What Is In Your Hand?

Exodus 4:1–5 NKJV

1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” 3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

Introduction

God’s Call to Moses from the Burning Bush

Moses to be the deliverer

He had tried this once and failed miserably

The purpose for which Moses was born

No greater measure of success than knowing your purpose and fulfilling it

The Excuses of Moses

Moses fears rejection and failure

nobody likes rejection

nobody likes persecution

May be remembering his past failure

it could be dangerous going back to Egypt

God’s Question: What Is That in Thine Hand?

Body

God’s Question Was Simple

God turns Moses from tomorrow’s fears

He brings him to the realities of today

We need to face up to today’s realities

John 4:35–36 NKJV

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

the reality is that there is a harvest right now - there are lost souls - a gospel to preach

everything else will come to nothing, but what we do for Him is eternal

It is easy to dwell on tomorrow’s problems

Will there be a great depression?

Will I live to see my children grow up?

Will I be able to pay my bills?

Will I get COVID - or the next plague?

the fact is, we are always in danger of dying anyway - so Live - and live for Jesus

God turns Moses to the one question he can answer now

What is that in thine hand?

What do you have today?

what are your skills, resources, circle of influence, etc.

No excuses for not answering this question

I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow - but I know what I have today

So many people forsake tomorrow’s victory trying to hoard today's fading provision out of fear

many times we have found ourselves in the place of not knowing how tomorrow will go - but having enough on hand for another day

like the widow and the oil -

or the widow with the flour

the manna in the wilderness

God delights in teaching us to trust Him for tomorrow with only today in sight

and He delivers

Face the questions you can answer today

God’s Question Was Strange

Strange because God already knew the answer

Strange because Moses had so little in his hand

just this little shepherd staff - OK for herding sheep - but what was that before Pharoah?

Moses could think of nothing of value

what is that staff compared to Pharaoh's chariots and soldiers?

But Moses had a rod in his hand

He did have something - though it seemed small

do not despise small beginnings

There is no one who does not have something that God can use - ask David Ring

God would use that stick for His glory

Opening the Red Sea (Ex. 14:16)

Bringing water from a rock (Ex. 17:5–6)

Give what you have to God and He will use it

God’s Question Is the Savior’s Question

“What is that in thine hand?”

What do you have to surrender to Jesus?

The rod of God (v. 20)

Moses’ rod would become the rod of God

will whatever is in your hand become the tool of God?

Will you become the man or woman of God?

God will do more with what you have than you can

He will do more with what you have than you could ever do with what you do not have

Conclusion

Will You Surrender All You Have to Christ?

no half hearted commitments - will you surrender all?

He Will Use Your Talents If Your Surrender Them to Him

Make the commitment - ask Him to use you, and what is in your hand - and buckle your seat belt

but do you really want to?

What Is in Thine Hand?

if you don’t know, ask Him to show you

If you think your hand is empty, then offer Him your hand that He may fill it.

Will you?