Brother Gary Kelly Sunday Morning 4/21/13

Brother Gary Kelly Sunday Morning 4/21/13

Deu 33:26  There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

Karen made me aware of some different names of God.  I began digging and as you dig you find many things that we have been exposed to through the preaching and teaching of His Word.  The scripture, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulders and His name shall be called, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.”

As I read these scriptures, I became aware again with how big God is.  I identify with Moses for he felt inadequate for the situation that he was exposed to.  All of us that have reached maturity realize that we are challenged by what lies ahead for us.  The children in school are faced with great challenges.  We see that even thought there are great challenges there is a great God.

When God spoke to Abraham and he was preparing to offer his son Isaac, God spoke and Abraham said, “God is Jehovah-Jirah” emphasizing that God is the one that will provide.

I don’t know what is happening in your life but one thing I know is that whatever age group you are in you are challenged with “How is this need going to be met and what is going to happen in my life.”  You that are thinking of going to college and thinking of courtship and marriage are challenged and I want to tell you that God has a way of providing. 

Life is a challenge and God will be there to provide for all of us that are not in that category. 

From the book of Judges looking at Gideon:  the children of Israel were in a very difficult straight.  The conditions were very alarming.  God spoke to Gideon through an angel.  He said and I paraphrase, “As upset as you are, and as upset as Israel is.  As upsetting as the conditions are that are going on…”  (The children of Israel were being looted and forced out of their own land.)  

God told Gideon that he was a God of peace.  “This has gone far enough with the Amorites.  Send out the word that a change will take place and see who will respond.”  There were 32,000 that responded and God said, “It is too many.  I don’t need 32,000 to win this battle.”

We are all faced with situations where we feel that we are outnumbered and wonder if we are in that battle by our self.  If we serve God then we are never by our self.  His chariots are 20,000 and His angels are thousands upon thousands.

In order for us to face the difficulties of life we must know the true God and not just in theory but we must live the life that shows we know the true God that is the God of peace.

In another place God moved in behalf of Moses in a marvelous way.  God set up a banner, “This was done by Jehovah-nissi.”  Every victory God gives us we need to have it settled that we will turn around and give Him all the glory and praise.

Each of us is going to end this journey and we want to end the journey lifting up the eternal God of heaven.  Moses had disappointments as well as great victories in his life.  We need to know how to not allow our disappointments to distract us from serving God.

There is none like the true God is what Moses said.

Moses had been introduced to God as a child.  Every one of you children I want to preach to you this morning.  From the youngest child to the oldest young person, there is one thing that was very important in Moses’ life.  He knew God as a child. 

One thing I know about each of you is that the younger children that are here have had a mom, dad, and grandparents that are concerned about you knowing the true God.  Every adult in this audience would have the heart-cry that we want to know how to nurture the soul of children. 

They need to have good birthdays and know how to ride a bike and have fun, but children every day you need to thank God that you have someone that cares for you and is helping you to understand how to live right.  Be thankful that you have someone that is teaching you to understand when God witnesses to your heart and not to get involved with that which is evil. 

You are blessed to be taught manners.  You are blessed to be taught to come to the house of God with a desire to worship God.  Moses was young when he was put in the bulrushes and he was adopted by one of Pharaoh’s daughters.  His mother was given the opportunity to nurse him for a wage and teach him about the things of God.

The best thing that this world can afford you and the best education that you can get is around the family altar is your mom and dad teaching you about God and His way.  We are glad to teach and to train any that don’t have that opportunity at home about God and how to serve Him. 

If you will know Jesus Christ as your personal savior then you will soon have the same testimony that Moses had.  Moses came to the crossroads.  The crossroads come again and again and again.  Make the right choice the first time.  If you have already made the wrong choice then make the right choice now and settle it that by God’s grace you are going to serve God.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Unbelief is everywhere today.  It is a plague that is loosed in America and throughout the world.  Have faith in God.

He refused to be called Pharaoh’s daughter.  If Moses had remained in the court of Pharaoh, he probably would have been able to live the great worldly life of that day. 

He chose rather to suffer.  Every choice has a reward.  If you are going to plant a garden you must purchase the seed.

This young man was offered everything that the world had to offer.  Every one of us, when we were parents, had the opportunity to protect and shield our children.  That is right in the realm of reasonableness.  Even as protective parents your children will be offered the world.

I am 66 years old, and even at my age the enemy comes along and offers the world.  I’ve seen too much and know too much and I laugh and ask, “How stupid do you think I am?”

Moses was offered the world and may have even in time become a king of Egypt.  There was something in his heart that identified that there is a reward for whatever choice that I make. 

There is not one that would condemn you for not being saved. You already feel condemned and realize that there is something out of order in your life.  When you begin to walk with God then God begins to walk with you.

Moses refused.  However kind and timid you are you must allow God to give you strength to refuse. 

It is important to be ready to refuse.  In a world that is full of suggestive talk and literature, is full of things that will come into your mind and if you will allow it, it will cause you to be an animal.  It will lead you where you don’t want to go and leave you where you don’t want to say.

Thanks be to God there was a man named Moses and He refused.  He had respect to the recompense of the reward.

He chose.  We make choices all the time.  If you choose the world then you refuse God if you choose God then you refuse the world.  This God is the God before time and all through time.  Time will end and this God will be the God throughout eternity.  You talk about security. 

Moses knew how to choose and how to refuse and he refused the pleasures of sin.

I don’t know much about the pleasures of sin today.  I know about the pleasures of sin for 1960.  I want to tell you though that the pleasures of sin will not pay. 

We need to know how to choose, how to refuse, and how to enjoy the pleasures of life today.  God wants us to enjoy life.  He wants us to enjoy music that will feed our soul.  He wants us to enjoy the birds, the beauty around us, and how to dig angle worms and enjoy fishing.

God loved you so much that he sent his only begotten son that you could be saved.  Billy Sunday had a peach impediment and stuttered but someone found him and had a desire to see him saved.  I don’t know what sin offered him but probably alcohol and fighting. 

He found Jesus Christ as his personal savior and God said, “Buddy people think you stutter and stammer but let me lay my hand upon you.”  God laid his hand upon him and it wasn’t long until there was something bubbling up in Buddy’s soul. 

There was a thrill in his heart; he enjoyed the trees and the birds but he saw also the souls that needed God.  He told God, “I cannot speak, I stutter and stammer and …”  God said, “You let me work and you will see what I can do with you.” 

Buddy called to tell those in power that he felt called to be a minister and they told him that they would give him a small, out of the way congregation.  It didn’t bother Buddy, He got in the pulpit and God laid His hand upon him and people were saved.  That tongue that had stammered didn’t stammer as he preached.

Sin only leads to bondage and to more bondage.  Sin only leads to deterioration and to destruction.  Moses identified with where sin would lead him and identified that if he served God he would have eternal life.

God moved upon Moses and Moses made a mistake in his judgment so he had to flee Egypt.  One day he found himself on the back side of a mountain and he saw a burning bush.  God spoke to him, “Moses.”

God knows your name.  There is something about God speaking to us that it is all around us and it is in us.  Moses said, “Here am I.” 

There is not anyone here that is too old and there is not anyone here that is too young for God to speak to you.  Moses said, “Here am I.  God spoke and said, “Take off your shoes for you are on holy Ground.

Exo 3:1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

Exo 3:2  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.

Exo 3:3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Exo 3:4  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.

Exo 3:5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Exo 3:6  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.

Moses was there, standing before God and God spoke to him and told him that he had a work for him to do.  Moses said, “God I am too inadequate for what life has ahead for me.” 

We all feel our need and our inadequacy for what lies ahead for us.  Whatever your need is, it is not wrong to feel that your need is greater than you are.

God dealt with Moses and then came to this answer, “Moses I have a job for you to do and you feel inadequate and that no one will hear you, tell them that my name is, I AM the I AM.”

This morning He is what that sister and that brother over there need.  He is what the children in school need.  He is the I AM.

When He speaks, will you say, “Here I am” or will you withdraw and say, “Let me have just a little more of the world and wait just a little bit longer.  Let me have just that little fling?”  No make and settle your choice.

His name is I AM.  He is the God of children in school; He is the God of children and young mothers.  He is the God of travelers.