Moses' Wish [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. His glory is not diminished when you are blessed and filled with the Holy Spirit. His glory is magnified.

In other words, who is Jesus? He's our deliverer, and he is most delighted when you're most free. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series called Moses, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It'll be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, we encourage you to go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. There's a natural competition that emerges between fathers and sons. It manifests itself, and my little boy, he always wanted to wrestle, so we'd get down onto the carpet and just wrestle. And there's something that's good in that a father and a son just wrestle. Of course, the father, I could have at any moment, crushed the little toddler, but the father doesn't crush the toddler. He's just letting the toddler press against the father. Like, I'll make you stronger by being able to press against me a little bit. So there's something that is sort of natural about that.

But occasionally when a father misunderstands this and starts thinking that the child is the opponent, then something terrible happens. I was down at one of our outreach events on a Saturday afternoon a few years ago at the Bethesda Center for Homeless. We had a tent set up.

You could come over and receive prayer. During the bit of time that I was there, a man named Jimmy came over, and I got the opportunity to talk to him. He's a sweet man. He told me not only that he needed prayer, but he told me his story. Jimmy had been a machinist. He'd been an expert welder, and things had gone horribly wrong for him, and now he's homeless.

I said, well, what happened? He said, well, my father was the kind of man who never told me he was proud of me, never told me he loved me, and he was always competing against me. He said the competition was always to see who was making more money. So my father always wanted to compare how much he was making to how much I was making. He said, of course, it was hard to make as much when I was young, but then I really got good at welding, and I was making a lot of money. He said, for a period of time, I was beating him. He said, but then he got a promotion, and he was making more money than I was, and he started belittling me about this, and he started writing me all the time about it, and I didn't know how to make any more money, and so finally I just sold drugs, and I was incarcerated because of this, and ever since I've been out, I've not been able to get on my feet, and therefore he was homeless.

How confused of a dad is that? A father would recognize, as Moses recognized, that you're not in competition with your sons. When Bennett was little and started playing golf around age five, and we'd go out and play, it was a wonderful time in my life to have five-year-old Bennett see me hit the golf ball and actually think I was good. It didn't last for many years before he started figuring out that maybe I wasn't that good, but for some years, if he could only hit it 40 yards, and I could hit it at least 200 yards, that made me look pretty good, and so that's the way it was, and I realized early on that Bennett was, same thing makes a child want to wrestle with his dad, was playing against me, but what was happening is that he couldn't beat me at that age, even from the four junior tees, even if I gave him some extra shots and tried to make it easier on him, he wasn't beating me, and it was frustrating for him, and so I realized this. I realized that he was fighting back the tears, and he was getting more mad because it wasn't just whether he was doing well against the course, but was he doing well against me, and I thought this is taking away the fun, and so one day early on in his golfing career, I just said, Bennett, listen, what we're going to do today?

I said, it's not you against me. I said, we own the same team, so we're going to take our best score on each hole, and let's see what we can do against this golf course. I said, what do you think would be a score that we should be able to accomplish against this golf course? We said, well, okay, maybe together we're three over par, and I said, okay, so here's the thing. We'll take our best score on each hole, whoever had the best ball, we'll take that score, and if we shoot three over par, then we'll call it we tied the golf course. If we shoot two over par, then we beat the golf course. If we shoot four over, then we lost. All right, and this started sometime probably when he was seven years old, and still to this day, we don't play against each other.

We're playing on the same team trying to beat the golf course, and this has been a very wise thing because it didn't take until about age 11 where I was the one frustrated and ready to cry at the end because he was beating me. What I'm just saying is sometimes it's just this simple. It's just change the definition of who you're fighting against. Just change the game, and I don't know, I just think a lot most troubled relationships, most marriages, many businesses, maybe it could be saved if we just changed who we're fighting against, especially for us as Christians to heed well the words that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and invisible places. We're not competing against other Christians or other churches. We are competing against invisible forces of wickedness. So he had a wealth inside of him that transcended the competition. He had a wisdom that transformed the competition, but he also it was just a picture of a leader who loved, and that just trumped the competition. It just changes everything where there is love, and I'm not just talking here about the way my wife is when Carolina is destroying somebody in basketball, and she comes in and starts feeling sorry for the opponent.

Get out of here. We don't have mercy for the opposing team. No, I'm not really talking about that. I'm talking about something much deeper than feeling sorry for the underdog. I'm talking about fatherly love. I'm talking about something that's in Moses's heart here that is for this people. My brother David wrote me this week that he had read an article in the magazine Our State, and it's about a father who took his four-year-old camping, and as they were going to sleep that night in the tent, the four-year-old stated the father's responsibility was to one, make sure they didn't get killed, two, make sure they didn't get eaten, and number three, that they didn't catch on fire, and my brother just added the comment, I think that pretty well sums up core responsibilities. The father has a love that wants others to flourish.

That's what it is. Rinaldo's own Merwin Hayes and Michael Comer, who are executive coaches, have written a book about America's quiet CEOs. The book is called Start with Humility, and they talk about the importance of humility in a leader, and different chapters highlight different leaders. It's an excellent book, but one of those is a North Carolinian, a lady named Linda Combs, who was appointed three different presidential appointees and was eventually the controller of Office of Management and Budget, a really huge job that has a lot to do with the ultimate fiscal responsibility, and so after 25 years of service at this very high level in the government, she was retiring, and I think she's actually been appointed by Governor McCrory to control her for North Carolina now, but Hayes and Comer were at the retirement since they were writing this article about her, this chapter about her, and they were there to hear her retirement speech as she was being honored for all that she had done, and it was interesting.

They said she spoke 25 minutes, and 10 of those minutes were dedicated to lauding her assistant. There's something in a great leader that just you want others to flourish. The fact of the matter is that thing with Bennett, and I didn't want to not only be competing against him.

Here's the bottom line, really. I wanted him to be better than me. I mean, no loving father would curse their son with him wanting to have the same golf game that I have, so I wanted him, but that's what you want as a father. You want your children to flourish and thrive. It doesn't cause your heart to ache if somebody else rises to some place above you if you love them.

That's what you want that. Five years ago, we had a wonderful privilege. Our family was given a sabbatical by the church, and we took the whole summer off, went all out west. It was just a wonderful, wonderful rebooting time, and during that, Pastor Chris, our executive pastor, preached a wonderful series on Colossians throughout that summer. It was interesting, before we took the trip, how many people came to me, other pastors in other places, that said, aren't you a little worried that he's going to try to take over the church, or somebody's going to take over the church while you're gone? I'm like, first thing is, you don't understand Presbyterianism.

That can't happen. The second thing is, no, we love each other. That's the craziest thought I've ever heard of, but then I came back, and Pastor Chris had preached so wonderfully. It was those rich messages all summer long that when I came back, all my friends were delighted to tell me that they didn't miss me that much, and we got options now. So how did that make me feel? Great!

Great! That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever feel like something's holding you back, as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive, faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues.

Here once again is Alan Wright. So you're getting part of the heart of Moses here is that love doesn't want to hoard the glory. It wants to share it. Now we're getting closer to what's such good news for us, but the bigger issue here is that Joshua misunderstood something that Moses was celebrating. Moses's glory would not be diminished if others shared in it, but his glory would be increased. Moses's stature, his leadership would not be threatened if others began to experience God as he had, but instead it would be increased.

Moses's success was not threatened by others being filled with the Spirit. His success would be defined by that because what was Moses called to do? Among all the things that God had called him to do, it was at least these to be a deliverer.

What does the deliverer do? He was going to lead them out of their slavery and into freedom. His goal was that the people would be free. He was called to be a mediator.

What does a mediator do? A mediator was to go between God and the people to help the people draw near unto God. His goal was that the people would experience God, and he was an intercessor. As an intercessor who was advocating with God for the people, what was his goal? His goal was to see that the people were blessed, and he was the one who would receive God's revelation.

Go up on the mountaintop, be given the 10 commandments. As a proclaimer and receiver of God's word, what was Moses's goal? His goal was for the people to receive the revelation of the Lord. His goal was for them to hear from God, and as a leader, as the ruler, what was his goal? His goal was not to Lord over the people. His goal was to empower the people so that they, along with him, could reign over their enemies and flourish in the land of their inheritance. So what was happening as these people were experiencing God and freely prophesying was a very fulfillment of what Moses was called to do.

I want these people to be free. I'm not going to come in and now confine them the one moment they're experiencing God. They were drawing near to God. That's what a mediator wants to help people be reconciled and experience God, and they were being blessed. They were experiencing the wonder of how blessed they were that the the privileges that they might have thought would have been reserved only for Moses are now being given to them. They're receiving the word of God. That's what Moses wanted. Revelation being poured out into their lives, and they were brave, and they were confident, and they were triumphing because God was with them. This is the very thing that Moses had been called by God to do. So he's saying in a sense, don't stop them, Joshua. This isn't a threat to my success.

This is the demonstration of my success. Hebrews 2 says that as wonderful as Moses was, Jesus is better. He's the better deliverer. He's the better mediator. He is the better revelation.

He is the better ruler. Jesus was called to be all those things, to deliver people not out of a literal bondage, but out of a spiritual bondage and bring us into freedom. He was called to be the mediator. There's one mediator the Bible says between God and humanity, this man, Christ, to reconcile us unto God through his own shed blood. Why did Jesus come?

Because there was a huge gulf between us and God, and he came to make it possible that we would be united with God. And he is our intercessor, Romans says. He is advocating for us.

What does an intercessor want? He wants those that he intercedes for to be blessed, to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And he is the revelation of God.

He is the word became flesh. He came and said that he was the light of the world, but what did he want for us? He wanted us also to be the light of the world. He wants us to have revelation, have light, have truth. That's what he wants. And he's the king, I tell you.

He is the ruler, but he is not a ruler who wants to make subservient slaves. But instead, though it just staggers our minds imagination, Paul says that if through one man's trespass, speaking of Adam, all have been defeated and sinned, how much more do we reign with Christ who gives us life? You see, Jesus came and he called 12 unlikely men to his side, and he began to spend time with them. And even though they weren't very well trained, he sent them out even before Pentecost to be able to do miracles in his name.

And they came back and they were astonished. They said, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And in John 14, chapter 14, verse 12, Jesus said, you'll do the things that I've done and even greater things that you will do. In John chapter 16, Jesus said, all that the father has is mine.

Therefore, I said that he'll take what is mine and declare it to you. And in Ephesians 2, Paul says something that is mind bending. He says that we, as those that are in Christ, have been raised up together with Christ and that we have been seated together with Christ. That in the heavenlies, we have been mystically seated in the place of honor and glory alongside of Christ. You see, what has happened is that Christ has shared his life with us. He has shared his resurrection life with us. He has shared the glory that should be reserved only for him with us. His glory is not diminished when you are blessed and filled with the Holy Spirit. His glory is magnified.

In other words, who is Jesus? He's our deliverer and he is most delighted when you're most free. He is our mediator so he is most delighted when you are closest to God. He is our intercessor so he's most delighted when you're most blessed. He is our revelation and so he is most delighted when you are most filled with truth and he is the king who is most delighted when you are reigning victoriously in the Christian life.

He is most delighted when you discover yourself to be the head, not the tail. Every other sort of religious and cult leader in history has wanted to hoard the power, hoard the glory, hoard the special recognition and Jesus came so that he might share it. So when you receive from God a fresh impartation of his spirit, you bring honor and glory to him.

My point is simple. If Moses had to chuckle and say, are you jealous for my sake? I wish that everybody would prophesy. I wish the Lord would put his spirit on everyone that this was the heart of God. It had been spoken through the prophet Joel, the time is coming in which I'll pour out my spirit on all flesh.

And in Acts chapter two, when Pentecost had come, Peter stood up and he said, this is that of which Joel spoke. This has always been the heart desire of God to pour out his spirit. This should have been reserved only for his beloved son, but instead to pour out his spirit and blessing and life upon all flesh. So receive from him and you bring honor to him.

And that is the gospel. at pastorallen.org. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. There's a point in our lives, Alan, we understand the goodness of God. And then there are times, I think, where we go through and we know it intellectually, but we sometimes have a hard time feeling it.

And we long for the moments when they could both be at that high level, the intellectual understanding and the feeling, the experience we've talked about in this series. Well, here is a picture, a real historical picture of Moses, this noble, noble man, who says, I wish everybody would prophesy. He doesn't want to hoard the power unto himself, who is our model prefiguring Christ himself.

And this is what I want every listener to think about. Well, Jesus, who was the only one who deserved the intimate rewards and presence of God in the communion of the Holy Spirit, instead said, it's better I go away, because then I can send my spirit, I can send the Holy Spirit. If you could believe that Moses was noble enough and secure enough to want to share the prophetic gifts that he had with others, how much more so does Jesus, secure in the heavenlies, want you to be filled with his own life? This is how you can be assured that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is how you can be assured that it doesn't have to do with whether you're righteous enough. It has all to do with Christ.

Christ's love for you is sure at every point. He's our new Moses, and he longs, his greatest wish is for you to be filled with his life. Joshua learned something that day, and the goals of Moses were being fulfilled, and so he was glad about that. And all of this, ultimately, Daniel prefigures Christ. He's the greatest leader in human history, and he was the one who actually said, you'll do greater things than I've done. So the nature of God is that his glory is not diminished when his children flow in his own power and mercy. Instead, it enhances his glory, and there's something for us all to learn in that.