Mountains of RESTORATION

From despair to repair

Restored identity

Intro

If you were to ask a group of people if they believed that God could use them to begin a revival, probably few would raise their hands.

What do you suppose would be the reason for their refusal? Many, if not all those who are asked believed that they are saved, healed, and delivered, and called by God to do great things. But yet when it comes time to actually step out and do those things, many people shrink from the responsibility of the opportunity.

Moses faced a similar situation at the beginning of his ministry and relationship with God. Moses represents every person with a destiny in God, yet they are damaged by life.

In this section, we will see how God heals Moses of his past, encourages him for the present, and motivates him for the future.

Pain of the Past

Moses’ heart was hurt by the rejection of his own people

Moses was also afraid that his past would catch up with him.

Moses was shellshocked to the point of stuttering.

Perplexed by the present

Moses must have also been disappointed that things did not turn out as he thought. He was raised in a palace, taught by the brightest intellects of the day. Yet now he is surrounded by sheep who cannot even talk to him.

Frustrated for the future

As a result, Moses felt inadequate to the point of making excuses of why he could not answer God’s call.

Fear and feelings of inadequacy are personal mountains that must be overcome to achieve our high calling in God.

Let’s follow Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and receive our personal healing and restoration. As we will find out, God needed Moses to experience personal revival to be a living Burning bush to set his hurting nation on fire for revival.

Exodus 3:1 NLT

1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

I want to talk to that Moses in the wilderness.

The Moses who spent 40 years I’m a first-class world power that now has little to nothing.

The Moses who spent his second 40 years and I wilderness tending someone else’s sheep.

The Moses who is now 80 years old – wearing tattered clothes instead of a royal robe,

The Moses was born in Hebrew and an heir according to Abraham’s promise yet living far beneath his rights and privileges.

The Moses who is carrying a shepherd’s staff instead of a scepter

The Moses who is walking around in the wilderness instead of kneeling in God’s house and helping God’s people.

A – Revival Restores IDENTITY

– Jethro’s son in law to God’s friend

Jethro = the SETTLED PEOPLE

Jethro’s son in law vs God’s spiritual son

A broken identity says “ I don’t deserve it”

Because Moses was a broken, and damaged individual,

He was having an “identity crisis”

Moses seemed to “identify” as “Jethro’s son in law”

Moses SETTLED DOWN by marrying into his uncle’s family instead of his father’s family.

Moses married into Jethro’s family

Moses lived in Jethro’s CITY

Moses took care of Jethro’s SHEEP =

Settle is always down, never up

The result of these choices could possibly display outwardly how Moses felt about himself inwardly.

Don’t Settle your identity!

See yourself how God sees you, instead of how people may see you.

How we see ourselves affect how we see others.

Let’s first look at Moses natural and spiritual relationships.

Moses’ father-in-law, seemed to be an imitation of Aaron, God’s coming high priest

Life lesson: Don’t settle for less than God’s VIEW of you.

Naturally speaking, it seems that Jethro, who was Moses’ father-in-law was an imitation of God the Father by how Moses looked up to him for direction, counsel, and guidance

Although we should honor and respect our elders, we must never let them take the place of our heavenly Father.

Spiritually speaking, It seems that Jethro, who was a priest of Midian, was an imitation of God’s High Priest who was to come through Moses’ brother, Aaron.

Perhaps Moses didn’t think that he could do any better or deserve any better.

Moses’ identity was being formed in the wrong way.

Before Moses met God, he could be known as Moses of the Midianites rather than Moses of the Israelites.

Without a strong sense of personal identity, we also could easily settle for imitations and substitutions.

Moses’ real problem was not the desert, Pharoah, the sheep or the Israelites

Moses’s real problem was Moses! How He saw himself

A revived soul will not settle for imitations!

Personal application.

Your real limitations are not your spouse, your kids, your job, the government, or the church.

Your real limitation is you!

We limit out altitude by our attitude – our self-worth

We will never do more than we think we can

It’s time to get healed of our past hurts and move on as the army of God!

The Blood of Jesus is stronger than your sins!

A revived soul will not settle for imitations.

B – Revival Restores SECURITY

= MIDIAN – man vs God

Midian = the “settled” place. Or location Midian vs Mt. Sinai

Before the first revival came to Israel, their future leader settled INTO a foreign land

Insecurity says “I can’t DO THAT”

40 years earlier before seeing God’s burning bush of revival, Moses fled from Egypt settled in a land called Midian.

Midian was far enough away from Egypt for safety and remote enough to provide privacy.

The term settle means to accept something less and the best.

Here are some examples of individuals who “settled”, leading up to the time of Moses.

Although he was the first person called by God to go to the land of Canaan, Abraham’s father settled in the land of Ur.

Ur represents convenience.

The result was that Abraham’s father never saw the promised land.

Our lesson is that God is our direction.

Later, Abraham’s grandson Jacob (also known as Israel) family settled in Egypt.

Egypt represents security from the famine.

The result was that Israel became enslaved the very people who used to bless them.

Our lesson is that God is our protection.

Now many years later, it is Moses that settled in the land of Midian.

Midian represents security.

Our lesson is that God is our provision.

Midian also represents the wilderness of man’s efforts,

Instead of the land flowing with milk and honey, land of Midian was dry and barren.

Are you settling today for less than God’s best?

Midian was close to Mount Sinai, illustrating the presence provision and power of God.

Mt. Sinai

· the place where the Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites

· Identity – a critical location in the history of Israel and a key component of their national identity.[1]

What are the chances that Moses would one day find himself right next door to God?

But God drew Moses to Him!

Like Moses, you could be very close to your own personal revival!

God is faithful to draw our wayward children back to Him! He is faithful!

C – Revival Restores AUTHORITY

- from shepherd to Prophet

Shepherding = the settled POSITION or vocation

Moses’ shepherding natural sheep of Midian was an imitation or substitute of leading GOD’S sheep of Israel.

Moses was serving under those he was to be leading over.

We can bring revival to others to the point that we are revived ourselves!

Revival AUTHORITY can come only through restored IDENTITY and SECURITY

Life lesson: Don’t settle for less than God’s PLAN for you.

It’s easy to settle, lazy, minimal effort it’s easier to deal with sheep than people.

Notice the parallels of these imitations:

Moses was so close yet so far from his destiny.

God restores Moses’ HOPE

Exodus 3:2 NLT

2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.

Exodus 3:3 NLT

3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

God restores Moses’ IDENTITY

Exodus 3:4 NLT

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied.

· Theophany – Mt Sinai was where God chose to reveal Himself to Moses

Moses’ identity is so important to God that it became the second item that God addresses, after announcing His own identity!

Moses means “he who is drawn from water”

Drawn by who? GOD’s hands

Drawn for what? GOD plans!

Your personal revival begins with realizing who you are in Christ!

God restores Moses’ SECURITY

Exodus 3:5 NLT

5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

After God recognizes who Moses is, It is now time for Moses to recognize who God is.

God restores Moses’ AUTHORITY

Exodus 3:6 NLT

6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

In one moment of time, Moses remembered his spiritual and national heritage.

For 40 years Moses was serving his father-in-law from Midian.

But God did not introduce himself by Abrahams’ sons by his other wife or any of his concubines.

God introduced himself to Moses as the God of his ancestor Israel, not his half-brother Midian!

· God is the God of the super not the natural.

· God is the God who doesn’t settle!

· God is the God who still here while you were still out there in the world! – “I AM!”

· Moses remembered the AUTHORITY of His FAMILY

· Moses received his SECURITY through his IDENTITY

Revival starts personal, then national.

We, as the children of God, must know our identity in God.

We must always protect and exercise our God given rights as his covenant children.

Only then can we Bring others to the Lord, leading to not only national global revival.

What defines you?

Do you remember who you are in Christ?

God will use your life experience for your future ministry.

What defines you?

Education, career, family (I’m Jack Shriver’s boy) or God? OR YOUR PAST?

Don’t let the revival of the future be thwarted by the failures of the past!

Don’t let the enemy “beat you down” by condemnation.

Many people today seem to “identify” as something they are not.

We all need to see ourselves as God sees us. Loved, wanted, useful, significant and valued!

Do you remember who you are in Christ?

What does the Bible say about your covenant rights and privileges the Jesus died to give you?

If you don’t know the answers to these basic questions, then it is imperative that we not only read God’s word but study it and live it.

Only then will we have security in our identity empowering us to never settle again for less than God’s best.

Galatians 3:29 (NLT)

29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Here’s some more encouraging news:

Life lesson, God will use your life experience for your future ministry.

NT – Jesus turned Peter and John into fishers of men.

· Imagine what God can do through you, with all the education and experience you have gained up to this point! Nothing is lost in God.

· Your experience was not for nothing, it was the set you up for success in God.

[1]Swann, J. T. (2016). Sinai, Mount. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.