Zipporah, The Mother of Eliezer & Gershom

Opening

In the last 100 years alone, more than 600,000 men and women of this country have given their lives so that we may live in freedom

Today we remember them, we honor them and we will pray for them...

As I speak, hundreds of thousand of men and women all over the world, wearing their boots, are in harm’s way protecting that freedom

Today we remember them, we honor them and we will pray for them… Prayer

BREATHE!

2,000 years ago some one willingly laid his life so that we may have freedom.. not earthly freedom… not temporary freedom.. but, ultimate freedom.. eternal freedom

Freedom from bondage to sin, freedom from eternal destruction, freedom from lies, freedom from our selfish desires… freedom!

Jesus died for our sin 2,000 years ago so that whoever believes in Him, shall be set free

Galatians 5:1 NIV

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

John 8:36 NIV

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

(ask the person next to you)

Do you want to break free?

Do you remember the song, “I want to break free” popularized by the British rock band “Queen” back in 1984?… It goes something like this...

I want to break free I want to break free I want to break free from your lies You're so self satisfied I don't need you I've got to break free God knows, God knows I want to break free

I've fallen in love I've fallen in love for the first time And this time I know it's for real I've fallen in love, yeah God knows, God knows I've fallen in love

BREATHE!

Do you want to “Break Free”?

Maybe you’ve been waiting for a major breakthrough in your life

It could be that you are praying for a breakthrough to be promoted at work

Or you are graduating in high school and you are praying for a breakthrough to receive college scholarship opportunities

You’re in a middle of a big project and you’re praying to breakthrough successful results

Do you want to be Free?

The hardest jail break for us, is our self imprisonment (write these down)

Our greatest enemy is ourselves

We are our own jailer

and the only way to break free is through the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Is the Spirit of the Lord in you?

In another occasion I will talk to you about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, His indwelling and infilling

Meanwhile, let us complete today our series, May is Mother’s Month

We learned from Hannah, the mother Samuel to wait upon the Lord

The life of Eunice teaches us, specially the mothers to pass on to our children the love for God’s Word, to live in genuine faith, , and to always desire to serve others

From the experiences of Salome with the Lord Jesus, we realized that, we must do nothing out of selfish ambition, that if we are to serve God, we should remember that it comes with great responsibility and only our humility, will make us worthy to his serve Him

Today, let me talk to you about Zipporah

Who is Zipporah?

Zipporah is the mother of Eliezer and Gershom

The sons of Moses

If not for Zipporah, Moses could have not “broken free” the Israelites from their bondage to slavery in Egypt

If not for Zipporah, there could have no breakthrough for the Israelites

If not for Zipporah, there could have no freedom for the Israelites

Text: Moses Returns to Egypt

Exodus 4:18–26 NIV

18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.” 19 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. 21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” 24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

Because of the brevity of the narrative, it’s kinda obscured

But, it is believed that the reason why God sought to kill Moses was because his sons, Eliezer and Gershom are uncircumcised

He was not fully prepared to lead the circumcised people for failing to circumcise even his own sons

Circumcision is a covenant sign given by God to Abraham ()

It is also part of Mosaic law ()

But circumcision is not at all guarantee for eternity

Jeremiah 9:25 NIV

25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—

Jeremiah 9

Later on during the time of the apostles, this matter was clarified

We will save this for another time, It will take another sermon to have an in-depth conversation about circumcision

Besides, my point here is that, if Zipporah did not take the initiative to cut the flesh of her sons, Moses could have died, and there could have been no “breakthrough” for the Israelites, there could be have been no “freedom” for them

BREATHE!

What do we do to attain a breakthrough?

Just like what Zipporah did

I must take the Initiative

2 Corinthians 8:17 NIV

17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.

How to keep your enthusiasm? How do you stay enthusiastic for more than 30 years?

Positive thinking is not enough

The way you stay enthusiastic for a lifetime is found in the word “enthusiasm.”

The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word en theos. En is the Greek word for the English word “in.” Theos is the Greek word for “God.” So en theos means to be “in God.”

Romans 12:11–12 NIV

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Noah took the initiative to build the ark

Abraham took the initiative to offer Isaac

David took the initiative to fight Goliath

Joshua took on the initiative to take on the leadership of the Israelites

I must do what is Lawful

Zipporah did what is lawful… to circumcise her sons is the lawful thing to do…

This is the book of God’s Law and Promises/Covenant

Do not wait for the Lord to write it in the sky for you, it was already written! It’s right here!

Joshua 1:8 NIV

8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Deuteronomy 29:9 NIV

9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.

Deutere

BUT! Only God Can Do a Breakthrough!

So we must always seek His will

I must seek God’s Will

James 1:5 The Living Bible

5 If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.

James

If you want to know God’s will, you need to do a couple of things

Admit that you need Guidance

We don’t really like to admit when we’re confused

It takes a concoction of courage and humility to admit

Psalm 25:9 The Living Bible

9 he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.

Psalm 25:9 The Living Bible

9 he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.

Psalm 25:9 The Living Bible 9 he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.”

Maybe you’ll say, I’ve been a christian for 20 years and yet I didn’t feel that the Lord is guiding me...

Maybe you don’t truly admit and ask for God’s guidance

You just decide on your own without praying about it

Ask God in Faith for Directions

James 1:5–6 The Living Bible

5 If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind;

kk

Notice there are two keys to knowing God’s wisdom

First, you’ve got to ask the right person, God… not your manicurist, not your barber, not a talk show host and definitely not the horoscope

Then secondly, you have to ask with the right attitude… expecting God to answer

Have you ever asked God to lead you, but you really didn’t expect Him to? sure you have!

That’s why you never got anything from it

BREATHE!

I am occasionally guilty of this

Last Sunday, during the Elders’ Meeting.... All of a sudden I urge the elders for us to pray for a breakthrough...

Franklin Graham - Decision America Tour...

I got sick and God immobilized me for 4 days

During which time, I was isolated in my room and God captured my complete attention...

Been thinking about the church… it’s vision & mission...

It’s been 2 years, 11 months and 13 days...

In other words, I’m serving God through Agape for exactly 1,078 days today...

Been thinking of what we’ve gone so far...

We’ve tried many different things in our hope “to build the church” and “to keep the church healthy”....

Then God asked me… “Did I tell you to build the church?”...

That question struck me really hard!

Yes, in the Old Testament, we read the Lord told His people to make the ark of the covenant, the altar, the tabernacle, and the holy of holies

But that was then, until Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the time will come when they will no longer have to go Jerusalem or in mount Gerizim to worship… John 4:21

And that time has now come… we worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth ()

We worship Him wherever there are 2 or 3 gathered in His name

God is everywhere

Isaiah 66:1–2 The Living Bible

1 Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool: What Temple can you build for me as good as that? 2 My hand has made both earth and skies, and they are mine. Yet I will look with pity on the man who has a humble and a contrite heart, who trembles at my word.

Psalm 139:7–10 The Living Bible

7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.

Seriously! These really really really got me!

I went down on my bended knees and ask the Lord for Guidance and Directions...

So, in my time of isolation, I had to consult my play book… The Bible

I read the book written by Dr. Luke… the Book of Acts…

Not just once, not just twice.. but many times over the period of 5 days…

And there I rediscovered something truly truly truly important...

From the very beginning of the church that started after the coming of the Holy Spirit…

Around 3,000 were added to the church after the monumental preaching of Peter...

I revisited the narrative in the book of Acts how the church evolved, and I don’t see anything in the New Testament that God said.. “build my church”...

In fact, in the entire Bible, the phrase “build my church” was only mentioned once in…

Matthew 16:18 The Living Bible

18 You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18 The Living Bible

18 You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.

It is so clear! no obscurity! no vagueness! super duper crystal clear! claro! muy claro!

Jesus said, “I will build my church!”

I will let you, as your homework, go ahead and scan your Bible this whole week, and if you find any part of the scriptures that says.. “YOU will build my church”.. bring it to me and I’ll buy you Starbucks coffee..

You will not find any.. but if you do, bring it to me… ‘

What you can find is this…

Matthew 28:19–20 The Living Bible

19 Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Jesus told us to MAKE DISCIPLES ...

Jesus did not tell us to BUILD HIS CHURCH....

All we have to do is make disciples, and Jesus will build His church!…

J

Like what I said, we’ve tried out many things to grow our church…

We’ve experimented biblical approaches and strategies...

But, after these few days in isolation with the Lord, I realized where God is guiding us.. where God is directing us...

I shall tell you more of this in the days, and weeks, or maybe months to come… be ready for it.. read the book of Acts...

BREATHE!

Let me ask you this question again, do you want to break free?

Prayer (pray after me)

Lord give me the courage to take the initiative

The wisdom to do what is lawful to You

The zealousness & perseverance to seek Your will

Guide me to my ultimate destiny

Direct me to the things that will bring You glory