Faith seems small but God does Big things with it.
Legacy Faith • Sermon • Submitted
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When it comest to faith, we want to see the big things… the miraculous healings, the powerful life change, the supernatural restoration.
I love watching a time laps video.
If only our life gave us the option to choose between the time laps and the real time video.
In time laps it hides the details so we are deceived in thinking the progress is quick.
We minimize the little things but that’s how God builds our faith.
We see that God worked through Moses’ faith. He was commended for his faith but it was a journey that took him from the palace to the wilderness. Moses had to get alone with God away from the distractions, away from his past failures, away from his old identity.
It was the wilderness where Moses was personally introduced with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
That’s when God revealed HIS plan to Moses. It was only through God’s power that Moses would be used to set HIS people free from slavery and eventually lead them to the promised land.
God’s process was a slow and steady, Moses’ faith had to be stretched, and then we see God’s peoples faith had to being stretched.
Hebrews 11 doesn’t highlight the burning bush, the thunder and lightning on Mt. Sinai, or the plagues. Hebrews 11 highlighted the little things because it the little things that matter the most when it comes to our faith.
Hebrews 11:27–29 (ESV)
27 By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
PRAY
By faith Moses willing to give up the pleasures of the Palace for God’s promise.
By faith Moses did the first passover which was accepted by God as a covering of protection. Pointing to the blood of Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, covering all and protecting those who apply it.
By faith God’s people crossed the Red Sea and crushed the Egyptian army.
This is what God did after Moses encountered the I AM… the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It’s the little things that matter most.
Faith begins when we first have a personal encounter with the ONE TRUE God
Faith begins when we first have a personal encounter with the ONE TRUE God
Moses had to leave Egypt otherwise he would die.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Hebrews says that he was not afraid of the king.... Let’s go to the book of Exodus.
It says that after he was caught killing the Egyptian in Exodus 2:14 it says that he was afraid because he got caught. Then when Pharoah found out he sought to kill Moses so Moses fled to the land of Midian.
Moses met his wife in the land of Midian had a family, established some roots there.
Meanwhile, the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help and it says that God remembered HIS covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
God knew it was time to act (NLT).
Meanwhile, Moses was finding a new life in the Land of Midian. He was married, he had a family, he had a job as a shepherd watching Jethro’s flocks.
While he was watching the flocks near the mountain of God, God showed up in a burning bush.
4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
First God introduces himself to Moses, and then HE addresses the sufferings of HIS people and then HE says, it’s time to act.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
God introduces himself to Moses, addresses the sufferings of HIS people, says it’s time to act, and… well, by the way, I’m using you to do it.
Moses could have said… I already tried that but that didn’t work.
Moses could have said… yes Lord, when do you want me to go?
Being the Hebrews 11 man of faith, we would expect nothing less. Instead Moses said...
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses said, God I’m nobody special. I’m just an average “MO”.
God has a way of using “NOBODYS”
God has a way of using “NOBODYS”
But then God gives him this guarantee…
12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
5 words, God promises Moses, I will be with you.
If God calls us to go and do something that is impossible. HIS promise is that same… HE will be with you.
If God is for us, If God is with us, we have nothing to fear. God is always willing and able to do things that are difficult. If it is impossible with man, it is possible with God.
Then Moses asks…
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Then God said
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
Then the Lord further explains to Moses how the people of Israel will know who I AM is…
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
God describes HIMSELF as a generational God.
Faith is Generational
Faith is Generational
As faith is passed down from one generation to the next.
Faith may begin with you. You may be the start of a legacy of faith. Give the next generation that faith legacy that your kids and grandkids can look to.
It’s not about you, it’s about the God you put your faith in.
Moses is to remind the people who I AM is. The Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I AM forever God and I AM to be remembered throughout ALL generations.
I AM forever God and I AM to be remembered throughout ALL generations.
First, go to the Elders…
and explain that the God our fathers has appeared to me and HE has seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
God promised that HE will bring them out of Egypt and take them to the promised land a land flowing with Milk and Honey.
1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”
He already tried that and got shot down once… they won’t listen to me. Then God asks him a question…
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
God is asking us the same question...
What is in your Hand?
What is in your Hand?
God can use the ordinary, the mundane, the common to show HIS power. Whatever you have, God wants to use to do something miraculous, something supernatural, something that may seem small and insignificant but God sees it as something HE can use to show HIS power.
Moses had a shepherd staff that God transformed into a serpent.
Then God said put your hand inside your cloak and pull it out. When he pulled it out it was leprous like snow. Then God said to put it back in and pull it out again and it was back to normal.
God wants to used what we consider common to show us HIS power… it could be your voice, it could be your hands, it could be your mind, your resources, your time, your money.
What is in your hand?
What was in Moses’ hand wasn’t special, but God, who made us is able to make the ordinary into something extraordinary.
God showed Moses HIS power but Moses still doubted his own ability.
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
Moses said to God, I’m not good with words, I get tongue-tied and my words get tangled (NLT).
We all have weaknesses but remember, we will never let God down because of our weaknesses. God has no weaknesses.
Our weaknesses can quickly become weak excuses.
God is more then able to handle our weak excuses but
First, we have to take our weak excuses to God.
Secondly, don’t let weak excuses keep you from obedience.
Thirdly, God will always show HIS strength through our weakness.
11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
I made your mouth, I gave you the ability to speak. God commanded Moses, Now Go, I will be with you as you speak, I will instruct you in what to say.
God combats Moses’ excuses with faith. God said, I’m going to be with you, just GO, open your mouth and I will tell you what to say.
Then Moses ask God to send someone else and then the Lord was angry with Moses but God was still gracious and did not give up on Moses.
God sent for Aaron to speak for Moses.
We see God revealed HIMSELF to Moses.
God called him to GO.
Moses gave his weak excuses but God was faithful, God was patient Moses as he expressed his fears and weaknesses to the Lord.
And, at the end, Moses responded in faith through obedience.
Take Away
Have we had a personal encounter with the Lord?
What common thing is in your hand that God is asking you to release?
What weak excuses keep us from moving forward in Christ?