Bridging The Gap

Today Lloyd Pulley continues our verse by verse study in Exodus. Last time, we began a look at chapter eighteen, but we didn’t get too far into the story before time ran out. Here we see Moses and the relationship he had with his father - in - Law, Jethro.

Do you have a wise and Godly person in your life? Oh, what a blessing that is, to be able to go to someone and know that the advice they give will be based on God’s wisdom. Today on Bridging the Gap, we’ll be looking at Exodus chapter eighteen, and Moses’ relationship with his Father-in-law, Jethro.

We’re in Exodus seventeen, and today we’ll look at  Israel’s battle with Amalek. God has a plan for everyone’s life, and He will use His mighty power to accomplish His will - and He can use you and me in the process. The key is letting God be in control! That’s exactly what Moses did here. 

Pastor Lloyd Pulley will again take us today to Exodus seventeen. Have you ever been the victim of a practical joke? Makes you feel kind of silly, doesn’t it? There’s an old saying - “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”. It’s amazing how we keep falling for satan’s deceptions in our lives - and the outcome can be much more damaging than any practical joke!  Exodus seventeen provides a great example. 

In Exodus chapter seventeen, we see a practical example of the difference between man’s wants, and man’s needs, and God’s desire to give us what we need - always with our best interests in mind!

Creature comforts are an everyday part of our existence. Whatever we want or need, it’s right at our fingertips. So why should we rely on God for anything? Well, God has a wonderful way of providing for His people’s needs. The problem is, His people often think they know better than God what those needs are.

There are some very common themes that run throughout God’s word, from Exodus all the way through the New Testament. One of those themes is man’s determination to do things his own way, and reject God’s intervention. A great example of this is found in Exodus chapter sixteen, when the people of Israel found themselves in need of food and water - and there was none to be found.

The story Lloyd will share with us today is a familiar one. The people of Israel, fleeing from Egypt, find themselves in the wilderness, without food or water. Now, God is fully prepared to feed them, and teach them a lesson about trust and faith.

How do you react when life deals you a tough time?  Do you complain and whimper? Or do you take an attitude of acceptance, that God has something good in mind through this trial? A good example of the right and wrong attitude toward trials is found in Exodus fifteen.

If I were to sum up Pastor Lloyd’s message today in just two words, I’d choose “God provides”. We’re going through the book of Exodus right now, and if there was ever a group of people who needed God’s provision during a tough stretch, it was Moses and his people fleeing from Egypt. 

You know, we Christians may be pretty good at explaining our faith to others, but often times we’re not real good at putting that faith into action. You know who really notices that? God. He’s shown a light for us to follow - in faith. He also did the same thing for the Israelites fleeing Egypt in Exodus fourteen. Let’s join Pastor Lloyd right now, and discover how we can better put our faith in action - for our benefit and for God’s glory! 

On today’s program, we’ll open our Bibles to Exodus chapter thirteen, for a study that once again reminds us that there’s no greater protection to be found in this world than the protective arms of God. As God lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He showed them the way in a clear and distinct manner.

Today Lloyd takes us once again to the book of Exodus, and the actual exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This study is part of our series in Exodus called “Deliverance” In chapter thirteen we see a great example of God’s protective nature for His people. It is the same protective love you and I can experience today. We may not need deliverance from slavery in a physical sense, but we certainly need deliverance from the slavery of sin.

George Barna once said, “A good leader is one who is able to motivate people; one who is capable of making good decisions, even under pressure or in conditions of uncertainty; one who can guide people through actions as well as words.” As we’ll discover today, That was certainly true of a great man in the Old testament named Moses.

In the book of Exodus, we’ve been discovering the meanings behind some of the Jewish traditions of the Old Testament. You may be asking yourself what all this has to do with being a Christian in the twenty-first century. As we’re about to see on today’s broadcast, it’s a whole lot more relevant to today than you may think. 

Without a doubt the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the defining moment in human history, because our redemption from sin, and our road to Heaven was paved by that one event. This miraculous event was foretold many times in the Old Testament, including in Exodus. Open your Bible with us to Exodus chapter twelve as we join pastor Lloyd.

As we return to our study in Exodus, we’ll again look at the trials and tribulations of Pharaoh. I hate to keep knocking a guy when he’s down, but Pharaoh is a special case. What a knuckle head this guy was! In the wake of untold death and destruction - because of his hard hearted attitude - he still refuses to acknowledge God’s power and Holiness. Talk about a guy stuck in denial-mode! Unfortunately there are many people today who fit that same description. 

In God’s word, we see example after example of hardheaded people, and without exception, this attitude leads to problems - and sometimes disaster. Pharaoh was a guy with a hard head and hard heart and we see the consequences of his bad attitude in Exodus chapters ten and eleven.

We’ve seen Moses confronting Pharaoh, we’ve seen Pharaoh hardening his heart toward God, and today, we’ll see what happens when God sends plagues upon the earth. I think you’ll agree after hearing today’s message that God is true to His word, and He doesn’t like being disrespected! Join us in Exodus eight, verse twenty nine.

When someone turns their heart toward God, it’s cause for rejoicing. But what happens when someone hardens their heart toward God? That’s exactly what happened to Pharaoh and we’ll discuss it on today’s edition of Bridging the Gap.