Walking Across Impossibilities Part Three
Through Faith, Your Impossible Situation Can Become Possible
Exodus 2:15
Moses was God’s chosen deliverer. The children of Israel were in bondage, and God heard their cries, their prayers. They were in an impossible situation but through God, however, impossibilities became very possible.
Moses, through self-efforts tried to make this deliverance possible. Exodus 2: 15 tells us that, “Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of the Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.”
This teaches us a lesson, doesn’t it? We must not take it upon ourselves to make things happen. We must be obedient, have faith, patience and wait on the Lord. When our circumstances don’t change immediately or as quickly as we think they should, we try to make them happen. Listen: Your circumstances might not change overnight, in fact, sometimes they get worse before getting better. We may have to go through a time of testing, but don’t quit, don’t give up. Keep trusting God for the victory!
Illustration: Twenty-one years ago, when we left middle Tennessee, we went through a time of testing. The Lord told us to go to Atlanta, to move there. He had work for us to do; souls needed saving, people needed to be encouraged. There were those who were homeless who desperately needed hope, to hear a word from God. There were single mothers who were about to give up, and desperately needed to hear a Word from the Lord.
It wasn’t easy to simply pick up and leave our home, a place where we had established roots, had memories, and had been home for years. We had relatives, friends and loved ones in Tennessee. God said leave, go to Atlanta, Georgia. It wasn’t easy to pack up the few belongings we could fit into the rental truck, with our old van in tow. We didn’t have jobs, or a place to stay. We didn’t have relatives, or any friends in Atlanta. In fact, we knew very little about this beautiful city. Yet, we were obedient to God, and moved to Atlanta.
Listen: Moving to Atlanta was a very humbling experience. We didn’t know anybody.... there wasn’t a familiar face anywhere. And, worse than that, we didn’t have a sense of permanency. I had enough money to rent a hotel suite, and barely enough left for food and gas. Yet, we still had the rental truck filled with our precious belongings, and memoirs. We couldn’t continue paying for the rental truck, so we had to find an apartment, and find it fast! We prayed and fasted, crying out to God, long into the night and into the wee hours of the morning. I knew that God did not bring us this far to leave us.... and I had faith that He would see us through. I believed that if He told us to move here, that He had already provided a place for us to stay. And, not only shelter but food, and the necessities as well.
We stayed in the hotel for two nights, and still had not find an apartment. Day three: We not only found an apartment, but was able to move in immediately! It wasn’t a luxury apartment, but to us it was the most beautiful place we had ever seen! However, our testing was not over. It was autumn time, and the feel of winter was in the air. Folks were preparing for Thanksgiving, and the trimmings that come with it. Yet, our dinner table was almost bare. Once again, our situation was beginning to seem impossible. The move to Atlanta had just about depleted our savings, and, although we had jobs, the pay was low. Listen: We didn’t quit or give up. We kept shouting and praising God! The Lord brought us here, and hadn’t He provided shelter, jobs and utilities?
Thanksgiving evening approached, and from all outward appearances, it seemed that our table would be almost bare. Remember: If you keep God’s commandments, be obedient, and have faith in the Lord, you can walk across impossibilities! The Lord will touch somebody’s heart to lend you a helping hand. Listen: Later on that night, the church that we had visited since moving to Atlanta came to our home, and brought a box of food! Listen: We had a wonderfully, delicious dinner on Thanksgiving day, our first Thanksgiving in Atlanta. What a celebration!
Listen: There are times when it seems that God moves fast, and there are periods when God’s promises seem to be delayed. Listen: Don’t give up. When God promises you something, He will do just what He says.
The Humbling Process
During the humbling process, we must be broken, to come to the realization, and knowledge that all our trust and dependence is in Jesus. Perhaps, during this process, you will think: “I’m at my lowest.... I can‘t make it. “
Illustration: There was a man who thought he had everything, the best that money could buy. He was on top of the world, so to speak. He had fine automobiles, a huge home, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and ate at the finest restaurants. Every night, this man would sit at his desk, and check his bank books. Later, he would go to the vault hidden securely behind a fake wall, and count his fine jewelry, and all the money hidden there.
According to the world, materialistically speaking, he had it all. Yet, things changed. Slowly over the years, the money dwindled and became almost nonexistent. Two of his children got into trouble with the law.... he had a couple of accidents..... bad investments....child support payments, and alimony. Finally, he was broke!
The man came to church, broken and defeated. “I had everything,” he said, but the right thing. I’m ready to do what I should have done over forty years ago. I want to be saved.”
Let’s go to our text. What did Moses do after his flight from Pharaoh? Please turn to Exodus, chapter two beginning at the sixteenth verse:
“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew
water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses
stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that
ye are come so soon to day?
And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the
shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered
the flock.
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that
ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave
Moses Zipporah his daughter” (Exodus 2:16-21).
Sometimes, I believe God allows us to go through experiences to humble us. Moses had to learn to live a life of hardship so that he would be able to endure. God knows what is best for us, and the things that we will have to face. Moses had been trained in the Egyptian way, and apparently had lived a lifestyle of the royal, the elite. Now, we see that “...Moses was content to dwell with the man.” Moses continued to live in Midian, and he lived as a shepherd.
Moses: Called By God
Please turn with me to Exodus 3. Listen: God had heard the cries of His children in bondage in Egypt, and He had already chosen a deliverer. Moses was chosen even before he was a baby, before he was hidden in a basket in the Nile River. God was going to deliver His children from bondage, and He was going to protect Moses, and allow him to be trained with the best education, and knowledge. Acts 7: 22 says “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”
Let’s read: Exodus 3:2-6:
“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.
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see
this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see,
God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and
said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest
is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was
afraid to look upon God.”
Listen: Forty years have passed, and we now see a man who is broken, and with no confidence in his abilities. Let’s read further:
“Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (verses 6-8).
Verses 9-10 tell us that, “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
Moses was God’s chosen deliverer, the man to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Yet, he had to be broken; to be brought low, to be extracted from the confidence he had in himself because of his Egyptian upbringing.
Exodus 3, verse 11 tells us that, “...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?”
Remember back in Exodus 2: 11-12: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”
Moses, at that time was confident, and through self-efforts attempted to bring deliverance to pass. Now, forty years later, by the burning bush, he has no confidence, and now claims to be slow of speech.
Go on over to Exodus 4:10: “And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
Listen: Now, we see a man, ripped of self-confidence, humble and crushed. This is a man that God can use to bring His children out of bondage. This is a man that God can use to walk His children acros impossibilities.
Listen: We must be brought low, extracted of all self-confidence, and humble before God can use us. God uses people like you and I.... humble.... not glorying in our ourselves, not bragging or boasting of ourselves, not taking the credit; but brought low so that God can get the glory. I Cor. 1:29-31 tell us that, “That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
We get walk across impossible situations.... if we have faith... trust God for everything, and give Him the glory!
Note: All Scriptures are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Walking Across Impossibilities Part Three
Through Faith, Your Impossible Situation Can Become Possible
Exodus
Moses was God’s chosen deliverer. The children of Israel were in bondage, and God heard their cries, their prayers. They were in an impossible situation but through God, however, impossibilities became very possible.
Moses, through self-efforts tried to make this deliverance possible. Exodus 2: 15 tells us that, “Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of the Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.”
This teaches us a lesson, doesn’t it? We must not take it upon ourselves to make things happen. We must be obedient, have faith, patience and wait on the Lord. When our circumstances don’t change immediately or as quickly as we think they should, we try to make them happen. Listen: Your circumstances might not change overnight, in fact, sometimes they get worse before getting better. We may have to go through a time of testing, but don’t quit, don’t give up. Keep trusting God for the victory!
Illustration: Twenty-one years ago, when we left middle Tennessee, we went through a time of testing. The Lord told us to go to Atlanta, to move there. He had work for us to do; souls needed saving, people needed to be encouraged. There were those who were homeless who desperately needed hope, to hear a word from God. There were single mothers who were about to give up, and desperately needed to hear a Word from the Lord.
It wasn’t easy to simply pick up and leave our home, a place where we had established roots, had memories, and had been home for years. We had relatives, friends and loved ones in Tennessee. God said leave, go to Atlanta, Georgia. It wasn’t easy to pack up the few belongings we could fit into the rental truck, with our old van in tow. We didn’t have jobs, or a place to stay. We didn’t have relatives, or any friends in Atlanta. In fact, we knew very little about this beautiful city. Yet, we were obedient to God, and moved to Atlanta.
Listen: Moving to Atlanta was a very humbling experience. We didn’t know anybody.... there wasn’t a familiar face anywhere. And, worse than that, we didn’t have a sense of permanency. I had enough money to rent a hotel suite, and barely enough left for food and gas. Yet, we still had the rental truck filled with our precious belongings, and memoirs. We couldn’t continue paying for the rental truck, so we had to find an apartment, and find it fast! We prayed and fasted, crying out to God, long into the night and into the wee hours of the morning. I knew that God did not bring us this far to leave us.... and I had faith that He would see us through. I believed that if He told us to move here, that He had already provided a place for us to stay. And, not only shelter but food, and the necessities as well.
We stayed in the hotel for two nights, and still had not find an apartment. Day three: We not only found an apartment, but was able to move in immediately! It wasn’t a luxury apartment, but to us it was the most beautiful place we had ever seen! However, our testing was not over. It was autumn time, and the feel of winter was in the air. Folks were preparing for Thanksgiving, and the trimmings that come with it. Yet, our dinner table was almost bare. Once again, our situation was beginning to seem impossible. The move to Atlanta had just about depleted our savings, and, although we had jobs, the pay was low. Listen: We didn’t quit or give up. We kept shouting and praising God! The Lord brought us here, and hadn’t He provided shelter, jobs and utilities?
Thanksgiving evening approached, and from all outward appearances, it seemed that our table would be almost bare. Remember: If you keep God’s commandments, be obedient, and have faith in the Lord, you can walk across impossibilities! The Lord will touch somebody’s heart to lend you a helping hand. Listen: Later on that night, the church that we had visited since moving to Atlanta came to our home, and brought a box of food! Listen: We had a wonderfully, delicious dinner on Thanksgiving day, our first Thanksgiving in Atlanta. What a celebration!
Listen: There are times when it seems that God moves fast, and there are periods when God’s promises seem to be delayed. Listen: Don’t give up. When God promises you something, He will do just what He says.
The Humbling Process
During the humbling process, we must be broken, to come to the realization, and knowledge that all our trust and dependence is in Jesus. Perhaps, during this process, you will think: “I’m at my lowest.... I can‘t make it. “
Illustration: There was a man who thought he had everything, the best that money could buy. He was on top of the world, so to speak. He had fine automobiles, a huge home, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and ate at the finest restaurants. Every night, this man would sit at his desk, and check his bank books. Later, he would go to the vault hidden securely behind a fake wall, and count his fine jewelry, and all the money hidden there.
According to the world, materialistically speaking, he had it all. Yet, things changed. Slowly over the years, the money dwindled and became almost nonexistent. Two of his children got into trouble with the law.... he had a couple of accidents..... bad investments....child support payments, and alimony. Finally, he was broke!
The man came to church, broken and defeated. “I had everything,” he said, but the right thing. I’m ready to do what I should have done over forty years ago. I want to be saved.”
Let’s go to our text. What did Moses do after his flight from Pharaoh? Please turn to Exodus, chapter two beginning at the sixteenth verse:
“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew
water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses
stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that
ye are come so soon to day?
And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the
shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered
the flock.
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that
ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave
Moses Zipporah his daughter” (Exodus 2:16-21).
Sometimes, I believe God allows us to go through experiences to humble us. Moses had to learn to live a life of hardship so that he would be able to endure. God knows what is best for us, and the things that we will have to face. Moses had been trained in the Egyptian way, and apparently had lived a lifestyle of the royal, the elite. Now, we see that “...Moses was content to dwell with the man.” Moses continued to live in Midian, and he lived as a shepherd.
Moses: Called By God
Please turn with me to Exodus 3. Listen: God had heard the cries of His children in bondage in Egypt, and He had already chosen a deliverer. Moses was chosen even before he was a baby, before he was hidden in a basket in the Nile River. God was going to deliver His children from bondage, and He was going to protect Moses, and allow him to be trained with the best education, and knowledge. Acts 7: 22 says “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”
Let’s read: Exodus 3:2-6:
“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.
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see
this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see,
God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and
said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest
is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was
afraid to look upon God.”
Listen: Forty years have passed, and we now see a man who is broken, and with no confidence in his abilities. Let’s read further:
“Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (verses 6-8).
Verses 9-10 tell us that, “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
Moses was God’s chosen deliverer, the man to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Yet, he had to be broken; to be brought low, to be extracted from the confidence he had in himself because of his Egyptian upbringing.
Verse 11 tells us that, “...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?”
Remember back in Exodus 2: 11-12: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”
Moses, at that time was confident, and through self-efforts attempted to bring deliverance to pass. Now, forty years later, by the burning bush, he has no confidence, and now claims to be slow of speech.
Go on over to Exodus 4:10: “And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
Listen: Now, we see a man, ripped of self-confident, humble and crushed. This is a man that God can use to bring His children out of bondage. This is a man that God can use to walk across impossibilities.
Listen: We must be brought low, extracted of all self-confidence, and humble before God can use us. God uses people like you and I.... humble.... not glorying in our ourselves, not bragging or boasting of ourselves, not taking the credit; but brought low so that God can get the glory. I Cor. 1:29-31 tell us that, “That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
We get walk across impossible situations.... if we have faith... trust God for everything, and give Him the glory!
Note: All Scriptures are from the King James Version of the Bible.
