HopeLives365

Guest (Male): The best is yet to come. One day we shall live in a land where there is no sickness or sorrow or defeat or suffering or pain. One day we shall see Him face to face, feel His warm embrace, experience His presence. And one day we will shout, "Jesus, I'm home at last!"

Guest (Male): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: The Best is Yet to Come. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: Martha was a deaconess in her local congregation for over 40 years. She was one of those cheerful, optimistic, and really happy women. One of those bubbly, smiley deaconesses who warmly greeted people as they came into the church. She made sure they felt welcome. One hot, sultry summer afternoon she called her pastor, Pastor Jim. It was unusual that she had disturbed her preacher in the middle of the day. Martha's voice was troubled. "Jim, I really need to talk to you. I need to talk to you quickly. Can you come over?"

Jim didn't quite know what was up. It was strange that Martha would call him at that time, but her voice seemed very urgent. And because it was Martha, he dropped what he was doing, rearranged his scheduled priorities, and drove to Martha's house. When Jim got there, he knew something was wrong. Martha was more anxious, more solemn than he had thought and that he had seen her before.

They spent a little time talking about the weather. They talked a little bit about Martha's children and her grandchildren. They talked a little bit about Jim's family and then Martha said, "Pastor Jim, this morning I went for my annual checkup. I discovered that I have a malignancy. The malignancy has spread. The doctor gives me at most two months to live. So Pastor Jim, I want to talk to you about my funeral. Pastor Jim, there are hymns that I'd like sung. 'Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on and help me stand. Through the storm and through the night, lead me on to the light.'

Pastor Jim, when I die, I want the precious Lord. Pastor Jim, I love that old hymn, 'What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.' And Pastor Jim, here's my favorite text: 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 16 and 17. 'The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the dead in Christ will rise first. And we that are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.'

Pastor Jim, that's my text. Preach it. Preach it at my funeral, Pastor Jim. Preach that text. 'The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the dead in Christ will rise first. And we that are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.'"

"Oh Martha, certainly I'll share that text and I will fulfill your wishes."

"Pastor Jim, I want you to come into my bedroom, to my closet, because here's my blue church dress. You know, Pastor Jim, I've worn this dress to church for a number of years now. It wouldn't be church, Pastor Jim, without my old blue dress. So Pastor Jim, when they put me in the coffin, I want to be buried in my blue dress. And Pastor Jim, here's my Bible. I want you to put my Bible in my left hand, the hand nearest my heart.

This book has encouraged me through the years. It's taken me through many trials, many challenges. So Pastor Jim, when people come by me after the service, I want the coffin open. I want them to see old Martha lying in the coffin with a smile on her face and her Bible in her hand, in her old blue Sabbath dress. And there's one more thing, Pastor Jim. Put a fork in my right hand."

"Martha, I didn't quite get it. Your blue church dress, your Bible, I understand that. But Martha, why a fork in your right hand? What's that fork mean, Martha?"

"You know, Pastor Jim, I'm a deaconess and I've been serving at fellowship dinners in this church for the last 40 years. And Pastor Jim, when the fellowship dinner is over, we deaconesses often say, 'Save your fork.' Now, Pastor Jim, when we say save your fork, it's not for some little soupy Jello. It's not for some lukewarm, melting vanilla ice cream. It's not for some imitation chocolate pudding from a box.

When we say save your fork, that means the best is yet to come. That means the homemade apple pie is coming. That means the homemade blueberry pie is coming. That means the homemade oatmeal raisin cookies are coming. Save your fork; the best is yet to come. Pastor Jim, when I die and they put me in the coffin and they go by my coffin and they look at that fork, they're going to say, 'What does that mean?' And you're going to tell them, Pastor Jim, Martha believed, even in death, the best was yet to come."

Friend of mine, if you're on top of the world today, if you're finding fulfillment in your job, your family is great, your health is great, your finances are great, the best is yet to come. If you're going through discouragement today because your kids were brought up in Sabbath school and church but they're not attending now, the best is yet to come. If you're going through a heart-wrenching agony and trauma of a divorce and you're wondering how to pick up the pieces of your life, the best with Jesus is yet to come.

If your body is racking with rheumatism and arthritis and you're in pain, or the cancer has metastasized, I can tell you the best is yet to come. If you're from a broken past and a dysfunctional family and you're still healing from the scars, the best is yet to come. If you've been through financial reverses, the best is yet to come. If you're struggling with guilt, the best is yet to come. If some sin has gripped you and imprisoned you, the best is yet to come.

Let's study the life of Moses because the life of the follower of God is a life of uninterrupted victories that may not seem to be so here, but will appear so in the hereafter. The first thing we're going to notice about Moses is this: Moses was cursed at his birth, but God turns curses into blessings. Exodus chapter 1, verse 22: "So Pharaoh commanded all his people saying, 'Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.'"

Pharaoh passed that decree on the life of the Hebrews, and he decreed that every male child should be killed, cast into the river when they're born. Pharaoh was concerned because of the spread of the growth of the Israelites, so he condemned the Hebrew children to death. Amazingly enough, God turned that curse into a blessing. And with God, our greatest curses are turned at times into our greatest blessings. The decree's effect was the opposite of what Pharaoh thought.

Now follow the biblical line of reasoning. Pharaoh wanted to hold the Israelites in a vice-like grip. He wanted to destroy them so that they would keep from growing. Yet, amazingly enough, his plan tragically failed. He was afraid that some leader from the Israelites would arise to prominence and overthrow Pharaoh and his Egyptian forces. So Pharaoh passed a decree that male children be put to death. As the result of that decree, Moses's mother took him and put him in a little basket, and it was there that through the providence of God, Pharaoh's daughter discovered Moses.

And it was because of that decree that Moses received the education in Egypt that enabled him to have the military skills and vast geographical knowledge and a compassion of history and leadership that God took and sanctified and refined and used to lead the Israelites when they were wandering the wilderness. The point is this: the curse was turned into a blessing. The point is that Pharaoh's intent to destroy Moses became the very vehicle that God used to train and educate Moses.

It was through that decree that a door was opened by God for Moses to enter into education in the courts of Egypt. Praise His holy name. God turns curses into blessings, for the best with God is always yet to come. Our life of so-called trauma and heartache and sorrow is but a life of steps of uninterrupted victories. Not seen to be so here, but seen in eternity. Do you come from a broken home? The best is yet to come. Have you been abused in childhood? The best is yet to come for you through Christ, by Christ, in Christ.

If you've gone through the trauma of a divorce, the best is yet to come. Your scars will be turned to stars to shine forever in the kingdom of God. If God can take the wicked, despicable activities of Joseph's brothers who threw him in a pit and take Joseph from the pit to the palace, God can take the activities of others against you, and you can go from the darkness of the pit to the glories of the palace, for the best is yet to come.

If God can take the attack of Nebuchadnezzar on Jerusalem, that gleaming city, if God can take the captivity of Daniel leaving his home, his father, his mother, and all his boyhood dreams, and if God can use that to put Daniel on the throne of Babylon, the best for you is yet to come. If God can take Paul's imprisonment and use it to write Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, the great prison epistles to bless the world, God can write an epistle in your life through the prison experience you've been through, for the best for you is yet to come.

If God can take an old rugged cross and the Son of God with nails through His hands and blood running down His wrists, if God can take a crown of thorns, if God can take a spear, if God can take rusty nails, if God can take the death and agony of the cross and turn it into the instrument of salvation even for you, through the cross the best is yet to come. Look beyond your tears. Look beyond your sorrow. Look beyond your heartache. Look beyond your disappointment.

Look beyond the divorce. Look beyond the malignancy. Look beyond the pain. Look beyond the suffering. Look beyond the scars and see Him who is invisible. The best is yet to come because He takes curses and turns them into blessings as He did for Moses. Think about Moses's life. Where did Moses's mother get the money to bring him up for the first 12 years of his life? Where did that poor, poverty-stricken mother get the finances to do that? From Pharaoh's coffers. Because Pharaoh's daughter paid Moses's mother to raise the child. And where did the money come from for Moses to get a PhD in the University of Egypt? From the coffers of Pharaoh. Although it seemed there was a curse on his birth, God turns curses into blessings.

Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence His life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Moses was forced to flee, but his wilderness wanderings become divine encounters. After 40 years in the schools of Egypt, Moses fled into the desert. Why? You see, there were still some lessons that God was teaching Moses, like the bumper sticker that I occasionally see that says, "Have patience with me. God isn't finished with me yet." Moses believed he was ready, but God said, "You're not ready." You see, at the beginning of the 40 years of wilderness wandering, Moses said, "Lord, step aside, I'm ready."

God said, "Moses, you're not ready." At the end of the 40 years, Moses said, "I'm not ready," and God said, "You are ready." The way we think and the way God thinks are different sometimes. Moses saw some Egyptian killing, persecuting, whipping, beating a Jewish, Israeli Hebrew. Moses in fury killed that Egyptian. The next day, Moses saw two Hebrews arguing and they said, "Moses, what are you going to do? You're going to kill us like that Egyptian?"

Moses was forced to flee because he knew the death penalty was hanging over his head. And Moses went on into the wilderness, in the wilderness of wanderings, dark and alone. Discouraged and disappointed, Moses's error was a fatal mistake. He took God's work into his own hands. His objectives were good; his methods were poor. The dream was spoiled, the dream of delivering Israel. He's now wandering out in the wilderness.

Now imagine what Moses must have thought. Imagine what must have been on Moses's mind in the wilderness wanderings. Discouraged, disappointed. He might have felt God can no longer use me. Filled with guilt. Filled with shame. Filled with a sense of failure, a sense of defeat. He says, "I've sinned. These bloody hands, with these hands I've killed a man. God had dreams for my life, but through my conscious choice, I've spoiled the dream. God had plans for my life, but I ruined those plans."

Do you know what I'm talking about? You know the feelings of Moses. God had plans for me, but my marriage fell apart. You say those plans are gone. My life went on a different track than I thought it would go. God had plans for me, but I ruined it with alcohol, tobacco, drugs. God had plans for me. Although I come to church, I'm unfaithful in my tithe, I break the Sabbath. But God had plans for me, but inside I feel shame.

I feel guilt because I don't live up to God's ideal. For all of us, failures take place in our life. For all of us who've not reached God's ideal, consider Moses. Filled with shame, filled with sin, filled with guilt, running, running, running. You know, sometimes we too in our lives live in frantic activity. We run too. And here not only does God turn curses into blessing, but God turns wilderness wanderings into divine encounters.

Remember in Exodus chapter 3 and verse 4. Moses is wandering alone in the wilderness. Exodus 3, verse 4: "So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, the Lord called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' and he said, 'Here am I.'" So Moses looks at the bush in verse 2 and 3. It's burning, but the bush that is burning is not consumed. And God meets Moses, and Moses meets God at that bush.

God turns a poor decision into a divine encounter. It's quite an incredible thing when you think about it. Why would the Lord have a bush burn but not consume? A burning bush that's not consumed gets your attention. That's why God did it. And Moses wandering in the wilderness, running, came face to face with a divine encounter. And God says, "Here I am. Draw not hither, put off your shoes for the place where you stand is holy ground."

Holy ground in the wilderness. Holy ground when I'm running from God. Holy ground in my disappointment. Holy ground when I've taken my life in my own hands and made poor decisions. Holy ground when my plans have failed. Holy ground when I'm filled with shame. Holy ground when I'm gripped with condemnation. Holy ground, a divine encounter. At the moment of my greatest need, He's there.

And then He says in verse 7: "I surely have 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." Are you going through some sorrow in your life? Going through some disappointment in your life? God says, "I know your sorrows. I'm with you in your agony. I'm there in the depths of your disappointment. I'm there through your isolated lonely nights.

I'm there when you put your head on your pillow and cry yourself to sleep because of your kids. I'm there when you're weeping in the night because of your broken marriage. I'm there when you wonder, 'God, why me? Why me, God? Why was I afflicted with cancer? Why me, God?' I'm there when you feel so isolated and lonely. I'm there in your shame. I'm there in your condemnation, when you don't live up to the divine ideal and you feel so dirty and guilty.

God says, 'I'm there. I'm there in the bush and I know your sorrows, your disappointments.'" And then God said to Moses in Exodus 3, verse 14: "Moses, I AM THAT I AM. Thus shall thou say to the children of Israel, 'I AM' sent me to you." Moses, you're ready now. Kneeling before Me in shame and guilt, opening your heart for My forgiveness, you're ready. And I AM THAT I AM. What does it mean when God says I AM THAT I AM?

He was saying to Moses, "I am your strength. I am your sufficiency. I am your courage. I am your nourishment. I am your pillar of fire by night to guide you. I am your cloud to protect you by day. I am your covering, I'm your guide. Moses, I'm all you need." And when I come to Him in my wilderness wandering, my wilderness wandering becomes a divine encounter because I meet Him at the bush. And He says, "I'm all you need. I'm the love you didn't receive as a child."

He says, "I'm the forgiveness from your guilt." He says, "I'm the power of deliverance in your life." He says, "I'm your nourishment for the loneliness of your soul." He says, "I'm all your heart needs. I AM the I AM." When we wander from Him and we run from Him and we turn our backs upon Him, we at times meet Him in a divine encounter in the wilderness. When we feel our plans are gone, God Himself takes our wilderness wanderings and turns them into divine encounters.

Two points about the life of Moses why the best is yet to come. First, God turns our curses into blessings. Second, God turns our wilderness wanderings into divine encounters. So the best is yet to come. Moses thirdly is humbled by need. You see, need is the stuff that miracles are made out of. God's ultimate goal was to lead Moses to a place of dependence on Him. One way God does that is bringing us to a place of need.

Miracles come out of need. Where there is no need, there is no miracle. When there is no need, there is no supernatural event. Scripture describes the miracle manna. God turns needs into blessings. He turns needs into miracles. Needs plus prayer plus faith equals a miracle. God's ultimate goal was to lead Moses to the place of dependence. One way God attempted to do this was bring Moses to a dead-end street.

We read about it in Exodus 16, verse 2: "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said unto them, 'Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the flesh pots.' Look Moses, at least in Egypt our taskmasters gave us something to eat so that we could make bricks without straw. Look Moses, at least when we were in Egypt our stomachs were full, but you brought us out here in the wilderness to die."

God teaches us dependence when we have a need. Needs are the stuff miracles are made out of. There was a need. Do you have some need in your life? The need to be loved, some financial need in your life? Do you have a need in your life? Where there is sight, there is no need for a miracle to be healed of blindness. The fact that I'm blind physically means that I need sight. Jesus didn't heal people from blindness who were not blind.

He healed those people who had a need to see. Where there was no withered arm, there was no need to heal an arm that was not withered. Where there is no need, there is no need for a miracle. So every need that you have in your life that you cannot fulfill, every need you have in your life that's impossible for you to figure out, there's the need for God. And if you could solve all your own problems, there'd be no need for God.

If there were no difficulties in life and you pretty well had your arms around everything where God would fit in, then you wouldn't need a miracle. So God allows us in life to face needs, difficulties, obstacles, mountains, tunnels, challenges that we don't see any way out of. In the context of the miracle occurs, in the context of human need. When you get human need and faith and commitment together, they provide the ingredients through which God works a miracle.

In Exodus 16, verse 4 we read: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I'll rain bread from heaven for you, and people shall go out and gather it every day.'" And verse 7: "And in the morning you'll see the glory of the Lord." What's God saying? He's saying, "Moses, the best is yet to come." The best is yet to come in the context of your need, in the context of hunger. The best is yet to come.

Water is going to flow from the rock, manna is going to fall down from heaven. The best is yet to come in your life. If the Israelites were going through Egyptian buffets picking the wrong stuff from the buffets, they would have never seen the manna rain down from heaven. We see the manna fall when we're hungry. We see God meet the need when we're hungry. So need is not to discourage me, need is not to disappoint me, need is not to cause me to have lack of faith, but need is to cause me to reach up to Him who is the solution to the need.

He turns curses into blessings. With Christ, best is yet to come. In my wilderness wanderings, when I'm running from God, He's running toward me. He leads us to have divine encounters; the best is yet to come. When I have a need, that's the stuff the miracles are made out of; the best is yet to come. And when our fondest dreams are smashed and when our greatest hope stands away like a shadow when life is over—I don't mean death at the end, but when something inside us dies—when we say, "I can never fulfill my dreams," consider Moses. The best is yet to come.

And when Moses comes to the end of his life, life seems to be over. Moses comes to the end. Life's finished, life's gone. He's lived for one thing. He's old now. Taught 12 years by his mother, 40 years educated in the schools of Egypt, 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Now on the borders of the promised land. He's old now. His face is weather-beaten. He's been through trial after trial. His eyes are deep set.

He's focused on one goal. "Lord, before I die, let me put my feet in the promised land. Before I die, Lord, let me eat of the fruit of Jericho. Before I die, Lord, let me taste of the land of milk and honey. Before I die, Lord, let me not die in the wilderness. Lord, let me die in the promised land. Let me die with the hope and assurance of the promised land." And Moses approaches the promised land.

He looks from the mountains across the Jezreel Valley. He looks into Jericho. He sees the promised land. Deuteronomy 34, verse 5 says: "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab." No, God. God, no! Not in the land of Moab! Not among the heathen, not among those who don't know You, not among the idol worshipers. "God, I have one hope, I have one dream. God, let me die in the promised land."

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. They buried him in the valley of the land of Moab, over against Beth Peor, but no man knows his sepulcher, his grave this day. Moses had a dream, but the best was yet to come because God had a better dream. Moses had a plan, but God had a better plan. Moses had a goal, but God had a better goal because God can do exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think. Moses was physically resurrected from the tomb to demonstrate that when Jesus comes, every human being that has trusted Christ can be resurrected too. So when your dreams are broken, when your plans are shattered, when your goals are crushed, the best is yet to come.