Deflect, Reject, or Accept?

Intro:

We are going through a series on Moses. We talked last week about him having a supernatural encounter with God, as well as a supernatural calling and enabling.

But guess what, the interaction didn’t stop at the end of Exodus 3. Let’s pick it up in Exodus 4.

Exodus 4:1–17 “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.’ ” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 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.” 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? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.””

You can deflect God’s prompting.

Moses comes up with any and every excuse not to go.

He starts with saying “They won’t believe me or listen to my voice.” in verse one.

But God gave him signs to give them, showing that he came on God’s command.

Then, he says in verse ten, “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 tongue.”

Now we don’t know if he really was or not. But that is what he claimed.

But God’s response was like I made you. I know your abilities and limits. And I will be with you.

What are the excuses we come up with?

I’m not outgoing.

I don’t know what to say.

What if they don’t respond well?

God not only will overcome our weaknesses, he often uses those who are weak.

Paul talks about a thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12. No one knows for sure what it was. Probably not an actual thorn. But whatever it was, he asks God three times to remove it. And God says.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul then says “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weka, then I am strong.”

So if you have weaknesses, don’t think of it as an excuse not to obey God’s prompting. Think of it as an opportunity to witness God doing something special.

You can reject God’s prompting.

Moses flat out says “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

The excuses aren’t working. So he simply says. Please no.

It wasn’t his limitations that made Moses hesitate. It was his fear.

Fear narrows our view, magnifying the problem. Which pushes God to the edges, and makes everything else blurry. It gives power to the thing we fear, and limits the God of the Universe.

Him talking to God, through a bush burning while not being consumed is crazy.

But then God gives him multiple signs to use in front of Pharoah. And he shows Moses two of them right then and there.

But Moses’ fear captivates his attention and focus so much that he fears Pharoah more than the God who did these amazing things right in front of him.

He fears Pharoah. He fears being rejected by God’s people. Maybe he also was afraid of talking in front of others.

What do you fear that is pushing you to reject God’s prompting?

You can accept God’s prompting.

God is patient, and will still use us despite our hesitations.

I believe, help my unbelief.

The Bible is full of examples of humans failing God, coming up short, making mistakes, and yet God still uses them to do mighty things.

Adam and Eve started this whole sin thing, God still took care of them and used them.

Abraham and Sarah doubted God and tried to fulfil God’s promise himself (Through sinning), God still blessed them and gave them a son.

Jacob lied to get Isaac’s blessing, God still used him.

Moses messed up so much, God used him to lead His people.

Jonah ran in the opposite direction, God still used him.

David commited adultery, and murdered to cover it up, God still used him.

Noah got drunk, God still used him.

Elijah saw God’s power and then ran away in fear, God still used him.

Gideon was a coward, God still used him.

Peter was a hot head, saw all Jesus did, and still denied Jesus, God still used him.

Paul was known for killing Christians, Jesus still used him.

Thomas doubted, Jesus still used him.

Andrew was uneducated, Jesus still used him.

Matthew wasn’t liked by his own people, Jesus still used him.

Timothy and Mary were really young when God called them, God still used him.

Miriam and Ruth weren’t originally part of God’s people, God still used them.

Martha was a busy and distracted with all the wrong things, God still used her.

Rahab was a prostitute, God still used her.

Elizabeth was old, God still used her.

The samaritan woman has shame, God still uses her.

Everyone in the Bible God uses has flaws, messes up, and would not qualify in our minds to be used by God.

But God uses them anyway.

I was asked to speak at an event in college, and I felt like a failure, I didn’t know what to say, but someone came up to me afterwards in tears saying that God used what I said in his life.

Are you going to be used by God? Or are you going to miss out on what God is doing?

One of my favoite examples in Esther. Her Uncle Mordecai says to Esther:

Esther 4:14 “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””

God is working all the time. The question is are you going to get in on what He is doing?

Exodus 4:29–31 “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.”

How will you respond?

Group Questions: 1. What excuses do you and others your age give God when you feel prompted to do something?

2. How does knowing that God is with you change the way you might respond when you feel inadequate or unqualified?

3. What are some fears that can keep us from following God?

4. Why do you think God chooses to work through imperfect people instead of waiting for us to “get our act together”?

5. What might it look like for you this week to move from simply knowing what God wants you to do to actually responding to HIs prompting?

6. Is there something you sense God may be prompting you to do right now that you’ve been avoiding because of fear, insecurity, or an excuse? What would taking one step of obedience look like?