Best Advice for Teaching God's Word

Good morning, everyone. It's a privilege to be here this morning. I'm pastor at Bellevue Chapel.

Not very long yet. We moved here last August and are just slowly settling in.

Well, it's a great privilege to be invited here this morning.

Well, I'm from the Netherlands. Sometimes when I speak somewhere, the two questions I seem to get

that seem to worry people throughout the sermon are both, what accent is that?

I just try to sound cool, so I'm trying them all. Some people say I'm Canadian or Australian or Irish.

I see my wife is Irish, so it's a real mixture. So just to help you with that confusion.

And the other question I often get is, so how tall are you? Well, I'm six foot eight,

so you don't have to worry about that either. So hopefully then you can listen to this sermon as it is.

But it's a great privilege to be part of this series, The Great Escape. I've tried.

I couldn't listen to them all, but I've tried to listen to one or two of the sermons already

because I think you've had a little gap and you've just picked it up again.

And the thing that struck me when I was listening was one sermon where John was explaining the fact

that it's not just about the great escape because that's only the start of the journey.

And however important that is, the second half is as important. It's about getting to safety.

And I think in that context, you'll and we'll together hopefully will understand what is happening here

in this exchange between a father-in-law and his son-in-law.

I mean, a beautiful picture of an elderly person, not, you know, sorry, a person older than, you know,

passing advice on to the younger. And how beautiful would that not be if this is a community where that happens,

both where the youngers are willing to take advice from some of the older men and women

who have a little bit more live experience and wisdom in that sense,

but also vice versa, that you who have been around for longer will not shy away,

but with grace explain the ways and the paths of God.

But let's look at this passage together.

Really what we've had so far in Exodus has been a roller coaster.

And what struck me about this picture in this chapter is that it's peculiarly mundane.

There's nothing exciting happening.

There's no seas splitting. There's no water coming out of a rock.

There's none of that, but there's Moses at his work.

We read in verse 13,

The next day Moses took a seat to serve as judge for the people,

and they stood around him from morning till evening.

This is like a day in the life of Moses, a day in the office.

And I wonder how Moses felt about this part, this side of his responsibility.

I think every job has a side that we're not always that keen on.

Maybe it's the administration.

You'd rather be out there with the people, or maybe it's vice versa.

You're not that keen on working with people, but you love the administration.

Well, I wonder how this would work.

You know, Moses waking up, opening up the tent.

There they are, yet again, wondering what will it be today.

More grumbling, more complaints.

How am I going to deal with these people?

There certainly is a sense that Moses, however he felt about it, is starting to grow weary.

Interestingly, though, it reminded me of the fact that actually there used to be a time

that people could visit the White House in Washington.

This was stopped way before the Second World War,

but the president, as the representative of the people,

would have opened up, quite often on a Friday,

the White House for anyone to queue up to seek wisdom or advice straight from the president.

Can you imagine that now?

But that's the picture we get now.

People queuing to see Moses.

Now, a lot of people have wondered what this chapter can teach us today.

A lot of people seem to think this has lots of lessons on leadership.

Others get the impression that maybe this is the start of a court system,

where you have a high court and a smaller court,

and that helps to spread the load.

Well, this morning I want to borrow some words from an Old Testament expert called Alec Moutier,

who wrote a commentary on this,

to help us understand maybe what is underlying all of that is happening in this chapter.

This is what he says.

He says,

The whole tone of verse 13 to 27 sounds administrative and legalistic,

but leaving it at this level is missing the point.

It's not an account of the setting up of a lower and higher courts and even a Supreme Court as such,

but of making arrangements whereby the word of God was made available right down to the smallest group,

the extended family,

so that daily life could be ordered according to the will of God.

Alec Moutier believes that this is all about arranging that the word of God would reach down to everybody,

even the smallest child in the extended family.

Isn't that interesting?

And for this word of God then to be what would lead and guide the people of God

and mold and shape them into being the people of God.

One thing that might help and why he comes to this conclusion is if we look at the wording.

Look with me to verse 16.

It's not on the slide,

but verse 16,

we read there that Moses sees his own role as informing the people of God's decrees and laws.

Or in other translations,

it might say statues of God.

That comes back in verse 20,

where his role is seen as showing them the way to live.

Now these words,

statutes,

decrees,

law,

that's kind of Torah language.

Torah being the first five books of Moses,

which was never meant in the mind of a Jew as being exclusively about rules and laws or the Ten Commandments,

but very much about the known word of God at that time.

How we know that is by reading,

for example,

Psalm 119.

Unfortunately,

it doesn't get read very often because it's so long,

but it's one of the most beautiful Psalms that praises God simply for his word,

his word.

And we have the word in its all completeness,

including the New Testament,

which explains to us who the person of Jesus Christ is.

We are incredibly rich.

And Psalm 119 uses exactly those words,

decrees and laws and rules.

And we sometimes get a little bit cringy about those words.

We're not that excited about decrees and laws,

but how crucial and how important.

Because ultimately,

if it comes to not just escaping,

but also getting to safety,

it is actually the word of God,

which will,

in their lives as well as ours,

manage exactly that.

We need today the word of God more than ever before.

If we've become a Christian,

it's not the way to just take that step,

but to continue to follow in that step

and to end up in safety.

We need these decrees and laws to shape and mold us

and to form our everyday life

so that we continue to follow him faithfully.

And that is exactly what this chapter is about.

Making the word of God available

to the smallest group ever.

For it was and still is this word of God

which will lead all of us as his people to safety.

People, we must never underestimate this.

We must never take away from both the authority

and the power of this word

I sometimes wonder in the visual age that we live in

that we think that books, you know,

black and white,

sheets of paper are from the past.

They can't teach us much anymore.

You know, I'm a visual learner

or I want to experience.

And however valuable that is,

ultimately God has chosen his word

to explain to us how we get to safety.

Unfortunately, there's a slight blip

because the way that Moses was going about

getting that word available to everybody

wasn't working.

Verse 18, Jethro says,

you and these people who come to you

will only wear yourselves out.

The work is too heavy for you.

You cannot handle it alone.

Moses, unfortunately,

however much you want to desire

to pass on God's directions to people's lives,

the way you do it doesn't work.

So in comes this person,

Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses,

and he comes in with advice

on how this is to be accomplished.

But listen how he does that.

In verse 17, for example,

he basically tells him,

what you do is no good.

I mean, how are we with advice?

I've been doing a little bit of research

and you constantly come across this phrase

where we love giving advice.

It's one of the greatest pleasures in life, isn't it?

We're always ready to point out to somebody,

hey, maybe you should do it this way or that way.

Certainly where I'm from in the Netherlands,

there's lots of what I call unsolicited advice.

You know, people just speak their mind

and in some ways it's nice,

but in other times I'm thinking,

you know, maybe you could have just kept that to yourself.

We're not good at receiving advice.

It can sometimes just simply be because of pride.

Because of stubbornness.

Because we think we know better.

I mean, Moses had a right to be thinking,

Jethro, who are you?

You haven't seen the things that I've seen.

You haven't experienced God the way I have.

And here you come and telling me how it should be done.

I came across this newspaper article

about what kind of advice people value.

Well, one I found interesting.

It says, if you want to be happily married,

marry a happy person.

And this seriously was somebody famous

who thought this was the best advice he'd ever given.

Or here's Gordon Ramsay, the chef.

The advice he'd been given

and that has helped him the most in life is,

put your head down and work hard.

Similarly, the tennis player,

Goran Ivanevich, that one.

He won Wimbledon, I think, once.

He learned in his life,

never give up.

If you keep believing and trying,

anything can happen.

Or somebody else said,

aim high even if you hit a cabbage.

Well, let's see if that's the advice that Jethro gives.

I'm glad, actually, he doesn't.

He doesn't go up to Moses and say,

well, just keep your head down and keep going.

But you'll get there.

No, this is what he says.

And there's three things.

First of all, he tells Moses,

and I think it's advice to all of us,

if we are serious here at Brunsfield,

to making sure that God's word

is made available to each and every one

so that all of us will end up reaching safety.

He says, first of all,

let God be in this with you.

Let God be in this with you.

Verse 19, the second half.

This is what Jethro says.

He says, you must be the people's representative

before God and bring their disputes to him.

I wonder what Jethro meant by saying,

you know, make sure that God is in it too.

Seems very obvious, doesn't it?

But the impression we're getting

is that Moses was maybe starting

to rely too much on himself.

He alone sits to judge the people.

It's that idea where maybe

even after all the big victories

that he'd seen and seen happen

right in front of his eyes,

he might have started to think,

you know, maybe I can do this myself.

You certainly get the idea

that Moses as leader is saying,

well, it's now down to me to help these people.

Well, I'm their leader.

Look, they're coming to see me.

Maybe with that sense of pride

of, you know, feeling needed,

needing to be needed.

And so Moses was maybe more self-reliant

than God-reliant.

And I wonder how that works with us.

I mean, I can easily fall into that.

We've just started at Bellevue.

We've had lots of encouragements.

We had a baptismal service

a couple of months ago.

And all of a sudden,

there's a big surprise.

There's six people,

six precious lives

wanting to be baptized,

publicly showing the world

that they love Jesus.

But somehow, as a pastor,

and I bet John can struggle with that too,

you start thinking,

okay, so now it's down to me.

I need to try to orchestrate

another great baptismal service.

We've got to get programs in there.

We've got to, you know,

have lots of structure

to make it happen.

But time and time again,

I think this is the lesson

that I need to learn the most.

making sure that God is in it with me,

with us.

Because ultimately,

it's God that can truly make the difference

in people's lives.

It's God, through the work of His Spirit,

that can truly make sure

that God's Word doesn't just reach up here,

but reaches down here

and really starts changing lives.

And yet, however obvious it seems

that we should always be involved in God

in whatever goes on,

especially when it comes to God's Word,

time and time again,

somehow that human default is,

actually, it's down to me.

Even think of your own spiritual growth.

How many of us, even there,

rely more on ourselves than on God?

It's down to me.

I've got to make sure I read my Bible.

I've got to pray better.

I've got to spend more time with God.

When do we ever pause

and remember verses

like Philippians 2.12

where, and 13,

where Paul so eagerly reminds his readers,

it is God who wills for us

to serve Him,

to seek Him,

to work out our salvation.

We need God to be in this

very much

and not to be self-reliant.

If not,

we're going to wear ourselves out.

We're going to maybe even be making other people

rely too much on ourselves as well.

And you know,

this should be a great relief.

Maybe we're sitting here today

and we've been feeling weary

about our walk with Jesus.

We've been actually wondering,

you know,

I know I should have a hunger

and a thirst for God,

but I feel tired.

I feel spiritually tired.

What a great relief

that God is so eager

if we only let Him.

If only we let Him.

So that's the first thing.

Let God be in this with you.

Secondly,

He says teach.

And I would add the word

teach to illuminate.

Not eliminate,

illuminate.

Sorry.

Verse 20.

He says,

teach them

His decrees

and instructions

and show them the way

they are to live

and how they are to behave.

I find it interesting

that I think there's a difference

between preaching and teaching.

Now,

I wouldn't say anything bad

about preaching.

I guess that's what I'm doing

this morning.

I'm preaching.

I'm explaining

or trying to explain

God's word to you.

But I think preaching

should never stand on its own.

There's a wonderful picture

in the book of Nehemiah

where after the rebuilding

of the temple

and the rebuilding of the wall,

the word of God

gets rediscovered.

I don't know if you're familiar

with this,

but then the great Ezra

is asked to read

from God's word.

And the picture

is something like this.

The massive crowd

is packed

in this market square.

They're asking Ezra to read.

And Ezra simply reads

a section of God's word.

And this goes on

for most of the day

because people are so thirsty,

so hungry for God's word.

I haven't heard it

read for so long.

But every so often

he stops reading

because behind him

there was a team

of helpers,

of Levites

who would then

go out into the crowd

and I can only imagine

what they did

was basically

gather smaller groups together,

maybe a 40 or 50,

and ask them,

have you understood

God's word?

And I reckon

they wouldn't have moved on

until all the questions

were answered,

until every question

that somebody had,

you know,

I'm not sure,

I heard that,

but did I hear that right?

Is that what that means to me?

Until everybody

had understood

what had been read,

they would have moved on.

Well, that's exactly

what should happen

in the makeup

of any church,

that there should be teaching,

teaching in the sense

of equipping,

teaching in the sense

of helping one another.

You know,

sometimes we call it

discipleship,

but that's,

you know,

maybe a technical term

for basically

helping one another,

giving each other tools

to end up being equipped

to handle God's word ourselves.

I think we're growing up

in a culture

and a society

where we're starting

to become too dependent

on some spectacular speaker

who's got it all

worked out for us

and they churn out

the answers

and I'm not blaming

them necessarily.

I think some of the blame

is on us.

It's easy to find,

you know,

this speaker on the internet.

It's all out there.

But I think

and I wonder

if it's made us lazy

and I wonder

what will happen

in another generation

if we don't keep

helping each other,

if we don't keep teaching

in a way

that equips others,

the next generation,

even the people around us,

people who've just

become a Christian,

to help them

to read God's word

themselves.

If Moses had to learn

to become less people-focused

and more God-focused

and more God-reliant,

I think the people

were challenged

to be less Moses-focused

and more word-focused,

if that makes sense.

And I know you guys

love John

and I love John,

but I think John would,

you know,

the last thing

he would want to see happen

is that you're just

simply sitting here for him

because he's got

the words of wisdom.

John eagerly wants

all of us

to read God's word

for ourselves

so that all of us

aren't depending on him

or his ministry

or on anybody's ministry.

If you're a youth leader

or any type,

if you're a home group leader,

it should not be dependent

on you.

We should always point people

back to God's word.

In order for people

to get to safety,

Moses had to

do some rethinking.

And thirdly this.

So Moses was challenged

to let God be in this.

He was to teach,

to illuminate.

And thirdly this.

He says,

But select capable men,

in verse 21,

from all the people,

men who fear God,

trustworthy men

who hate dishonest gain,

and appoint them

as officials

over thousands,

hundreds,

fifties,

and tens.

In other words,

multiply.

Multiply.

Certainly at Bellevue,

we're trying to create

a culture

where we multiply.

Where we're looking out

for people.

I mean,

this is very Paul,

isn't it?

If you're familiar

with Paul writing

to a certain Timothy,

these are the same instructions.

Find people

to equip them

to equip others.

constantly be multiplying.

Multiply rather than divide.

That's why I'm so glad

that Moses didn't get

the advice

that we read about

in the newspaper

about, you know,

just get on with it.

Just be better organized

so that you can see

more people.

And just see them

in shorter time,

you know,

slots.

So you can get

through more people.

That would have been ridiculous.

Instead,

look out

for people

who have

the capability,

who fear God,

who are trustworthy,

who are also just

in all that they do.

Interestingly though,

if that's the call

to multiply,

that's, I guess,

a call to the leadership

of this church

and anyone in leadership,

but it also makes

anyone else

who's not in leadership

with the challenge,

are you then available?

Do we have people here

who are capable

and just

in all they do?

People who fear God.

If not,

can we make ourselves

available?

And say,

I want to get involved

in this work

of God's word

to help people

get to safety.

John can't do it

on his own.

The elders can't do it

on his own,

on their own.

We must invest.

You know,

I think the big risk

here is,

sometimes it's easier

to say,

oh, I'll do it myself.

You don't,

in the short term,

you don't see

quick changes

when you envision

to multiply

and to train.

But in the long term,

God's work

is going to continue

long after us.

And isn't that

the focus

that it should be about?

But again,

it's almost

countercultural.

We're,

we grew up

in a world

where it's all

about ego.

It's all about,

you know,

if you're a minister,

your big career moves

are,

get that book written,

get your name

on there.

So you can invite

lots to other

churches,

conference,

that kind of thing.

It's the upside down

logic of what

Jethro passes

on to Moses.

Can I share

one last thing?

So this is the advice

he gives

and this is

the advice

we should take today

if we're eager

to help one another

to get to safety.

It is

by making sure

God's word

is made available

to each and every one.

But there's a great

sense of humor

about God.

We haven't looked

at the first half yet

of this chapter,

but really the first half

of the chapter

is Jethro's

conversion story.

Jethro,

as far as we can tell,

has only just become

a Christian the day before.

Chapter 17 and 18,

as far as we can see,

describe two days.

And it's lovely

to think that

God, first of all,

provides water

from a rock,

then he provides

the victory

over an enemy,

and then he provides

for Jethro,

the gospel,

and for Moses,

Jethro,

God of provision.

But if we read

in verse,

sorry,

verse 9 through 12,

we see there,

we're just skipping

a few verses,

we see there

at Jethro,

after hearing

all that Moses

told him that God

had done

and how he'd rescued

them,

we see that Jethro

was delighted.

He rejoiced.

It hit him.

It cut him to the heart.

And then he said,

praise be to the Lord

who rescued you

from the hand

of the Egyptians.

But he doesn't leave

it at that.

It's not your God.

But then he says,

now I know

that the Lord

is greater

than all the other gods.

and he responds.

He brings offerings

and sacrifices

to God

and then we see

that he's even

welcomed in

and accepted

into the covenant

community

of the people

of Israel.

Isn't that amazing?

A new Christian,

a new Christian

who wasn't even

part of the Jewish people,

a Gentile,

is used

as part of God's

redemption history

in such an

extraordinary way.

Well, that's God.

Because when you look

even through the genealogy

of the birth of Jesus

time and again,

we see these surprising people,

Rahab, Ruth,

and a Jethro

who God calls

and uses them

as part of his great work.

If you would wonder,

you know,

who are we in this story?

Well, actually,

we would be Jethro.

We are also Gentiles

who have had the privilege

of being allowed

to taste

of the good news

and were crafted

into the people of God.

What a great privilege.

What a great joy.

But if that has happened

in our lives,

I hope we also know

that God then longs

to use us

maybe in a very similar way

to how he used Jethro

in the life

of his people.

Let's pray together.

Let's maybe take a moment

in silence.

Maybe just ask ourselves,

how much do I value

God's word?

How much do I value

your word?

Heavenly Father,

help us to see

how crucially important

your living word is

to help us get to safety.

Help us to see that

as a church

and to take steps

if that isn't already happening

and making sure

that your word

is made available.

Not just here on a Sunday,

but whenever we meet,

whether it's one-on-one

or beside somebody's sick bed

or even at the funeral

this coming week.

Lord,

to open up your word faithfully,

to look and learn

your decrees and statutes

and to help each other

to equip one another

to be able to read it

for ourselves

and know that your Holy Spirit

will help us to understand it.

Thank you for your goodness.

How rich are we not

to have your word

in its completeness?

And thank you for Jethro

for a great reminder

that this gospel

is for everyone,

including the outsiders,

the marginalized.

And thank you that

you then use

this outsider

not just to taste

of your great escape,

but to be part

of your great escape

and to help others

get to safety.

Lord,

thank you so much

for teaching us.

And I want to pray

for this church

that as they continue

to look through

this book of Exodus,

that you will continue

to bring your word

and bring it alive

for your glory

and for the sake

of your people.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.