Exodus 18 - Refugee: Leading with Balance

KNOW: Leaders share the work of ministry, or they suffer burn out

DO: Give away ministry so you can do the ministry God has called you to

Introduction (Hook)

Moses has sent family away to do the work of God. His life, from sunrise to sunset, was consumed with needs of the complaining people. He was living a life out of proper balance.

Father-in-law advise

A leader out of balance will be less effective

(NLT)

1. Stop trying to do it by yourself

God called Moses to lead the people and he is bogged down with daily toil of judging the people.

Moses had been called by God to specific ministry. He was to serve as the voice of God to the people, to represent the people before God, and to teach the people the statutes and Law of God. This is a ministry that only Moses can do. And yet we find him spending his day with the people serving in a ministry role that he is not called to do. The role of judging the people is ministry that others can and should be doing.

He was not able to teach the people the statues of God and his laws because he was too busy dealing with the disputes of the people. The tyranny of the urgent and the lack of developing leaders caused Moses to be less effective at doing what only he could do. . . teach the people the things he has learned from his time with God.

1 Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt.

English Standard Version Chapter 18

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16

You can’t do it all alone. You need people to sit with you to be effective. The Christian life is to be lived in community. We are not to try to shoulder the burden alone. Stop with the ‘excuses,’ stop being the ‘martyr,’ stop feeling like it all depends on you!

Exodus 18:13–16 ESV

The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”

Exodus 18:

2 Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in. 3 (Moses’ first son was named Gershom, for Moses had said when the boy was born, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 His second son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my ancestors was my helper; he rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.”) 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses’ wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses, saying, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and your two sons.”

2. The task is too heavy

No matter how good you think you are, you can’t do it all. You will wear yourself out and you will not be effective in your leadership. A real danger of leading is getting worn out. Burn out is a real thing!

13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.

Doing ‘good’ at the expense of your purpose/calling is not good for ministry. It’s not

14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”

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Exodus 18:17–18 ESV

Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.”

3. Listen to wise counsel

As the church began to grow, the apostles were getting found burden of the church to be too big. They realized the main thing was getting lost because the task was to much for them to do along. They recognized the need to find help to carry out the service of ministry.

Acts 6:2–4 ESV

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Listen to wise counsel

17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed.

Make sure to pay attention to the counsel offered by Godly people in your life.

2. Tell the story of your deliverance

The wise counsel of God’s grace.

Moses was to represent the people before God, warn the people of the statutes and laws of God, teach them how to live according to the statutes and law of God. By being the judge of the people, he was unable to effectively do the work of ministry God had given him to do.

By listening to the counsel of Jethro, Moses would be able to shed the work of ministry he was doing, to do the work of ministry he was called and equipped to be doing.

When the Good News of the work of God is shared, it changes people’s perspective.

Exodus 18:

Exodus 18:19–23 ESV

Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

4. Let others help carry the load

7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other’s welfare and then went into Moses’ tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles. 9 Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians.

Compare with

The model of the church is to lead together. The older leading the younger. Mothers leading. Dads leading. Older ladies leading younger ladies. Many hands make light work.

3. Lead people to Worship

Exodus 18:24-

Exodus 18:24–27 ESV

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

The message of the Gospel invites people to worship in the presence of King Jesus

Compare to early church

*NOTE: Lord’s Supper and Worship

As the church began to grow, the apostles were getting found burden of the church to be too big. They realized the main thing was getting lost because the task was to much for them to do along. They recognized the need to find help to carry out the service of ministry.

10 “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

Acts 6:2–4 ESV

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came out and joined him in a sacrificial meal in God’s presence.

Next Steps

*  I have heard the story of God’s deliverance and today, I ask Jesus to deliver me. I want to have a relationship with Jesus.

- I have been filling my life with activity and am not effectively leading others. Pray that I get my life into balance.

+ I will share the Good News of Jesus with someone this week.

Discussion Questions:

When has your life been out of balance? And what impact did it have on your ability to share Jesus?

What are some specific activities in your life that you need to cut out to bring your life into better balance?

When you look over your relationship with Jesus, how has he delivered you?

When you experience the deliverance of God, to whom have your shared the news? What was their response?

Have you seen God work in a person’s life? What impact did that have on your faith?

How do you express worship when you share the work of Jesus in your life? What are some ways you are able to worship King Jesus privately and publically?

Ask God to put someone on your heart to be intentional in sharing of God’s goodness.