Messes & Miracles Wk 2

What’s up,  Common House YTH family?! If you don’t know me, my name is Josh, and I am so excited to speak to you today about something that you need to hear. We are in part two of a group of messages called Messes and Miracles. Say, “It’s about to get messy.”

Oh yes, many of you in the room today can relate to me when I say that I have messed up some stuff.

Last week we launched this series, and we begun this journey about learning about Moses messed up life. We learned that He was a miracle and should have died, but God had a purpose for the mess.

The one and only point last week was “You are a miracle”

And today, we are going to see what happened when Moses grew up, and how he made a mess of his charmed life.

We are going to jump around in the book of Exodus, but I challenge you to go back and read all of Exodus 2 through 4 this week to get some of the good details. Let’s start in Exodus 2:11.

So let’s dive into this week’s scripture:

Exodus 2:11–15 NIV

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Exodus 2:15–25 NIV

When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,  saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

Exodus 3:3–10 NIV

So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Let’s Pray!

How many of you have ever messed something up? (Example forgetting someone’s birthday, doing your homework? Right we all have messed something up.) (story of Abby and us going to paint.)

So Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s house in luxury and favor, but he knew was still an Israelite, or a Hebrew. He was around 40 years old at the time that this happened. I’m sure as he grew up, he realized how privileged he was and the injustice this his people were enslaved. Yet, he took that righteous anger into his own hands and did a terrible thing! He murdered a man. And when he was found out, he ran away to save his own life.

Moses made a big mess. Rather than going about changing things in a God-honoring way, he murdered someone. Yikes! He killed a man. I’d say by most people’s standards, that’s one of the worst things you can do in your life. And this guy is held up in the Bible as a man of faith?!

Here’s the one and only point I want you to take away from today:

One and only point: Your biggest miracle could come on the heels of your biggest mess.

So how can we do this?

1. Remember who you are.

• Repent, renounce, refill.

• Remember the cross.

2. When you fail, don’t isolate yourself

• Don’t let yourself stay in your biggest mess for 40 years.

-Today, pick yourself up and keep walking.

-Blindfold a student and have them walk by themselves.

He can’t get anywhere when he tries by himself.

But when he has people to walk beside him, he’s able to walk.

-You and I were not meant to do life alone, God intended us to walk in Community. It’s why showing up to youth group is so important. You have family here.

• James 5:16

James 5:16 NIV

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

3. The Holy Spirit is pursuing you: so be aware, listen, and obey!

• Explain how the Holy Spirit works and how we join Him.

-Simple activation to do this week:

"Holy Spirit, Show Me" Moment

Pause (30 seconds) – At any point in the day, stop what you’re doing.

Pray (One sentence) – Say, “Holy Spirit, show me where You are working around me right now.”

Notice – Pay attention to any thought, feeling, person, or situation that stands out.

Act – If you feel a nudge, follow it (pray, encourage someone, take a step of obedience).

Pray out and go into crews.