So you see that word there inferiority? Before we begin, just common use. What does it mean?
Someone lesser than someone? Okay, what does inferior mean? Okay, inferior is like a step
down. Okay, is that what you're going to say RJ? Okay, so that itty on the end there means
like the state of being, right? So it's saying inferiority meaning like you feel or you think
you are inferior. Maybe you have less authority, you have less capabilities and so on. So we're
going to talk about inferiority feelings or what's called an inferiority complex. Now the
funny thing about an inferiority complex is people tend to get attached to it. You like
it. When you have one, you actually think it makes you a better person and we'll see that
as we go through. So we've got several verses here. We're going to do, there are a total
of five in the top section. We're going to read each one and then we're going to kind
of say what does it say to us? Okay, that's what the blanks are for. So the first one
is 2 Corinthians 10-12. Okay, somebody get 2 Corinthians 12, 7-9. Grab your Bibles and
pull them out. Somebody get Psalm 139, 13-18. So when we get there we're ready. Okay, I
got 10-12. No I don't. Yes I do. Okay. So the question on the paper says, what was the
practice of some religious leaders in Paul's day? So the book of Corinthians that we're
going to read from was written by Paul to the church in Corinth. Now the funny thing
about Corinth that you have to know is Corinth was a really bad city. The people of Corinth,
their name, like being a Corinthian was like a cuss word. You'd say, he's dirty as a Corinthian
or foul mouthed as a Corinthian. That's how bad that city was. So when you see some of
those verses about faith and the amazing faith of the Corinthian church, you realize they
really fell far from the tree. They were apples that fell far from the tree because of their
faith. Okay, so he's writing to the church that's in that city in 2 Corinthians 10-12
and the question that we had before is, what was the practice of some religious leaders
in Paul's day that we should avoid if we want to reduce the tendency to feel inferior? So
the goal is we're going to avoid this thing to stop making people or stop ourselves from
feeling inferior. Okay, and it's the verse of 2 Corinthians 10-12 and I'll read it. For
we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves,
but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they
are without understanding. So what was it that they were doing that Paul was saying,
we're not going to do that? Comparing what? Okay, it says, when they measure themselves
by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
So they were comparing themselves, but who are they comparing themselves to? Themselves.
So they're measuring by their own standard. Okay, and Paul says, we're not going to do
that. So a tendency to feel inferior can arise out of if each person has their own idea and
you look at them and you're like, I'm not going to worry about what they think. I'm
not going to worry about their better, worse, or right ideas, or scripture speaks to it,
whatever, I'm not going to worry about any of that. I'm just going to measure by myself.
Okay, then every time you don't measure up and you say, but that's who I am and you're
okay with it, so I'm okay being who I am, but over here is a person who's actually trying
to live for God, for example. So now you go like, I'm okay being who I am, but this person
is living for God, I'm not going to be like them. See, I'm okay being who I am. Sometimes
it's not okay to be who you are. This is the thing in the world today, right? What do they
say about a lot of the strange sexual tendencies or things we have? That's the way, say it
again. That's the way God made me, right? So there's a lot of that that goes on. So people
start measuring themselves by themselves. I won't pick one that's a political topic
or whatever, but I say, for example, if I say, God made me want to watch pornography.
I'm a person who likes to watch pornography and there's no problem with that. It's okay
to do that. God made me that way and I'm embracing that kind of thing, right? So then I look
at other people that God didn't make that way and I might even say, you know, I wish
I was kind of like them, but this is the way God made me, so I just got to deal with the
hand I'm dealt. And so that creates an imbalance between people. Somebody is going to be inferior,
either the person that's doing the thing that they're authorizing by themselves or the person
that's not doing the thing, right? Somebody. So for example, if I say, God made me the
kind of person just, you know, whenever I get a traffic ticket, I pay it the day I get
it. Like I go right then and pay it that day. And maybe Trina says, well, I pay it, but
I'm in no hurry to pay. I got 30 days, right? Whatever. I'm going to pay it when it's due.
Why would I pay it on the day of? They don't need my money any sooner so they can make
interest on it or whatever. So which one of us is right? I'm confident my way is right.
She's confident her way is right. See what happens? Somebody's going to have feelings
that the other person is looking down on them, right? The other person is better than them
or the other person is less than them. So Trina is going to say, why he wastes his money.
And I'm going to say, well, she procrastinates. See how that works? So you can't measure yourself
by yourself. You can't say, no, I am what I am. I'm Popeye the Sailor, man, in whatever
circumstances you are. Or I am what I came from, right? Because then what happens is
there's a conflict between the way you are or the way you were and the way somebody else
is. And that opens up the tendency, doesn't make it happen, right? Because if I'm truly
OK with who I am and everything about me is right, does that ever happen? That never happens,
right? But if I was truly OK with everything that's about me and everything about me is
OK and I'm all good about it, then I would never have any feelings of inferiority. But
I'm never going to be OK with everything about me. There are things that I like. People are
going to watch TV and I'm perfectly OK. I like to eat a lot of extra chocolate cake
and whatever. And I know I'm overweight, but I don't worry about it. I have a healthy body
image. And then they watch TV and they see that kind of healthy body image is different
than theirs and they have feelings of inferiority, even though they would be confident. They
come across as confident, right? So you can't measure yourself by yourself. That won't work.
Next one, 2 Corinthians 12, 7 to 9. Does somebody have one? Have that? All right, Trina. It's
7 to 9A actually is all we need right now. I'm going to read the second half in a minute.
And unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelation, I
will be given to me a thorn in the flesh. The messenger of Satan above it me, unless
I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I just saw the Lord Christ and my heart
from you. And he sent it to me by grace sufficient for me, for my strength is made perfect for
weakness. Most gladly therefore, though I am rather poor in my infirmities, that the
Lord may rest at time. Okay, good. And then we'll go to B in a minute. All right, so even
with physical weaknesses or handicaps, which Paul had, and the truth is we don't know for
sure what his thorn in the flesh was. A lot of theories, right? But he certainly had one
and he talks about it a couple of times. Believers can accept their situation and it is what
it is. I'm dealing with it. If they have what Paul had, something that enabled him to bear
up under it all. Careful now. What was it? Grace. Not faith. We always say faith, right?
Everybody's like, just have more faith, just believe more and it'll all be okay. But it
isn't faith, it's grace. My grace is sufficient for you. All right, good answer. So you also
could see in there that there's strength to be found. But where is the strength to be
found in those verses that Trina just read? Did you hear it? It comes from God, but where
is it perfected? Where is it really shown? In weaknesses. So when we say, well, I have
a weakness, I have a tendency, I recognize a problem in myself, whatever that might be.
It could be health, something health, something physical, could be something mental, could
be something social. You recognize you have that problem, but you still fully commit yourself
and that problem to God. Grace is sufficient. So grace is the solution. Grace is what allows
you to do all of that. And then strength is perfected in recognizing the weakness and
being able to accept that that's true. I've had people come to me and say, oh man, I've
lied since before I was saved. I'm still lying. I know it. I need all the help I can get.
I want to publicly confess it. I want the church to hold me accountable. I want to try
to be as strong as I can and get over this problem. That is strength perfected in weakness
and God's grace is sufficient for you. And in that person's case, one that I'm thinking
of, they did eventually get over it. There's another person who has a similar problem,
almost a similar personality. Never came out, never publicly confessed it, never asked for
help, privately said, you know, I know I have this problem, but never openly accepted that
they had the problem. Still doing it. I've known this person for over 20 years. 20 years
later, still doing it. Regularly, like daily, weekly, whatever, exaggerating, making up
stuff and it goes really like stuff that after two or three comments, you'd realize, okay,
that can't be right. It can't be true. Right. And they're still doing it because they've
not acknowledged the weakness, that strength is not perfected in the weakness and the grace
therefore is debatably sufficient. Okay. Now we're going to the right. We'll be back
to that 12.9B. You can see it down below, but we're not going there yet. Psalm 139,
13 to 18. Anybody got it? It's in the middle of the Bible. You might want to like also
probably get to kind of store in the back of your mind that Psalm 139 is a Psalm about
God's know-all-ness and his everywarness and how he knows us in every circumstance and
he rolled us together perfectly before we were ever born and so on. That's Psalm 139.
And so when you feel inferior, it's a good place to go to realize that God has been at
work the whole time. So I've got it. I'll read it. 139, 13 to 18 says as follows,
For thou didst form my inner word parts. Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. Who
put me together? God did. I will give thanks to thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Wonderful are thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden
from thee when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought, that means crafted in the depths
of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in thy book they were all written,
the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious
are all thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them,
they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee. Okay? What does this
passage of scripture tell you about the plan of God in designing who you are physically?
What does it tell you? It's pretty straightforward. It's intentional. Right? There was a plan.
There was an effort. And did he do a good job? Does he ever not do a good job? Right?
This is God we're talking about. Okay? So God was very intentional, had a plan, worked
his plan. Not only did he craft you perfectly while you were still in the womb, but he's
been working on you ever since, and it all fits together with the plan that he has for
your life. The kind of job that he knows you're going to have. The kind of people that you're
going to have in your life. It all fits together. Now, it can go wrong in that we do what we
should not, or others do what they should not, and so it does not always feel just right.
Right? And we get confused about what God really did. But the truth is, if you can get
down to the basics of it, God had a plan and he did it very intentionally, and he did it.
Okay? So at this point in time, we're going to take a moment to form a thank you prayer
based on verse 14. So I'll read it again. And then you're just going to quietly pray
to God, right where you are. You don't have to pray out loud. If you don't want to, you
can. We're all going to do it at the same time, so no one's listening to you unless
you stop and are listening to somebody. And please don't do that. Just pray. All right?
And the verse was this, I will, notice that, I will give thanks to thee, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. Wonderful are thy works, and my soul knows it very well. Okay? We're
going to take one minute. Here we go. We're talking to God now, all of us. You talk to
God. Don't worry about what I say. You talk to God. I'm turning the microphone off. All
right. I praise you. When I feel like I screw up, I know you made me just the way I am. Yet,
you drew me to yourself and cleansed me and perfected that which you made. Renew this
image of you and me. Forgive me my sins. Let me stand strong for you. I praise you. My
soul knows very well that you are the perfect Creator. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. In
Jesus' name, Amen.
In Jesus' name, Amen. Okay? Now you'll see that I repeated the verses there, so the
answer to the question in the bottom of that box is the same as the answer that you put
over on the left. So where it says, 2 Corinthians 12, 7 and 9a, even with physical weaknesses
or handicaps, believers can accept their situation if they have what Paul had, something that
enabled him to bear up under it all. What was it? Grace. Very good. Okay? And then now
we're going to the left onto 2 Corinthians 12, 9b, the second half of verse 9 through
verse 10. We're doing good. We're flying along. The last part will take a minute. Before we
have a little quiz before we get to the last part. 2 Corinthians 12, 9b. I'll just read
all of 9. I just like it. He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses that
the power of Christ may dwell in me. So let's get that right. That's the B. Most gladly,
therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Verse 10. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties. For Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I
am strong. So what are two special privileges connected to spirituality or living with Christ,
if you will, that God was able to entrust to Paul while Paul was handicapped? Two special
privileges. What do you think? Say it again. Okay. Yeah, that's kind of like, I would say
that's kind of like the second one. So let's find it in there. I'll boast about my weaknesses
that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses
and then the rest of the list. So content is the first one. Say it again. Kind of. So
let's go, let's read the whole thing though. You're on the right track. Most gladly, therefore,
I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. When
a person boasts, what are they doing? Say it again. Look what I did. Okay, that kind
of boasting, yes, but we're boasting about weaknesses. So what? Bragging. Yeah. So what
is that? It's not arrogance because what do we boast about? We're boasting about God,
not us. Yeah, it's like praise. It's pride in God, but pride in God, pride in God in
us, right? Not pride in ourselves. Because would you really go up to somebody like you're
at a party, like you're all hanging around, you know, the red solo cups or whatever and
you go, hey, you know what, guess what? I lie. I do that. Yeah. I'm actually pretty good
at it. What's that? Back in the day, right? Back in the day, maybe. And it happens, right?
But if you say it like this, you know, I was born a liar. I've been a liar my whole life
because of the transforming power of the Lord, because I've been born again. That part of
me is dying out. It's being left behind. It's gone. You know, it's different, isn't it?
Now, I'm boasting about God at work in me, but it's the weakness because the strength
is perfected in the weakness. So praise or pride in what God is doing in the areas of
your weakness is a great privilege. And by the way, is it not a privilege that the world
tries to mimic? The world tries to do that. Like, you show up to work on time and you
go, yeah, I'm always late. Right? Or you go, I really shouldn't have another piece of cake.
I just, I have no self-control. And then you eat another piece of cake. Right? That's what
the world does. It boasts in its weaknesses, but it boasts in its weaknesses as if the
weaknesses themselves are the thing, or the good thing. Right? So we can boast in our
weaknesses in that that is the area in which God is at work in us. So praise, pride, I
would, pride is, just make sure it's pride in the Lord, not pride in ourselves. Right?
Okay. All right. So we're going to have a little quiz. I'm going to throw Smarties.
If you happen to get caught, I'm going to throw a lot of Smarties. So if you happen to
get caught up in the line of fire and you want to snag a young person's Smartie, go
for it. Anybody gets bruises, I'm sorry. I apologize in advance. Because Smarties can
be kind of hard. Okay? All right. You been with me, Haley? What do you have where it
says Paul was able to bear up in his situation because of one thing that he had? What was
it? Should have it twice. In the bottom of the left box and the bottom of the right box.
Grace it is. Did you catch any? Two? That's pretty good. That's impressive. Two out of
whatever that was, eight or ten. All right. This is a harder one. 2 Corinthians 10-12.
What was the practice of some religious leaders in Paul's day that we should avoid if we
want to reduce the tendency to feel inferior? Jason. That's good. I like that. Well done.
One. All right. One more. Psalm 139-13-18. We said what does this passage of scripture
tell us about the plan of God in designing who you are physically? Danny? Intentional.
Very good. I really wanted to throw them at Natalie. Okay. All right. Now we got the bottom
half. This is fun. This is kind of like a little game here. The story of Moses. If you
know this story at all, basically here's the deal. Moses is raised in Egypt as basically
a stepchild of the Pharaoh and then flees not long after he kills one of the guards who
was beating a Jewish man and then is called by God out of what was probably Midian or
the land toward Midian to go back into Egypt and bring God's people out. Okay. And this
encounter that we're about to read from is the encounter where God is trying to call,
and I say trying, a little tongue in cheek there, but he's trying to call Moses to do
that job. Okay. So we're in Exodus chapter three. So go fast, but you got to be a little
creative and be ready. Okay. So Exodus chapter three. I'm going to read verse 10. It's going
to be like this. It's going to be 10 and then it's going to be 10 is Moses, 11 is God, and
then it's going to be 10. So that's our takeaway. That's how that goes. Okay. Is that right?
I think so. Let's see. Let's just see. Therefore come now and I will send you to Pharaoh so
that you may bring my people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt. So God says to Moses,
I will send you to bring my people out of Egypt. So you can put that in the top middle
block. What does he say? He does not very long line. So something simple we can put
in there. Take a stab at it. What? Okay. That's a good one. I got room left. That's under
God. God said that God said, therefore come now and I will send you to Pharaoh so that
you may bring my people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt. And I put, I will send you.
And then I had room left and I put to get them, but you can put anything there that
you want to remember that God was sending him to Egypt to get his people. That's what
God said he would do. Now the next verse, but Moses said to God, who am I that I should
go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? So he's asking
him a question. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons
of Israel out of Egypt? Now, so what is he saying? What's the question that he's asking?
Yes, it's who am I. That is definitely the question. Just remember that it is from an
inferior position. Yeah, like who am I to get them? That's a good way to put it. Yeah.
Who am I to do that? Or who am I to get them? And a lot of times when people are saying
who am I, they're saying that. That's what they, they're like, well I'm not good enough
or I'm not able, you know, how can I be called, how can I be called to do that? Right? But
sometimes it's the other way around. Like, you want me to take the garbage out? Who do
you think I am? Right? But that's not what Moses was doing. Moses was coming from a
position of feelings of inferiority. He was looking at the task that God laid out for
him and he was like, wow, that's a big task. I've already been there. It wasn't good.
I fled from there. Now I got a wife. You know, things are good. So who am I to do this, God?
Okay. So that's his position. Now verse, alright, and so then what's our takeaway? Moses, God
says, I will send you to get them. Moses says back to him, who am I to get them? This is
my summary and Chris helped me with my second part there. And then what's your takeaway?
What do you learn from that? Or what would you tell somebody, somebody said, hey, Tuesday
night on Bible study, we studied from Exodus chapter three and I learned from the verses
10 and 11, what? Jason? Okay. I think he's going to get there. But in these two verses,
I'm not sure we're there yet. But you're right. He does know. Say that again. Oh, yeah,
that's good. They're like sometimes when God calls us to do something, we're going to question
ourselves. That's interesting. Okay. Anybody else got something? And that spot right there,
what would you take away from God says, I will send you to get them. And Moses says
back to him, who am I to get them or whatever you put, RJ? It could be, but it's not. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We're going to see that it's not. Yeah. But, but you're right.
And actually you're touching on what I was talking about before, right? Sometimes people
have inferiority feelings and they feel like comfortable in that because then if somebody
calls on them to do something great, or if God calls on them to do something great, or
they see an opportunity to do something great in their own mind and they go, I should do
this. They go, Oh, no, I see. I'm not. I'm not worthy of that. I can't do that. That's
not me. Oh yeah. He's definitely doubting God. Yeah. So now you're hitting home. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. He's definitely not capable of it. Yeah. When I read these verses, I think
the real problem is that he missed the verb and the subject of the first sentence. He
thought the subject of the first sentence is Moses will go get my people, but that's
not what it said at all. God said, I will send you to Pharaoh. God's going to do that.
God didn't tell Moses he was going to do anything other than what God told him to do. So you're
just going to go. I'm going to send you. God was letting him in on God's plan. That's what
he was doing. And Moses took it as the, like, you've got mail. Like, you want me to do this?
If God lets you in on his plan for your life, at that point in time, it doesn't matter what
you think about his plan. You just jump on board because it's God's plan. He's going
to do what he's going to do. Right? And yes, what you want. That's what you're talking
about. That's exactly what we're talking about. We're questioning God because it was
really God who was going to do it anyway. And we know. Like, did Moses summon any plagues?
Did Moses change any water into blood? No. God did all of that. He just chose to do it
through Moses. Right? So, okay. Let's go on. So now we're on 13. Okay. So yeah. So there's
several. We had come up with several. Okay. So one, Jason said, help me if we get them
because I didn't write them all down. But Jason said, we may question ourselves. What
did you say? I just go and I'll go with you. Okay. There you go. And Trina, sum up what
you said. This is like doubting God. Doubting God, questioning him, what his word says is
true. Obviously, you're in verse 11. So if we acknowledge the true I, that's like Isaiah
said, we're acknowledging we're less than God. He's bigger. So basically, who am I going
to choose for that? But also, doubting God. Right. Very good. Okay. So doubting God. And
this is early stage doubt. Unfortunately, it's going to get worse. He's not done yet.
Right? He continues the trend, which is what this story is all about. So like I think it
ties in with what Jason was saying. He was saying like, sometimes you're going to question
yourself or your abilities to do what it is God's calling you to do. That is basically
doubting God. You know, although I will say, we know that God is saying he's going to do
it and he's going to call them out, that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt,
Moses says. And like the answer is no, God's saying I'm going to do that. Right? But sometimes
God calls us to do something and you're not actually supposed to succeed. You know, in
fact, in your failure or what the world would perceive as failure or you would think as
failure, out of that comes the great victory. Think about the martyrs. The greatest periods
of growth in Christendom in the kingdom of God have been at the death of a martyr. And
when people in the crowd mock, you know, Justin the martyr, for example, or any of those,
I can't think of any names, but I'm drawing a blank on all these names that I should know.
But anyway, all these guys that died for their faith and they're like, I'm not renouncing
Christ. I'm going to burn me alive. You know, I don't want to be burnt alive, but if that's
what you're going to do, that's what you're going to do. And if God isn't going to spare
me, then I'm just going to let that happen. Or think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
right? God is completely able to save us from the fiery furnace, but if he does not, we
still won't bow down to your false God. Right? And then they go in and they are saved. But
many martyrs died and out of their death and that powerful testimony at their death arose
great growth and many people coming to Christ. So people would say they failed in living
for Jesus, but in truth, death is not failure for the Christian, not if it's died in Christ.
Right? Okay, got to go. All right. 12, God comforts him. He says, and he said, certainly
I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you.
When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain. So
God's comfort to Moses basically is what? Okay, I'll be with you. Right? So, by the
way, what is the chief comfort for Christians today? It is the statement of Jesus that he
will always be with us, because we're going to go through stuff, but he's always right
there with us. All right? So you can put that out if you want, but it's pretty clear that's
one part of it at least. Also, he does give him a sign. He says, when it's all done, you're
coming back here. 13, then Moses said to God, so this is Moses speaking, behold, I am going
to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me
to you. Now, they may say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? So, God tells
Moses, I'm going to go with you, and I'm going to bring my people out of Egypt, and you're
all going to worship here at the mountain, and Moses says back to him, what do I answer
when they say, what is the name of the God who sent me? Okay? So, how we sum what Moses
is saying there. First of all, how do we sum what he's saying? Say it again? What do I
say? Okay, I like that. What do I say? Or, I don't know if it would have fit, but who
do I say sent me? Something like that. Anything like that. What shall I say to them is what
he ends on. Now, interestingly enough, God is going to give him a good answer, but before
we get there, what's our takeaway? What do we learn from God says, I will go with you,
and Moses says, what do I say? Who do I say sent me? What do you take away from that?
Okay, so the name is important, but there's something that's more important. I say, that's
almost like blasphemy, but there is something that's more important. Say it again? Okay,
that's good. Let God speak. Let him say what he's going to say. Okay. What else? I was
working at a restaurant, and we decided we didn't want to eat the restaurant food that
day. Pizza Hut. Everybody was eating Pizza Hut. We had cell phones. Most people had cell
phones. Didn't want to eat Pizza Hut that day. So, one of the guys there, his name's
Phil. I can't remember his last name right now. Said he would run to this restaurant
that everybody thought was the bomb. I had never eaten there, but everybody else, they
were like, so there were like seven of us working, and everybody was going to get something
to eat, and he got out a piece of paper, and he said, tell me what you want. I want to
have a list before I get there so I can just read off the list and I know I got everybody's
thing correctly. But there was people like dilly dally, and they weren't sure what they
wanted, so the other manager was working that day. Her name was Helen. She said, just
go. We'll call you and tell you what to order. And he said, fine. So, he went to the store,
got there, and there was actually a couple of people, including myself, who did not wind
up ordering, and if he had waited around for our order, it would have been that much longer
before the order would have been placed, right? Before we finally found out that two of us
weren't even ordering. And so, what is Moses doing here when he asks them, what do you
want me to say when God says go and bring my people out? Go ahead. He's delaying. He's
creating a delay. Have you ever known anybody, any Christian, that said, I know what God
wants me to do, but I can't do it because I don't know all the facts yet? Have you ever
known anybody that said, I'm called to be a pastor, but I don't know how it's going
to go. I don't know if I had to go to Bible college or not, and so they just never get
started and don't do anything? If you think you have to know everything in advance before
you go with God somewhere, you're missing out on a huge blessing, at least. But the
problem is, his feelings of inferiority, he's looking for comfort. He wants God to give
him the ammunition before he gets there so that he knows what he's going to shoot when
the time comes, right? Why would he need that? If God is going to be with him when he gets
there, why does he need to know what God is going to tell him to say before he gets there?
Is it because he doesn't trust that God's going to be with him when he gets there? Or
because he can't break free of his inferiority feelings now, so he needs God to comfort him,
God to prove something to him, show him, teach him more? If you're waiting to tell somebody
about Jesus until you know what they might ask you and all the answers to all the questions
they might ask, then you're missing out on the fact that Jesus said, I will be with you.
Right? I will be with you means you don't need to know where we're going. Has anybody
ever been a kid riding the cow with their parents and you just finally got there and
you're like, oh, this is where we're going? You don't need to go. The driver needs to
know where the situation's going. People in the backseat really don't.
So do I. It's amazing. And it's a great lesson, it's a great opportunity to teach. So when
you're like, you don't need to know, you can explain it like you just need to trust me.
I'm your dad. I got this. And so this goes back to what Trino was saying before, that
this is another form of distrust. Because now he's basically saying, okay, I'll go.
But when I get there and they say to me, who sent me, who do I say you are? Right? So his
inferiority feelings are causing him to distrust God, even though God has said, I will be with
you. I'm going too slow. I got to pick up the pace a little bit. I apologize.
Okay. Verse 14, God answers and said, and God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said,
by the way, that's Yahweh. Word there is Yahweh. And he said, thus you shall say to the sons
of Israel, I am has sent me to you. So God says to Moses, this is what you tell him.
But he doesn't stop there. And God furthermore said to Moses, thus you shall say to the sons
of Israel, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever. And this is my memorial
name to all generations. See what's happening here. Go and gather the elders of Israel
and together and say to them, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob has appeared to me saying, I am indeed concerned about you and what has been
done to you in Egypt. See what's happening here. So I said, I will bring you up out of
the affliction of Egypt, the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the
Parasite and the Hivite and the Jebusite and the land flowing with milk and honey. And
they will pay heed to what you say. And you with the elders of Israel will come to the
king of Egypt and you will say to him, the Lord, the God of, can we stop now? You see
what's happening here? So basically what's happening here is in Moses' inferiority
feelings, he's getting the equivalent of a seminary degree for a missionary who's going
to call people out of Egypt. He's getting dumped on, he's getting dumped into, he's
getting poured into by the God of the universe. Which brings us back around to our
understanding of what is it that gives you the ability to bear up under whatever your
physical condition is wrong, whatever your mental condition, what is it? It's grace.
God is bestowing with grace. Now I want you to be very clear, and we're moving faster
so keep your thinking caps on, right? Let's skip into the end, verse 22. He tells them
that God's, in verse 21 he says, they're going to come out and I'm going to grant your
people favor in the sight of the Egyptians and you won't leave empty handed. And then
22 he says, but every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her
house articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing, and you will put them on your
sons and daughters, thus you will plunder the Egyptians. So what did he say to Moses
was going to happen at the end of the story, after Moses goes there and does what God
and God goes with him and all those things happen, what's going to happen? Jason, what
did he just say was going to happen? Thus you will, did you catch the word? Chris just
said it, plunder the Egyptians. So there's one last passage of scripture that we're going
to look at and I want you to see this. You can write that down under God if you want.
By the way, what does Moses say back? Then Moses answered and said, what if they will
not believe me or listen to what I say? You see that? In Moses' inferiority feelings,
after God pours into him the equivalent of a seminary degree in an instant, or he goes,
boom, here's everything you need, everything you need, just say this, just do this, I'll
take care of everything, I've got this. And he pours all that into him. Moses still says,
what if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, the Lord
has not appeared to you. In other words, they may doubt me. But there's one thing I want
you to see before we're through and it's in the book of Malachi. So it's the last
book in the New Testament and it's in chapter 3. It's the last part of chapter 3 and the
first part of chapter 4 actually. The ultimate takeaway is coming right now. The
takeaway from all of this, that God's grace is sufficient for you, that God is willing
to pour into you. He's willing to make you able to do that, what he's called you to do.
He's willing to make you endure. He wove you perfectly in the womb. There's no reason
to feel inferior, but you also cannot measure yourself against yourself. You measure yourself,
if at all, against what God is going to do in you. And you can pridefully, not pride
in yourself, but pride in God, say God is doing this work. And then this is Malachi
3 beginning in verse 16. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord
gave attention and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him. For those
who fear the Lord and who esteem his name. What are the qualifications for the book by
the way? Those who fear the Lord and esteem, and that means like lift up, recognize, give
it its proper recognition. There's how important his name is. 17, and they will be mine, says
the Lord of hosts, on the day that I prepare my own possession and I will spare them as
a man spares his own son who serves them. God will make us his and he will spare us
as he spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous
and the wicked. There's going to be a very clear line between the righteous and the wicked.
Between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. For behold the day is coming
burning like a furnace and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaffed. That's
the part of the grain that blows in the air and burns really, really well. And the day
that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them
neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the son, that's S-U-N, the son of
righteousness, will rise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip about
like calves from the stall and you will tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under
the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of hosts. So what
is God saying? God is saying that this is the end of it all. This is how the story ends.
Are you ready for the end of the story, Jason? This is how the story ends. God's people
lifted up, perfected, charged into the kingdom of God, the new heaven and the new earth for
eternity, and the wicked like chaff burned. The wicked are under the feet of the righteous.
So when you deal with somebody who is wicked, somebody who is coming against you, now again
don't judge by yourself. Wickedness is in the eyes of the Lord. For example, if they
abuse you, make sure they are abusing you from God's perspective, not just your own.
Like, oh you would watch my TV channel. That's not the thing we are talking about. But the
wicked will be under the feet of the righteous as we charge into the kingdom of God. We will
plunder them. We will worse than plunder them because we will have everything and they will
have nothing. You understand? So in this lifetime, sometimes it appears as if the wicked, the
bad people are getting up, they are doing well, they are moving ahead, they are getting
better off, they make a million dollars on TikTok. Sometimes it looks like they are doing
well. They are leading people to worship demons with their pop music. Sometimes it looks like
they are doing well. And you can maybe have inferiority feelings if you measure yourself
by that standard. You go, well she is so pretty. She has so much money. She knows just what
to say. He knows just what to say. He is doing so well. I can't do what he does. And you
can begin to have inferiority feelings. But realize that there will only be one line at
the end and it is wicked and righteous. Fear the Lord and esteem His name and you will
charge into the kingdom of God and all these people will be at best like the dust under
your feet. Which brings us to be in the position that God is in. Pity. We should pity them.
Not in a mean way. But we should realize that their end destination is not good. The person
who lies to you and does not repent, will not confess, will not accept Jesus as Lord
and Savior, they will pay an eternal penalty. The person who abuses you, steals from you,
martyrs you, God forbid, beats you, God forbid, whatever. Those people will pay. There is
nothing that you could ever do to them that in any way, shape, or form is going to add
the most minute suffering to what they are going to experience. You understand? So you
don't need to take vengeance. We want to be like God and just as He is faithful and just
to forgive us of all unrighteousness and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, we want
to be ready to do that for anybody. And we do that how? Through Jesus. That's how. So
you become a Jesus bearer and you go around and when you witness to somebody and they
won't hear it, your heart should be breaking. Because ultimately you will plunder them,
you will run into the Kingdom of God and they will be like dust on the ground, burning chaff
for eternity, that kind of thing. Because you try and they wouldn't listen. Now that
doesn't mean be cocky, doesn't mean be snotty, doesn't mean be a jerk, right? You should
be loving, you should be kind, you should be trying to get them to understand what God
has done. They could be stuck in there and fear it, but now you might say, but who am
I? Who am I to be like that? To love somebody or to witness to them, to serve them? Who
am I? It isn't about you, it's about who's in you and what he wants to do. And what is
the eternal purpose of God? Say it again? Salvation. To bring man into right relationship with
him. And by the way that blessing where God says, and lo I shall be with you unto the
end of the age, you know where that's at. It's at the end of the Great Commission where
it says, go ye therefore. And at the end of it it says, and lo I shall be with you even
unto the end of the age. I have a brief prayer and then we're through. There's a lemonade
already in the cafeteria and I have baked, did we pull those? Good job. We baked two
different kinds of cupcakes. The second one made it out of the oven, thanks to my lovely
wife. But probably not frosted I would imagine yet. So if you like lemon, wait for the second
batch because they're lemon pound cake cupcakes. Father in heaven help us realize that when
we feel inferior that we know that you can work through us, you wired us just so, you
intentionally created us, you made us capable and wherever any capabilities that we already
have are not sufficient to carry out the plan that you have for us, it's your plan for us
and you are more than able to supply it. Lord we ought to be willing to do whatever it is
that you called us to do because you said that you would be with us. We got to go wherever
you want us to go because you said that you would be with us. It's not Jesus taking the
wheel because I can't do it anymore. You are the driver of the car. You are the conductor
of the orchestra. You are the builder of the road. You are God, the eternal God who always
has been, who doesn't need any other name than I am. And we trust you Lord with our
todays and we trust you with our tomorrows and where our faith is weak, we pray Lord
build up our faith and let us trust you throughout it all. Serve you and save any who will be
saved, witness any who will be witnessed, serve any who will be served and realize that we
might actually be able to mitigate some sorrow or some small amount of suffering in this
lifetime for providing to them. I remember when there was a husband and wife team and
they had been at each other's throats. There was hate in their marriage. He hated her,
she hated him. They said it to each other on a regular basis. And then they had a conflict
where they were mad at me and for the first time they were both mad at me and they both
hated me and they found unity. And I did not like that situation one bit. But out of that
situation they were able to talk and they were able to mend. It looked like they were
going to go in the right direction and submit their marriage to you. And they even came
back and forgave me and I forgave them for all of it. Sometimes Lord our enemies have
to unite to find some kind of peace. So that means sometimes they have to unite against
us. I think about the Pharisees and the Sadducees who hated Jesus and the only peace they ever
found between the two of them was in hating Jesus. And our God Jesus in the flesh is a
peace bringer even at his death which of course resulted in his resurrection because death
could not hold him. Lord help us to trust you with our present and trust you with our
future and trust you with our eternity. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you very
much. Enjoy those cupcakes.