The Unexpected Equipper - Exodus 18

Good morning to you, and we want to welcome you to Faith Bible Church today. And if it's your first time visiting us today, we want to make sure you Have a good welcome and we thank the Lord that you've come out today to worship him.

The announcements for the week are. I think most of us know we still have the men's Bible study this coming Saturday at 330 and this afternoon at Six o 'clock we have a prayer time. We would invite you to that and then our regular services both at 930 on Sunday and 11 today.

We're glad to see you here and So with that we will just open with a word of prayer. Thank you. Heavenly Father for the blessings that you Give to us through the week. We thank you Heavenly Father for the word that you have given to us to direct us in this life.

We do thank you Lord for life and health. For both physical and spiritual life Lord that you have given. We thank you for the great plan of salvation Lord that you have prepared that we might have fellowship with you.

We pray for each individual that comes here today. We pray that we might go out saying that's been good to be in the house of the Lord. We pray Heavenly Father you would speak to each one of our hearts through the music and Through the message and we'll thank you for that Lord and pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

David okay. All right. Let's stand and sing to our Lord.

The New Covenant Promised in Jeremiah 31

Good morning. Scripture reading this morning is from the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 through 34. Jeremiah 31 31 through 34. Behold the days are coming says the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

Not according to the covenant that I've made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand To lead them out of the land of Egypt my covenant. Which they broke though. I was a husband to them says the Lord.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord. And I will put my law in their minds and Write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people.

No more shall each no more shall every man Teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the Lord. For they all shall know me From the least of them To the greatest of them says the Lord. Or I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.

I will remember no more. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading and hearing of his Holy Word.

Thank you all for singing and please be seated at this time. Please turn with me to the book of Exodus chapter 18. The book of Exodus chapter 18. And Jethro the priest of Midian Moses's father-in-law heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people.

That the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Then Jethro Moses's father-in-law took Zipporah Moses's wife after he had sent her back and with her two sons of whom the name of one was Gershom. For he said I have been a stranger in a foreign land and the name of the other was Eliezer and he said the God of my father was my help and Delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.

And Jethro Moses's father-in-law came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. Now he had said to Moses I your father-in-law Jethro am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law bowed down and kissed him and they asked each other about their well-being and they went into the tent and Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake all the Hardship that had come upon them on the way and how the Lord had delivered them.

Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians and Jethro said blessed be the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and who has Delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods for in the very thing in which they had behaved proudly He was above them. Then Jethro Moses father-in-law took a burnt offering other Sacrifices to offer to God and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses father-in-law before God and So it was on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

So when Moses father-in-law saw all that he did for the people he said what is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and all the people stand before you from morning till evening.

And Moses said to his father-in-law Because the people come to me to inquire of God when they have a difficulty they come to me and I judge between one and another and I make known to the statutes of God and his laws.

So Moses father-in-law said to the said to him the thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out for this thing is too much for you. You are not able to perform it by yourself.

Listen now to my voice I will give you counsel and God will be with you stand before God for the people so that you may bring the difficulties to God and You shall teach them statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk and work and the work they must do.

Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men such as fear God Men of truth hating covetousness and Keep and place such over them to be rulers of thousands rulers of hundreds rulers of fifties and rulers of tens.

And let them judge the people at all times then it will be that every great matter They shall bring to you but every small matter they themselves will shall judge. So it will be easier for you and they will bear the burden with you.

If you do this thing and God so commands you. Then you will be able to endure and all this people will also go to their place in peace. So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said and Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people rulers of thousands rulers of hundreds rulers of fifties rulers of tens.

So they judged the people at all times the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart and he went his way to his own land.

This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Father we are thankful that you are a God Who delivers his people from the enslavement of sin? You are a God who equips his people in every possible way through whatever means.

Because you are sovereign God we pray that as we listen to your word that we would Encounter your presence that we would know that you are here in Jesus name. Amen.

How Outsiders Are Brought Into God's People

Now.

We had two weeks away from Exodus and we're back and just as a reminder of prior to this chapter in Exodus 17 God's people were attacked by the Amalekites. Right after leaving Egypt the Israel's first interaction with people outside of God's covenant community was dangerous and threatening.

Today's text however shows the opposite Israel's interaction with an outsider Who has heard of God's deliverance and He visits Israel and actually believes in the Lord. Not only that in the second half God uses him uses this Outsider to advise Moses so that God's people may be well equipped to survive.

So that God's people may be built up and prepared for the giving of the law in Mount Sinai and this is an important text today because We too are God's people and we do interact with outsiders. Some may be just plain hostile like the Amalekites and this is not to say you fight with them with swords.

But some may actually Be interested in hearing what the Lord has done in your life. But not only that if God willing they commit themselves trust in the Lord Jesus Christ God may even use them to equip the church from the very start.

So the main question this text asks this morning is how do God's people Interact with outsiders who are open to the Lord. How do God's people interact with outsiders who are open to the Lord? The first point the first 12 verses is That God's people rely on the testimony of God's deliverance to convert the outsider.

God's people rely on the testimony of God's deliverance to convert the outsiders. After defeating the Amalekites Moses gets a surprise visit from his Midianite priest father-in-law. Verse 1 tells us the background of such visit.

He heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. The testimony of God's mighty work to free Israel from the enslavement of Egypt traveled all the way to Midian.

Right by Mount Sinai. That's where Israel is right now. Verses 2 through 4 tell us that Jethro the father-in-law brought Moses wife and his two sons. Here we learned the meaning of Moses sons names both of them here one we learned earlier Gershom now Gershom for he said I have been a stranger in a foreign land and the name of the other was Eliezer for he said the God of my father was my help and Delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.

When the narrator shares the meaning of names He is telling us that the meanings are significant. Consider Moses calling out his son's name Gershom Home for dinner. Hey Gershom come home for dinner. During his stay in Midian.

He would have been reminded that Moses is not truly with his people. He's actually away from his people and of course Eliezer do not go there. Moses would have been reminded of the Lord who saved him From the first Pharaoh who tried to kill him earlier in Exodus.

These names with meanings provide a significant reminder. Names matter here. After hearing the testimony of God's merciful salvation of Israel Jethro announces his arrival. I Your father-in-law Jethro am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.

Moses goes out to greet Jethro. So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law Bowed down and kissed him and they asked each other about their well-being and they went into the tent. At this point some commentators speculate.

Oh How come? Moses wife and the two sons are with the Midianite priests. I thought they Followed him to Egypt. Well, we do not know at what point Moses and his Moses's wife and the two sons left Egypt because they did follow Moses to Egypt in the earlier chapters of Exodus we just don't know when that happened and why it happened and Some commentators speculate that they divorced or something like that.

It's just not in the text. Therefore we cannot presume or assume what happened. It's interesting to speculate but if the text is silent on it, we just cannot speak on it. But for some reason Moses wife and the two sons went back to the land of Midian and At this point when Moses and Israel reached the land of Midian Mount Sinai the gods mountain.

They heard about Moses and Israel and they came back. They came back to be reunited.

So.

Right after they do their formal greeting of bowing down and kissing. What does Moses do immediately after that? Well verse 8 tells us that Moses shares the testimony of the Lord delivering Israel and Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake and All the hardship that had come upon them on the way and how the Lord had delivered them.

First Moses shares how God Dealt with Israel's slave master Pharaoh and the Egyptians in order to free Israel once and for all. Second Moses shares the hardship they encountered in the wilderness running out of water running out of food facing a physical threat.

Yet the Lord Graciously delivered them all and Provided for them in every single way. And that is what Moses was excited to share. He's reunited with his family and He shares the testimony The witness the story of what the Lord has done and what are Jethro's responses?

From verses 9 through 12. We see three different responses emotional verbal and physical. First verse 9 shares Jethro's emotional response. Then Jethro rejoiced. For all the good the Lord had done for Israel whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

Upon hearing how God had graciously saved Israel from Egypt Jethro rejoices. From deep inside his heart there is joy. He takes this news seriously and Sut with the such a good news and the most appropriate response is that of joy.

He's rejoicing.

Celebrating.

Second. Jethro verbally praises God in verses 10 to 11 Blessed be the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and Who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians?

Jethro praises God. He celebrates God's work God's merciful and mighty work of saving Israel. Jethro readily believes the testimony from Moses.

And.

What is the natural response to this new faith? Verse 11 tells us that Jethro acknowledges the Lord as the most high God. Now, I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods. For in the very thing in which they behave proudly he was above them.

From the mouth of a pagan Midianite priest Comes the acknowledgment that the Lord is supreme. No other gods can compete against the Lord because he is the only One who can save as he did. No other gods Can do what the Lord has done.

There is no one like the Lord. This is a complete conversion of a former pagan priest and The only thing that was required was the testimony of What the Lord did? Moses did not have to show a miracle.

Moses could have shown miracles. He did not. Moses did not have to Force him with physical violence. Moses did not have to have the best argument out there. All he did was share the testimony of what the Lord did and this Midianite priest believed.

Third Jethro physically responds to his new faith by offering sacrifices to his new God. Then Jethro Moses father-in-law took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses father-in-law before God.

Now it is not clear what types of animals and how they offered these sacrifices up before the law was. Given right the law will be given in the next chapter and the following. However, ever since Genesis there has been a notion in the ancient world of offering of Sacrifices to celebrate God to commemorate what God has done to give thanks to remember his mercy and grace and The celebration of this conversion is joined by other leaders of Israel in which they share bread in that culture sharing food.

Was.

Really important it shows the relational death of The people sharing the bread together. In fact in the Middle Eastern cultures now sharing food is very special. If you're invited to have a meal with them, it means they trust you.

It means you're with them. You're part of them. When Jethro trusts in the Lord, he is received by the Lord's covenant people and this is the reality of People trusting in the Lord Nowadays. Whenever a person places his faith in Christ They're saved into God's family.

When a person trusts in the Lord They're not called out to be a lone ranger, but they're saved into the body of Christ the bride of Christ. When an outsider believes in the saving work of Christ She is received into the covenant family of Christ.

And.

Now we have to ask how are the outsiders brought in to God's covenant community? The method also has not changed. Since Moses time we share the testimony of God's saving work. We share God's Deliverance of his people and that's what the early church did.

Look at Acts 2 verses 40 to 41 and with many other words he testified.

And.

Exhorted them saying be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word those who received believed the testimony were baptized and That day about three thousand souls were added to them.

The early church did not rely on Programs they didn't rely on classes. They didn't rely on Flashy lights fog machine a concert to attract the new believers or attract the outsiders. They just testified they just shared what the Lord had done for them.

Brothers and sisters, we do not need humor to save souls. I Sometimes hear preachers or preaching books that say you got to add some sort of humor in there to grab the attention. God's saving work is relevant to anyone who's alive already.

I Have no humor to attract people. To God's message We do not need social influence to gain following. We do not need new worship songs to attract the outsiders. That sound very similar to any secular music you could hear on the radio.

We rely on what God has done to bring us to himself. We share how God has delivered us from sin and death.

We.

Testify the Crucified Christ. We've proclaimed how we were so wicked That God became man to die for our sin on the cross. We share that Jesus faced the punishment that we deserved. So that we could be delivered from our sin once and for all.

It was out of his compassionate loving heart for you that he endured the cross. And We share such a deity to the outside world that is struggling with their sin constantly. That is our only Help that is our only tool for evangelism.

The gospel Is powerful enough and relevant enough to save the outsiders. Who are willing to listen? It is through the testimony of Jesus that any outsider Joins the body of Christ. The second question is why was Jethro saved at this time?

Why now? Which brings us to the second point. God brings the right person at the right time to fill the need of God's people. God brings the right person at the right time to fill the need of God's people.

After confessing the Lord to be superior Jethro witnesses how God's people function. Verse 13 and so it was on the next day that God's Moses said to judge the people and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

Notice that Moses is surrounded by the people of Israel and he has to judge them from morning till evening. Leading God's people is taxing and exhausting for Moses and Jethro naturally responds with a series of questions.

What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and all the people stand before you from morning till evening? Well Moses responds to his father-in-law. In verses 15 to 16 because the people come to me to inquire of God.

When they have a difficulty they come to me and I judge between one and another and I make known the statutes of God and his laws. The purpose of gathering around Moses All day long is that God's people must seek justice and righteousness.

They need to inquire. They need to ask. They need to discern. Why am I living according to God's will. After all they didn't have The full counsel of God with them. They didn't even have the Pentateuch with them at that point and Whenever there's a difficulty in finding out discerning what the right course of action is.

They sought out God's standard of justice. Because they understood that human wisdom will not be sufficient To live as God's people. They wanted to hear God's standard of right and wrong. Not what their gut tells them.

What not what their surrounding nations to held to.

And.

Moses served as the adjudicator of God's law. He was not the lawgiver. The law didn't come from Moses. It came from God. But the interpreter of God's law, how would it be applied to you? Now He taught God's standard of justice.

For God's people it was crucial that they lived according to God's standard of right and wrong not theirs. And this is important today because many Christian institutions and many local churches often forget the source of justice and righteousness.

Despite how loudly the world screams justice or social justice nowadays. Justice does not depend on Democracy. Justice is not what the greatest number of people believe or the loudest voices in the world.

After all the world is so fickle. It will say one thing is right. And a few years later It's wrong. Second righteousness is not about consequences. The righteousness of God does not consider. What causes the least amount of harm you might have heard this argument from all sorts of people?

Well, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody. Who am I to say that is wrong as long as no one's getting hurt?

Right.

They say that about gay marriage. They say that about all transgenderism as long as it's not hurting anybody, but God does not work that way. In Fact those people who practice what is sin they are hurting themselves.

Because they're seeking Fulfillment from what cannot give fulfillment and you will see a lot of broken hearts and Disheartened souls for those who try to find fulfillment in what God calls sin. So God's justice does not depend on Consequences of what the world thinks.

Second, I mean according to this passage justice and righteousness are About how God rightly relate To his people according to his way. Justice and righteousness depend on how God Relates to his people according to his way.

They depend on God's will and God's standard not ours. Unlike our culture now the early Israelites Knew this and they sought out God's will through Moses the intermediary whom God spoke through. They needed someone to teach them how to rightly Relate to God according to his ways not theirs.

How how do we walk with the Lord who has just delivered us? Tell us Moses. The problem for Israel was not that Moses was teaching false things. But rather Moses was the only person teaching. The problem was not the false teaching but ineffective practice.

Hence Jethro advises his son-in-law from verses 17 through 23. Verse 17 rightly evaluates the situation here. It is not good. The thing that you are doing is not good. Now not good does not mean it has Moral level to it as in hey Moses what you're doing is sinful, but it's just not good as in it's not Good as in not wholesome.

It's not complete. It's ineffective and Verse 18 explains why both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you, and you are not able to perform it by yourself.

This practice is not only taxing for Moses but for the people as well as They would be waiting for hours and hours until Moses is able to get to their specific case. And this is really important in the church today because no single person in the church is able to Do everything for the church.

No single person can do everything for the church. No single person has every gift that the church needs. No single person has the capacity to provide that and this text is a sobering reminder for many of the pastors and ministers and the servants who are serving in the church.

If Moses couldn't do it without wearing himself out and the people how can you? This is why many churches or many pastors who think they have to do all the things by themselves. They burn out. They don't last.

They retire they find a different job. Verses 19 to 20 Clarify that Moses will continue to do what he's doing, right? It's not that Moses is doing the wrong thing. It's that how he's doing it as ineffective it's not working well.

He will still stand before Israel and teach them God's law and God's people will still bring cases before him but at this time it would be difficult cases and the change starts in verse 21. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men such as Fear God men of truth hating covetousness and Place such over them to be rulers of thousands rulers of hundreds rulers of fifties and rulers of tens.

Moses will select capable men to help out. And what are the qualifications? Business mindset to do a great outreach Innovative extroverts a Great sense of humor someone you can get along with.

No.

The requirements are the following. The standards for the judicial arm of Israel is. That first and foremost they fear God. Their relationship with the Lord must be godly. Must be appropriate. They fear God.

They respect God. They take God and his word seriously. Sure, they love God. Sure, they see God's compassion. But they do not dare to go against God. After all. Those who take God seriously Will take God's very own people with the utmost care.

And Under shepherd who fears the Lord will never abuse the Lord's sheep. They would not dare abuse his flock. Second They must be men of truth. They are characterized by truthfulness. Not only are they honest, but just like the truth.

They're unchanging. They're reliable. They're dependable.

They're trustworthy.

That's what it means to be men of truth. They're solid. They're solidly planted on the rock. Third. They must hate covetousness. A More direct translation is Those who hate bribes those who hate bribes.

It is not enough to be trusting and trustworthy. In order to lead God's people. These judges must hate what's evil. It is not that they're just only good they desire good, but they cannot stand wickedness.

It is not just mere disinterest in bribe, oh, I'm not interested. No, thank you but an active antagonism. To them they can not stand God's righteousness and justice being distorted. It's them in the guts.

They cannot stand. They have a willful hatred toward any wicked gesture of bending justice. They will not stand corruption and such men must judge over various groups of people and These men are not chosen from a specific tribe.

Just like the priests right? The priests are from the Levitical tribe. No, these men can come from any of the twelve tribes. They just have to meet the qualifications to rule over the thousands the hundreds The fifties and the tens they're divided into different groups to judge over them.

The goal here is not to have a substitute for Moses. It's not to replace Moses. But for more capable men to play a part helping God's people. Walk with the Lord faithfully and righteously. It's to better serve the people.

This is not a vacation for Moses, it's a more effective way of ministering to God's people and verse 22 repeats the fact That only the hardest case will go up to Moses. Moses does not have to concern himself with simple cases.

The well-trained well-equipped faithful men of God will handle those. So he will not be overburdened by every single case that arises in Israel and The intended result is shown in verse 23 if you do this thing and God so commands you then you will be able to endure and All this people will also go to their place in peace.

Jethro does not presume that his advice is automatically approved by God because it makes sense. No, he tells Moses check with God Right and God so commands you. After being approved by God and implemented in Israel Moses will be able to endure his day-to-day task.

But not only that his people God's people will be able to go home in peace. This is the word Shalom peace. Which is not just that there are no arguments but that peace is and they will be whole they will be complete the opposite of Not good But peace all together peace wholesome peace.

Good and they will not be torn. But there will be going home whole. They will not be distressed But their souls will be calm and Verses 24 through 26 show us the exact implementation according to Jethro's advice and after which in verse 27 Jethro leaves.

This was not a long visit but a necessary visit. Jethro may not have known he would be advising Moses Before his visit on how to effectively keep his God's people obedient to God. But God knew that he would be using Jethro that way.

God used Jethro to set up Israel's more effective system of Justice. So that God's people may follow God's law more effectively. God brings the right person at the right time to fill the need of his people.

God provides for the need of his people even through an outsider a recent convert convert. Now it is important to note that the church does not have a judicial branch Because we're not a political body like Israel was.

However How God brings the right person to edify the body at the right time? Has not changed. Just as God used this newly convert Jethro. To prepare God's people to receive God's law God still prepares us By bringing the right people at the right time.

In fact, there may be unbelievers out there whom God is preparing their hearts right now that one day that they may be saved at the right time and to serve The church in a significant and necessary way just like Jethro.

No one would have expected Jethro a pagan Midianite priest to help set up the judicial system of the nation of Israel the nation of God's people and that's because God brings the right person at The right time and that right person will have the right set of gifts.

To build up the local church. God is the ultimate equipper of the church. Whether you have been here for decades or this is your first visit You are here for a reason and Consider praying about how God could use you and your gifts to build up this local flock.

You may think you don't have the right set of gifts to serve the church. But God has brought you here this morning for a reason pray for discernment and how to best serve the local flock here. When you see a need that no one else has seen ask God if you are the one to fill it Consult with one of the elders.

Regarding how to best meet that need I.

Think.

God reveals people various needs that I may not see that the elders may not see and Oftentimes the answer is not let the pastor handle it, but rather maybe God is calling you to step up and Serve in that regard.

What a glorious thing you don't have to be a pastor. You don't have to be an elder to serve the body of Christ and whatever need that is highlighted to you by God and that Whatever gift you bring whatever service you end up doing That will edify the church.

That will build up the church. That will make the body stronger. That will make the body closer to Christ that will make the body more like Christ. And we look back to this story if God Can save a Midianite priest through his testimony To prep and and use that priest to prepare his people to obey the law.

Right before the giving of the law God can surely use you to equip the body today. Let us pray. Father we're thankful that your body your church does not depend on one person. But it is an organism. It's a body and it depends on everyone here and God.

I pray that you would make clear to us how we can individually each serve According to the need of the body. We pray that you would encourage them. You would exhort them give them the courage to step up because it can be Daunting to start something new to serve in a new way.

But father all of these people here are your people your sheep and it's the body of Christ and we pray that you would give them clarity and The energy and wisdom to carry that through in Jesus name. Amen.

All right, let's stand for our closing song trust and obey in the Lord. Truly, it has been a blessing to be together today. Thank you all for singing and for being here and we are now dismissed.