God, the Enabler

Welcome to this week's message from the Church of Healthy World Service.

Our core values survivor worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Today, we're going to be looking at really the burning bush.

We're looking at the series God's Not Dead.

And what I'm doing in this series, I'm taking you to passages of scripture where we see God real and alive.

We started last week with seeing God in Isaiah chapter 6, high and lifted up.

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

And boy, what a picture God gave us through the scriptures last week of all that God is and who He is.

Well, today, this is probably one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament.

And it's about the burning bush experience with Moses.

Now let me say this right up front.

Every one of us that is called by God to do something, hey, for God.

Okay?

And by the way, I usually say to do something great for God, listen to me.

It doesn't matter how little what he calls you to do, how large He calls what it is He calls you to do.

It's still great in God's eyes.

Can I get an Amen?

So don't ever think that just because you're not on the platform, you're not the preacher.

Let me say something right now.

For uh Sonia and Miss Patsy and all those back there working in the nursery and taking care of your children.

That is a great work of God.

Amen.

And don't ever forget.

Let me tell you that those, Adrian and all those that here, Melvin's on, and his wife are out of town there.

But Jesse, Carolyn, all you that show up and working, Granny early, and the ones that show up and play, hey, that's a great work of God.

Amen.

It takes all parts of the body to make the body function.

Can I get an amen?

So you may be the ear, you may be the tongue, you may be the eye, you may be the foot, you may be the hand, but whatever you are, it's used greatly by God, and you're very important in the body.

And don't you ever, ever forget that.

Amen.

But every person that's a born-again Christian that God calls to do a ministry for him has had a burning bush experience.

I've got several.

And let me tell you what a burning bush experience is.

It's where God stops you in your tracks, right where you are, and he gets your attention.

And then he refocuses your life.

Amen.

He sends you in a different direction every time.

Every time.

Amen.

That's how important a Bernie Bush experience really is.

So let's begin.

Chapters three and four today.

God the enabler.

From excuses to excellence.

From excuses to excellence.

If I could get you to write down what you would like to be or do for God if there was nothing hindering you, what would you write down?

Think about that a minute.

If I could get you to write down what you feel like you could do or want to do or God's called you to do for God, and nothing would hinder you, what would you write down?

Wow.

Wow.

When I was asked that question 30 years ago at seminary, I wrote it down.

It's still here in my Bible.

And here's what I said.

Lord, I want to be a great preacher for you.

And 35 years later, I'm still preaching for an awesome guy.

I want to be a great preacher.

Not great as far as platform-wise, but great in using everything God has given me, my talents, my treasures, my testimony, all that I am for Him.

I want to, I want to, hey, I want to maximize what God's given me.

Can I get an amen?

I don't want to be on the sideline.

I don't want to be put on a shelf.

I don't want to be a quitter.

I want to maximize all that God's called me to do.

Well, let's look at Moses.

First of all, this morning, I want us to look at three lessons from the burning bush.

As we look back and we look at Moses, we see that Moses' life really could be dissected in three 40-year periods.

His first 40 years, you remember Moses?

You remember the story how God, hey, you remember the story when Moses' mother grabbed him and put him in the little basket and put him in the Nile River to keep him from being killed?

And remember all of a sudden uh Pharaoh's, one of Pharaoh's wives, finds the little baby.

And and Pharaoh's daughter finds, excuse, thank you, honey, Pharaoh's daughter.

What would I do without you?

Pharaoh's daughter finds the little basket, finds the little baby, gets excited, and now guess what she does?

Show, let me show you how much God's in control.

So she says, Well, I need somebody to take care of the baby.

And guess who she chose to take care of the baby?

His mother.

Moses' mother.

So Moses' mother got the privilege of raising her own child in the court of Pharaoh.

What an awesome God we serve.

So he spent his first 40 years in the court of Pharaoh, learning to be a great leader, going to the best schools.

In fact, he was just a fantastic young man, very intelligent, very, very, uh, should I say, uh handsome, very, very, just very powerful.

He was, I mean, he was in line possibly to be the next Pharaoh, but being a Jewish, probably not, but at least the prince.

Okay?

I mean, this guy had a lot of potential going.

He had a lot of prestige going.

He had a lot of power in his life.

He had a lot of influence in his life.

To the point that one day, but by the way, he never felt at home in Egypt.

He was a stranger in the land because he was a Jew.

And because Pharaoh and them, hey, had what?

Taken the Israelites and the nation of Israel and put them in bondage because they were growing so quick.

He saw how they were under this oppression and all.

And we'll look at that.

So he decided that he was going to deliver the nation of Israel.

He was going to help them.

And what did he do?

Instead of what?

Asking God how to do it, he decided he'd take it on his own and he would do it.

He killed the captain of the guards that was oppressing his people.

Next thing you know, he's the most wanted in Egypt.

He has to hightail it to the back side of the desert to keep from being executed.

And we see he spends then the next 40 years of his life in the back side of the desert.

Yes, we see he had to leave his family.

We see he had to go away.

He had to leave his friends, the luxuries.

I mean, we see he went from power, prestige, position, potential of influence to the desert.

Wow.

Then the next 40 years, he's down, he's discouraged.

He feels like his life's over far as being a leader of being anything.

In fact, he names his first son while he's in the desert.

He names him, listen to this, Gersham.

And the word Gershem, for the Hebrews, when they would name someone, it meant a lot.

For example, remember Abraham?

When he had Isaac, you know what he named Isaac?

What did he name Isaac?

Or what does Isaac mean?

Laughter.

Now, why did he name Isaac?

I mean, why does his name Isaac mean laughter?

Well, 90 years old, his wife conceives a child and he's a hundred.

I would laugh too.

Amen?

You would laugh too.

You probably wouldn't laugh.

You'd faint.

Bob would faint.

I'd faint.

Amen?

And I'd say, Lord, are you sure?

And so we see that he names his first son Gershem.

You know what it means?

It means a stranger in the land.

That's how he felt.

He was a stranger in the land.

You ever felt that way?

Oh man.

We've been there.

Especially when you're in the desert, when you're in the back side, and hey, all hell's breaking loose in your life.

How do you feel?

You feel like you're in the back side of the desert.

You feel like you're a stranger.

Now, biblically, we are strangers, just passing through.

Amen.

But somewhere during that 40 years, this is what gets excited.

Somewhere in that 40 years, God begins to deal with Moses.

He begins to have an intimate relationship like he's never had with God before, and he has a next son, and here's what he names him, Ella Azar.

Which means, listen what Eleazar means.

God of my father has become my help.

Wow.

God of my father has become my help.

So now he's seeing, oh, God's restored him.

He's been revived, as we talked about last week.

Now he's beginning to just seek God.

He's beginning again to pray for the deliverance of his people because they're still in bondage.

And God's working with him.

And then we see that he learns the next lesson.

Or actually the first, the three lessons, while he's at the back side of the desert.

But let me give you the third.

I wrote this down that came from D.L.

Moody.

Moses spent the first 40 years thinking he was somebody.

He spent the second 40 years realizing he was a nobody.

And then his last 40 years, God used him in an unbelievable way, realizing that, hey, his last 40 years he was used as a champion for God, realizing that God uses nobodies.

Is that not good, folks?

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

So look at it.

Lesson number one, verses one and two.

And he said, Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father, uh, in law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the backside, the west side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb, and that's where a lot of things happened.

The Ten Commandments, all kinds of things happened at Mount Horeb.

It was a place where they knew God showed up.

We all need that place.

Amen.

That's part of why we come to church.

We want God to show up in our lives.

And you'll see that in a little bit.

So anyway, and then he says, and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.

Out of the midst of a bush.

A flame of fire.

Now, I don't have time to go into theological uh principle here, but in just to give it to you right up front.

Literally, it was a pre-incarnation sight of Jesus the Son showing up in the bush.

Amen.

Because we know it's God the Father, God the Son.

Well, that's who he was.

And we know it's God because Deuteronomy says that God is symbolized and exalted through, hey, being the fire.

The fire.

So we see that.

And notice, first of all, God appears in the ordinary.

God appears in the ordinary.

A bush.

There was nothing, hey, unordinary about the bush.

He's in the desert.

He saw those kinds.

Have you ever seen an old cowboy movie in the desert and you see those bushes just tumbling?

You ever seen that?

Y'all, am I the only one that watched cowboy movies?

Okay.

All right.

Nobody's a John Wayne fan.

I mean, you, hey, amen.

Well, that's kind of what he's talking about.

And they're everywhere in the desert.

So that was nothing extraordinary at all.

It was an ordinary bush.

That's what it was.

In fact, there's a little saying, any old bush will do if God is in it.

Amen.

If you read my blog, you'd have saw that.

Any old bush will do if God is in it.

Amen?

It's not about the bush.

It's about God.

It's about God.

And so we see that he shows up in the ordinary.

Hey, to do, watch this.

God shows up in the ordinary to do extraordinary things.

Wow.

God wants to show up in your life, you and I, ordinary, so that he can do some extraordinary things in our lives.

Boy, that's good.

I want you to see this in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 26 through 29.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29

We see that.

For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, what's this?

To confound the wise.

And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

Verse 28.

And then he says, and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are.

That no flesh should glory in the presence of God.

It's not about us, it's all about him.

That's why he takes, that's why he chose a little boy from Sylvester, Georgia, who was voted the most unlikely to succeed and to be locked up and not to do anything.

I meant really, really, he chose a little old boy that that felt like nobody cared.

And he said, Hey, I want to use you.

It's not about you, it's about me.

Amen.

Amen.

And that's what he's saying about all of us.

God appears in the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

But notice the second thing.

Second lesson.

By the way, when you think that you're just ordinary, that's a good thought.

Thank you.

I got one amen.

I'm going to state that again.

When you think you're just ordinary, that's a good place to be.

Because God's not looking for the extraordinary.

God's looking for the ordinary.

So that he can do extraordinary things through you.

Wow, that's good.

Ival, it's time for you to say, preacher, that's good.

Thank you.

Number two, God has to get our attention before he presents himself to us.

Now, well, this is good.

Look at as we pick back up in verse 2 in Middle Ways.

After he had seen the fire in the bush, all of a sudden he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire.

Now, guess what?

There was nothing unordinary about that either.

Because back in that desert, I meant the heat could get up to 120, 130 degrees, dry, no rain.

Bush, bushes could literally catch on fire and burn up.

He had seen that happen.

That was not extraordinary for a bush to catch on fire and burn up.

What was extraordinary was for the bush to catch on fire and not burn up.

That was the extraordinary.

And so here's Moses.

He's walking by and there's a burning bush.

Oh, nothing.

Nothing wrong with that.

Wait a minute.

That bush is not burning up.

I better go see what's going on.

And here's what one of the most important principles in God's word for us.

He looked.

He looked.

He stopped.

He became still.

And he looked to see what God was doing.

Wow.

Wow.

God has to get our attention.

And then look what he says.

Man, this is so good.

Now, he sees this great sigh.

Why the bush was not burnt.

Now look at verse 4.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him in the midst.

If you don't stop, be still and know that he's God and listen with the intent of obeying, God will not speak to you.

Amen.

You can't run in this church and run out and think God's going to speak to you.

You can't just run into your quiet time and run out and think God's going to speak to you.

You got to be still.

And you got to look and you got to say, God, I'm here.

God, speak to me.

God speak to me.

And listen to what he did.

I'm about to have a running spell.

And listen to what he did next.

You know what he did next?

He didn't just speak to him, he called to him.

And he said, Moses, Moses.

Woo! That's how important you and I are.

He knows my name.

He knows my name.

Man, that's good.

And when he calls, he doesn't just call in generalities.

He says, Danny Boy, Danny Boy, yes, sir, Lord, I got a mission for you.

I'm going to tell you something.

We're going to, I'm going to deliver your people.

You've got to stop and you've got to listen for God to speak to you.

Now listen, you're going to say, well, you're supposed to say that.

I know it.

I'm the preacher.

I'm supposed to.

But let me tell you, why do you not want to miss church?

That's why.

Because it's in the church setting.

It's in a setting where God is exalted.

God is speaking.

And sure, he doesn't speak to us in the bush today.

Why?

Because he speaks to us in his full canon word.

He's written everything he wants us to know.

It's right here.

And that's why you don't want to miss it.

You don't want to miss a Sunday.

Not because I'm preaching, but yeah, I like you to be here.

But hey, because we're learning the word of God together.

We're being still for this hour, and we're asking God to speak to us.

Sylvester, Sylvester, Clay, Clay, Miss Wanda, Miss Wanda.

I've got a word for you today.

You with me?

You with me?

But there's another thing.

Not only does God have to get our attention before he presents himself.

And by the way, sometimes he'll take you to the back side of the desert to get your attention.

Oh, hello.

Hello.

Been there.

Amen.

Been there.

I'm so stubborn, it's pathetic.

But I know I'm the only one guilty.

Can I get anybody else to raise their hand with me?

Thank you.

Thank you.

David, you better raise your hand.

Amen.

I'm daring.

Oh, okay.

All right, just checking.

Sometimes he has to take us to the back side of the desert to get us.

That's right, the woodshed.

And God does all the talking.

Amen.

And I do all the shouting.

So, but notice the third thing.

Verse 5.

God's presence always makes the place where we are holy.

Oh my.

And he said, draw nigh to me.

But Moses put off his shoes.

You can't enter my presence.

I've always wanted to preach barefooted.

You can't enter my presence without being holy.

You got to put off all the stuff that's hindering me from coming to you.

You got to get that sin out.

You got to put all that stuff away so I can speak directly to you, Moses.

Because I've got a great plan for your life, Moses.

And Moses, I am holy.

1 Peter 1 15, be ye holy in all manner of conversation, behavior.

That's what that word means.

Behavior, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.

Ladies and gentlemen, can I say something?

If you'll live right, that'll take care of 80%.

Of your problems.

Amen.

Amen?

Just live right.

Live according to what God's Word says.

Just live according to what God's Word says.

I promise you.

You'll live so much happier.

There'll be so much less stress.

There'll be so much less worrying.

Amen.

You won't listen.

You know what happens?

We start listening to the naysayers.

Amen.

And when we start listening to the naysayers, he just, hey, we get discouraged, we get down, and we stop to listen to what God's saying.

Amen?

Man, that's good.

So we see God, when he shows up, he cleanses our heart.

We come to this altar, we repent like Isaiah did last week when he came into his presence.

He didn't say, Woe is the people anymore.

He said, Woe is me.

Next time before you talk about somebody or say something about somebody, won't you look inside first?

I'll shut you up real quick.

Amen.

Amen.

But then we come to this altar, we get right, we confess our sins.

He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And then as Isaiah, after he had come into his presence, the Holy Spirit had cleansed his life.

Verse 8, he said, Hear my Lord, send me.

Now Moses is getting right with God.

Moses is getting right with God.

Now, quickly.

I don't know why I said quickly.

I guess I just did.

Fourth, I'm not in a hurry.

Four things I know about God.

When God's presence shows up, listen to me, folks.

When God's presence shows up, he teaches us, he blesses us, and he shows us the right direction.

Amen.

Now watch.

I want you to see these four things I know about God.

Verse 6.

God has enabled past generations.

Listen to what he tells Moses.

Very important what he tells you.

Moreover, he said, I am the God of the Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and Moses.

Hey, and Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

He said, first thing, God, he says, I have enabled past generations, your fathers, your forefathers, and just as I was with them, I'm gonna be with you.

Amen.

You don't have to worry.

I'm gonna be with you.

In fact, there's a couple of, there's so many verses here, but but one of the ones that I really enjoyed was Psalms 119, verse 9.

Psalms 119:9

He says, Thy faithfulness, now watch this, is unto all generations.

All generations.

And then look at Psalms 145, verse 4.

Psalms 145:4

One generation shall praise thy works to another.

Now look at the responsibility that I saw there.

When he says, one generation shall praise thy works to another.

God wants to do mighty and great things through our generation so that we can pass those great and mighty miracles on to the next generation.

It is a mighty thing what God's doing in this church in just two years, and how he's blessing this church.

And not only that, but why he's making a statement that if you'll get out of the way and if you will stop and listen to me, let me direct you, let me fill you, let me empower you, and you do what I tell you to do, I'm gonna use you in a great way in your generation.

And that should be our ultimate goal to be used in our generation.

When David died, listen to this in Acts 13.

This is powerful.

This is not in your notes, this is right from the throne.

When David died, you know what he said?

He said, God, I have fulfilled your will in my generation.

And then he died.

That's my heart's desire.

I want to fulfill my will.

God's will in my life for him and my generation.

Then I want to go home.

I don't want to stay any longer.

I want to go home.

Amen.

I really I mean that.

When God is through with me, I want to go home.

Because if I can't be here and help him and work for him, then I'm gonna be in a mess.

And I don't want to lose any crowns.

I want to keep what I win.

Amen.

I want to go home.

And so we see that God has enabled past generations.

That's why you can get excited, even though you may be in the backside of the desert right now.

You know that God's gonna deliver you.

And that brings me to the second thing.

Notice what God knows.

Look at verse, the second thing under the four things I know about God.

God knows what is happening in your life.

Woo! That's good.

Look at verse 7.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt.

And I have watched, heard their cry of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

Look at verse 9.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come upon me.

I and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them.

Notice what he says.

I've seen, I've heard, I know.

Listen to me.

I don't care what you're going through right now.

I don't care how bad it is.

I don't care how good it is.

God knows all about it.

Hello.

God knows all about it.

He's omniscient.

He knows it all.

The eyes of the Lord in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Can I get an amen?

Now you ought to feel comforted by that.

Or you ought to feel convicted by that.

Amen.

So we see.

We see God knows what is happening in our lives.

Psalms 44, 21 says he knows the secrets of our life.

Now I want you to see the new verses God gave me this morning.

Look at Psalms.

Jeremy, go to Psalms 37, verse 1.

Psalms 37:1

I saw this this morning.

I said, we got to see Psalms 37.

Look at what it says.

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, David said about God.

For thou hast, read that with me.

Thou hast what?

Consider my what?

Thou hast known my soul in what?

Wow.

Wow.

And in verse 8 says, And thou hast shot and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy.

Thou hast set my feet in a large room.

In other words, I know how bad it is.

I know how tough your enemies are, how capable they are trying to take you out.

I know that.

But I got news for you.

They can't win.

Psalms 91.

Oh, this is so good.

Go to the next one.

Jeremy, Psalms, what is it?

91.

Psalms 91, 15.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.

And I will be with him in what?

And I will what?

And what?

Honor him.

Look at verse 16.

Now you're going to ought to be ready to shout.

With long life, will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Show him my deliverance.

What a mighty God we serve.

What an awesome God we serve.

He's there.

He knows where you are.

He hears, he sees.

Now, you know the bad thing about this?

That was 350 years that he was seeing all this.

I don't know about you, but I'm very impatient.

Anybody else like that?

I mean, I don't mind if God, hey, if God wants to answer my prayer tonight, that's okay.

Even if he'll wait and waits till tomorrow, that's okay.

But 350 years, three and a half centuries?

Good grief.

Have patience.

Think about that.

But now, when it's God's time, look out.

That's why everybody's worried about America.

I'm quitting worrying about America.

I'm through.

You know why?

There's nothing I can do about it.

I think I heard a preacher say there's about 8% of the stuff that I worry about I can really control.

And be controlling America is not one of them.

Amen.

I can't control my president.

I can't control my Congress.

But I tell you what I can do, I can pray.

Because when God gets ready, God will settle it.

He's got a plan.

And all we got to do is get in on his plan.

And how do we get in on his plan?

Be still and let him say, Danny boy, Danny boy, this is what you need to do.

All you've got to be worried about, this is going to liberate you, this is going to liberate you.

All you got to worry about is doing what God tells you to do.

That's all you got to worry about.

Amen.

Don't try to worry about what he's supposed to tell me.

And by the way, don't come up and tell me.

Don't come up and try to tell me what God's telling me to do.

Don't do that.

You have enough problems with your own problems, and I have enough problems with my own problems.

So let's just ask God to help each of us.

Can I get an amen?

Is that not true?

Is that not true?

Isn't that good?

Isn't that good?

God knows what is happening in your life.

Notice the third thing.

God will deliver his people.

Look at verse 8.

And I am, hey, and I am come down to deliver thee out of the hand of the Egyptians.

Hey, he didn't come down here to observe the situation.

He didn't come down here for us to take sides.

He came down to take over.

Amen.

He says, I am going to deliver you.

And notice this: out of the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of the land unto a land, whoa, a large land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and all the ice.

Amen.

God will deliver his people.

Psalms 46:1, God is my refuge and strength, the very present help in time.

Psalms 46:1

There's that word of trouble.

Oh, Proverbs 18, 10.

You'll love it.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower.

The righteous run in and they are safe.

Wow.

And then number four, God will deliver his people by using you.

God will deliver whatever he wants to be delivered or what he wants to accomplish by using you.

Now watch Moses.

Watch Moses.

Moses, when he hears God says, I'm going to do that.

I can see Moses now.

Here's what Moses.

Whoo! Yes, Lord.

I've been praying for his what?

80 years.

I've been praying for 80 years.

You're gonna deliver our people.

I've been hurting.

I've been praying.

Oh God.

Oh, I'm so excited, God.

Get them, God, get them.

Woo! I'm gonna, I'm about to have a spell, God, and then all of a sudden God says, Yeah, that's good, Moses, and I'm gonna use you.

He's a and wa! Whoa, what?

Wait a minute.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You've taken this too far, preacher.

Me?

I'm gonna head up the bus ministry.

I'm gonna head up this ministry.

I'm gonna do this.

It's amazing when God speaks to your heart about doing something for God and you come tell me that we ought to do that.

God didn't speak to me.

You ought to do it.

Hello.

I have that quite often.

Hey, preacher, you know what I think God wants us to do?

I think he wants us to.

Well, I'm thinking to myself, well, he ain't told me that.

One preacher had a lady come up to him and he said, Pastor God says I need to get up here and sing a solo.

Pastor said, Well, looked at her and he'd heard her sing.

And he said, Well, you know what?

God hadn't told me yet.

So sit back down when God tells me, I'll let you sing.

But really, hey, if somebody was sitting there, uh-oh.

What if I said to the preacher?

Did I say that we ought to do something?

Hey, just don't come running to your pastor and say, Pastor, we need to do because I'm gonna look you right in the face and I'm gonna say, Sylvester, did God tell you to do that?

Yes.

Well, do it.

I help you, I support you.

But God didn't tell me to do that.

Here's what God, hey, remember, I'm working on me.

I got my hands full with me.

Amen.

It's not good, church.

Come on.

It's not good.

Now, I'm excited about God speaking to you to do stuff.

We need help.

We we could, this, this community, 82% of people dying.

Hey, a lot of them are going to hell.

People are committing suicide.

We got kids that are on drugs.

We, there's a lot to do in this community.

So ask God to show you what you can do.

And let's do it.

Amen.

Let's do it.

Let's do it.

Well, now notice what happens when God tells him, I'm gonna use you.

Now, does this not sound familiar?

Some of you, God's told you how you want to use, and you've been making excuse after excuse.

Look at what God told Moses.

He said, I'm gonna use you, Moses, in verse 10.

And then look at what Moses said in verse 11.

Oh my.

Look at him.

He starts.

Moses said unto God, Who am I?

I can't wait to ask Moses that.

You know, when Moses says, Who am I?

God has just talked to Moses, and Moses told him who he was.

Moses, Moses.

Who are you?

I'm Moses.

Hello.

Do you know who you are?

Stephen?

You're Stephen Wesson.

But he says, Well, who am I?

And then notice what he says.

Who am I, Lord?

That I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel.

Let me tell you why.

Because God just said, I'm going to use you to do it.

You don't need any more explanation.

You don't need any more education.

You know, well, you may need education to do what he calls you to do, but what I'm saying, if God tells you to do it, he's going to empower you to do it.

He's going to give you the resources to do it.

Can I get an amen?

I'm not worried about this church.

Wherever God wants to take this church, I'm just following him because wherever he wants to take it, he'll provide for it.

Amen.

It's not my job.

My job is just to be obedient.

Woo! That was good.

So, thank you, Lord.

That was good.

So Moses had a confidence problem.

Look what God said.

Verse 12.

God said, Well, I'm going to give you a promise.

Look at what God said.

He said, I don't know.

I've got a confidence problem.

I'm not bull.

I don't know what to do.

And he said, Certainly I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee.

When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Notice, he promised him success.

Woo! Three of you got that.

I'm gonna say that again.

He promised him success.

Amen.

How would you like to go into battle knowing you're gonna win?

Amen.

You with me?

Man.

God calls you.

He's gonna deliver, he's gonna use you.

The righteous are bold as a lion.

If God be for me, who can?

I'm sorry, I'm in, I'm in.

If God be for us, who can be against us?

I'm tired of this negative talk.

I'm tired of all the negative.

Woo! If God be for me, God, hey, who can be against me?

Amen.

I'm just gonna keep my eyes fixed on God, pressing toward the mark.

That's what you do.

That's what you do.

God's not giving me spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1 7.

Number two, look at verse 13.

Well, Moses said unto God, behold, now he's got he's getting the message.

When I come into the children of Israel, what shall I say unto them?

In other words, now, how am I gonna do it?

Now, all right, I'm gonna use you, okay?

What am I gonna say?

What am I gonna say?

He had a content problem.

He had a confidence problem.

God gave him, hey, a promise.

I'm gonna deliver you, I'm gonna be with you.

Now he's got a content problem.

He doesn't know what to say.

Some of you were like that when you tried to ask your wife to marry you.

You didn't know what to say.

And then some of you were afraid they'd say no.

I was.

And I'm not going there.

So God gave him a plan.

Now, what's this?

Look.

God calls you, God gives you a plan.

Can I get an amen?

God calls you, God gives you a plan.

Now notice what he said.

He's giving us a plan here.

Now, guess what?

He's revealing it as we go.

But we know, we know God wanted to give us land.

We know God wants to start a church here.

So what we know to be true that God tells us we do, and then he adds to.

But notice what he went ahead and told Moses.

God's plan.

Number one, tell the people, verse 14, tell the people who I am.

Now, watch this.

Look at what he said.

God said unto Moses, I am that I am, and said, Thou shalt go and say unto them, I am, have sent me.

Now, I don't know about you, but can you imagine what Moses thought?

I am.

I'm gonna go tell you, you're gonna look, you're gonna let two and a half million people go.

Why am I gonna do that?

Moses Pharaoh said.

Because God said, I am.

Jesus.

Hello?

I am.

But see, you don't know what I am means.

Woo! Because when you know what I am, what I am means.

I did a major word study on I am.

And listen, boy, I like preaching barefooted.

This is fun.

And notice what he says.

It means I am is he's constant, he's in control.

Hey, he's not limited by body or time, that he's a creator.

He can do whatever he wants anytime he wants, and he does it quite well.

And basically, I am than I am literally means I am who I need to be.

Amen.

Whoa, that's good.

I am who I need to be.

I'm about to go Pentecostal.

Come on.

Read.

Some of us Baptists don't get that.

What is he talking about?

Number two, not only tell the people who I am, number two, tell the people I am faithful to all generations.

He reiterates.

He says, you go tell the nation Israel, hey, I'm the, hey, I am is the I am of hey, God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.

And as I was with them, I'll be with thee.

Wow.

Then notice the third thing he said.

Tell the people who I am, tell the people I am faithful to all generations.

Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.

Psalms 119, verse 90.

Psalms 119:90

Then number three, tell the leaders that there are four things you must know.

Now here's the leadership.

Listen to what he says.

A God is concerned.

Mmm.

God is concerned about you.

Verse 16, look at what he says.

Mm-mm.

Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say unto them, The Lord, God of your fathers, and the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

In other words, he says, I know what kind of oppression you're under, and I am here to take care of you.

Cast all your care upon me because I care for you.

1 Peter 5, 7.

Let me show you what I saw this week.

Memorize it.

Throw Psalms 55 up there, Jeremy.

Watch this, Psalm 55, 22.

This will make a Presbyterian shout.

Watch this.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.

He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Now the other translation out, I actually memorized it out of a different translation.

And it says, Give your burdens to the Lord, he will take care of you, and he will not let the godly fall or slip.

Wow.

Man, that's good.

And then he said, Here's the third thing you tell them.

You have a responsibility to obey his voice and sacrifice.

Look at verse 18.

And they shall hearken to thy voice.

That's why we listen to the word of God.

Can I get an amen?

That's it, the word.

The word you should know the truth and what?

Set you free.

Alright?

And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel unto the king of Egypt.

By the way, counsel men, you're in this with us.

When it going gets tough, you stand.

You got to stand for what's right.

By the way, most of the time when you stand for right godly, you're against the world's poles.

You're out there by yourself.

And it shall come the elders to Egypt, and you shall say unto them, the Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us go.

We beseech thee three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

Listen to me.

When you have your burning bush experience, listen, don't miss this.

It will cost you.

You will have to sacrifice.

Hello.

You'll have to sacrifice.

There's nothing's easy.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Can I get an amen?

You'll sacrifice.

And then look at what he said.

Then he said, look at verse 19.

And I'm sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go.

Now wait a minute, God, you call me.

Now you mean I've got to fight the whole nation of Egypt?

Oh, Moses, he lays all this.

Can't you see Moses?

Well, I'm feeling good.

I'm confident.

Yeah.

Okay, God's with me.

I am that I am.

He's powerful.

He knows what I need.

He's going to deliver me.

All I got to do is go up there and say, the I am such.

And then all of a sudden he said, Oh, by the way, Moses, he's not going to let you go.

What do I do now?

I mean, Lord, I've it, hey, how many of us have been on our Christian journey?

God is so blessing us.

We're on the mountaintop, and next thing you know, bam, you're in the valley, and you go, you look up and you say, What happened?

What did I do?

Huh?

Moses fired up.

He goes, he just knows.

He said, Oh, by the way, let me tell you before you ask the Egypt king.

He's not going to let you go.

Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier, Jesus Christ.

It's not going to be easy.

Can I get an amen?

Let me let me put it another way.

The honeymoon's over.

Hello?

Hello.

Now we're in a battle.

Hey, trust me.

We're in the honeymoon's over.

We're in a battle now.

You know why the honeymoon's over?

God's been doing so many great things.

Now, guess what?

Satan says, okay, boys, y'all think we're not going to sit back here and just let y'all think y'all can take take Chelsea West over and you can take this community, this 15-mile radius, and me not do anything.

You crazy.

I'm not going to let you go.

I'm not going to let you do this easily.

You're going to have to fight.

But notice what he says, and I love this.

D, you'll have problems.

You'll have problems.

Can I get an amen?

But look at number four, verses 20 through 22.

God will make up the difference.

If God be for you, say it with me.

Who can be?

Amen.

Who can hold them?

So, Moses had a confident problem.

God gave him a promise.

Moses had a content problem.

God gave him a plan and gave him a specific plan.

Then, hey, God, hey, then third thing we see, the third problem, he says, What if they will not hear me?

Exodus chapter 4, verse 1.

Exodus 4:1

Now Moses says, I've got a credibility problem.

Look at what he said.

Hey, and Moses answered, said, Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto me my voice, for they, hey, they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thy hand?

And he said, A rod.

And you remember the story.

He threw it down.

He said, I'm going to prove that you got special powers.

But now watch.

Why did Moses say they won't believe me?

Remember, he had failed.

He had killed a captain.

He was afraid that the people that were still there that were wanting to kill him and execute him for killing the captain of the guard, that they were there and that they're not going to believe him.

In fact, they're probably going to try to kill him again.

Now watch.

He says, but I've given you power.

And as you go through verses 2 through 8, look at what he says.

This is awesome.

This is awesome.

And he said, Cast it on the ground.

And the Lord said unto Moses, put forth a hand, take it by the tail.

Now I don't know about you, but when I threw my stick down and it became a snake, I would have run the other way.

I am not a snake man.

Somebody said the other day, Well, when y'all gonna bring out the snakes?

I said, they won't ever bring out any snakes with this preacher.

I'm like Wendy Bagel.

He was preaching in a revival and they said, go get the snakes.

And Wendy turned and said, Where's the back door?

They said, We don't have a back door.

He said, Where do they want one?

I'm out of here.

And take faith, just pick that thing back up.

Amen.

But then he goes on.

He gave him the power.

And look at what he says in look at verse 8.

This is great.

And he says, verse 8, and it shall come to pass, if they not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

He said, They will believe.

And it brings me to the last thing.

I have then verse 10, he comes back with one more excuse.

He's giving him three.

Now he gives the last one.

He says, I'm not eloquent.

Verse 10.

He's basically he says, I stutter, I can't speak.

And Moses said unto the Lord, Oh my Lord.

That's pretty good.

Oh my Lord.

Have you ever said that?

Oh my Lord.

Mama, I used to say that all the time.

Oh my Lord, especially when she was done by me.

Oh my Lord, help him.

I am not eloquent.

We were driving down the road.

I was listening to Adrian Rogers preach.

What an eloquent preacher, if you've ever heard of Adrian.

I loved him.

He was one of my mentors.

I miss him.

Him and Dr.

Foley, I miss him so much.

They were always there for me to call.

Adrian was just waxing eloquently.

I turned to Susan and I said, honey, do I preach?

Eloquently.

Total silence.

I knew I had made a mistake.

Absolutely.

I said, uh oh.

Then all of a sudden she said, honey, when I think of your preaching, I don't think of eloquency.

You being eloquent.

But I think of passion.

Go get them.

Yeah.

I went, yeah.

That's what I'm talking about.

And she said, that's what I love about you the most.

Your passion.

We all have our place.

Amen.

Just find your place.

And then let God find your bush.

First of all, find your bush.

And then let be still.

And let God call out to you.

And when he tells you to do it, he'll fulfill what he calls you to do.

He'll do it.

He'll do it.

He'll do it.

In fact, we see he had a credibility problem, but God gave him power.

He had a communication problem.

God gave him a person.

He said, I'll give you Aaron.

God wants us to help one another.

Galatians chapter 6, verse 2.

Galatians 6:2

Listen to what he says.

Bear ye one another's burdens.

Did you hear that?

Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Verse 10, as we therefore have opportunity, look for our the ways we can be a blessing to people.

Look for the ways that we can help people.

Not criticize people, not judge people.

Who are we to judge anyway?

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

Amen.

Oh.

Observations and I'm through.

Observations number one.

Past failures may cause us to be hesitant about doing the work of God.

He uses that on me, and I'm sure he uses that on you as much as anything.

I failed.

So what how could God use me again?

That was one of Moses' number one thing.

I failed, Lord, so how could you ever use me again?

The righteous fall seven times, but they get back up.

Can I get an amen?

Proverbs 24, 16.

They fall, but they get back up.

The wicked's the one that stays down.

Number two, past failures should cause us to see our weakness and rely on God.

Amen.

Amen.

We all have our weakness.

Thank God for some close friends of mine, especially my wife, that points them out to me very often.

Amen.

I really am.

Now, if you're not thankful, you're just pride and arrogant.

You need that.

I need that.

We need that.

We need to hold each other accountable.

Amen.

So, 2 Corinthians 12 9, when I'm weak, what?

He is strong.

The grace is sufficient, his strength's made perfect.

Most gladly will I what glory in my weaknesses and my failures, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure.

Watch.

Infirmities, reproaches, and necessities and persecution and distress for Christ's strength, uh for Christ's sake, for when I am weak.

He is strong.

And then the last one.

Number three.

God never calls us to any task that we can perform acceptably without him.

Did you hear me?

The reason maybe we're not doing all that we could be doing is because we're doing it ourselves and not through him.

I like the little saying, the elephant, the elephant and the mouse crossed the shaking bridge, the bridge, drawbridge.

And when they got to the other side, I meant, man, here's that elephant and that mouse.

And boom, boom, and the bridge going like that.

Got to the other side.

The little mouse looked up to the elephant.

He said, Woo! We shook that bridge, didn't we?

Hey, if you serve the God that I know we serve, make your plans big.

People always tell me, well, well, how big is big enough?

How big is big enough?

I'll tell you how big is enough when God says it's enough.

Amen.

You just keep doing what you're doing.

Hey, if it's 200, if it's a thousand, whatever God wants, we just keep being faithful, doing what?

Loving people, winning people to Christ, and let God be God.

Now, folks, that's the way you do it.

And don't get distressed if He's not doing it your way.

And would you pray for me about that?

And don't get distressed when you're impatient.

Would you really pray for me about that?

Please.

I'm working on it, honey.

And last night through.

The moment, now this is gonna be awesome.

Moses quit making excuses.

God began to solve his problems.

Look at verse 18 and 19, I'm through.

Chapter 4.

And Moses went and returned to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go.

I pray thee and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt and see whether they be yet alive.

And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

In other words, Moses said, Jethro, with your blessings, I'm going.

I gotta go.

I gotta do what God's called me.

Jethro said, Go.

Listen, if God's in it, whoever's in authority will be in agreement with it.

Amen.

And then look what happened.

Verse 19.

And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go return into Egypt, for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

Remember, he was worried.

He had a confidence problem because they might kill him.

He's going back.

God, once Moses says, I'm going, God had already taken care of the problem.

Wow, that's good.

Is that not good?

Wow.

You go.

Gotta do the rest.

Every head bow, every eye close.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day.

God bless you.