When God Delays His Actions

1. Galatians 4.4-7

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

2. There was an article a few years ago in which a man gave his idea of a perfect world. He said, "In a perfect world you would feel as good at 60 as you did at 17. And you would be as smart at 60 as you thought you were at 17."

"In a perfect world professional basketball & football players would be complaining because schoolteachers were signing multimillion dollar contracts. In a perfect world,” he said, “potato chips would have calories, but if eaten with dip, the calories would be neutralized." That was his idea of a perfect world.

What would make this a perfect world for you?

a. The Fullness of Time is Perfect Timing – “Just the Right Time”

• Fulfilled Prophecies

• The Passover; Unleavened Bread; and First Fruits Feasts

• Roman Empire – Roads; Communication; Pax Romana; Koine Greek

b. There was a Perfect Gift – Son/Redeemer

c. There is Perfect Acceptance – Adoption and Sonship

3. There are times we cry out, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13.1)

4. And God waits. . . Why could that be? After all, we are not unique in this.

a. Israel in Egypt 430 years; cried out under oppression

b. World in sin – thousands of years until the birth of Messiah

c. Sometimes we are not ready for what God needs to do so He works with us until we are.

5. Consider the Man Moses and God’s delays with him

I. The Greatness of Moses

A. Chosen by God from birth

B. Initially wanted to be the Leader of Israel (he knew who he was Acts 7.25)

C. Knew the will of God and kept the commands Acts 7.22 (Luke 24.19 of Jesus)

D. Willing to go up to the Presence of God and down to the people

E. Jealous for God at the Golden Calf incident (Egyptian god of Sinai and of travel)

II. The Weakness of Moses

A. Striking the Rock (as Exodus 17) When He Should Have Spoken to It (Numbers 20.11)

B. Following Instructions:

Exodus 3.18 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’

Exodus 5.1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”

o Moses was told to take the elders to the king of Egypt; he took Aaron

o Moses was told to refer to God as, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews.” He referred to Him as, “The God of Israel.”

o Moses was told to request a three day journey for sacrifice. Moses demanded immediate emancipation. “Let my people go.”

o Moses and Aaron make corrections but the damage was done:

? Pharaoh increases the workload for the “lazy” people

? The Israel Foremen blame Moses – Exodus 5.21 “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

? Application: When we don’t follow the instructions things don’t turn out as they should. [Scan Sermon on the Mount for some instructions/commands we treat as optional.

? God is able to make things work out but there may be a delay (Romans 8.28)

III. The Solution for Moses (and Us)

A. The Unrelenting Presence of God

1. Moses met God face to face on Mt. Sinai and the Tent of Meeting Exodus 33.11

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

2. It is the distinguishing mark of God’s people – Exodus 33

a. God would keep His covenant but not go with them (33.2)

b. Moses’ observation (33.16)

For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?