Push Through (Part 2)

We are continuing our study in Exodus called “The Journey Ahead”…this series is the word of the Lord for this congregation as we prepare to Relaunch in October as Ambassador Church. And it is the word of the Lord to you if you sense that God is simultaneously birthing something new in your life.

Last week we started a sermon called “Push Through: 12 Principles for Surviving Setbacks and Overcoming Opposition”

We recognized that when God is doing a new thing, that sometimes the road gets rough and sometimes the way gets hard…

but if you just keep pushing and believing, you will see the promise of God manifested in your life.

Last week we looked at the first 4 of the 12-points

and we said that If we’re going to survive setbacks and overcome obstacles, we cannot be surprised when they come.

We have to maintain a State of Readiness

But, just because we’re not shocked about it, doesn’t mean that trouble will be easy.

Just because we’re not shocked about it doesn’t mean that pain won’t hurt.

Just because we’re not shocked about it doesn’t mean that struggle will not take its toll.

So we are left with the question, “how do you keep going when its hard…when it hurts…when you’re tired”?

The good news is that there is an answer to this question in text…but that answer runs counter to the narratives we hear in the culture.

I did, this week, what my generation does when it comes to these important matters of life; I asked Google the question “how do you keep going when you feel like giving up”

One article was 7 Science Backed Tools of Perseverance (Journal of Consumer Psychology) and it suggests that the scientific secret to perseverance is:

Make a List of Goals

Work Out Everyday

Make a Schedule and Stick To It

Find Your “Why”

Find Some Mentors

Stop Comparing Yourself

Take Care of Yourself and Think Positively

And as I read this advice, the obvious question I took up residents in my mind: How many people, entering this question into their Google search have the capacity to do all of these things…or any of them?

You see, it quickly became clear to me that the article had given a compelling description of what it looks like to persevere

But, it had failed to answer the question, “from where does the power come to actually do it?”

Beloved, this is the kind of advice that we develop when we attempt to write God out of the human story. When we begin to imagine that we live and move and have our being because of ourselves.

I want to make a bold suggestion:

What if we write God back into the human narrative?

What if we admit that it really is God’s narrative in the first place?

That’s what we see in the text:

Word repetition is very important in Hebrew text…it often signifies emphasis and centrality.

And when read this account of Israel’s dark trial…the word that is repeated the most…the word most intricately woven into the fabric of the meaning of the text is:

…not the Hebrew word for struggle or slavery

It is not the Hebrew form of the name of Moses or Aaron

It is not the Hebrew word for Pharaoh or King

The most used word in the text is (YHWH) the name of The Lord God

I want to preach a sermon about how to cultivate a spirit of perseverance under trial. (Spoiler alert: it has everything to do with writing God back into the narrative of our human experience)

PRAYER

If You Want To Write God Back Into the Narrative: Let God Awe You (Exodus 4:29-31

Exodus 4:29–31 (ESV)

Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.

Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.

And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Moses and Aaron come to Egypt and they gather together the elders of the people Israel…they declare to them the word and perform for them the miracles that God had given them.

And I absolutely love what the text says: when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel…they bowed their heads and worshiped

Now, you have to understand this is the exact message and the exact miracles that Moses and Aaron would bring before Pharaoh…but Pharaoh did respond with worship.

Every encounter with God is an opportunity to either rebel or to worship.

We live in a culture that promotes a Pharaoh style-rebellion-response to God

Take something simple like going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning

The culture will direct you to Johns Hopkins university website where you can learn about

Neurotransmitters and nerve cells

homeostasis and the circadian biological clock

Melatonin and SCN Triggers

Internal factors and external factors

But, then you’re read the all important line that therapies offered “can be effective for improving sleep quality and treating sleep disorders like insomnia. However, success can depend on the type of therapy, the severity of the sleep disorder, and various factors related to the patient”

Translation: WE ARE SMART, BUT WE DO NOT PERFECTLY KNOW HOW SLEEP WORKS

But when we read

Psalm 127:2 - It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Or Psalm 3:5 - I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

Our hearts have been conditioned to call it unenlightened to believe in such things…we’d rather turn to Johns Hopkins

Theologian R.C. Sproul says: You don’t have to give up your intellect to trust the Bible. You have to give up your pride.

Beloved, I used to make fun of the old saints because it seem like every testimony would begin with “He woke me up this morning and started me on way”

Now, I’m sure for some this was nothing but wrote religiosity

But, for somebody, this was a worshipful response to the reality that even though there is some science behind my laying down and waking up again…that science would fail unless God gets behind the science to make it work.

Beloved, in this Relaunch, I do not want our church to become more invested in perfecting our worship gatherings than we are in cultivating our worship response

We don’t just want a habit of getting together and singing some songs

We need a culture of recognizing that the Almighty God is alive among us and every time something happens to highlight that fact: we bow our heads and we worship.

If You Want To Write God Back Into the Narrative: Let God Lead You

When you read the text closely there are two events that create and interesting contrast

When Moses gets to Egypt, he and Aaron gather the elders…But, it is the people who go into worship

The meeting happens among the elders

But somehow, the mood of the elders permeates the people…and the whole people worship.

But later when Pharaoh takes away the straw for making bricks, we read that foremen of the people “knew they were in trouble”…

And at that moment, where do we find the people?

We see the people scattered over the land looking for sticks and stubble.

Do you see what happens?

The leaders gathered and the people worshiped

The leaders worried and the people scattered.

WHEN EVER THE LEADERS HAD THEIR EYES ON GOD, THE PEOPLE TOOK COURAGE. BUT WHEN THE LEADERS TOOK THEIR EYES OFF OF GOD, THE PEOPLE LOST HEART

This is what the scripture is describing in Proverbs 29:18 when it says “ Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint…”

And here’s something I want to point out is that when I talk about leadership here, I am not talking about me.

I’m talking about a singular, visible leader

Read verse 9 Exodus 6: 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

The people worshiped, not because Moses said so, but the elders led them to worship.

The people scattered, not because Moses became discouraged, but because the foremen lost heart.

WHAT MATTERS THE MOST IS NOT THE HEART ORIENTATION OF A SINGULAR VISIBLE LEADER, BUT THE HEART ORIENTATION OF THE FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP TEAM

What will make the difference in this nation is not so much who gets elected president in November…what will make the difference how the nations teachers, and nurses, and police officers, and preachers, and artists, and non-profit leaders respond.

In this relaunch, we are leaning into the fact that this church is for frontline leaders in our city and our region.

We are a church for people who love people.

We are a church full of

Law enforcement officers and first responders

Educators and medical professionals

Parents and entrepreneurs

Artists and Activists

And Beloved, if you are called to this frontline leadership, you have to stay in God's face.

You have keep the word of the Lord before your eyes

Because the burden of a household, a business, a family, a ministry, a movement, an organization, a community, a staff…it is too much to take on in your own strength.

The way you persevere in leadership is to be led yourself by God’s grace.

If You Want To Write God Back Into the Narrative: Let God Counsel You

Exodus 5:22-23

Exodus 5:22–23 (ESV)

Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?

For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

I love this honest moment that we get with Moses.

God had told him that Pharaoh would not listen to his words. God had not told Moses that Pharaoh would severely and brutally punish the people because of his words.

There was some shock and shame, some disappointment and some anger that Moses needed to process.

But, Moses does the right thing here with his feelings.

When he was a younger man, Moses had trouble processing difficult emotions

One day, he had an outburst of anger and killed a guy.

The next day, he stuffed his emotions, became overwhelmed by fear and shame and ran away to Midian.

But here, Moses does not stuff his emotions or lash out in his emotions.

The text says that Moses takes his emotions and “turned to the Lord”

There are too many Christians who think that praise is the only thing that we can say to God.

Moses was not turning to the Lord for a praise break, y’all.

He had doubts…he had questions…he issues with God’s decision making…he even had some accusations against God

Let me tell you something: God was here for it.

Because God is not afraid of our emotions. God created our emotions.

And there is no one better qualified to help us process our emotions if we will just turn to God with our concerns and even our complaints

He is the All-Wise-God

He is a Wonderful Counselor

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privelage to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit oh what needless pain we bear. All because we will not carry everything to God in prayer.

Beloved, when your heart is troubled you do not have to turn to

Food or Drugs

Sex or Alcohol

Gossip conversations or zodiac readings

When your heart is troubled, beloved, turn to the Lord

If You Want To Write God Back Into the Narrative: Let God Charge You

Exodus 6:10-13

Exodus 6:10–13 (ESV)

So the Lord said to Moses,

“Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.”

But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Moses was ready to give up. But, he allowed God to give him a charge.

In our generation we read that word “charge” and we may get the idea God hit Moses with the spiritual power-up.

That God gave Moses and Aaron a sudden burst of energy and confidence concerning Israel and Pharaoh…

We might interpret that God filled them with spiritual inspiration and emotional excitement.

But, is not what this word “charge” means.

This word “charge” is “the act of formally appointing someone to a specific role or duty”

This charge is a commissioning

This charge is an appointment

This charge is a calling

This charge is not the stuff of inspiration, it is the stuff of dedication.

This word charge beckons to the words of Jesus in John chapter 15 verse 16: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear much fruit…

God caused Moses and Aaron to understand that this was not just some haphazard ministry assignment that any two Hebrew brothers could just team and tackle.

God caused Moses and Aaron to recognize that they had been called and anointed for this moment in time.

Beloved this is the time to begin to get before God and discern in prayer what have you called me to do in this Relaunch.

What happens when churches undertake this kind of ministry campaign is that some people…with the best of intentions…begin to do things in the ministry

Because Pastor asked for volunteers…

Because Deaconess Bella said she needed somebody…

Because this is what I used to do in my old church…

Because this is what I’ve always done in this church…

But, beloved can I tell you that

“Pastor asked for volunteers” is not going to keep you when things to get tough

“Deaconess Bella needed somebody” is not going to comfort you when your pillow is wet with tears because of the struggle

“This what I used to do in my old church” is not going to steady in the midst of storm

And “This is what I always did in this church” is not enough to water your spirit through a dry season.

God is not looking for well-meaning, man-appointed workers…We need folks who know that they know, that they know, that they know, that they have a charge from God.

I have a charge from God concerning children

I have a charge from God concerning artists

I have a charge from God concerning school teachers or parents

I have a charge from God concerning drug addicts and prostitutes

I have a charge from God concerning this neighborhood and community

I’m in this thing with you, Prophet Chris, but it is not just because you called for volunteers, it is because God called me by name.

Beloved, we live in a culture that is constantly trying to convince us to look away from the Lord.

But, the only way we are going to cultivate a spirit of perseverance is if we understand that our God is at the very center of everything we are and everything we do.

Ultimately, we don’t want to just write God into the narrative…we want to put our God and His Christ at the Center of the Story.

The writer of Hebrews put it this way 12:1-3: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you will not grow weary or fainthearted.

Beloved there is power to persevere…

You can’t conjure it

You can’t purchase it

You can’t download

You can’t ask AI to generate it

IT ONLY COMES WHEN WE FIX OUR EYES ON HIM…IT ONLY COMES WHEN WE MAKE HIM THE CENTER OF THE STORY

Is there anybody here that wants to Look to Jesus this morning?!?!

Is there anybody here that wants to make Jesus the center of your story?!?!

Don’t know Jesus

Saved, but looking elsewhere