ES007 The Dream of Beginning Again
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1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
Introduction: Have you written your New Year’s Resolutions? Those annual decisions to slim down, shape up, sort through, and generally get our lives back in order? There’s something about starting a new year that drives us to make resolutions. We like the idea of leaving behind an old year, with its mistakes and frustrations, and beginning afresh. I, myself reviewed what I put down last year as aims and failed every single one of them but it did not stop me updating it for this coming year. Really what we should be doing is updating it every few weeks and seeing whether we are on course or not. I went through years without making any resolutions because there was no point, I always fail but there is value in them and we should certainly pray about them – there are things that stop us from achieving those things that are not our fault. This year, for me was ill health that affected my concentration and stopped me achieving even the most basic of goals especially with my reading. We do not know what the future holds but that does not mean we cannot start anew this New Year. And if you were here this morning I gave us nine things to checkup which were, in brief:
How clear is my vision?
Am I growing spiritually?
Am I emotionally healthy?
Am I physically healthy?
Am I sharp in my thinking?
Am I financially healthy?
How am I growing my skills?
How am I using my time?
How is my relationship health?
But what of today’s passage? which if we were to read in full would be 3 chapters: Exodus 2-4 Moses had just run from Egypt after taking the life of an Egyptian. He needed a fresh start as he sat by that well in Median. He’d been miraculously adopted into the family of Pharaoh having been found in the water and he had the best education with access to the best schools in antiquity. He was prince of Egypt, part of the royal family. Now at midlife, he really was having a midlife crisis; he found himself alienated, by a well, in Median. Ever been by a well, wondering what went wrong?
1. His Exile Was Caused by His Own Impetuous and Violent Reactions. Sometimes we find ourselves by those wells because of things we’ve done. Maybe we intended the best or maybe not, but a combination of our actions and other circumstances caused a disastrous outcome.
2. His Exile Was Also Caused by Others. Moses looked around to see that no one was watching before he killed the Egyptian, but the story got out. Who could have blabbed? Well, he may have been seen though he thought no one was watching. Actually that is the case most time. Those things we think are secret someone may have just seen or heard. But, do you know who I think spoke: The Hebrew worker he’d saved! The very person Moses risked himself to save had disclosed the incident. Sometimes those we’re trying to help are too busy saving their own skin to worry about ours.
Here he is at 40 with his life all shaken about. The bit we skipped in Exodus 2 and 3 is where Moses took up residence in the desert, married, and became a shepherd. Forty years passed, and the story resumed to reveal some vital truths that can help us as we seek to begin again. Forty years! Here he is at 80 and his life was about to be all shaken about again.
1. Moses’ New Beginning Was Initiated by God’s Call. After four decades in the desert, Moses didn’t go looking for God; God sought out Moses. The Lord isn’t interested in us sitting by wells the rest of our lives. Has tragedy disrupted your life? It’s often after those events that God uses us most. It is time to move on.
2. Moses’ New Beginning Was Made Possible Through His Own Response. Everything that was about to happen was dependent on Moses’ willingness to act on God’s call. At first, he resisted. Notice all his excuses:
First excuse: I’m a nobody Exodus 3:11 (NKJV) 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Look at what happened last time I tried to intervene! Have you ever felt like saying, “I won’t amount to anything”? or “I’m useless!” Well, there is this glorious answer given in the next verse Exodus 3:12 (NKJV) 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Notice that God does not answer Moses about who he is for the Lord replies: “It doesn’t matter who you are; all that matters is who I am, and I’ll be with you”. Isn’t that great news! We can be a complete mess, ruined all previous endeavours, or really be a nobody but this is overcome with who God is and that fact that He is with us. This is what Christmas was about – God with us, Emmanuel. He has goodwill to all His people; even failures He can turn them about to be used by Him.
Second Excuse: I don’t know enough. Moses says: “I don’t even know Your name, God.” God’s response: “I’ll tell you what you need to know”. Frankly, it is impossible to know everything that we think that we need to know. In following Christ, we don’t know everything that’s coming; faith moves on the information already given, and trusts Him to provide the knowledge as and when we need it.
Third Excuse: I’m not a good speaker (4:10). Exodus 4:10 (NKJV) 10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” What Moses is really saying is “I’m not ready for a new beginning, God; it might require something I’ve never done before.” God’s response is found in verses 14 and 15 and is summarised as: “I’ll help you speak, and I’ll also give you a helper to speak for you”. God will provide whatever we need to carry out His call and whatever He wants us to do for Him.
His next excuse is no excuse but a result of fear: Send someone else, please! But by this time God simply tells him to get on with it. He was plumb out of excuses.
Moses’ New Beginning Also Faced Barriers. God gives us fresh starts. There are barriers to overcome, but they can be overcome with God’s help.
A. Age can be overcome. Think you’re too old to change? Moses was 80 when he experienced the dream of beginning again. Never too young, as we find with Jeremiah, and never too old as we find with Moses and others such as Caleb and Abraham and John, the Apostle, who, on the Isle of Patmos, was writing Revelation when he was about 90 years old. Indeed, you may want to read what I put in the church magazine for more encouragement in this regard.
B. Uncertainty can be overcome. All his excuses reflected uncertainty about the future. In the face of uncertainty, God assures us He’ll not send us anywhere without going with us, nor call us to a challenge He doesn’t equip us to meet.
Moses’ New Beginning Required Two Things. There are two requirements if we’re to truly begin again:
A. Beginning again requires putting the past behind you. Things that bound you in the past must be released to move forward into God’s future. Have you experienced broken dreams, broken relationships, broken promises that left you by a well in Median? Let go and move on. Cast all your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you. This is the same for the things we that we need forgiveness for. We need to accept the forgiveness given to us by God. The past can always haunt us but that has more to do with not forgiving oneself. We are always reminded of the past by Satan, the accuser, and he is normally right that we have sinned but as far as God is concerned, once we have asked for forgiveness, it is forgotten, buried, separated from us as far as the east is from the west, in the depth of the sea where a sign says: 'no fishing'. Then comes the wonder of knowing: 'I'm forgiven'. Let me quote what one of my commentaries says:
If God is not remote, and if He does not deny us the forgiveness we desperately need, why do we refuse it? “Refuse it” may be too harsh, but we certainly do not appropriate it. Thus the past is always with us, robbing us of freedom, making us heavy-hearted, preventing us from being able to use all our spiritual energy and gifts for coping with the new and moving with joy into the future.
It is time to start again and let go of the past.
B. Beginning again requires beginning. After all is said and done, you have to act. You have to keep on moving. All the promises of God are found only when you step out, trusting Him. No movement, on your part, will mean you stay where you are.
Conclusion: Only you and God know the pain and trouble of your past. But He does know, and He’ll help you to overcome any barrier that stands in the way of a new beginning. A new year and decade is beginning, filled with amazing potential. Let us be grateful for what God has done for us in the past but that is now behind us. Make it a new chapter in your life. Allow God to produce a new beginning through the power of His love and grace.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
God is into new starts. We have a new start with a new year and new decade. Let us leave the past behind and step out in God.
Communion
Communion
It was in the darkest moment of history, when it looked like the whole project had failed, where everyone was against you even God, that the greatest victory was achieved. Jesus came for such a moment. Here was God in the flesh, dying at the hands of people He had created. Behold the Man! they declared after they had disfigured Him with their whips and torture. Indeed Behold the Man! For it is He and He alone who found the way of restoring us to a right relationship with God. What was done to Him should have been done to us. What should have been said was Behold, our God! What incredible love that He went through all that to redeem us. There is now therefore no judgement for those who are in Christ Jesus because He took the judgement upon Himself. Thank you, Lord!
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Benediction
Benediction
17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Dunnam, M. D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon (Vol. 31). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.