Moses: The Friend of God
Life of Moses • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION
(ILL) little boy had been misbehaving a lot…mom had enough of it…sent him to his room…stay there until you thought long and hard about how you have been acting…he stayed for a long time and finally came out…mama, I thought a lot about how I have been acting and I want you to know that I said a prayer…thats good, you need to ask God to help you be good…I didn’t ask God to help me be good, I asked God to help you put up with me
What do you pray for people who are hard to put up with?
That must have been on MOS’s mind after The Golden Calf
MOS was a Godly leader b/c he was a Godly interceder…he believed in leading by pleading for the nation
Because he did that there was a different ending for them than it could have been
1 thing to fear = the absence of God…two weeks ago
While they were building the GC…MOS was on the MT getting the Law and plans for the tabernacle God wants to live with His PPL…but their sin took them out of this promise…God told MOS that He was not going to the Promised Land…they would not experience His presence
MOS could have accepted that as a fair offer b/c earlier God was going to destroy them
9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people.
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.”
MOS was thinking…God isn’t going with them but at least He isn’t going to kill them
Think about the offer and the test MOS got
THE OFFER TO MOSES
God was giving him the chance to become the center of human history and you will be free from leading these PPL
MOS = had to be thinking…PPL are destroyed…I am the leader of a new nation…sounds pretty good
All MOS had to do was leave God alone and it would have been done but MOS would not do it…he would not leave God alone…no true intercessor will
Like ABR (Sodom and Gomorra)…MOS stood up for PPL that were not worthy…he stood between them and God MOS asked God to write a different ending to the story…even though the PPL did not deserve any mercy
How do you feel about PPL who are hard to put up with
THE TEST OF MOSES
(ILL) William Booth…walking down the streets in London…bad part of town…son - Willie 12 years old…took him into a saloon…filled with smoke and smell of liquor and prostitutes…took him in the middle of the bar…these are your PPL, you need to live for them and bring them to Jesus
God wanted MOS to do that…God had called them “your people” earlier…He was testing MOS to see what kind of man he was…MOS was praying for these people When you study the history of nations in the Bible…the future is influenced by the prayers of someone or the lack of prayers of someone
Do you know why ISR went into captivity…their sins…and the lack of someone who stood in the gap
ISA. 59:16
16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
16 And he saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor: Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; And his righteousness, it sustained him.
There was no one willing to stand up and speak up for ISR
30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.
We want to talk about how to stand in the gap for our nation or people…let’s see what Moses prayed for
“PLEASE TURN FROM YOUR FIERCE ANGER”
That is a good place to start when you pray for your nation
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?
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.
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.’ ”
14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
MOS made sure God knew that the PPL were God’s PPL…everyone is God’s PPL no matter where they live
He has the whole world in His hands…red…yellow…black…white…He made them all
1 = do you remember all the things you did to being the PPL out of Egypt…you went far
2 = what will the neighbors say about you…concerned about your reputation
3 = brought up God’s promises to the PPL
Never once did MOS bring up the merits of ISR…it was based on the character of God
MOS was not going to settle for the absence of disaster…he wanted the presence of God
“PLEASE RETURN YOUR PRESENCE TO THE PEOPLE”
Not enough to not destroy them but come back to the people
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
You have to be impressed with the boldness of MOS…he was not going to keep this relationship to himself
Some CHR just want to keep the fellowship with God to themselves, too bad about everyone else
MOS wanted the PPL to experience what he had experienced
You also have to impressed with the mercy of God…He is willing to show grace to many b/c of the petition of a few
A God who was open to doing different than His announced purpose b/c the PPL asked Him to
The openness of God to change His mind is what encourages us to pray for ourselves…others…church…nation
God is eager to send revival to PPL that pleases Him
What does it look like to please God…what was it about MOS that pleased God?
3 things that are important if we are wanting to plead for people….nation
WE NEED REPENTANCE (MUST STAND FOR HOLINESS)
No petition can expect God to wink at sin ISR was involved in immorality and idolatry…they were wild and out of control
One thing that always accompanies false worship is sin…We must view sin with indignation and not just indifference
MOS came down from the mountain and saw what was going on and he smashed the tablets
Most of us say that MOS lost his temper and should not have done that…where does it say that…he was never rebuked for breaking the tablets
He was deliberately symbolizing the breaking of the covenant by ISR…doing it right in front of God MOS had to act fast and he did 3 things…
Took the calf and ground it up
Took the powder and put it in the water and made them drink it
He is intentionally exposing the worthlessness of that calf…the thing you worship will be your waste
MOS got in Aaron’s face and confronted him…the Lord was ready to kill AAR according to DEUT
MOS got rid of the cancer of sin
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.
26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ”
28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
That would not happen today…by killing thousands he saved millions
MOS demanded that ISR make a choice…he had a firm stand for God
Do you want God to move in our nation…then God’s PPL must get serious about sin
We need a time of refreshing to sweep across this nation…repentance must first
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
WE NEED BROKENNESS (MUST HAVE A SENSE OF BROKENNESS)
Revival never comes to PPL who do not have a burden for the way things are
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.
5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.
2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
(ILL) William Booth…sent 2 young men This was what happened with two struggling Salvation Army officers who felt as if nothing worked as they tried to get people to repent. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army said, “Try tears.” And when they began to mourn revival broke out.
Churches are famous for programs.
They try all sorts of gimmicks, but when confronted by the awfulness of this sin filled world, a world and a people we no longer recognize, gimmicks and programs won’t work.
Instead let’s try Booth’s suggestion, let’s try tears.
How many tears have been shed for nations…how many tears for USA…how many tears for the lost
Who cares about the lost…people without Jesus…foreign countries…on our streets…in our homes…at our jobs
Have we ever been asked to cry for people…we have God, I guess everyone else is on their own
There is a whole world that needs God…do you care?
WE NEED PASSION (MUST HAVE A SIGN OF EARNESTNESS)
The heart of the matter is still a matter of the heart
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.
32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
We cannot doubt MOS’ passion I don't want us to get confused…it is not “say a short little prayer and everything is ok”
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger.
19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me.
He stayed there for 40 days fasting and praying
What do you want for PPL…judgment or revival
God was pleased with 1 man and a whole nation had a different ending
After 40 days on the mountain MOS came down and said “let’s build a house for God” and they did
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;
37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.
38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
For the rest of the time God was not on a mountain but in the middle of the camp
(ILL) 2 women sewing their husbands pants…my husband is upset with church and he is going to resign as a deacon and quit…my husband is very excited about the future and sees God moving…kept right no sewing…the first sewing the seat and the second sewing the knees
Prayer makes a difference…it moves the heart of God
Our prayers does not change the end that God has planned but it does change the means of getting there
God has chosen to allow our prayers to change the way
He gets to His ordained end We can affect the way the story gets written when we pray…We must plead for our nation
(ILL) 1857 Revival Jeremiah Lanier…he became a CHR 31 years old…46 years old his church asked him to become a street evangelist in NYC…not successful…started a prayer meeting…put up posters in town…September 23, 1857 prayer meeting at noon on the 3rd floor of a church on 4th street…6 showed up for the first day from 4 churches…next week 20 guys…40…everyday…6000 people in 6 months everyday…spread the nation…within a year there was 15,000 towns had mid-day prayer meetings…1857-1859 over 1 million PPL became CHR only 30 million in the nation…1 man prayed that started it…Philadelphia…young minister Dudley…YMCA 5000 people came everyday…he read from EX 10:11…I started by telling you about the great prayer revival of 1857. It moved from New York to Detroit, Buffalo, Washington D.C. and it moved to Philadelphia in a powerful way. One of the leaders in Philadelphia was a young man named Dudley Ting. He started a noonday prayer meeting at the YMCA, and some days 5000 people would come at noon and pray. One day Dudley stood up and he read Exodus 10:11, "Go ye that are men and serve the Lord." He then said, "I had rather my right arm cut off than not give you that word." Later that week Dudley went out into the country to see some friends. While in a barn at his friend’s place he got his arm caught in a corn threshing machine and the main artery in his arm was severed. They took him to a bed and tried to save his life but he had lost too much blood. So his friends gathered around him and asked him what he would like to say. He said, " Tell them to stand up for Jesus." So the next Sunday his good friend George Duffield stood up at church and preached in memory of his friend. He said, "I just finished writing a poem in honor of Dudley and I want to read it to you." Stand up, Stand up for Jesus, ye solders of the cross. Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall He lead, till every foe is vanquished, for Christ is Lord in deed. Stand up, Stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey. Forth to the mighty conflict in this His glorious day. Ye that are men now serve Him, against unnumbered foes. Let courage rise with danger and strength to strength oppose. Stand up stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long. This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song. To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be, he with the king of glory shall reign eternally. All across America, city after city people would meet for one day and pray for their country, and sing Stand up Stand up for Jesus. It’s time to decide if we want to do business with God.
