns or villages were responsible to serve as judges and administer God’s Law fairly.
I can say it had to work better than it does today in most respects.
This sharing of responsibility meant that all citizens had immediate access to justice, and that every case would be heard first by people who knew the individuals involved personally.
We try to do the same things through community courts, youth courts and different new (old) systems.
Justice has and always will mean more in an immediate community setting.
Jethro observed rightly that the method used by Moses was inefficient for the people and physically impossible for Moses.
Are you looking out for your church leaders in this manner today?
The wise pastor, or any administrator, can greatly increase his effectiveness if he will follow the counsel of the father-in-law of Moses.
Note that Jethro did not suggest that Moses abandon his responsibility as the intermediary between Israel and God, nor did he suggest that Moses shun his role as the only source of legislative power and the origin of judicial authority, both of which were divinely assigned tasks.
What he did ask Moses to do was to teach the people the laws, which is a common requirement we all share today. Jethro suggested that Moses delegate the lighter cases to spiritually and morally qualified men whom he would appoint.
In difficult cases, Moses simply laid the matter before God Himself and continually petitioned God for the nation, which is the chief responsibility of the Shepherd.
These were and are important principles of Christian leadership and shows wise stewardship.
As in all things we do for in our walk with God, the first things must come first.
Moses needed to become a shepherd before God would trust him with HIS flock.
Moses needed to lead in order to become a leader.
In much the same manner, if you are in a place today that you seek the wisdom and knowledge of God, or feel that you are in a place of judgment and seek the wisdom of God in your life then we would ask you to consider that Jesus Christ loves you. HE loves you so much that HE died for you.
You see we cannot start to be different until we first accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Under any other circumstance we can only have limited understanding of God’s perfect truths.
We must start by admitting to God that we are sinners, deserving as all men Death and fire and brimstone on our own. But Praise God, HE loved us while we were yet sinners and made a way for us to come before HIM. We are to believe that Jesus Christ is God’s only son and believe on HIM. Finally, we are to commit our lives to the Lord above and ask HIM to fill us up with God’s love. In these step we become new creations if we truly believe.
If you would like to start to walk in newness of life today, if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, if you are weary, sick or bed ridden, Jesus is calling.
If you would like someone to pray with you, we ask that you let us know we would love to pray the “sinners prayer” with you or to just ask Christ’s direction into your life, or pray for any specific need.
If you have been walking with a hardened heart and need Jesus to tenderize it, come forward HE alone is able and willing to do it.
If you or your loved ones have any specific prayer needs we ask that you let us know, we would love to pray for you.
Closing prayer.
