A Leader that Moves God

In 1940, Professor J. Edwin Orr of Wheaton University led a group of theology students to England, where they visited sites of great revivals. One of their stops was the Epworth rectory. The rectory now serves as a Methodist museum, but it was formerly the home of John Wesley, the famous reformer who led a wave of spiritual renewal in the 1700s and founded the Methodist movement.

As a man of prayer, Wesley interceded for revival to sweep through England and spread to America. Dr. Orr pointed out two worn places on the carpet next to Wesley’s bed, where the man knelt for hours in prayer each day, crying out for revival. And, as history tells us, that’s exactly what happened. Heaven broke in and revival broke out.

As the tour concluded, the students loaded the bus. After counting them, Orr noticed one was missing. He returned to the house, and eventually located the lost student in John Wesley’s bedroom – kneeling on the worn impressions where Wesley had fervently prayed for revival. The student was repeatedly pleading, “Do it again, Lord! Do it again… And would you do it again with me.”

Placing his hand on the young man’s shoulder Orr said, “Son, it’s time to leave. Everyone’s on the bus.” The student slowly rose. Then that young man… Billy Graham… joined the rest of his class, and through him, God did it again!

Today’s big idea:

All of us are leaders.

We have the opportunity to mediate between God and those we lead.

A leader that moves God’s heart prays to mediate for the people they lead.

• Yet God expects man to pray. Jesus calls us to pray. The Bible says we do not have because we did not ask.

• Even the Lord believes in prayer. God responds to prayer. We saw that when God responded to Abraham’s plea for Sodom (Gen 18).

Now we are going to see it again in Exodus 32, when God responded to Moses’ prayer. Let’s turn in our bibles to Ex 32:7-14

We will pick up the epic story of God’s people, Israel, led by Moses through the deserts—In this chapter— you may see that the people are going to make a tragic mistake in judgment. God will become extremely angry— yet God responds to Moses’ prayer for the people. Moses did not force God into doing something God didn’t want. In fact, his prayer aligns with God’s will.

• His prayer reflects God’s heart- back to God himself. God is gracious and compassionate, slow to judge and abounding in love.

• How can we move God in our prayers? We see 3 qualities in Moses’ prayer.

A Leader that moves God seeks to honor His name. (v.11-12)

• Earlier in the chapter, we read that Moses had left the people and had gone up on the mountain to meet alone with God.

• When he did not return, the people persuaded Aaron to make this golden calf and they worshipped this calf.

• It was not out of ignorance. God has just clearly commanded (Exo 20). It was a violation of the first 3 commandments – no other gods, no grave images, don’t misuse my Name.

Exodus 20:1 NIV

1 And God spoke all these words:

Exodus 20:3 NIV

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:4 NIV

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

Exodus 20:5 NIV

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

God informed Moses – up on the mountain, not knowing what was happening.

Exodus 32:7–8 NIV

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

What jumps right off the page at you?

Look at the pronouns: “your people”— “whom YOU”

Why would God explain it this way?

Exodus 32:9 NIV

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people.

Exodus 32:10 NIV

10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

• Why didn’t He act on it? He’s God after all. What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?

God did the same thing with Abraham (Gen 18) when He shared about destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham pleaded for the city.

Genesis 18:23 NIV

23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

• You get this sense that, God is not quick to judge. But more importantly, God wants to commune with man. He wants to hear man’s input.

• What do you think, Moses? This is what is happening. I want to destroy them and start afresh with you. You are their leader, what do you think?

This is our God. Such interactions are pictures of PRAYER. That’s what prayer is all about, when God and man engage into a dialogue.

Mature prayer is not a monologue; it is a dialogue.

If prayer were only a monologue— then God is the one who should do all the speaking!

• He is God. He decides and it’s final. Everything that comes from Him is a command. But that’s not a biblical picture of prayer.

• Abraham was able to move God. And now Moses too was able to move God to “change” His plan. (That’s how man experiences it.)

Prayer moves God. Our prayer makes things happen. It does not correct His will, it fulfils His will.

Mature prayer does not correct God’s will, it fulfills it.

• Treasure every prayer moment you have. Every word counts. Every request matters. God is moved when we seek to exalt His Name.

Moses’ prayer was admirable considering the fact that these people had not been very appreciative of him.

He obviously has had some problems with these people as well! He’s heard the grumbling and he knows them well!

• If he had been thinking for himself, he might as well said, “Yes, that’s right. Destroy them and start afresh with me. You can make me into a great nation.”

• If Moses had a desire for personal glory, that could happen. But he prayed instead on the basis of God’s reputation with the Egyptians.

Exodus 32:11 NIV

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

Exodus 32:12 NIV

12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.

That was what moved him to pray. He was concerned for God’s Name, or His reputation.

• Jesus taught us to pray this way (Lord’s Prayer):

Matthew 6:9 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

• It’s the first line because that is our first concern.

• God is moved by the heart that genuinely seeks His glory.

A Leader that moves God trusts God’s promises.

Exodus 32:13 NIV

13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ”

This is the exact quote from Genesis 15. This is the promise that God gave to Abraham, but lets look closer at the exact words from God that Abraham received:

Genesis 15:13 NIV

13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

Genesis 15:14 NIV

14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

Genesis 15:5 NIV

5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Moses held on to God’s promise. He pleaded on the basis of what God has said He will do.

Pray the promises of God back to Him. (v.13)

• That’s what gives us hope, and that’s what moves God – our faith in His promise.

Your faith in God’s promise.

• What pleases God is our belief in His promises, our trust in His Word. That moves God.

What if we do not know what God has promised, or there are some situations in life that God did not say anything about? What if we do not know His will?

• We pray according to what we know, as revealed in His Word.

Here’s an example— just one of many that you will find in scripture:

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“Lord, I will not be afraid of my situation, you are with me. I won’t be dismayed because you said in Isaiah 41:10 that you will be my God, you will strengthen me and help me. You promised to uphold me with your right hand, and I trust that you will do that right now” Amen!

Pretty nice eh? How about another one?

Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

“Lord, I trust you with all my heart. I don’t want to make this decision all by myself, in Proverbs 3:5-6, you promised to make my path straight. I trust you and in all my ways help me to submit to you.”

• We pray with faith and with boldness that God’s will shall be done. That’s what Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Moses laid hold of God’s promise and prayed.

• He himself did not live to see the fulfilment of the promise about the Israelites inheriting the land of Canaan.

• He prayed in faith and believed God will fulfil what He promised. He made a difference, a great difference in the lives of these people as a mediator.

A Leader that moves God seeks to bless people.

Moses’ prayer was made in the light of all the complaints and criticisms that he had received from the people.

• He was not praying for his good friends or people who have been supporting him.

• Prayer motivated by compassion pleases God. It echoes God’s heart.

If we fast forward just a bit in the story— Moses deals very sternly with the people:

Exodus 32:30 NIV

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

And then in front of God he restates the issues, and asks for God’s forgiveness:

Exodus 32:31 NIV

31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.

It was a great sin - Moses is the mediator— A Christ-like image, once to the people and once before God - but God’s grace is greater.

Moses did not minimize sin, he confronted and confessed it. (v. 30-31)

• Moses did not brush it aside, he did ignore it or minimize it. He confronted it and confessed it in prayer to God.

• He took a hard line against sin yet gave room for repentance. He loves God and he loves the people.

• That’s the way to true blessings in life. Not to go soft on sin, but to stand firm and extend God’s grace.

• His prayer to bless the people affirmed God’s heart and will.

God is moved by leaders who seek to honour His Name,

take hold of His promises, and bless His people

.

• Such Leaders move God.

We are all in positions of influence. We are parents and grandparents, supervisors, business owners, crew leaders— team captains, whatever it may be—

How can we grow in becoming leaders like Moses that move the heart of God?

Moses was like Jesus in that he was both close to God, closer than any man in his generation— yet also a human being. You too can be used because of your unique experiences and life—Close to God and close to people.

How might you pray more deeply— connecting with God about the

Honor of His name

The great promises He has given us

The blessing He desires for our lives and the lives of those around us.

• Pray that God’s Name would be exalted in everything we do—

Prayer isn’t a matter of getting on your knees. Prayer is the elevation of the heart to God and that is all a man needs to praise, to pray and to worship.8

A. W. Tozer

Moving to the Elder selection LOT