Thank you so much, Ben, and thank you to our musicians as well. They do such an excellent job each week. This morning, I'm gonna be in the book of Exodus, and I wanna continue our study in Exodus chapter two, especially as we talk about divine detours. So if you'll turn with me to Exodus chapter two, I'm gonna start reading in verse 16. We covered 11 through 15 last time. Moses struck out at a man and killed him in defense of one of his people, and he has to flee to the land of Midian. He goes there and he sits down by a well. In Exodus 2 and verse 16, the Bible says that he is going to meet up with a man of Midian, Of course, he meets with the man's daughters at first. The Bible says in verse 16, now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. And when they, the daughters, came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man. And he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom. For he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. And it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage. And they cried And their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Let's pray. Father, we need your help. We pray that you would guide our study today through this passage. Help us to learn the lessons you have for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We said last week that as we make our way as Christians in this life, from point A to point B, God is just as interested in our development as He is in our destinations. And because of that, he does lead us through detours, and he brings delays into our lives. A university professor once told of being invited to speak at a military base one December, and there meeting an unforgettable soldier named Ralph. Ralph had been sent to meet him at the airport. After they had introduced themselves, they headed toward the baggage claim. As they walked down the concourse, Ralph kept disappearing, once to help an elderly woman whose suitcase had fallen open, another time to help two toddlers, and again to give directions to someone who was lost. each time he came back with a smile on his face. Where did you learn that, the professor asked. Learn what, Ralph said. Where did you learn to live like that? Oh, Ralph replied, during the war, I guess. He then told the professor about his tour of duty in Vietnam. and how it was his job to clear minefields. How he watched his friends blow up before his eyes, one after another. And he said this, I learned to live between steps. I never knew whether the next one would be my last. So I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and when I put it down again. Every step I took was a whole new world. And I guess I've been that way ever since. As Christians, that's a good way for us to live. God is our great shepherd. as we have heard repeatedly this morning. As we rose and as we recited Psalm 23 corporately, the Lord is our good shepherd. Whatever way he leads us is right. And so the delays and detours are really God's appointments. Every single step of our lives and we can never take them for granted. What I want all of us to understand is that it's not just the mountaintop experiences of life that are important. And that's what we often think of in our journey, in our spiritual journey. But my friends, it is the day-to-day faithfulness that is important to God. In fact, We could say for faithfulness, consistency. Living day in and day out, week by week, according to His will. Not just looking for the spiritual mountaintops, but being faithful in the valleys, being faithful in the detours, because they will come for the child of God. And that's why we need to live between steps, taking every opportunity to serve Christ. God has put you in your workplace for a reason. And when you stop and get gas and suddenly the door of opportunity opens for you to witness to the young man or to the young lady pumping your gas, that is God's appointment for you. All of us must live between the steps. In the first part of this sermon, we observed how God was preparing Moses to lead his people. First of all, by identifying with them. All of these incidents become spiritual formations for Moses. Number one, identifying with God's people. We see that like Moses, we should participate in the sufferings of others. He went out and looked upon the sufferings of his people in chapter 2 verse 11. In his actions, Moses foreshadowed God's work of redemption. Moses was not perfect. He was only a shadow. He was only a type of the one who is to come. There is a greater than Moses, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. But at the same time, Moses foreshadowed the work that God would do among his people. Moses wanted to be a deliverer. So we see that in verses 11 through 12. He acted rashly, we could argue. But what we do know is that ultimately Moses was inadequate within himself to undertake this act of redemption. He could not do it by himself. God has called us as his instruments, but he must work through us. And he does that in the day to day, in the ordinary incidents of life that we often overlook. So number one, we talked about identifying with God's people. Number two, I want to talk about standing with those in need. This is something that God wants us to do in preparing us for what He has for us to do. Notice how Moses defended those who had been wronged. Now this is in verses 16 and 17. Moses flees to the land of Miriam and he sits down by a well. There are several biblical characters who have done this in the past. And we think of the servant of Abraham who met the bride of Isaac, Rebecca, by a well. And we think of Jacob as he met Rachel by a well. And to us, that would seem rather unusual, but really, it was not that unusual at all. In fact, the well was sort of a singles hangout, if you want to think about it that way. Now, they didn't really date in the sense that we think of today. Most marriages were arranged. But if there was social activity, usually it took place in the town square. For nomadic peoples, it would often occur at wells, watering holes. So, you know, back in the day, I would say to my teenage buddies, you know, we would jump in the car and we'd say, hey, let's go find some chicks. Well, back in this day and time, guess where we would have gone usually? to the well. That's where you met people. That's where everybody gathered, especially nomadic peoples. Now, I sincerely doubt that Moses was thinking that way, but Moses did guide him providentially to where he would meet his wife here. Isn't that amazing how God works? But God was leading his every step. I want to point your attention to two New Testament passages, and we won't have time to go over these thoroughly, but it would be good if you could read these when you get home. There are two New Testament passages on the life of Moses that are very important. One of them is Acts chapter 7, Acts 7, verses 20 through 44. And this comes from the sermon of Stephen before the Sanhedrin. And then we have another passage, This is in Hebrews 11, verses 23 through 29. So we've got Acts 7, verses 20 and following, and then Hebrews 11, verses 23 and following. There, Moses is, as other people in this chapter, is referred to as one of the heroes of the faith. But in Hebrews 11 and verse 27, I do wanna point out something to you. So keep your place here in Exodus 2, keep your place in Exodus 2, and then I want you to turn to Hebrews 11. And I'm not gonna read the whole passage, but I wanna read verse 27, because it's describing what we're going through at this point, about how Moses had to leave Egypt, goes to Midian, The Bible says in Hebrews 11 and verse 27, if you have that in your Bibles, Hebrews 11 and verse 27, by faith he, Moses, forsook Egypt. Then it says this, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Now, compare that with Exodus chapter 2 and verse 14, where it says that Moses did fear. Now, there's no contradiction here. First of all, because the Holy Spirit wrote, is the ultimate author of Scripture, and God doesn't make mistakes. It is infallible and inerrant, and we understand that. But F.F. Bruce explains that the author of Hebrews is actually interpreting or clarifying the meaning of Exodus 2 in verse 14. Admittedly, there was fear in Moses' heart. And you can see a similar situation in Hebrews 11.23, where it says that Moses' parents were not afraid of the king's commandment. Something very similar is going on. You see, Moses might have been afraid, but that was not why he left Egypt. His leaving Egypt, as the author of Hebrews tells us, was an act of faith. Think about this. Moses might have raised a slave revolt. There were an awful lot of Hebrews. he could have tried to gather together. And actually, revolts were very common in Egypt, as strong as Egypt was politically, militarily, as strong as the pharaoh was. There are plenty of historical examples where there were revolts in Egypt. There was a change in dynasty. So this was not out of the realm of possibility at all. But F.F. Bruce said this, he had the insight to see that God's hour had not yet struck. Therefore, he resolutely turned his back on the course he had begun to tread. He, along with his parents, feared God more than the Pharaoh. And that set the course of their lives in accordance with God's will, not the will of the Pharaoh. Now it could be that Hebrews 11 and verse 27 is a reference to Moses' life overall. That's another possibility. That overall, Moses did not fear the Pharaoh. He marched into the court and eventually he would work to free the people. He would stand up to the most powerful man in the world of his day and he would lead his people out because he looked to Christ, the one, who was invisible. But either way, he left Egypt by faith. He still knew that God had a purpose for his life. And now here at the well, according, if you'll go back with me to Exodus 2 and verse 17, Moses stood up and helped this group of female shepherds, in particular, the daughters of Reuel. And Ruel in other places is called Jethro, which was probably a title, meaning something like His Excellency. And he was also known as Hobab. They could have been different people as well. But later, Moses would marry one of those daughters, Zipporah. Here's what I want you to see in this passage, and that is that all three of these episodes in the passage that we're discussing share a common theme, and that is defending others based on what is right. We could say it this way, standing on what is right. Let me ask you, do you stand up for the truth? Do you stand up for God? Do you stand for Christ, where He has placed you, or are you silent? You just keep your head down and try to get by. When God opens that door, do you stand up boldly for Him? This is the kind of man that God uses. Obviously, Moses was not a coward. We can see that in his actions. He stood up against this group of shepherds who were harassing these young women. And he delivered them when they were in need. This is in verses 18 through 20. When Ruel, their father, this, by the way, the Hebrew word could also mean a grandfather. That's why you sometimes see different names. But he asked why they are back so soon. And Ruel's daughters replied that Moses They call him an Egyptian, so he's still dressed like an Egyptian, but he delivered us, they said. The same verb used later of God when he comes to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. You can find this in Exodus chapter 3 and verse 8, where God says, and I am come down, you have your Bible there in Exodus 3.8, I am come down to deliver them. to deliver or to save my people. It's a special word that is found throughout the book of Exodus, often used of God as he delivers his people. Once again, Moses is imitating his God. He stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. He is a deliverer of those who cannot help themselves. Again, in Exodus 6 and verse 6, God says, and I will rid you out of their bondage. Exodus chapter 6 and verse 6. That word rid there is actually the word, the Hebrew word for deliver or save. This is what God does for us. He saves or delivers us out of the hand of our enemies. He delivers us from sin. There is nothing that I can do about my sin. I can try to clean myself up and I can try to reform my ways, but I cannot do anything about the sin debt that I owe God. I cannot stop sinning. I am in bondage to it. It is my master without Christ empowering me. It is Christ who set me free from sin. It is Christ who delivers. My friends, that's our message to a lost and dying world. When you go out this week, you go out to a world that needs to be delivered. A world that needs to be saved. You say, well, you know, I talk to people and some of them are lost and some of them are very educated people. Some of them are very affluent. And in fact, some of them are very nice people. And they're pillars in the community. And they seem to have no need of anything. In fact, they look at me like I'm the one who's crazy. They look at me like I'm the one who needs to be saved. I'm the one who needs to be in an insane asylum. I need to have my head looked at. But you see, God's order is altogether different when we see it from His eyes. This world needs to be delivered. They need to be shocked into their senses that they are headed to eternal destruction. Guess who God wants to use as His instrument to do that? The pastor, right? The missionary, right? Well, yes. God wants to use you. Every single one of you who know Christ as Savior. That's a responsibility that you have. There is someone in your life that I can't reach, but you can. You know them. God wants to use you to deliver others spiritually, to share with them the gospel. It is Christ who saves. We're just the instruments. We are inadequate in and of ourselves like Moses. It is Christ who is the deliverer. That's why God has placed us in this world. Number one, then, we identify with God's people. Number two, we stand with those in need. We care about people. We wanna see people saved. We wanna see them delivered from their sin and from their addictions. We wanna see them delivered from the kingdom of darkness. But then number three, we come to this point, and that is embracing one's pilgrim status. Moses had a unique perspective on this. He was a Hebrew slave, so he wasn't even born in his own land. He was born in the land of Egypt. By the time Moses was born, talk about being unwanted, the land into which he was born wanted to kill him. He was an outsider. He was an alien. He was from another place. Then he has to flee from that place and he goes to another place where he is unknown. I think that's the point that Moses is trying to get across. Yes, he did settle. He did throw down roots and he started a family. And by the way, that's what God has called us to do in this world. There's nothing wrong with that. But at the same time, Moses realized that there was something special and different about him. that in a very real sense, he was a pilgrim. But notice that he did accept God's will in the moment. This is in verses 21 and 22. He settles down, he marries, he becomes a shepherd. And by the way, that was a big deal. Moses had been an Egyptian. And he had most likely been a part of the Egyptian nobility. They would have wanted nothing to do with shepherding. That would have been a job that was very much beneath them. And when he watered the flocks of the young women, that was also something that was unusual. That was sort of like foot washing in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, nobody really wanted to water the flocks. Most of us have no idea what that entails. You're talking about a large number of animals. You don't just pump a handle. You've got to put the bucket in or whatever device for scooping up the water. You have to do that yourself and put it into the troughs. It would have taken a long time. These women had already started to do it. They had already started to water their flocks, and these other shepherds probably came in, stole their water, started to harass them, started to chase them off. Moses stands up for them, but then he waters the flock. It's an act of meekness, and it's an act of humility. By the way, young ladies, this is the kind of man that you want for a husband. You want a man who knows God. You want a man who has moral convictions. You don't want a man who is a bully and who picks on other people just because he can. A man who stands up for those who are helpless. A man who is willing to do hard work. So Moses was that type of man. So this was something that was unusual. But he begins to settle down where the Lord has placed him. And all of us have that place. We have jobs, we have families. We need to take care of those responsibilities to the best of our ability. We've always put God first, but we have responsibilities here as well. There's an old German proverb that says this, begin to weave and God will provide the thread. For some people, that's really what they need to do. They just need to get busy. They need to serve the Lord. Of course, we put Him first. We don't neglect our time of personal devotion. But there are things in this life that need to be done. As exiles, God has a job for us to do. But even so, we cannot forget our pilgrim status. I want you to turn to 1 Peter 2 and verse 11. 1 Peter 2 and verse 11. Notice how the apostle Peter puts this. And by the way, Peter is speaking to predominantly Gentile Christians. So he's applying the experience of the Jewish people to the New Testament church. The same terminology was used for the Old Testament Hebrews. And you'll find that throughout 1 Peter 2. It's a great study. But in 1 Peter 2, 11, he says, dearly beloved, I beseech you as what? Strangers and pilgrims. We have responsibilities in this world, but we understand that this world is not our home. One day it's going to be recreated. It's going to be glorified when Jesus returns and how we look forward to that day. But in the meantime, there is a sense in which we are pilgrims. Don't make yourself too much at home. Don't be conformed to this world. You say, what does that mean? That means don't let the world pressure you into doing things or thinking things that are anti-God, that are against his word. And friends, the pressure is enormous. It is all around us. It's in our media. It's in our entertainment. It's in our educational systems. It's in our families. Especially if you have unsafe family. The pressure can be enormous, but that's why you have to stand for God. God can use you like He can use a Moses or a Daniel. With God, the size of the crowd does not matter. God can use many and He can use few. So he says, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts. And here he's talking about the desires that come from our sinful nature. Some of them may be legitimate in their place, but when they take the place of God, they become evil. When they transgress outside of their boundaries, they become evil. We are to live like God's people. Do you live with the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. You abstain from the works of the flesh, anger, immorality, envy, jealousy, bitterness. We could go on and on. This is what marks us out as distinctive in this world. God is doing a work in us because we are His. We are His people. And in that sense, we are temporary residents and foreigners. This world is not going to go on and on as it is now. There is a time of change coming. By the way, it's not going to come with the next presidential election. And that's what a lot of people are expecting at some point or another. True change will come when Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on this earth, and it will be a perfect reign of righteousness. Well, Moses accepted God's will in the moment, but he also accepted God's timing. I think by the time the Lord finds him in the wilderness, I think that some disillusionment has set in. But overall, Moses waited. That's what we have to do as well. He had to wait. He had to trust in God. The people of Israel cried out to God. And the Bible says this in verses 23 through 25. This is something you may want to notice in the narrative that we've been reading. That is, in the first part, it's always Moses doing this and Moses doing that. Moses acted in this way and Moses acted in that. You want to know though what you find in verses 23 through 25? God appears on the scene. Now let me read it to you again just so that you'll get it. Look at verse 24 of Exodus 2. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered His covenant. with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. The Hebrew text keeps mentioning his name. Verse 25, and God looked upon the children of Israel, and what? God had respect unto them. Let me ask you a question. Was God inactive before? Was God an absentee landlord before this? Absolutely not. God is always active. There are times in our lives where He seems quiet and distant, but He's not. He is always involved. But here's the thing, God has a time when He acts. And when He does, you'll know it. By the way, that's true for us. Jesus is coming back one day. This earth is going to see things that it has never seen before. People can mock, as Peter said in 2 Peter 3, they can mock the promise of His coming all they want, but when things are set in motion, it is going to be undeniable and unmistakable. My friends, right here in the here and now, even in times when God seems silent, He is very much on the throne. He has His timing. Trust Him. He's going to do it, as one person says, when he gets good and ready. He will act, and it will be unmistakable. God now intervenes. He hears the cry of His people. When it says that God had respect unto them, that literally means, the Hebrew word is, God knew them. Of course, God knows about all of us. He has the hairs of our head numbered. He's the one who created every atom of our being, but the Hebrew word know there can mean just knowledge about someone, but then it can also mean a special type of knowing, where you take special recognition of someone. You give them special attention, and that's what it means here. The transcendent God of heaven and earth came near, and He took notice of them. And friends, He had always been with them, but now He comes on the scene. Perhaps you don't know Christ as Savior. My friend, let me say to you, it is only through Christ that you can become a member of God's people. and a part of His family. It is only through accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior. But God wants you to come today. That's why He sent Christ to this earth. He invites you. He wants you to come to Him. Before we accept Christ, all of us are in the same shape as the children of Israel in a spiritual sense. We are the slaves of sin. We are under the sentence of eternal death and damnation. We are spiritually doomed. We are marred by sin. Mary Ann Byrd was a young girl who was born with multiple birth defects. She suffered not only from her physical impairments, but also with the emotional trauma of being different. from the other kids. She writes this. I grew up knowing I was different and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate. When I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others. A little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech. When schoolmates ask, what happened to you? I tell them I had fallen and cut myself on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside of my family could love me. There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored. This is Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy, a sparkling lady. Annually, we had a hearing test. Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class. And finally, it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something. We would have to repeat it back. Things like, the sky is blue, or do you have new shoes? I waited there for those words that God must have put in her mouth. Those seven words that changed my life forever. Mrs. Leonard said in her whisper, I wish you were my little girl. My friends, that's what God wants for us. If you're lost here today, God wants to save you. He wants you to be his child. Listen to what he said to his people in Isaiah 43.1. But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. Through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. You say, what kind of God is this? Well, he says later on in Isaiah 43, 11, I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no savior. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. My friend, if you're lost here today, won't you come to him? Be a member of his family? For those of us who do know God, let's be attentive in this life between steps for every way that God can use us as His instrument. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your amazing love that when we were enslaved to sin, when we were marred by sin under the sentence of eternal death, that You sent Your Son to this earth to die for us. Through faith in Him alone, we can become Your child. You adopt us into Your family, and You lead us each day by Your power and grace. You are our Good Shepherd, the one who leads us step by step. Father, if there's one here who does not know that blessedness, We pray that that person would come today and accept Jesus Christ as Savior. In his name we pray, amen. Just before Brother Ben comes, if you're interested in knowing more about salvation, I'll be right down here at the front. I'll also be in the back. But please don't put it off. Today is the day of salvation, Brother Ben.