I’m
excited to be launching a brand new series today called: “Great Buts in the Bible”: Excuses we make
for not following God.
As
I read the pages of Scripture, I find ordinary people doing extraordinary
things because they’ve obeyed God,
But
I also read of ordinary people who may have missed an opportunity to do
something extraordinary because they made an excuse as to why they couldn’t do
what God had asked them to do.
For
the next few weeks, we are going to look at examples of people who were asked
to do something, but made an excuse as to why they couldn’t do what they were
being asked to do.
The
last sermon of this series will focus on a time in Jesus’ life when He was
asked to do something, and instead of offering an excuse, He said to God, “Let your will be done.”
So
I hope this series will be beneficial to you but even more than that, I pray
that God will use this series to draw you closer to Him; but first, take a look
at this video.
ILLUSTRATION- to the best of my knowledge,
I have never told anyone in a public gathering such as, this about the first
time I visited Beth’s house.
(With an intro like that,
this story can’t help but be good!)
Beth
and I had been dating for several months and she wanted to bring me home to
meet her parents-- an idea that I wasn’t all that comfortable with—so we made
the 3 hour trip from Sussex to what I thought was the middle of nowhere and I
met her entire family.
Things
were going fine until Saturday afternoon.
That
afternoon, Beth’s younger brother, Andrew and I, went down to the gravel pit to
go four-wheeling.
We had a great time zipping up and down mountains of gravel and going
fast and just being dudes.
Like
all good things, our time came to an end, and we crossed the road and proceeded
to drive up Beth’s driveway, and as I was getting closer to the garage door, my
finger accidently hit the gas instead of the break and I ended up crashing into
the garage door, leaving a sizable dent.
(PHOTO)
Trying
to save my skin, I immediately grabbed my head and yelled “ouch!”
I
remember what happened next as if it were yesterday.
I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, and said to Beth’s
mother—and her aunt and uncle who were conveniently present at the time—“Is everyone a Christian in this room?”
Almost
immediately they replied: “What did you do?”
I
told them that I had hit the break but somehow the gas got pushed and the
wheeler ran into the garage door.
As
a sign of God’s grace, Beth’s father wasn’t home that day, so I didn’t have to
face him.
Although the next time I saw him,
it was slightly awkward.
Talk about
making a good first impression… My charm must have worked, because here we are
14 years later, together, living happily ever after.
Some
of us are really good at making excuses. I’ve given my share of excuses throughout
my lifetime, and chances are pretty good that you have, at some point in time,
used an excuse or two, as to why you couldn’t do what you were being asked to
do.
So
had Moses.
Yes, you heard
me right. Moses—the man who led God’s people—the Israelites—through the Red Sea;
the same dude who received the 10 commandments, came up with an excuse as to
why he couldn’t do what he was being asked to do.
Just like my first encounter with Beth's parents that
really didn’t go over very well; Moses began his encounter with God by
giving Him an excuse.
We’re
going to pick up our story of Moses’ life in Exodus chapter 2:23, but I want to
encourage you to take a few moments this afternoon to read what comes before
this verse, and read about how God was watching over Moses right from the
beginning. It’s truly a remarkable story.
If
you have a Bible, turn to Exodus 2:23 for the immediate context for our lesson
today:
“Years
passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under
their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God.
24 God heard their
groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 He looked down
on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.” (Exodus
2:23-25, NLT2)
Pharaoh had been
ruthless with God’s chosen people, the Israelites, and they cried out to God
for help for years, and the time was right for God lead them out of their
bondage by using one of their own, who had spent the last 40 years or so living
in the desert of Midian.
Moses had come
across a burning bush that didn’t burn anything else, so as he investigated a
little more, a Voice called to him telling him to remove his footwear because
the place where he was standing was Holy Ground.
Once God told
Moses Who it was that was speaking to him, He gave Moses instructions as to
what Moses was to do next.
Look at Exodus
chapter 3 starting at verse 7:
“I have certainly
seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress
because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.
8 So I have come
down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt
into their own fertile and spacious land.
It is a land
flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
9 Look! The cry of
the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians
abuse them.
10 Now go, for I am
sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
(Ex. 3:7-10, NLT2)
Talk about quite
the task!! God was going to use Moses to bring His chosen people into a new
land.
Take a look at
Moses’ response in verse 11: “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before
Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex. 3:11, NLT2)
God spoke, Moses
got scared, so God spoke again:
“God answered, “I
will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you:
When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this
very mountain.” (Ex.3:12, NLT2)
You would think
that that would be all that Moses would need: God’s Presence going with him and
the reassurance that the people would worship God on Mt. Sinai, the very place
where Moses was talking with God.
If you thought
that, you’d be wrong. Look at the very next verse:
“But Moses
protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your
ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what
should I tell them?” (Ex. 3:13, NLT2)
Moses was
worried that when he got to the people, they would want to know Who it was that
sent him; so what would he say; what Name would he give to the people?
Ever graceful,
God have Moses the answer:
14 God replied to
Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to
you.”
15 God also said to
Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
This is my eternal
name, my name to remember for all generations.” (Ex.3:14-15, NLT2)
It was not a new
god that was going to rescue the people of Israel; it would be the same God who
had been with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and now this Same God would be with
Moses.
That was who
Moses was to tell the people who had sent him: the Great I AM.
For the next 7
verses, God commanded Moses to go and gather the people together, remind them
that God would rescue them from the Egyptians and then lead them into a new
land.
God also told
Moses that the King of Egypt wouldn’t let the people go without a fight, so God
would perform miracle after miracle until finally, the people would be set
free.
And just to
sweeten the pot, as they went, the Israelites were to strip the Egyptians of
their wealth…
Even after
hearing all of this; Moses still wasn’t convinced that he was the right man for
the job.
Look this time at
chapter 4, verse 1: “But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or
listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” (NLT2)
In response to
this, God showed Moses His power, by turning Moses’ staff into a snake and back
again, by inflicting a serious skin disease on Moses’ hand and turning it back
to normal again.
And if all of
that wasn’t enough, Moses was to take some water out of the Nile, and as he
poured it on the ground, God would turn it into blood.
That would be a
sign that God was with Moses.
But once again
Moses offered up an excuse: “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good
with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to
me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” (Ex. 4:10, NLT2)
In response to
this excuse, God said: “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak
or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord?
12 Now go! I will
be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
(Ex. 4:11-12, NLT2)
You’d think that
Moses would finally get the hint that God was going to be with him… but once
again, you’d be wrong. For Moses offered up yet another excuse:
“But Moses again
pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” (Ex.
4:13, NLT2)
The next verse
tells us that: “(Then) the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said.
“What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He
is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.
15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with
both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do.”
(Ex. 4:14-15, NLT2)
Five times Moses gave God an excuse as to why he couldn’t do what
God had asked him to do.
Five times
Moses said to God: “But I can’t!”
Five times God
said to Moses: “But I can!”
Here’s today’s take away, you might want to write it down because
you are going to need it this week: “I can’t, but God can.”
Say it with me: “I
can’t, but God can.”
On your own, you can’t bring back your wayward child, but God can.
On your own you can’t deal with the diagnosis, but God can.
On your own you can’t be nice; can’t live at peace with people or
even love them, but with God living in you, you can.
“I can’t, but
God can.”
Jesus said: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me
and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, NIV84)
So what is, what has, what could God be asking you to do?
Could He be asking you to let Him be the Lord of your life?
Could He be asking you to give up that destructive life choice that
is holding you back from living a Christ-centered life?
Could He be asking to you take a step of faith and reach out to
someone you haven’t talked to in a while?
Could He be asking you to invite your friend/neighbour/co-worker to
church?
You can’t, but
God can.
God can give
you all that you need to do what He may be asking you to do. You just
need to step out in faith and Trust in Him.
That was what God was saying to Moses: "You do what I've asked you to do, and I will help you do it"
The promise that God have to Joshua when He was charged with leading
the People of Israel into the Promised Land after the death of Moses is just as
true today as it was then:
“As I
was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5, NIV84)
God isn’t looking for excuses, He’s looking for obedience, because obedience brings blessing!
So what has God been asking you to do as of late?
Has He been asking you to give something up?
Has He been asking you to do something?
What has been, or what will be your answer?
“Yes,
God I will”
Or
“Well,
God, I’m kind of busy today, maybe tomorrow…”
If you’ve been
giving God an excuse as to why you can’t do what He’s asking you to do—even
though you know His ways are the best ways—I want to challenge you to take one
day this week and do whatever it is God may be asking you to do.
But keep in
mind, God will never ask you to do something that goes against His Word.
If you are
unsure, or need some clarification as to what it is you think God might be
asking you to do, ask a Pastor, or a trusted friend.
The challenge is
for you to take one day and say Yes to God, but before you do that, you're
going to need a prayer, so here is one for you to pray as you take one day and
say Yes to God:
“God, I can’t,
but you can. So please help me to obey what I believe you are asking me to do
today.”
Take things one
day at a time, and see how God can turn your big but into something beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment