Bringing the Word of God at The King's Church
Talk by Robin Hawkins
"Moses - The Reluctant Missionary"
Exodus 3:1 - 4:17
I want to start by looking again at this bush. It wasn't uncommon for bushes in that hot climate to suddenly burst into flames. What was unusual was that this bush was not being burnt up. It was a very ordinary bush consumed with the fire of God - and it got Moses' attention. There's nothing special about us that we should draw people to God, but when we're consumed with the fire of God, we will indeed draw people to Him.
The fact is that time and again in Scripture, and in Church history, we find the fire of God breaking out in a particular place and a particular time - and people are drawn to them to see what's going on. Those who weren't in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost missed that particular outpouring. Only those listening to Peter in Cornelius' house experienced that particular outpouring. Of course there were other outpourings, and the great thing about them is that people receive something from God that they can, and should pass onto others.
At the beginning of the 20th century, people went to hear Evan Roberts preaching in Wales, and met God in a way they wouldn't have done if they'd stayed at home. People visited Toronto in '94 & '95, met with God in a new way, and brought home a blessing they were able to pass onto others. Now it appears God is moving in a special way again in a place called Lakeland, Florida. Many are being healed. There are several medically-documented accounts of people being raised from the dead. Many are being saved. People's faith is being raised. There appears too, to be an anointing that people are taking back with them to their churches. It's true that other things are happening that I have questions about; and others do too. But if you read Terry's article in the magazine, he tells us not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. So watch this space. Let's be expectant of God doing something here too.
Meanwhile, if you hear reports of snakes being seen in meetings; skin deseases appearing as well as going, and you find some bloodstains on the new carpet, don't automatically assume this can't possibly be God! Pray for discernment!
Moses was drawn to this strange phenomena, and got a lot more than he had bargained for. He not only met God, but he discovered God knew his name before he knew God's! - And God had a job for him. It was actually the only job he'd ever wanted - but now he didn't want it.
"Who am I? Why me?" Gone is all the arrogance of 40 yrs ago. Moses now saw himself as totally Inadequate for such a task. He'd been too hasty at 40. Now he was too humble at 80yrs. For there is a good humility and a bad humility. It's good if it makes us dependent upon God. It's bad if it drives us away. "God couldn't possibly use me. I'm not good enough". If we're not careful it becomes an inverted pride. Sometimes people slip into the back row of the meeting because they want to appear humble. They feel such sinners, they shouldn't even be there!
Once in a saintly passion, I cried with desperate grief
"Oh Lord, my heart is black with guile; of sinners I am chief."
Then stooped my guardian angel, and whispered from behind,
"Vanity, my little man. You're nothing of the kind."
Such people don't feel good enough to give anything to the meeting, and be a blessing to others. They feel far too self-conscious to pray out loud, or go and pray for someone else. That indicates a problem - we're not supposed to be conscious of self. Our "self" nature is supposed to have been crucified with Christ. A right response would be, "True, I can't do it in myself; but God has said He'll be with me. So I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.
That was God's answer to Moses: "I will be with you, Moses. I'll tell you what to say. I'll even help you say it" But then He gives Moses a faith-stretching sign: "You'll know I've called you because afterwards you'll come back to this place and worship me here." That was an "after-the-event" sign that asked more of Moses than his faith was up to.
So he tries again to wriggle out of it. "I don't even know who You are." Moses pleads Ignorance. It wasn't enough for him to say "God sent me." the term "God" was a description, not a name. People worshipped many different so-called gods in those days. "Which one was it, Moses?" So he asks God His Name, and Moses gets this amazing reply that Dave talked about last week. It tells us that God personal, eternal, and unique. But it's also a name that is incomplete. "I AM.....(whatever your need is)" You finish the sentence. That's what the Hebrews did; and so we get names like Yahweh Jireh, Yahweh Shalom, Yahweh Rapha.
Anyway, now Moses knows God's name, so he can't use that excuse any more. But he doesn't give up. Next he pleads Impotence (4:1) "What if they don't believe me?" - I'm powerless to make them believe me. Every one of us must have felt like this many times. We're trying to win a friend for Christ, and somehow we're just not getting through. We're powerless to bring that life-changing conviction. God's answer then was Signs and Wonders, and that hasn't changed. God is still in the business of miraculous signs that demonstrate His love, power, and sovereignty. They don't convince everybody. Pharoah wasn't convinced, but then he had a reason not to be. The Elders of Israel were because their hearts were open to God.
Moses, meanwhile, is still making excuses, and now he's pleading Incompetence! "I'm not a good speaker. I stutter and stumble over my words." How often do I hear this one, and it really doesn't become us! "Oh I couldn't pray out loud, I wouldn't know what to say." "Don't ask me to lead that person to Christ, I wouldn't know how."
You may have heard me talk about John Piper in this respect. When he was at college, he would go into cold sweats at the thought of having to speak before a group of people. He could not string two words together without then drying up and squirming with embarrassment. When he was asked to lead the CU in prayer, he was about to refuse, but was too embarrassed to say No! He will tell you how he prayed so long and hard God about that, and God got him through it. Today John is an accomplished speaker and Bible-teacher with an internationally recognised ministry. It's God who, in our weakness, gives us His strength.
As somebody said, God does not give us the jobs we are fit for. He makes us fit for the job He gives us.
Finally Moses got to the real reason. All this was Irrelevant because He didn't want to do it! Forty years before, he'd been too ready. Now he was too reluctant. He didn't want to go back to the place where he'd been a failure. Now there's a principle here. We've got to learn to face our failures if we're going to overcome them. So often, we foul up in one place, and we think we can escape by running away. Go somewhere else. Join another church. But God doesn't let us get away with it. He is committed to bringing us to maturity as sons. So He will bring us face to face with our weakness and failure again and again until we're willing to deal with it. When we're finally willing to confess it to God, admit it to others, seek forgiveness and help, then we're on the road to victory and restoration.
When God chooses someone, He chooses them. He doesn't give up on them - or us. We should take great comfort from that. Somebody once said to me, "Ok, I accept that God chooses us, but it's up to us whether or not we accept His choice of us. I don't get that impression at all from this story. God was not going to take "No" for an answer from Moses. Nor did He later give up on the people of Israel for all their rebellion and disobedience. He rebuked them and disciplined them. Their bodies may have strewn the wastes of Sinai - they discovered the awesome mistake of messing with Yahweh, but He remained faithful, and brought them as a people into the Promised Land.
It's the same for us. God has chosen you and me. He has lavished His grace on us, and He loves us, yes, but sometimes it will seem a terrifying love. He will raise us as sons and daughters. He will accomplish His purposes in us, but we can choose for Him to do it the easy way - by cooperating with Him in submission & obedience. Or He will do it the hard way if we won't respond. So what's you problem this morning? Insignificance? Ignorance? Impotence? Incompetence? Or is it Irrelevance? You just don't want to do what God wants you to do. Let me urge you to make life easier on yourselves. Surrender yourselves afresh to Him this morning. Allow His Spirit to convict you of those things He's trying to get sorted out in you. Commit yourself afresh to this community of people, the local church, into which He's called you to help you grow. We'll all get to there a lot quicker if we do.
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1