WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.820 Amen, amen. You may be seated in children. At this time we are able to be dismissed for 00:00:05.820 --> 00:00:10.599 ! Children's church, thankfully. Savannah does a great job each and every week with those 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:15.500 ! Children ages four up through third grade. It's a wide range group, but she does an incredible 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:20.240 job teaching the scriptures with them. And I'm so thankful for her and her ministry at this 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:25.320 church. I'm also thankful, David, that you and Linda are joining us today. Amen. I'm thankful 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:29.900 for your Jesus report because it is incredibly encouraging to hear what the Gideons are doing 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:34.259 all over the world and how God is working in and through that. We as a church, we do have that in 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:39.239 our annual budget, thankfully. But also you are able to give to this ministry throughout the year. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:44.479 Again, every dollar you give to it goes directly back into getting scriptures where they need to go. 00:00:44.839 --> 00:00:50.299 I remember being in Belinda Cummings fifth grade class at East Nali Elementary and I received my 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:55.560 red New Testament. And though I had an incredible mother that had me in church all the time, I think 00:00:55.560 --> 00:01:01.540 of those students in my class that desperately needed God's word. And I love to think and be 00:01:01.540 --> 00:01:06.299 confident in the fact that God's word does not return void. That it did what God saw to accomplish. 00:01:06.820 --> 00:01:10.700 A little over a year ago, though, this morning, a year ago, a little over a year ago, I was driving 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:15.460 back towards the church from the library. We had been, it was summer vacation. Me and my family, 00:01:15.520 --> 00:01:19.460 we were at the library giving some books for our kids. And I was driving back to the church from the 00:01:19.460 --> 00:01:23.180 library. I was using that little road that connects from the library. I drove past Ticoa Elementary. 00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:28.280 I got to the stop sign right there at the armory and the Methodist church. I glanced to the left, 00:01:28.360 --> 00:01:32.940 glanced to the right, drove straight on through. And apparently I did not glance long enough 00:01:32.940 --> 00:01:39.100 because in my rearview mirror, I started to see these blue lights that, this is me confessing my 00:01:39.100 --> 00:01:45.360 sins before my brethren today. I see blue lights in my rearview mirror. And so I pull off to the side 00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:50.180 right there, the steps above the scout hut. And the officer came up and gave me a ticket for running 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:59.920 that stop sign. $150 for running that stop sign. And I'll tell you that this morning, just to give 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:05.960 you a bit of a glimpse. I want to be clear. I broke the law. I did something I wasn't supposed to do. 00:02:06.360 --> 00:02:10.740 That officer was doing their job. I broke the law. They gave me the ticket, period, end of discussion. 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:15.500 Nothing, no hard feelings towards law enforcement or anything. But I do want to tell you from the bottom 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:21.120 of my heart something that happened in my heart over the coming days. I started to grow defensive. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:27.159 I started to think through in my mind, like, was that the best place for resources to be at that 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:34.159 moment? Apparently because they caught me. Was, you know, if school wasn't in session, it was summer. 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:38.400 There weren't kids. There was no traffic for to go elementary. It was a weekday. There was no traffic 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:42.599 at the Methodist church. No one at the armory. And I started to think of this excuse after excuse, 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:48.060 this reason after reason on why, you know, I was in the right. I was in the right. There was no reason 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:53.620 that I should have been, I should have been in the wrong here. But when the dust settled, I began to 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:59.959 acknowledge within myself that I was undeniably wrong in this situation. I did get a glimpse of a 00:02:59.959 --> 00:03:06.719 part of my flesh, a part of my life that is ever present. And that is that scary part of me that can 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:14.639 justify any wrong. That terrifying part of me that can jump to my own defense and formulate a rebuttal 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:20.479 against any accusation that comes my way. That part of my life that refuses to admit that I could 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:26.439 possibly be in the wrong. It's a well-traveled path in my mind where I can become defensive and I can 00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:31.079 recognize that I am in the right here, no one else. I can shift the blame to someone else. I can shift the 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:37.940 blame even back towards God. Because here's the reality, though that moment, that breaking of the 00:03:37.940 --> 00:03:47.360 law cost me $150, being caught disobedient to the Lord will cost you even more. And I find myself 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:54.040 often recognizing, recognizing that I don't always do as God has called me to do. There's always more I 00:03:54.040 --> 00:03:59.400 should do. And so this morning, I want to remind us from the calling of Moses that God is absolutely 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:05.620 sufficient in our obedience. God is absolutely sufficient in our obedience. And we can trust him 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:10.819 and follow Christ wherever he may lead. This morning, if you have your Bibles, turn with me to 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:16.379 Exodus chapter 4. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 17. And prior to our passage, 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:21.019 there's not a lot that seems to have happened before this point in the scripture. Oh, but God's been at 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:26.120 work. He created all things. He breathed it into existence. He showed himself to be faithful to the 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:31.980 people, the families of Noah and Abraham, Jacob and Isaac and Joseph. He proved himself to be faithful 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:38.840 to his people time and time again. God had promised the people of his people that they would be led into 00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:43.879 a land of milk and honey, that they'd have lives abundant in him. And despite their sinful disobedience, 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:51.079 God has proven himself to be faithful. He's proven himself to bless his people. They've survived flood and 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:58.419 famine and all sorts of trials. And Genesis even closes with a reminder that God can take the evil 00:04:58.419 --> 00:05:04.860 things in life and work them out for good. We turn the very next page into the book of Exodus, 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:11.319 and we see some evil that's present. God's people have been wrongfully enslaved to the Egyptians. 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:15.979 They've been wrongfully oppressed. They've been beaten. Even their children have been killed. 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:22.620 As this ungodly nation sought to keep them in line, keep them weak, so that they would not rebel against 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:29.000 them. But friends, I want us to see in the scriptures that God is poised to remind this foreign, ungodly 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:36.520 nation exactly who is in charge. He will deliver his people and declare to all nations that he alone 00:05:36.520 --> 00:05:43.280 is God. He alone is worthy of our worship. He alone is worthy of our lives. And he intends to do so 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:50.659 at this point in history through a guy named Moses. In chapter 2, Moses, he strikes an Egyptian dead and 00:05:50.659 --> 00:05:57.099 hides his body in the sand. He then flees to Midian for 40 years where he raises a family and starts to 00:05:57.099 --> 00:06:02.059 care for sheep. And it's in the caring for these sheep that he comes across a bush one day that is 00:06:02.059 --> 00:06:07.759 burning yet not consumed. And as he approaches this bush, he begins to speak. It is God speaking to him 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:13.060 through this bush. And he gives him a mission that he is going to deliver his God's people from their 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:18.599 captivity. And let us see how Moses responds starting in verse 1. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:26.560 Then Moses answered, but behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:32.480 the Lord did not appear to you. The Lord said to him, what is that in your hand? He said, a staff. 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:37.860 And he said, throw it on the ground. He threw it on the ground and it became a serpent. And Moses ran 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:44.000 from it. But the Lord said to Moses, put out your hand and catch it by the tail. So he put out his hand 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:49.640 and caught it. And it became a staff in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord, the God of their 00:06:49.640 --> 00:06:55.860 fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has appeared to you. Again, the Lord said 00:06:55.860 --> 00:07:00.160 to him, put your hand inside of your cloak. And he put his hand inside of his cloak. And we took it out. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:06.200 Behold, his hand was leprous like snow. And then God said, put your hand back inside your cloak. 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:10.980 He put his hand back inside his cloak. And when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest 00:07:10.980 --> 00:07:17.040 of his flesh. If they will not believe you, God said, or listen to the first sign, that they may 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:23.220 believe the latter sign. And if they will not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, 00:07:23.400 --> 00:07:28.960 you shall take some water from the Nile River, pour it on dry ground. And the water that you shall take 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:36.399 from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground. But Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, I am not 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:41.379 eloquent, either in the past or since you've been talking to your servant, but I am slow of speech 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:48.639 and of tongue. Then the Lord said to him, who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:55.179 or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you 00:07:55.180 --> 00:08:06.379 shall speak. But he said, O my Lord, please send someone else. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled 00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:11.740 against Moses. And he said, is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:17.780 Behold, he's coming out to meet you. And when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall 00:08:17.780 --> 00:08:22.480 speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth. And I 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:28.520 will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people and he shall be your mouth and you 00:08:28.520 --> 00:08:35.019 shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff with which you will do the signs. In this 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:38.920 passage this morning, I want us to understand something from the very beginning. 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:46.539 And that is that Moses is an insufficient servant. Moses is an insufficient servant. In chapter 3, 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:53.000 Moses had already offered two excuses, two questions to God's clear command. The first question 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:59.799 he asked in verse 11, he says, who am I? Who am I? Chapter 3, verse 11, Moses says to God, who am I 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:05.719 that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? But then in verse 13, 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:12.079 he progressively gets more, has more audacity inside himself to where he doesn't just ask who am I? In 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:18.300 verse 13, he says, who are you? Who are you? Verse 13 of chapter 3, Moses says to God, if I come to the 00:09:18.300 --> 00:09:23.500 people of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they asked me, what 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:32.020 is his name? What shall I say to them? And obviously God answers, I am. I am the great I am. I am who I am. 00:09:32.100 --> 00:09:38.000 That beautiful answer of who God is is a beautiful snapshot here. But as we move into chapter 4, we see 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:43.340 Moses speak four more times in this passage. And each time he opens his mouth, we see him demonstrate 00:09:43.340 --> 00:09:51.220 again and again and again and again why he is not the man for the job. First, we see that he is a cynic. 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:58.100 After God tells Moses what is going to happen and promises that he, the great I am, will be with him, 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:05.360 Moses' next rebuttal in verse 1 is, that ain't gonna work. That ain't gonna happen. Verse 1, he says, 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:11.279 behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice for they will say, the Lord did not appear 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:17.480 to you. He says, behold, look here, Mr. I am. I know what you think's gonna happen and it ain't gonna 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:25.240 work. Not now, not ever. He will, he believes it is over before it hasn't even begun. But what is Moses 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:30.379 actually communicating with his cynicism? What is he actually saying if you read between the lines here? 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:38.179 Moses is admitting that from his perspective, God cannot do this. From his perspective, God can't do 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:44.059 this. You see, it's been generations since God has done something seemingly remarkable for the Israelites. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:49.799 They've forgotten all about the events of Genesis. They've forgotten his faithfulness to the line of 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:55.600 Abraham, to God's people. In Exodus chapter 1 verse 8, we see that this generation had forgotten 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:02.680 about Joseph and God's provision in the famine. And though God had blessed his people and allowed 00:11:02.680 --> 00:11:09.840 them to be fruitful and multiply in Egypt, even though he had allowed to, he provided for them and 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:16.860 preserved them even through these harsh conditions, Moses, like most of the Israelites, had forgotten and 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:24.720 ceased to believe, believe that God could still act on their behalf. He'd lost his faith. He's a cynic. 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.740 You see, it's a dangerous place to be in as someone who claims to profess Jesus as Lord, 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:35.540 yet have zero confidence that he can and will actually make a difference in our lives 00:11:35.540 --> 00:11:42.360 and in the world around us. Moses is a cynic that's lost his faith. Further, we're reminded in this 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:47.659 passage that Moses, he's a cynic, yes, but he's also a shepherd. He's a shepherd. The next time Moses 00:11:47.659 --> 00:11:53.139 opens his mouth is to answer God's question of what is in your hand. As if God needs to ask the 00:11:53.139 --> 00:12:01.019 question in the first place, he knows, but Moses replies with a staff. It's a staff. Moses had been 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:05.980 caring for sheep for many years at this point. The staff would have been a daily tool used to help him 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:11.519 walk long journeys to fight against whatever may threaten his flock. It was a tool of the trade, 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:18.819 an easy marker of what Moses had decided to be with his life. It was a staff, but it was also another 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:25.220 reminder of Moses' insufficiency for the task and the mission at hand. He was no diplomat that stood 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:32.000 before kings and pharaohs. He was no military strategist or military leader that could organize a rebellion 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:36.820 against the leaders of that day. Granted, if you needed to get dumb sheep from point A to point B, 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:44.460 he's your guy. But for this, he's vastly insufficient. He lacks the professional qualifications 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:50.240 for the task at hand. He's a cynic full of doubt. He's a shepherd unequipped for the task at hand. 00:12:50.420 --> 00:12:56.400 And it gets even worse as we read further and realize that he is also slow of speech. 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:03.120 God shows him two clear miracles to ease his doubt, yet instead Moses offers up his fourth excuse in 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:04.379 verse 10. He says, 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:10.360 Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:17.000 but I am slow of speech and of tongue. Some of you that perhaps Moses has some sort of speech impediment, 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:23.860 maybe a slur or a stutter. But either way, before an almighty God, this is just another excuse, 00:13:24.800 --> 00:13:33.139 another reason, another way that we can see that Moses is an insufficient servant. He lacks the faith, 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:39.019 he lacks the resume, and now we see that he lacks the skills and abilities to actually do 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:45.019 what God is calling him to do. He's not equipped for the task before him. He's saying, I cannot do this, 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:51.720 not now, not ever. I do not like this, great I am. I will not do this, great I am. Sam, I am. Green 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:56.720 Eggs and Ham. If you're familiar with the book, it's a good book, right? But you recognize the audacity. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:02.079 He is saying, like, I cannot do this. I will not do this. But further, he's not just a cynic. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:08.500 He's not just a shepherd. He's not even just slow of speech. We get to the root of the problem in 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:16.559 verse 13, where we see that Moses is also scared. Finally, he just begs of God, oh, my Lord, please 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:26.960 send someone, anyone else. He's run out of excuses. He's run out of reasons. So he stands before God 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:35.500 with a fifth and final plea. Please, oh Lord, I beg of you, send someone else. You see, he's spent the 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:40.179 last 40 years of his life hiding in fear. He's built up a life for himself. He's grown quite 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:46.580 comfortable living on the sidelines. Yes, his people are being oppressed. Yes, it seems as though 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:52.840 darkness is winning. But as long as he can stay out of it, as long as he can sit on the sidelines, 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:59.600 it doesn't truly affect him. It doesn't truly concern him. You see, to get in the game, it's going to cost 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:05.860 him. It's going to cost him his comfort. It's going to cost him possibly even his life. So in a state of 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:17.680 fear, he begs, please, Lord, send someone else. To confess God as Lord, he had desire to still be in 00:15:17.680 --> 00:15:26.259 charge. That is an act of defiance that is bold. Yet Moses does that. He's a cynic. It's done before 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:31.939 it's even started. He's a mere shepherd. He's slow of speech. And we see here that he is very, very scared, 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:37.399 afraid of what it's going to cost him to be obedient. And friends, I would love to say that 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:44.679 the church has grown past this, but we haven't. I fear that in the church today, we find just as many 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:49.399 people that live their lives like Moses, more consumed with themselves than about the mission 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:55.480 that God has given them. We come up with excuse after excuse, reason after reason on why we should be 00:15:55.480 --> 00:16:01.899 exempt from what God wills our lives to be. We are just as focused on ourselves as Moses is. 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:07.800 We find ourselves to be insufficient servants. We often lack the faith. We often lack the credentials. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:13.340 We lack the skills. And sometimes we even lack the want to, the desire to be faithful and obedient to 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:20.340 God. But friends, I've got some good news. And that is in this passage, while we can be absolutely 00:16:20.340 --> 00:16:26.240 convinced that we are insufficient servants, we see in this passage additionally that we serve an all-sufficient 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:32.399 God. We serve an all-sufficient God. Look back to these, just these 17 verses in chapter 4. Moses speaks 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:38.160 only four times, and it makes up about 18% of the dialogue between him and God, meaning this, about 82% 00:16:38.160 --> 00:16:44.200 of all that is said between God and Moses is God speaking to Moses. And I think that's clear in the fact 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:49.560 that God has a lot to say when it comes to our excuses. God has a lot to say when it comes to our 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:56.540 apathy and our inability to do what he has called us to do. While Moses cynically claims that they will 00:16:56.540 --> 00:17:02.740 not believe, God proves himself to be absolutely sovereign. Absolutely sovereign. He's in complete 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:08.940 control with complete knowledge and complete authority. He provides a detailed account of all that is going to 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:14.720 happen in chapter 3. He anticipates Pharaoh's hardening of his heart. He justifies the reason 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:21.299 for the plagues. He even promises that when they leave Egypt, they're going to plunder the Egyptians and 00:17:21.299 --> 00:17:27.320 take their treasures with them. Moses says that this is an impossible set of events. God says, I've already 00:17:27.320 --> 00:17:35.720 spoken it into existence. I'm the author. This is my story. This is how it's going to be. He is absolutely 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:42.519 sovereign. As we follow the events of Exodus, it occurs just as God says that it will. So while Moses is a cynic, 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:51.279 God is absolutely sovereign. Further, we see that though Moses is a mere shepherd, God demonstrates that he 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:58.039 is supernatural. He tells Moses to throw his staff on the ground and it becomes a snake. And I've got to say, 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:04.740 this is the only time in this passage that I believe Moses responds appropriately. It becomes a snake and he runs 00:18:04.740 --> 00:18:09.740 away, right? That's the only time I believe Moses responds appropriately other than the end when he 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:15.940 actually goes. But that's a point for another time. Moses then tells, God then tells Moses to pick the 00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:21.940 snake up and it becomes a staff again. He tells Moses to put his hand in his coat. He pulls it out. It's 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:28.319 leprous or diseased. He then does it again and it's restored. He then says, if they do not believe these two 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:34.179 signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground and it will become blood. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:41.460 Not it will look like blood. Not it will appear to be blood. It will transform into blood on the ground. 00:18:42.159 --> 00:18:49.179 He can take something and change its very substance. Later in the story, the court magicians will try their 00:18:49.179 --> 00:18:55.220 best to replicate the supernatural power of God. But God is going to demonstrate time and time and time 00:18:55.220 --> 00:19:02.140 and time again that he alone holds the power. That he alone is supernatural and can do these things. 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:08.460 He takes a dead stick and turns it into a living snake. He takes a leprous hand and heals it and makes 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:14.339 it restored. He can heal both sickness, even death. He can transform all that we see into something 00:19:14.339 --> 00:19:22.700 entirely different. You see, we can become convinced that a situation is impossible, but nothing is impossible 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:30.360 for a supernatural God. He's sovereign. He's supernatural. Further, we see he's the supreme sculptor. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:37.700 Moses says, have you not been listening? Have you not been listening to my voice, the slowest? I cannot do what 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:47.460 you're calling me to do. And how does God respond? I made you. Who put your mouth on your face? 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:54.880 Who decides who is deaf, mute, dumb, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? I knit you together in your mother's womb. 00:19:54.980 --> 00:20:01.920 Before the foundations of the world were, I was and I knew you. Therefore, go. He's the supreme sculptor. 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:08.420 The prophet Isaiah recognizes reality in Isaiah 64 8, where he says, but now, O Lord, you are our father. 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:16.940 We are the clay. You are our potter. We are all the work of your hand. So while Moses claims to be damaged goods, 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:26.600 God tells him, I made you, and I make no mistakes. I made you who you are for a reason. He's a supreme sculptor. 00:20:26.660 --> 00:20:36.500 And finally, we're reminded that he has the final say. Moses begs, please send someone else. 00:20:37.460 --> 00:20:43.299 You see, it's at this point in the story where we read that God's anger was kindled against Moses. 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:50.079 Because it's one thing to have doubts. It's one thing to have doubts. Doubts are common for all Christians in one degree or another. 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:57.919 But it's another problem entirely when we live in our doubts to the point where we become outright disobedient. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.680 Disobedient defiance to God's clear commands is not a place we want to find ourselves in. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:10.480 I think of our two-year-old son. I can be, as a parent, I think I can be absolutely very patient and clear 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:14.980 in giving a clear directive, a clear command of what I think our two-year-old should do. 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:21.440 He looks back at me, puffs out his chest, gives a light chuckle and says, no. 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:27.240 No. That's what I imagine is the audacity that Moses is declaring before God. 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.980 You think you have the final say? God says, no, therefore go. 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:34.779 I'm going to send Aaron. He's going to be your mouthpiece. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.500 You're going to go and do what I have commanded. 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:39.279 And what do we read next? 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.660 In verse 19, God tells him to go back to Egypt. 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:46.220 In verse 20, Moses packs up his family and moves to Egypt. 00:21:46.220 --> 00:21:51.700 By the first verse in chapter 5, Moses is standing before Pharaoh with Aaron saying, 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:54.319 let my people go. God has the final say. 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:57.220 Moses does what God demanded. 00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:02.759 At the end of the day, God proves to be absolutely sufficient in Moses' obedience. 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:07.880 He leaves no room for Moses to feel justified in his disobedience. 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:10.779 He gives him no room to remain in doubt. 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:14.460 He's answered all of his questions, provided for each of his shortcomings, 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:17.000 and sends him out to do his will. 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:21.720 For this, he chooses to use even the most insufficient of servants 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:27.160 to demonstrate just how sufficient he truly is. 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.400 Pastor Brett often quotes Danny Akin in saying, 00:22:31.840 --> 00:22:34.259 last words are lasting words. 00:22:35.420 --> 00:22:38.000 You see, as Jesus prepared to ascend to the Father, 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:41.480 he gives us some final words, a final say. 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:45.519 In the Great Commission, Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20, we read, 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:48.440 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:52.400 baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:55.559 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.519 And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:03.339 And that's not just a command with good intentions. 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:05.420 We read this mission being complete. 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:07.839 In Revelation chapter 7, verses 9 and 10, 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:09.279 the apostle John writes, 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:12.579 Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:15.639 from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:18.519 standing before the throne and before the Lamb, 00:23:18.639 --> 00:23:21.179 clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.919 crying out with a loud voice, 00:23:23.199 --> 00:23:25.699 Salvation belongs to our God, 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:29.199 who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:32.139 You see, just as God commands Moses 00:23:32.139 --> 00:23:34.939 to go back to these people who are in captivity, 00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:37.100 to declare them to be free, 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:39.960 and lead them into the land which God provided for them. 00:23:40.620 --> 00:23:43.860 God has called each of us to go into a broken world, 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:46.080 declare the good news of Jesus 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:48.320 to those who are enslaved to sin, 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:52.519 and to lead them where God most desires that they should be. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:55.259 And that is with him. 00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:58.000 He's given us a mission, 00:23:58.620 --> 00:24:01.080 but are we obedient to that mission? 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:04.720 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he was a German theologian, 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:06.819 and he writes in The Cost of Discipleship, 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:10.000 Only the obedient believe, 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:13.740 and those who believe are obedient. 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:17.059 Friends, do you believe that God's on the throne? 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:19.460 How do you genuinely believe? 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:20.620 I'm not saying do you just say it, 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:22.519 but do you believe that he is on the throne? 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:26.240 Do you believe that Jesus Christ has done everything necessary 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:28.559 for you to have salvation in his name? 00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.559 Do you believe that the Spirit of God indwells within you 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:35.460 and empowers you to do the work that God has called you to do? 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:40.000 Do you believe that God is sufficient for your obedience? 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:47.660 If so, let us trust him and follow his commands wherever he may lead. 00:24:47.660 --> 00:24:51.759 Eleven days ago, on August 26th, 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:54.300 on the border of Nepal and China, 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.660 there was a glacier that fell down into a river basin, 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:00.060 and tremendous flooding occurred in the aftermath. 00:25:00.800 --> 00:25:02.920 If you see the videos, it's just terrifying to watch. 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:05.640 Entire villages just washed away. 00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:10.860 As of yesterday, the death toll was estimated around 1,350 people 00:25:10.860 --> 00:25:11.980 that have been killed in that flooding, 00:25:11.980 --> 00:25:15.660 and another estimated 5,000 that are just unaccounted for 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:16.880 and aren't found yet. 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:18.440 Here's the thing. 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:20.500 That would be just another number on a page, 00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:22.240 another statistic we read in the headlines. 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:24.339 If it weren't for as you leave today, 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:25.440 if you were to look on that wall, 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:27.640 and you'll see Josh and Molly Woodward 00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:30.120 who live in that region and their family, 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:34.019 just about 40 miles away from some of the aftermath here, 00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:37.140 places where they had traveled and tried to get the gospel, 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:39.539 and now those entire villages are swept away. 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:42.000 People who had lived their entire lives, 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.480 most of them had never heard the gospel, 00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:45.579 never been given a chance to respond to the gospel 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:46.240 in their language, 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:48.299 and now they'll never get the chance. 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:52.659 Back in January, I was with a group in Nairobi, 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:55.119 and in Nairobi, you'll find the Kibera slums. 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:57.859 It's the second largest slum in all of Africa. 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:00.220 There's about a million people living in a very small area. 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:04.619 The average life expectancy in the Kibera slum is age 30. 00:26:05.559 --> 00:26:07.859 20% die before the age of five. 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:11.500 With their life expectancy and their poor conditions of living, 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:14.000 most of them will never live long enough to even hear the gospel, 00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:15.919 much less be able to respond to it. 00:26:16.679 --> 00:26:19.339 I share these stories because this is real. 00:26:19.399 --> 00:26:20.679 The mission that is here is real. 00:26:21.199 --> 00:26:24.319 The mission that God needed Moses for in Egypt was real. 00:26:24.939 --> 00:26:27.479 But when we're disassociated on the sidelines, 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:30.859 it allows us this complacency that should be unthinkable 00:26:30.859 --> 00:26:32.119 for those who claim Christ. 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:35.619 A little closer to home, at 3.30 in the morning, 00:26:35.739 --> 00:26:38.419 Jason DeFore and Dave Palmer from our church 00:26:38.419 --> 00:26:41.379 and others will be going to a place in Idaho. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.439 It's estimated that in that region of the Teton Valley, 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:48.819 there's about 0.5% evangelical Christian presence. 00:26:49.919 --> 00:26:52.099 If you flip that number and just think through it practically, 00:26:52.239 --> 00:26:54.019 that means that if nothing were to change, 00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.279 and if there were a natural disaster like that flood, 00:26:56.279 --> 00:27:01.000 then 199 out of every 200 people would live, die, 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:03.099 and spend an eternity in hell apart from God. 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:05.960 Even closer to home, 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:08.639 if you were to have conversations with William or Amanda Brothers 00:27:08.639 --> 00:27:09.700 at Toccoa Life, 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:11.259 Steve Payson at the Hope Center, 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:13.200 if you were to have conversations 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:15.759 and get familiar with ministries like Circle of Hope, 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:17.700 Victory Home, or Powerhouse, 00:27:17.879 --> 00:27:20.099 you'll recognize that there is great need 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:22.660 for gospel transformation right here in our backyard. 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:27.040 There's great need for gospel transformation right here. 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:29.660 But when we're on the sidelines, 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:32.140 when we live in our doubts, 00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:33.980 when we find ourselves to be disobedient, 00:27:34.800 --> 00:27:37.200 these can become just stories, 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:40.540 statistics that we don't have a personal investment in. 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:43.400 Friends, God has given us a mission. 00:27:44.320 --> 00:27:45.680 He has given us the purpose. 00:27:45.860 --> 00:27:47.380 God has entrusted his gospel, 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:50.460 his mission to insufficient servants like us 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:54.240 so that the world may come to know an all-sufficient God. 00:27:55.360 --> 00:27:56.420 So let us trust him. 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:01.200 Let us follow his commands wherever he may lead. 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:02.819 This morning as we close, 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:05.660 maybe perhaps you find yourself in a season of doubt, 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:08.360 unsure of God's presence or power. 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:09.600 I just want to tell you today, 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:12.180 God's grace is sufficient for you. 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:13.980 As David mentioned earlier, 00:28:14.120 --> 00:28:16.180 your salvation is the most important step for you. 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:17.420 If you've never given your life to Jesus, 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:18.819 that's where we start. 00:28:18.819 --> 00:28:21.519 Jesus Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:23.119 so that you may have everlasting life 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:26.259 and forgiveness of sins in his name. 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:27.659 Surrender your life to him today. 00:28:28.639 --> 00:28:30.079 But maybe you recognize a cynicism, 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:31.679 a lack of faith in your life. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:33.159 Perhaps areas of your life 00:28:33.159 --> 00:28:35.139 in which you need to trust God more fully, 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:36.460 give it to him today. 00:28:37.179 --> 00:28:40.439 Don't leave from here allowing yourself to push it off. 00:28:40.500 --> 00:28:41.399 Instead today say, 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:43.919 Jesus, you are Lord and I'm gonna live like it. 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.000 Or maybe you recognize 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.399 that you've been sitting on the sidelines, 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:50.100 scared of losing the comfort and security 00:28:50.100 --> 00:28:51.019 you've come to know. 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:54.160 Friends, God is sufficient for your obedience. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:55.920 Later this year, 00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:57.580 we have opportunities to serve all the time 00:28:57.580 --> 00:28:58.620 through our church, 00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.680 through various ministries. 00:29:00.040 --> 00:29:01.780 But later as we end this year, 00:29:01.840 --> 00:29:03.560 you're gonna hear about two specific opportunities 00:29:03.560 --> 00:29:04.440 coming up in the summer. 00:29:04.860 --> 00:29:07.440 One of those being the annual Mexico mission trip 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:09.680 that I'll be able to lead first week in June. 00:29:10.280 --> 00:29:11.380 When we go to Ensenada, 00:29:11.540 --> 00:29:13.720 we build houses for families who desperately need it. 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.480 They are living with no roof over their heads 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:19.200 and we get to go and provide practical housing for them. 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:21.079 It's not an extravagant trip, 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:23.019 but it's an opportunity for you to see 00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:24.900 the genuine needs that exist in our world, 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:26.680 to connect with pastors and churches 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:28.920 in another area that speak a different language, 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:31.019 but we serve the same God. 00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:32.900 It's a really cool experience 00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:34.180 that I hope that you'll join me for that. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:36.240 If that's an opportunity that's before you, 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:37.519 I hope that you'll take that. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.420 But even more differently, 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:40.779 Pastor Brett will be leading a team 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:43.820 just above Kasumu in Kenya. 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:46.779 That's gonna be a new mission trip for us. 00:29:46.840 --> 00:29:47.820 We've taken a group of pastors. 00:29:48.039 --> 00:29:49.900 It was a great trip, a phenomenal trip. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:51.400 We recognized a lot of really cool, 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:52.120 impressing needs. 00:29:52.620 --> 00:29:53.940 And when we came to some of these villages 00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:56.080 on the western side of Kenya, 00:29:56.440 --> 00:29:57.940 what we came to realize and see 00:29:57.940 --> 00:29:59.340 is that there was a great need 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:00.980 for just some good gospel presence. 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:03.740 Most of them don't have access to God's word, 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:05.940 and that which they do have is limited. 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:08.160 Many of them speak various languages, 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:10.000 whether it's Swahili or tribal languages. 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:12.560 There's a need for some good gospel presence there. 00:30:13.019 --> 00:30:14.400 We try to do some pastor training, 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:16.620 but there's also needs for widow ministry, 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:19.440 sports camps, vacation Bible school activities, 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:21.640 even medical mission teams. 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:22.759 There's a local clinic there 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:24.160 that's an incredible opportunity 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.540 to be a part of God's mission somewhere else. 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:28.340 You're gonna hear about opportunities 00:30:28.340 --> 00:30:29.519 as we close out this year, 00:30:29.580 --> 00:30:31.340 and I hope that you'll start praying right now, 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:33.960 that you'll start practically budgeting right now, 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:35.580 that you'll start asking God, 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.960 what would you have me do? 00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:39.559 And I pray that when you pray that prayer, 00:30:40.100 --> 00:30:41.680 that your answer that you arrive to 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.240 is not just sit on the sidelines, 00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:46.240 show up on Sundays, 00:30:47.299 --> 00:30:49.980 occasionally come for a random organ celebration 00:30:49.980 --> 00:30:50.980 or something else. 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:53.960 I pray that you may look to this mission 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:54.920 that God has given you, 00:30:55.579 --> 00:30:56.279 that you may say, 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:58.220 God, I said you were Lord. 00:30:59.420 --> 00:31:02.000 It's high time I start acting and living like it. 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:03.640 You tell me where to go 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:05.019 and help me to be obedient in that. 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:06.740 This morning, 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.879 there's lots of needs that may be present here. 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:10.700 However you need to respond, 00:31:10.819 --> 00:31:12.119 I invite you during this song 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:12.960 to come to the front, 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:13.839 have others pray with you, 00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:14.839 pray in your seat, 00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:16.579 respond as God calls you to do. 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:17.680 But we're gonna pray, 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:19.519 Clay's gonna lead us in a song, 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:21.119 and I invite you as we sing, 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:22.359 if there's a way that you need to respond 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:23.839 practically during this service, 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:24.980 do so then. 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:26.000 Otherwise, 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:27.259 I would love to have a conversation with you 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:28.039 after the service, 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:29.579 or help point you into the way 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:31.099 in which you can be obedient for Christ. 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:33.119 God is sufficient for our obedience. 00:31:33.699 --> 00:31:35.980 So let us trust him and live like it. 00:31:36.419 --> 00:31:36.719 Father, 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:38.000 we wanna thank you for this day. 00:31:38.759 --> 00:31:39.019 Lord, 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:39.619 I praise you. 00:31:39.699 --> 00:31:41.939 This passage for me has been personal for a long time, 00:31:42.699 --> 00:31:43.259 in that God, 00:31:43.379 --> 00:31:46.240 I am so inadequate for you. 00:31:47.399 --> 00:31:47.779 Father, 00:31:47.879 --> 00:31:48.399 I'm a sinner. 00:31:48.699 --> 00:31:50.980 I fall short time and time again. 00:31:51.439 --> 00:31:54.279 I don't deserve to get to the privilege 00:31:54.279 --> 00:31:55.859 of serving you in full-time ministry. 00:31:56.719 --> 00:31:57.039 Lord, 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:59.599 to proclaim your word in front of others, 00:31:59.599 --> 00:31:59.879 Lord, 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:02.359 thank you for using me in such a manner. 00:32:03.339 --> 00:32:03.759 But God, 00:32:04.259 --> 00:32:05.379 the mission you've given us 00:32:05.379 --> 00:32:06.579 isn't for professional Christians. 00:32:07.459 --> 00:32:09.039 It's for all of us who follow you. 00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:10.139 Father, 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:11.039 I pray that today, 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:12.519 each of us may recognize 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:14.839 our great need for a Savior. 00:32:16.019 --> 00:32:16.579 But Father, 00:32:16.659 --> 00:32:19.399 may we throw our lives before you 00:32:19.399 --> 00:32:21.159 and say you are all sufficient. 00:32:21.939 --> 00:32:22.899 Help us to live for you. 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:23.959 Father, 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:25.819 help us to trust you more faithfully 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:27.699 in every area of our life. 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:29.860 Help us not to cling to excuses 00:32:29.860 --> 00:32:32.080 or reasons on why we should be exempt. 00:32:32.860 --> 00:32:33.180 Instead, 00:32:33.420 --> 00:32:33.660 Lord, 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:35.759 open up a door for each of us personally 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:37.519 to engage in your mission 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:39.840 and help us to be obedient to that call. 00:32:40.700 --> 00:32:40.920 Lord, 00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:41.480 we love you. 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:42.980 I pray that you may help us 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:43.940 in this time of invitation 00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:46.779 to throw our words up to you in worship. 00:32:47.500 --> 00:32:47.779 But Lord, 00:32:47.860 --> 00:32:48.840 may that be just evidence 00:32:48.840 --> 00:32:50.880 of us throwing our lives before you as well. 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:51.180 So Lord, 00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:51.700 we love you. 00:32:52.080 --> 00:32:52.660 In your name we pray. 00:32:52.840 --> 00:32:53.059 Amen. 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:54.039 I'm going to invite you to stand 00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:55.779 and sing as you sing. 00:32:55.839 --> 00:32:57.139 If you need to respond in any way, 00:32:57.220 --> 00:32:57.799 I'm down here. 00:32:57.879 --> 00:32:58.259 But otherwise, 00:32:58.480 --> 00:32:58.980 let's sing. 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:00.099 Let's praise the Lord 00:33:00.099 --> 00:33:01.319 about how sufficient 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:02.440 and great He truly is.