Heroes: Moses

Introduction

So who have we talked about so far.

Adam- was the first adam, to show Christ as the last and perfect adam.

Noah- Trusting and obeying God has it’s blessings; the ark is a picture of Christ.

Abraham- God calls us to do crazy things, for Christ, like to go to a foreign place to witness.

Joseph- Bad things still happen to good people, but we can be content because we have Christ.

So we finished Genesis, and now we come to the next book.

Who are we going to talk about now?

We’re gonna talk about Moses.

Have you ever been in a situation where you let your emotions get the best of you? ** Tell story of driving back with food from town to ranch and thinking about Harriett and crying.

So I let my emotions get the best of me, and tonight we are going to talk about how Moses let his emotions get to him.

Emotions- a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

Emotions are not a bad thing. However, they can become a bad thing if you let them affect you and control your thoughts and actions.

Exodus 2:11–21 KJV 1900

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

**Context, israel in slavery, growing too fast, pharaoh kills all boy babies, moses mother hides him, floats him down a river to pharaohs daughter, raised as an egyptian

1. Moses was Angry (v. 11)

Angry- feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility

Is anger always wrong?

John 2:13–17 KJV 1900

And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Jesus was angry at sin

a) He was blessed

So because Moses was raised as an Egyptian and not a Jew, he had the easy life. The Jews were slaves to the Egyptians and had to do back breaking work. But Moses was basically the Pharaohs grandson so he had an easy cushy life.

b) His brothers weren’t (v. 11)

Moses was justified in his anger, like jesus was. He was angry at the sin of a man beating another man.

but he reacted the wrong way

c) He reacted (v. 12)

responding vs reacting

responding- is remaining calm, considering all options, seeking a biblical solution, taking godly steps, etc

reacting- is rushed, aggressive, dismissive, letting your flesh control you instead of the spirit

2. Moses was Anxious (v. 14)

Anxious- experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

a) He wasn’t accepted (v. 14)

We talked about this last week, every body goes through seasons in their life where they feel lonely, left out, like they don’t belong, etc

b) He was wanted (in the bad sense) (v. 15)

Pharaoh wanted to kill him

c) He ran (v. 15)

He reacted again, by running away from his problems

3. Moses was Accommodating (v. 17)

Accommodating- willing to do a favor or to fulfill someone’s wishes or needs

a) He stopped running (v. 15)

The average person can walk about 25-30 miles a day. Midian is roughly a little over 400 miles from Egypt, so it would’ve taken Moses at least two weeks to get to the land of Midian

b) Shepherd’s chased (v. 17)

explain

c) Moses helped (v. 17)

He finally stopped focusing on himself and focused on others

4. Moses was Appeased (v. 21)

to be appeased means to be at peace, relieved, satisfied, or content.

Because he finally submitted to God and did what he wanted, he was blessed

a) he was blessed with food

b) he was blessed with a wife

c) he was blessed with a home and job

Conclusion

Moses let his circumstances make him become angry, and he acted on his anger by killing someone.

Because he killed someone, he became extremely anxious and fearful.

Because of this fear, he ran away.

But finally he stopped running. He stopped running from his problems and stopped focusing on himself, and started helping those around him.

When he finally began to focus on others and not himself, God blessed him and he was content. And then God was able to use him.

Questions to consider:

What emotions do I struggle with that can control my thoughts or actions?

How do I respond when I become angry?

How do I respond when I become anxious?

Do I run from my problems, or seek biblical solutions for them?

Do I focus on myself and my problems instead of helping those around me?

Do I have peace? Am I satisfied and content regardless of my circumstances?