WTFMT 82 (FROM HGM ON 22 SEP 20)

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-82 TEXT: "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 21:18)

I. A PLACE OF BEGINNINGS

A. The nation of Ishmael began in the wilderness of Beersheba. That situation did not look like the beginning of a little nation, did it? It did not look like the beginning of a family. There's the mother. There's the lad. No water! No water in the wilderness is death. It looked like the end. But God said, "Oh no, that's not the end, it's just the beginning. I will make him a great nation.

B. All throughout the wilderness experience "God said" to the children of Israel. But they never heard Him speak. For 40 years God was speaking and speaking, but no one except Moses, Joshua and Caleb to a certain degree heard His voice.

C. God has not changed. 582 times in the Bible, "God said."He is still speaking to man. His message has not changed, it rings loud and clear in our ears and heart if we have ears to hear it. For us to hear God's voice we must not be listening for other voices. Many today are listening for other voices. Voices that lead them away from God and the purposes and plan for their lives.

D. For 40 years, "God said" and the children of Israel said, "so what." They did not walk in the words of God. When God speaks we need to listen. There is grave consequences usually ending in death or separation for being disobedient. This truth is eternal and can not change.

E. The other edge of this truth is, at the same measure of death and separation for disobedience there is life and fellowship for obedience. God offered life, but the children of Israel refused His offer and receive death for there efforts.

F. Rewards, both blessings and curses are based on our actions out from the motives, thoughts, and intentions of our heart. We can not have bad motives, thoughts, and intentions toward somebody and do good things for and until them. An the opposite of this truth is true.

G. Moving in the truth knowingly or unknowingly does not change the truth, but changes the reward. Many people refuse to believe that Jesus died for their sins and arose on the third day from the grave. Whether they believe or not does not change the truth nor the truthfulness of the Bible. Without belief in the Bible, one can not walk in truth!

H. But their believing or not believing changes the reward they receive after this life. This reward too, is based on whether or not they believe in the truthfulness of the Bible. Whether they believe in their heart that Jesus died for their sins and arose on the third day. It is always an issue of the heart. The word "heart" is mentioned 762 times in the Bible.

I. This was a choice of their hearts. I really believe God was hurt each time their hearts desired past pleasures of things found in Egypt. "And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes." (Numbers 11:4-6)

J. For 40 years God offered them life and they choose death. Beginning and life are the characteristics of the Wilderness of Beersheba. Unlike Hagar they had come to an ending and not a beginning when God said something. "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3:11-12) Unbelief always leads man to wrath and his end of death.

K. Unlike Hagar the children of Israel made no new discoveries. "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink." (Genesis 21:19) What a discovery she made. God opened her eyes to life in the wilderness. Life for her and the lad. Discovery in God can mean life for millions. Paul, Peter, and the rest of the apostles discovered the life in Jesus, and how many are saved today?

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

A. Faith and belief always leads to discovery and life. In the wilderness a well of water is life. It meant life to Hagar. Life! It is one of man's greatest treasure. Each finds their own well of life in the wilderness.

B. A well of water can become quite a discovery for one who is dying of thirst in a wilderness of sand. Life can become quite a discovery for one dying in the wilderness of God. A new beginning! Jesus Christ (our life), the Fountain of life, the Giver of eternal water can be discovered. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

WTFMT 81 (FROM HGM ON 8 SEP 20)

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-81

TEXT: "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is." (Genesis 21:17)

 

I. WHERE IS GOD??

 

A. God brought Hagar to the place of need and despair. God also brings us there. God uses the same means and method today that He used in the Bible to bring us to a place in Him He desires we come into. We often sing songs about God not changing, "He Changes Not" then expect Him to do a "new thing" in our lives and He does. "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23) His mercies and compassion are new every morning, but His faithfulness is old and has never changed.

B. This situation caused her to make a discovery. It was in her hour of greatest need when she expected only death. God came through and revealed His sufficiency to her at that and time of nothingness. There at that place, then, at that time Hagar made a discovery.

C. So too with the children of Israel during the entire 40 years of wandering God brought them to a place and time to reveal His sufficiency during their time of nothingness. And so too God brings us to the same place and time for the same reasons.

D. Hagar could never have made her discovery unless she had become desperate and had cried out in despair. The very place of need and despair was the very place God was. God is at the end of your bottle of water and at the end of your strength. This is where God hears and speaks. This is where God is discovered in greater in greater fulness.

E. In this place of need is where God is discovered in greater fullness. Hagar would never have come into these wonderful experiences with God if she had never entered the wilderness. She never would have known Him as she did apart from her despair in the wilderness.

F. The wilderness is the place where God hears. And God heard the voice of the lad; AND for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is." What an amazing event. God met the Hagar and lad in the place where they were. God came to them. This is the heart of God to come to us just as we are.

G. It is not necessarily true that Hagar or the lad was crying unto the LORD. They certainly were crying. But, the Bible does not state they were praying to God or crying out to the LORD. She lifted up her voice and wept due to the fact of her situation. Sounds familiar?

H. In the absence of a prayer or cry to God there is an amazing thing about God. He is aware of our heartaches and tears even non-believer's. Even though we do not take them to Him or express them to Him, yet He is aware.

I. For God to be God He must know EVERYTHING. Nothing is unknown to God especially our hearts. EVERYTHING done in secret will be made manifested openly, "and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" is recorded in Matthew 6:4,6, and 18. Nothing is hidden from God and everything is rewarded "openly" by God, for all the world to see.

J. Remember, God does the rewarding based upon our labors and the motives and intent of our hearts. Never forget a curse and a blessing both are rewards which we have earned from our words, actions, and deeds. "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour." (1 Corinthians 3:8)

 

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

 

A. In the Bible God moves on behalf of others without an approach being made to Him, without a prayer said. The widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15) Jesus comes along and has compassion and raises her son. She didn't request that. She didn't ask God to do that.

B. Likewise God may come to us in our hour of distress when we are beside our self. We feel and believe that He is a million miles away. We cannot pray we just have a good cry. Been there before? God sees. He hears. He arrives. He has compassion. He meets our need.

C. He (God) heard a voice, a sound (voice and sound are the same Hebrew word #6963) God heard this sound coming from the wilderness. Someone is crying! The results of God's hearing a "sound" or "voice" is God coming and Hagar discovering. She discovers that God cares for her "What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is." D. Don't be afraid, God has heard and has come to take care of us in our distressful situation. Isn't God nice? He is ever thoughtful of us more so than we realize. For us God in there in our distressful situations. He is sitting there beside us as we cry. Your Provision had come.