May 15, 2022
Pastor Ricky Smith
Sermon Notes
I. Protesting God’s Call
Exodus 4:1, 10
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.
Even in our timidity, God is patient with us
II. Provision of God’s Power
Exodus 4:2-9
The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
God equips you to fulfill His plan
III. Posture of Promise and Peace
Exodus 4:27-31
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Next Steps
- I repent of my sin and confess Jesus as my King for the first time today.
- I commit to using what God has given me, to do what God has given me to do.
- I confess to making excuses why I should not obey God.
Deep Dive
- Read 1 Samuel 17:26-50. How does David’s confidence with the five stones compare to Moses and his staff?
- What skill or possession has God given you and how do you desire Him to use it for His glory?
- Why are we often motivated to use those gifts for selfish ambition?
Springboards
- When you obey God and things get harder, not better, how do you tend to react? What does this suggest about your affections?
- What do we lose if we think only about what God has redeemed us from, and never remember what he has redeemed us for?