Light on the Hill

Announcer: Get ready for a life-changing study in Exodus chapter 4, next on Light on the Hill.

James Kaddis: I want you to really take account into the words that you are going to read and some of the words that I am going to share because if you will hold fast to it, if you will really bring it into your heart, contextualize it the way God wants you to do so, it's going to change your life in a radical way.

It's going to, it will be the key to helping you get through bitterness. It will be the key to help you get to the next level that God wants you to get to in your life. It will be the key that will cause you to walk in a place of excellence that you have never walked before.

It's going to be the key that's going to change your life in a way you never thought your life could be changed. You have to open up your eyes. You have to open up your heart to understand what God is wanting to do, and once you know it, once you see it, once you discern it, you'll never be able to unsee it.

Guest (Male): I have found

The peace only comes from You.

I have found

The joy only comes from You.

Because all I need is You.

Announcer: Today's Light on the Hill will show there is a choice that's in front of us, and many don't even know that the opportunity exists. What you decide will set the path for your future, so it's important to choose wisely. Our family depends on it. Here's Pastor James Kaddis to elaborate from Exodus chapter 4.

James Kaddis: All right, let's get into this. This is a powerful one, folks, and I am going to tell you this, we have spent some time talking about the invisible war. We have talked about spiritual warfare. We have talked about the fact that if Christians do not engage in spiritual warfare, they will become the first casualties of it.

We have talked about that. We have talked about the fact that God is good. We have talked about the fact that to this very day, God is calling each and every single one of us to a task that is insurmountable, that is something that we cannot do in and of ourselves.

God demonstrated that first with salvation. He called us to salvation. We received it. It was a work that we could not do for ourselves. He did it for us. And just like God did the work of salvation for us, He wants to do lots of other things in our lives every single day because He is faithful and because He is good.

And He wants to demonstrate His faithfulness and His goodness to us in the life that we live. He wants His glory to shine in and through us. He wants us to be a reflection of His power and of His might, and I think that that's something that we have established very, very well within the first few chapters of the book of Exodus.

As a matter of fact, I hope and I pray that many of you are already excited about the realm of possibility in your life for God to intervene and do something miraculous. Because I don't think He just wants to do one miraculous thing. I think He wants to do one miraculous thing after the other again and again and again and again.

I think He wants to bring redemption to you. I think He wants to allow you to experience the great benefit and reward from obedience to Him. He wants you to walk in a way that you continue to experience His victory in a very, very natural way, albeit supernatural.

God wants to do things in your life that will radically change you from moment to moment, from day to day, from hour to hour, from season to season. But folks, let me explain something to you. None of that is on the table. None of that is on the table, even if He is doing it in your life every day, if you don't recognize the sovereign hand of God.

If you don't recognize that God is sovereign in everything that He does, when He does those miraculous things, you are going to be like that little boy on Oprah back in the 1990s who got all of those Christmas gifts, $50,000 worth of Christmas gifts.

And when he finished opening the last one, which he got like 300 of them, right? He looked up at Oprah and said, "Is that it?" You remember? It was like the biggest dot of the show. Matter of fact, in that show, they have cut that scene off now, right? It's like it was such a deflator.

But if you don't have perspective, if you don't understand what you are looking at, if you don't recognize the moment that you are in and the experience that God is putting you through as His sovereign hand, you will be like that boy. You will be like the person that says, "Is that it?" or even worse. You'll be like the people that are sitting in their cars on camera going, "Ah!" You'll be just like them.

You will be the person who is absolutely losing your mind and going crazy because if you don't recognize the work that God is doing in your life as it sits right now, you are not going to experience the maximum and the greatest benefit that comes because it's a heart changer. It's something that should show your mind and your heart and your eyes a different perspective.

I think about this often times. It's an interesting picture to reflect upon, but when I was in Bible college, and Pastor Dale will tell you about this. We had a class. I don't think they do it anymore because I don't even think it's legal to do it anymore.

We had a class called Practical Christian Ministry. And basically, the purpose of the whole class when we did it was to make you work, physical work, do physically hard things around the church and around whatever ministry you are in, and you got a half a credit for it, and you had to bust your tail. Every single week you had to have these people sign off on it, and it was a process.

And I remember this, Dale will tell you this. We did everything that you could think of in the book. Folks, I am telling you this right now, I am not lying, I so much as stood on top of the church buses to not only clean them, but to wax them. I did everything that you could think of, from waxing the floors to taking out the trash, to cleaning vomit out of the carpet.

Every kind of task that you can think of, we were required to do. Now, I can tell you this right now. You could be bitter, you could be angry, you could be bothered by the fact that you do it. We used to see Bible college students say they hated doing it and complained about doing it every single day.

Or you could stop for a moment and recognize that was God's sovereign hand upon my life because it was God giving me an education to help me understand the place that people are walking in and to know that things are not as easy as they seem.

That when you have somebody who is washing your car on a really, really hot day and your car is a black vehicle, understand the immense skill set that it takes to finish washing that car without spots showing up on it. And then you hire a guy who does it professionally and he makes it look easy. Literally, in minutes, he can do it without any problem.

Folks, when I see a trash man that is going through my neighborhood and he is maneuvering that vehicle to pick up my trash and to take it out. I am going to tell you this right now, it's a skill set that is unmatched. You have to be extremely skilled to be able to do what those guys do.

First of all, you have to be incredibly fit. You have to have a stamina like no others to be able to operate a truck, just to operate that truck. You have to learn how to drive the skill set of a semi-truck driver. You also have to have the skills, have to have the skill set of a forklift operator. And what they do is amazing.

And by the way, if you are not good at what you do, you know what you end up doing? You end up destroying people's neighborhoods. Guys, look at the stories of how many trash men have destroyed people's cars, actually accidentally engaged the trash can lift and flipped cars over.

Look at what happens when you have inexperienced guys doing that job. There's trash all over the streets. The street sweeper is overwhelmed. Think about the street sweeper. That's also a remarkable skill set, what they have to do. And here's the thing that I learned in that time period.

I learned that it's not easy to do the things that look easy. I have learned to develop an appreciation for it. When a man comes to my house and floats a wall, I recognize how extraordinarily hard it is because I tried to do the same thing and I made it look like a rock climbing wall. You know what I am talking about?

It's not easy. None of that is easy. It's very, very difficult. And God's sovereign hand on my life, allowing me to do that within the context of Bible college, gave me an appreciation for the people that I minister with on a day-to-day basis. And I want people to understand something.

When a person recognizes the sovereign hand of God on their life, their life becomes better and it changes more radically, and God gives them more and they change more people faster than any other group of people that I know. The person who doesn't recognize the sovereign hand of God on their life is the person that destroys things faster than any group of people that I know.

Today in this text, we are going to see an example of two different types of people. We are going to see an example of one person that loves God, seems to be aware of the things of God, but does not recognize His sovereign hand, and thus becomes bitter and angry and destroys her life.

And then you are going to see somebody who does recognize the sovereign hand of God and allows that awareness to give him a perspective that opens up the door for God to do much greater things. That's where we leave off on here.

And when you get through this story, by the way, I want you to understand, the text that we are going to go over for whatever reason, I don't get it, is difficult for many commentators. It happens to be a difficult portion of the book of Exodus to some people. Honest to goodness, I don't know why.

It's very simple, it's very basic, it's very obvious, and I believe that once you go through this, it will not be a difficult passage for you either. I think it will not only be a difficult passage, it will be a passage that you embrace and it will be a passage that will open up your mind and your hearts to understand something that is very real and very true. Okay?

I want you to really take account into the words that you are going to read and some of the words that I am going to share because if you will hold fast to it, if you will really bring it into your heart, contextualize it the way God wants you to do so, it's going to change your life in a radical way.

It's going to, it will be the key to helping you get through bitterness. It will be the key to help you get to the next level that God wants you to get to in your life. It will be the key that will cause you to walk in a place of excellence that you have never walked before. It's going to be the key that's going to change your life in a way you never thought your life could be changed.

You have to open up your eyes. You have to open up your heart to understand what God is wanting to do, and once you know it, once you see it, once you discern it, you'll never be able to unsee it. It will always be obvious. So let's jump into this. Verse 18, that's where we left off, chapter 4. And it says this, it says, "And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father, his father-in-law, and said unto him, 'Let me go, I pray you, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they yet be alive,' or whether they be yet alive, 'and Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.'"

Okay, I want you to understand this. Contextualize this for a second, okay? Moses just finished talking to God. The burning bush was in front of him, and he got marching orders from the true and living God. Moses, go, you have got to save a generation of people.

So funny to see a man who recognizes and values the sovereign hand of God in his life in every stage of his life. So much so that when he moves on to a new stage, he honors the stage that he was in. You know how many stories I have heard of people who were Christians, who were in a job that they absolutely hated?

And then when they had the opportunity to go to a new job, they pretty much left their job in a terrible way. They gave somebody a one-day notice and said, "Get lost. I hate you. I hated working for this." You know, you ever seen those videos that they made where they give a guy fake lottery ticket, you know, in their workplace and then they resigned right there on the spot, say the craziest things and they burn every bridge? You know what I am talking about?

Folks, understand something. If you are a person that recognizes the sovereign hand of God in your life, it doesn't matter how hard the job is that you are doing right now, you are not going to despise it, you are going to embrace it. And when you embrace it, the way that you treat that job when you leave to go to another one will be reflective in whether or not you recognize the sovereign hand of God in your life.

You see, Moses recognizes the fact that he is no longer going to be a shepherd like he has been for 40 years, at least not the kind of conventional shepherd that he was. He knew that God was calling him to do the greatest single work in the history of the world, besides the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He recognizes he is about to be the leader of a nation that will never end. He is about to bring them out of a terrible place. Yet because of his understanding of God's sovereign hand in his life and his recognition of the fact that God used that time of him as a shepherd to make him the man that God wanted him to be, he valued it so much that he went back to his father-in-law, and he basically said, a man familiar to him. Okay, his father-in-law.

And he goes back to his father-in-law and says, "Is it okay for me to go do this?" And his father-in-law blesses him to do it. By the way, understand something. That's not going to backfire on him, because later on his father-in-law will be instrumental in helping him to manage the affairs of his administration. Okay?

He didn't burn a bridge. And he didn't burn a bridge because he valued the time that he had when he was doing it. He didn't burn a bridge because he understood how critical it was for him to be there.

You understand that when I left Calvary Chapel Downey, there were some moments that I had where I had some very, very stark disagreements with Pastor Jeff, some very, very aggressive ones. And me and Pastor Jeff have always been close. There has never been a time where we weren't close. And when God had called me to go start the work here, I went into Pastor Jeff's office and I basically gave him a two-month notice, number one, so that he would have some time to manage some of the things that I was managing.

And the other thing that I told him is I said, "I will not go to Signal Hill if I don't have your blessing. God has to show you, and I am going to give it to you. I, I respect you so much, and I respect what God gave me in you, that I will not do this without your blessing."

Do you understand that when I married my wife, I sat before her father, who admittedly does not have a relationship with the Lord, who did not know me from Adam. And I sat at the table and I basically said, "I will not marry your daughter unless I get your blessing."

Want to know why? Because not only do I respect my wife, but I respect the family that she comes from. It doesn't matter what relationship she has with anybody. I respect the family because I am not just marrying her, I am marrying her family.

And you know what's awesome about her family? Whether or not anybody in the family walks with God, God used her family to make her the woman that she is today, and there's no way as a sound man that I could ever despise that. So, of course I am going to go to them and say, "I want your blessing." Of course.

I sat down with her precious grandmother. I sat down with her mother, her sister, her brother. I went out of my way to talk to all of them. Why? Because God used all of them. They were all instrumental in making the woman that I have the benefit of being a part of.

You understand? If you recognize God's sovereign hand, you are not going to have the bitter mindset that says, "I am out of here. Bye." Whatever, you know? It's a different mindset to have, you guys. Knowing God's sovereign work in your life is going to change the way you look at everything. And everything that you do, everything that you are a part of.

You have to embrace it, and you have to say, "God, thank you for it." That's why the Bible says, "Don't despise the days of little things," right? Don't despise those things. Why? Because they were all tools by a sovereign God to change you and to educate you and to maneuver you to the place that He wants you to be.

So he goes. Jethro gives him the blessing. Now watch this, verse 19. And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead which sought your life." That's good news. Go to Egypt, bro, the coast is clear. No one wants to kill you now. Right? That's good news.

But look what it says in verse 20. "And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them upon an ass and he returned to the land of Egypt and Moses took the rod of God in his hand." Okay, very interesting. And the Lord said unto Moses, "When you go to return into Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart that he shall not let the people go."

Now that's kind of a heavy thing, right? He's like, "Hey, go before the Pharaoh and do all the things that I have demonstrated to you, but I am going to tell you this right now, I am going to harden Pharaoh's heart and he is not going to listen. He is not going to let the people go." That's a heavy statement in and of itself. But imagine being tasked to say the next thing that you are going to have to say. This is heavy.

Verse 22. "And you shall say unto the Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.'" That's a heavy statement. "And I say unto you, 'Let my son go that he may serve me, if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.'"

Okay, I am a father. I have one son and two daughters. My son is two years old. And I am telling you this right now, you will see the vicious animal come out of me if you seek to exploit any of my children. You go to attack my son, you are not going to see something that is pleasant.

You are just not. You know, we talk to our security guys all the time about how important it is to create an environment in this church that's secure. And one of the things that's really important to me is that they understand how critical it is to make sure that if someone were to come up and to try to rush me, that they put a stop to that.

The reason why I want them to put a stop to that is not to prevent myself from becoming harmed. It's to prevent the church from seeing what I can become. And I am not being funny about it, what I can become if something like that happens. Because I think a completely different way.

I can't imagine being a man who has another man coming up to me and say, "I am going to take your son's life." Can you imagine the shock that that would put in your own mind? Think about that. And now I am going to be asked to go to another man and to say that?

That God says he is going to take your son's life? Guys, I cannot imagine how overwhelmed Moses is feeling right now as he is being asked to do this. Can you imagine the level of undertaking that has to happen here? It's pretty significant. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like.

Being the guy who speaks it or being the guy who's on the receiving end of it, can't imagine. Absolutely can't imagine what that would feel like. Understand the depth of significance that all of this has. This is very deep stuff, you guys. Like this is, he is being asked to do something crazy.

I mean, that's a big deal. Stop and contemplate it for a second. It's pretty heavy. So, look what happens. This is heavy. Verse 24. "And it came to pass by the way in the inn that," now this is where it gets difficult for a lot of people and this shouldn't be all that difficult, but let's just go through it.

"And it came to pass by the way in the inn that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah," that's Moses's wife, right? "Took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet and said, 'Surely a bloody husband are you unto me.' So, he let him go. Then she said, 'A bloody husband are you because of the circumcision.'" Okay.

First of all, let me just tell you what's happening here. Just just so that you are aware, okay? Moses has more than one son. He has multiple sons. My guess is this. My guess is the first time Moses circumcised his son, Zipporah, his wife, was deeply angered by that. She was very bothered by watching her son being circumcised.

Remember, back then, there was no such thing as being anesthetized before you did something like that, okay? God's law required circumcision, I think it's the eighth day, right? And the interesting thing about this process is that if you, according to the Jewish law, Jewish culture, Jewish religion, Jewish background, Jewish acclamation, understand this.

If your child is not circumcised, your child is not a Jew. Understand that. They could be born of a Jewish mother, and he could be born of a Jewish father, but if he is not circumcised, he is not considered a Jew. That's why every single Jewish boy is circumcised.

My guess is Zipporah watched the circumcision of her first son and absolutely hated it. She despised the pain that he was experiencing. It was probably viewed as an action of exploitation, I don't know. But it bothered her so much that I am willing to bet that she had a drag-out argument with Moses, and Moses, being the non-confrontational type that he is, gave it to her and allowed her second son to not be circumcised.

That's my guess. Or third or whatever. It doesn't matter. I think that this one was a disagreement and he stopped it. Now, I believe that God, while Moses is walking along the way, by the way, mind you, he is getting ready to do a very spiritual thing, folks. He is getting ready to go before the most powerful man in the world, and yet he is choosing to disobey God before he even goes to see him.

What does God do? God knocks him down for dead. There on the road, and Moses either has a stroke or a heart attack or something like that happens. It's something that debilitates him. My guess is, it was something to that effect, but the one thing I don't have to guess, God struck him down. We know that. That's what the Bible is telling us here. God struck him down.

Now, here's the thing that's interesting. Zipporah recognizes the fact that Moses is struck.