Abounding Grace

Larry: From Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado, this is Abounding Grace. Glad to have you on board as we continue Pastor Ed Taylor's new study of Exodus. We left off in chapter 23.

Holy committed to God or half-hearted? Sold out for Jesus or one foot in the world and one in the kingdom? Which best describes your life? If things aren't where they should be in your relationship with God, we'll tell you how to get back on track and how God is wanting to help you too. Here's Pastor Ed.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Take your Bibles open them to Exodus chapter 23. We'll pick up where we left off last time. We'll start there in verse 20. I've entitled our Bible study God will do what you can't do. And you might want to mark that. God will do what you cannot do. We see this in the life of the nation of Israel, certainly all the way back from the deliverance out of Egypt. God will do what you can't do.

We're following the nation of Israel as they pause along the way. They have left Egypt and they're headed into the promised land. And they pause along the way to receive insight and instructions about their future. God has laid before them the parameters of a relationship, which include some rules and regulations. It includes his promises. He's defining for them relationship.

They've lived as slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, generations of bondage and hard labor. That's all they know. But now they're moving into a new season of life into the promises of God. Last week we learned very briefly that God gave the nation feasts or divine appointments for worship and celebration and remembrance. He says mark your calendars. Make sure that you understand this is the new rhythm of your life. Appreciation, care, concern for me, your God. He says I'll meet you there and I'll come down from heaven and we'll have fellowship together. A whole new life. Your salvation, you being saved is pointing to an even greater rescue, the coming Messiah, providing salvation to all who believe.

Notice with me verse 20, chapter 23. Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice. Do not provoke him for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him. But if you indeed obey his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For my angel who will go before you will bring you into the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites and notice, I will cut them off.

If you're reading from the New King James, you'll notice that the translators capitalized the word angel there on purpose. This angel is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Now let's be clear, Jesus Christ is not an angel. He took the form of an angel prior to when he took the form of a human, a permanent form. He took the temporary form of an angel on occasion prior to taking on the permanent form of a human being, God in human flesh in the womb of Mary. That's why we use the phrase pre-incarnate. The incarnation is God becoming man in the womb of Mary.

Jesus as angel capital A appeared many times in the Old Testament prior to the virgin birth. He appeared to Abram. He appeared to Hagar. He appeared to Joshua in Joshua five and countless other times to Israel. You'll remember in John chapter eight in verse 56, the Bible says your father Abraham, Jesus speaking, rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to him, you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham?

Jesus said to them, most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Then they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by. They accused him, equating himself with God, a pre-existence to his human form there. They accused him of blasphemy. And I believe that was the beginning of their hatred that grew against Messiah.

Notice at the end of verse 21, it also says of this angel, my name is in him. You remember in Matthew chapter one and verse 23, it says behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son. They shall call his name Immanuel, God with us. Now notice in verse 24, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do according to their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

So shall you serve the Lord your God and he will bless your bread and your water and I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. Let's pause there for a second and remember this important truth. There are natural benefits that come with obedience. Natural benefits that automatically come with obedience. When you choose to worship the one true God and you turn your back on your sinful past and all of the idolatry and false worship of your past.

All the things you've learned to lean on, all of your coping mechanisms, the things that you would turn to instead of turning to God. Even those things that were so captivating to you that you could say that you were worshipping them, that you gave yourself over to them. Let me give you an example because you listen to idolatry, you listen to little pagan idols and such and immediately you're thinking like this is the 21st century. I don't have little idols. I don't bow down to idols. I might walk into the Chinese restaurant and see Buddha there but I don't do anything. I just walk right by it. It's just a little statue. It doesn't mean anything to me.

Okay, but some don't worship little idols. Some I know listening to me, you could say that you have worshipped your career. That that has become something more important to you than God. I mean, it may still be more important to you. And God's word would be here today, turn your back on it. There are conditions for relationship and you remember Jesus, he says that we're to seek first the kingdom of God, that God he is to be singularly worshipped. The Bible says in Isaiah that God would not share his glory with any other and this is a singular choice to worship the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

I mean, we could think of a lot of things. Hobbies become something to worship, prestige, some guys are all into the way they look and making sure they look the right way, guys and gals for that matter. There's just so much that would captivate a heart. You have to guard your heart, don't you? You have to guard your heart because out of it flow all the issues of life. Men in my position taking on the role of leader in the church or a pastor, they begin to worship the pastor and the leadership instead of worshipping the one true God.

I mean, you wonder, perhaps you wonder, I know I have over the years where you see these men that have been used so greatly for the Lord just completely change and fall away into sin, commit adultery, steal from the church, you're like what happened? While we may not know all the details and we don't need to be searching for all the details, I'll tell you something that happened. They stopped worshipping the one true God singularly. They went back to some form of idolatry, some form of an impure worship.

And there are natural benefits to obedience for you and for me. But the benefits of obedience had to come by making a stand. The benefits came by making a stand for him. He commanded them, you must overthrow the pillars. You must destroy the gods little G. You couldn't have both. You couldn't have 80% God, 20% something else. You had to get rid of the idolatry. Today, how would we say this? Today, we would say that a Christian cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. That's how we would try to describe it for you today.

Or let me just be very plain. You can't have it both ways. You can't live both for the Lord and for the world at the same time. It's not possible. Even if you're arguing with me right now, well no Ed I've been going so far. No, you haven't done anything when you're half-hearted like that. The Bible says that when you and I are double-minded, we are unstable in all our ways. Did you know that? That double-mindedness, faith and self.

The Bible says in Hebrews that without faith, it's impossible to please God. So when you and I are in the flesh leaning upon ourselves, we're not pleasing to God. You can't have it both ways. You can't be dabbling. I can't be dabbling. I can't be enjoying. I can't be taking in those things that would hinder my singular devotion to God. He requires it. I hear God saying in the room today and online and out on the radio, I hear him saying today, you have to smash the idols, church. You have to get rid of them.

You have to choose to worship me, God says, singularly. It's not new. I could go through the scriptures and share with you how God would send men to the nation of Israel, God would send Jesus to the religious leaders in the first century, I keep saying this, but let me give it to you from one of the strongest times this is shared. It's in first Kings chapter 18. Turn there with me, would you? Hold your place in Exodus. Go to first Kings chapter 18. Just a few pages over. And I want you to mark this if you haven't already. We studied it not too long ago, but here for your own study today, I want you to mark this.

This is an important question. It's going to hit the heart of someone. It's going to hit the heart of many, perhaps, especially in the days in which we live and especially in the condition of your life. In first Kings chapter 18, verse 20, it says that Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people and said and here's the phrase, you ready? Mark it, circle it, underline it, highlight it. How long will you falter between two opinions? How long? He says, if the Lord is God and he is, can I get an amen? Okay, let me do it again. If the Lord is God, then follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. And the people didn't answer a word.

There's another place that just came to mind in Joshua. Would you turn over to Joshua with me now? Another place that God uses to describe this. Joshua now will be back towards Exodus, toward the end. Joshua is giving the final words after they move in, after they conquer the land, at least portion of the land. And what is Joshua telling them? Exactly what Moses told them earlier. Put away the gods. What's your problem?

It's going to ruin you. It's going to constantly keep you in a state of flux and weakness because idolatry and false worship keeps us in weakness. Let me put it this way. A divided Christian is never an effective Christian. A divided believer's never an effective believer. In James chapter one, it speaks of asking God for wisdom and help, but not without faith. Because without faith with doubting, the Bible says that the person that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Don't let that man suppose he will receive anything from the Lord. He is double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

So you hear this language repeated. I'll use it a lot myself when I'm teaching. You'll hear other Bible teachers use it. We would refer to someone following Jesus with all their heart to the best of their ability. We might call them on fire for the Lord, hot for the things of God. We may call them sold out. Just sold out for the things of God. We might even use a more familiar phrase, holy committed. There was one year in our New Year's messages that the Lord had given me the phrase all in. It's another great phrase.

You have to ask yourself today. Am I really sold out? Am I really all in? Am I really holy committed? Am I really on fire for the things of God? I would say most believers start there, but not all believers end there. Most believers start there, but many believers don't carry on. They fizzle out. They wander away. They have a slow leak in their lives or they run back to something or they pick up an old habit. This is the heart of God for you to follow him completely, to enjoy life through abiding and obedience. Why? Because there's natural benefits to obedience.

It's the right pathway to life and joy and happiness. This is how I raise my kids. This is how I live my own life. I would always tell them it's better to choose the consequences of obedience any day and every day over the consequences of disobedience. Because sometimes obedience hurts. Sometimes it's going to cost. Sometimes it's going to be very painful. So therefore people leave obedience. They do half-heartedness. They do things halfway or like the Lord's talking to you right now and God says I want you to pay restitution for the guy you ripped off.

And automatically you're thinking that's going to be really expensive. I spent that money already. And so you're like it's okay. God forgives me. I don't need to show restitution. And you just totally explain away not only what the Bible clearly teaches but the impression of the Holy Spirit. And then you think that's better than obeying God in the moment. But it's not. It's going to get worse because that compromise will lead to more compromise. Like you heard God clearly. Couldn't have been more clear. You heard God. You knew who he was talking about. You know the situation he's talking about. You know how much money you ripped off. Whatever you ripped off you know.

God has it clear. And then to God you say no. Do you know it's going to be harder to hear the Lord next time? It's going to be hard for him to give you anything else when you haven't acted on the one thing you clearly heard. It's one of the ways that we'll often refer someone comes and says I just really can't hear the Lord. I just don't know what's happening. We'll start digging a little bit and say well is there anything the Lord told you to do that you haven't done yet? You should really pray about that. Well, I do remember. So then this is what you need to do. Go back to that place the last time you clearly heard the Lord and obey him.

And then automatically it's like well you don't understand that's going to be so hard. I don't have what's necessary to pay that guy back. So say well it sounds like you have a discussion coming up don't you? Maybe you can get on a payment plan. Maybe he'll forgive you. There's so many other maybes, but they'll never happen until you obey the Lord. You don't know what God wants to do until you obey the Lord. You don't know how God wants to heal until you obey the Lord. Half-heartedness is not holy committed. This is God's will for you, for the children of Israel, and for you and me to grow in those areas.

Again the enemy would love to have you come out from under this by simply saying well I'm not perfect, pastor. Nobody's asking you to be perfect. Jesus did. He said be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. But what does that do? It reminds you that I need the power of God. I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. If he's calling me to something hard that's beyond, God will do what I can't do. And he is dwelling in my life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I don't know what the future I can't control. That's one of the things that happens with sin as well and compromise. When you and I choose to sin and compromise, we have given away the control of our lives in that area. We've given it away to the circumstances and to the situations and you know as well as I do those circumstances and situations aren't always kind. They're not always helpful. But if you would make the decision up front then you're fully in the Lord he'll lead you and guide you and take care of you.

Choosing the consequences or the benefits of obedience far more because you may be in a decision right now that God has brought you to and you know if I make decision left it's going to hurt. If I make decision right it's going to hurt. Then you have to just discern what's the obedience? And just obey the Lord and take it. Follow him. And that's what he's telling look my angel will go before you. He'll be your victory. He'll defeat the enemies. They'll turn their backs on you but you can't bow down to their gods. You can't have it both ways. You will experience victory as you yield to me.

Larry: Thank you for joining us today as we study through the Bible and learn of God's abounding grace. This is Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed Taylor. Are you interested in hearing this message again? It's easy to do, just visit aboundinggraceradio.com, oneplace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Pastor Ed, as you know, so many Christians are living defeated lives these days. And maybe they're frustrated as they keep falling into the same sin over and over again. Now you touched on something here at the close that's worth repeating. God will do what we can't do. Why is it so important that we rely on the strength and sufficiency of Christ rather than on our own resources in our battle with sin?

Pastor Ed Taylor: Well Larry, when I think of this question I say first of all it's important that we rely upon the strength of Jesus because he tells us to. He tells us that in this world we're going to suffer a lot, but to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world. Our responsibility really is to abide in Christ, to trust him, to not lean on our own understanding.

This is such a big question. I mean we could do a whole Bible study on this question because there are so many alternatives to lean on our own understanding and our own strength and we're going to figure it out and we're going to do this but our strength is so limited. Haven't you seen that yet? I know I'm speaking to someone that your strength is so limited. You cannot win spiritual victories with physical strength. You must turn it over to the Lord. Cast your cares upon him because he cares for you. You can trust him. Don't lean on what you have or what you have done or your resources, but trust him. He will show himself faithful.

Larry: Thanks for that word of encouragement, Pastor Ed. Maybe you're looking for a good book to go through. Here in the month of March, we picked out an excellent one written by Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips. It's titled Anger is a Choice. And it provides counsel and exercises to help us better understand the causes of anger, how to control it, and how lack of control affects us physically and spiritually.

We'll send you a copy when you support Abounding Grace with a gift of $25 or more. Just call, ask for Anger is a Choice. Our number is 877-30-GRACE. That's 877-30-GRACE. You can also order online at calvaryco.store. Abounding Grace is made possible through the generous support of our listeners. And as we continue to deliver God's word one verse at a time, we're looking to our listeners for help. Together we can reach people with the love and truth of Christ and make a difference in these last days.

To make a secure donation, drop by aboundinggraceradio.com or call 877-30-GRACE. Next time on Abounding Grace, we'll continue Pastor Ed Taylor's study of Exodus. Thank you for listening today and we'll look for you tomorrow as we open the word together in search of God's abounding grace. Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church Colorado here in Aurora.