1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,480 We've all been hurt. We all have scars. And through a relationship with Jesus Christ, 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:16,560 we can all overcome and we can all be healed. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 3 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,800 Alright everybody, welcome back and we're going to continue in our series on Reluctant 4 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:27,040 Leaders. This time, we're specifically going to be looking at Moses. Alright, now there's 5 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:33,080 a lot of things that focus on Moses from animated shows to full on feature length films. The 6 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:39,320 most iconic of which, I hate to disappoint you, it's not Veggie Tales, most likely 7 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,440 it's going to be Charlton Heston's portrayal. Now let's be honest, for decades, just the 8 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,040 mention of Moses has put this image of him coming down from the mountain with the tablets 9 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:55,240 in hand and then yelling, those who shall not live by the law shall die by the law. 10 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:01,200 You know, when reflecting back, people generally remember that Moses led his people out of 11 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:06,880 Egypt and that they wandered the desert for 40 years. And the Bible tells us this in Acts 12 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:14,600 chapter 7 verse 30. I know, 40 years, really? Come on, I Googled it, it doesn't take that 13 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,240 long. This is a much shorter walk than that. Well, it did take him 40 years and the Bible 14 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,720 does go into why it was 40 years. We're not going to be looking at that today, that's 15 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:30,720 for a later time. Remember, we're looking at the beginnings of our reluctant leaders 16 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:36,560 and why they were reluctant. So, to take a look at this man, we're going to go almost 17 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,520 to the start of the Bible and we're going to look at Exodus. We're going to start in 18 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:44,720 chapter 1 verse 1, so go right to the very beginning. We're going to read through chapter 19 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:49,600 2 verses 1 through 10. Now, I know it sounds like a lot of reading, it's really not. These 20 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:55,000 are pretty short chapters, so bear with me a little bit, give me a little grace. Now, 21 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:00,160 this is awesome because this goes all the way back. It tells us exactly what was going 22 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:05,600 on with the Israelites at that time and brings us to the birth of Moses. 23 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:11,040 Alright, so starting again, Exodus chapter 1 verse 1. These are the names of the sons 24 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:18,440 of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and 25 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:27,800 Isaacar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The descendants of Jacob, number 26 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:37,040 70 and all, Joseph was already in Egypt. Now, all his brothers and all that generation died, 27 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:43,920 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful. They multiplied greatly, increased in numbers, 28 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:54,240 and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph 29 00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:01,940 meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have 30 00:03:01,940 --> 00:03:09,840 become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become 31 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:17,560 even more numerous, and if war breaks out, we'll join our enemies. Bite against us and 32 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:25,120 leave the country. So they put the slave masters, sorry, they put, so they put slave masters 33 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:33,200 over them to oppress them with forced labor. And they built Pithom and Ramses as store 34 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:40,520 cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. 35 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:47,920 So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their 36 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:54,520 lives bitter with harsh labor and brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. 37 00:03:54,520 --> 00:04:02,440 And all their harsh labor, the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. The king of Egypt said to 38 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:10,720 the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Sifra and Pua, when you are helping the Hebrew women 39 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:18,760 during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him. 40 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:25,400 But if it's a girl, let her live. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the 41 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:32,840 king of Egypt had told them to do. They let the boys live. When then the king of Egypt 42 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:38,040 summoned the midwives and asked them, why have you done this? Why have you let the boys 43 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:44,520 live? The midwives answered Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are 44 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:51,840 vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. So God was kind to the midwives and 45 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:57,080 the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared 46 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:05,520 God, he gave them families of their own. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people, 47 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:14,960 every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live. 48 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,880 Alright, so that's set in the background for what's going on. Now we're going to continue 49 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:26,760 on to chapter two. Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levi woman and she became 50 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:31,520 pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him 51 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:37,240 for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for 52 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:41,720 him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among 53 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:48,440 the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would 54 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:54,920 happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe and her attendants 55 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,760 were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female 56 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:05,840 slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying and she felt sorry for 57 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:13,200 him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, 58 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:20,000 shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you? Yes, go, she answered. 59 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:25,480 So the girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, take this 60 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:32,080 baby and nurse him for me and I will pay you. So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 61 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:38,420 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. 62 00:06:38,420 --> 00:06:45,720 She named him Moses saying, I drew him out of the water. Holy cow, there's a lot there, 63 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:53,220 I know. All right, so from birth, we can see Moses was already living in strife. He literally 64 00:06:53,220 --> 00:06:59,280 saw hardship from day one. Not only that, but he had a target on him straight out of 65 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:05,760 the womb. And then he snuck out, put in a basket to float down the river. His birth 66 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:10,640 was the thing movies are made of. No, really. If you think about it, it sounds like I'm 67 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,040 talking about the movie Willow. And that's a trope that's been used for other films 68 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:18,600 and stories over the years. One can't help but think that there's a biblical influence 69 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:25,000 at play. Unfortunately, it's not a tall tale though. We see this in other places in the 70 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:31,040 Bible as well, like in the book of Matthew with King Herod. And sadly, we see things 71 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:36,720 like this around the world today. Just reports of infanticide in China have been around for 72 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:45,120 years. Is it a boy? Is it a girl? All right, so let's take a look, let's take a moment 73 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:50,600 and let's look at Acts chapter seven verses 21 through 22, which tell us just a little 74 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:56,800 bit more about his youth. All right, so skipping ahead here, it says the Bible says, when he 75 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:02,600 was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own. Moses was 76 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:10,240 well-educated and all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was a powerful in speech and action. So 77 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,240 we know that one, Moses was brought up as a member of the royal family with all the 78 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:20,800 benefits that entails. Two, he wasn't a dummy. He was smart. He was well-educated and it 79 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:27,520 showed. So one would think at this point, we're looking at someone who has it all. Easy 80 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:35,440 street, skates, just skate city. Right? Wrong. He didn't skate at all. It wasn't easy street 81 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:43,040 for him. So let's flip over to Hebrews chapter 11 verses 24 through 26 and we'll see why. 82 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:48,360 All right, so again, that's Hebrews 11 and we're going to pick up chapter 24 through 83 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:55,160 26 and the Bible says, by faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the 84 00:08:55,160 --> 00:09:02,840 son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather 85 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:10,240 than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded the disgrace for the sake of Christ 86 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:18,340 as a greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. 87 00:09:18,340 --> 00:09:26,440 So even though he was raised as royalty, he refused the pleasures, the comforts, and the 88 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:34,480 wealth. Remember, he was smart. He saw just how fleeting all these things were. They're 89 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:41,280 temporary. So we see some of the leader in Moses starting to kind of peek out. That's 90 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:46,320 all it's doing at this point. It's just peeking out. Right? Now, there's something to take 91 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:53,720 note of here as well. Just as Moses had these idols in front of him, we can all see the 92 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:59,880 same ones in our lives. We can all get caught up with things like wealth, popularity, status, 93 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:06,960 and so on. And just as Moses saw them for what they are, we need to recognize them as 94 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:16,280 temporary, short-term benefits. And instead, we need to keep our eye on the long-term benefits 95 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:22,960 of God's kingdom, a kingdom, I might add, that already has our real treasures stored 96 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:30,400 up as the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 6, verses 19 through 21. All right? So for 97 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:39,920 the first 40 years of his life, Moses has been torn between worlds. Things are about 98 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,040 to get worse for him though. So let's go back to Exodus, and we're going to pick back up 99 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:51,280 in chapter 2, right where we left off, so in verse 11. Now, we're going to read through 100 00:10:51,280 --> 00:11:00,280 verses 11 through 15. All right? So the Bible says, one day after Moses had grown up, he 101 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:07,240 went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an 102 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:14,920 Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that, and seeing 103 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:22,480 no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day, he went out and 104 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:29,440 saw two Hebrews fighting, and he asked the one in the wrong, why are you hitting your 105 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:36,240 fellow Hebrew? The man said, who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of 106 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:42,640 killing me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, what I did must 107 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:52,400 have become known. When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from 108 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:58,200 Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. All right, we're going 109 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:08,000 to stop there. All right, so we see this discussed in Acts chapter 7 verses 23 through 29 as 110 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:16,000 well. Moses acted rash. He was hasty. He's very hasty. Does it sound familiar? Because 111 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,360 we just talked about another leader with the same issue. He got caught up in the moment, 112 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:28,280 and for being a really smart guy, he made a really dumb move. Here's a man at the royal 113 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:33,040 family who could have gone an entirely different direction. He could have done this a different 114 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:42,920 way to stand up for this other man, but instead, he made a semi-calculated move to lash out. 115 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:48,120 First, he looked to make sure nobody could see him, or so he thought, and then he killed 116 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:56,080 the man. Buried him. He hit him. That misstep came back to bite him pretty quick, to the 117 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:02,800 extent that Pharaoh no longer cared that he was an adopted member of the family. He wanted 118 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:11,720 him dead. At this point, he's a man on the lam. He's running for his life. He knew if 119 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:20,640 he got caught, that was it. That was the end for him. He'd be pushing daisies. Sometimes, 120 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:25,440 we make the same mistake in our lives. We think that we can do something wrong and get 121 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:32,760 away with it as long as nobody sees or catches us. Even those little white lies that we make. 122 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:40,280 Taking supplies from work home for personal use. Those victimless crimes. Just like Moses, 123 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:47,320 sooner or later, it catches up to us and it bites us. Even if it doesn't happen here on 124 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:56,720 earth, we'll still have to answer. We'll have to answer for that when we face God. 125 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:03,480 Just like a drop of water. Drop of water hits the body and ripples go out across that body 126 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:10,400 water. Your actions do the same thing in your life. We all have to choose whether the ways 127 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:18,280 we create in our lives will be good or bad. The smallest action or sometimes inaction 128 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:24,440 can turn into something significantly bigger later on. We choose every day. Sometimes, 129 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:29,600 we don't realize that we're doing it. Do you want these actions to come back at you 130 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:35,720 like a destructive tsunami or a big beautiful wave that you can ride out on like a great 131 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:42,720 surfer? You decide. Personally, surf's up buddy. I don't want that tsunami. 132 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:50,000 Let's skip ahead a little bit. We're going to go down to Exodus chapter 3. We're going 133 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:55,400 to pick this up in verse 7 and we're going to go through verse 12. Again, that's Exodus 134 00:14:55,400 --> 00:15:03,920 chapter 3 verse 7 through 12. The Bible says, The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery 135 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:09,160 of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am 136 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:15,040 concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of 137 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:22,560 the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land and into a good and spacious land, 138 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:30,320 a land flowing with milk and honey, the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, 139 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:40,080 Hivites, and Jubisites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me and I have seen 140 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:48,640 the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to 141 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:57,320 bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should 142 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:04,520 go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you 143 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:11,240 and this will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you. When you have brought 144 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:20,640 the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. It's a lot. I know. 145 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:26,280 So Moses, basically at this point, he's at the burning bush. And God is telling him that 146 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:31,160 he's concerned about the Israelites. He's hearing their cries. He's hearing them pleading 147 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:38,920 and he's going to use Moses to free them. However, Moses is very reluctant at this point. 148 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:44,320 He doesn't have any confidence really. He's really lacking there. Just like Peter and 149 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:48,360 Gideon were. Well, I should say were. They were when we started. Of course, it happens 150 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:54,280 later in the Bible. But just like Peter, just like so many of us. So Moses says, Who am 151 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:59,520 I? Remember these words because as we know, it's not the only time in the Bible that 152 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:06,840 God says them. He says the same thing to us. I will be with you. He's with us every moment 153 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:16,720 of every day. Yet Moses felt alone and unable to deal with this situation by himself. God 154 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:23,760 wasn't asking him to do it by himself though. God was going with him and supplying him with 155 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:30,720 even more as we're going to see moving forward here. So let's take a look now. We're still 156 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:35,080 in Exodus 3 and we're going to pick up our reading here and we're going to look at verses 157 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:43,960 13 through 21. So speaking up in verse 13, the Bible says, Moses said to God, Suppose 158 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:51,320 I go to the Israelites and I say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you. 159 00:17:51,320 --> 00:18:00,640 And they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, I am 160 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:12,160 who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you. God also 161 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:19,440 said to Moses, say to the Israelites, excuse me, say to the Israelites, the Lord, the God 162 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:27,600 of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me 163 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:38,920 to you. This is my name forever. The name you shall call me from generation to generation. 164 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:45,720 Go assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the 165 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:52,160 God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob appeared to me and said, I have watched over you and have 166 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:59,480 seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your 167 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:05,560 misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hibites and 168 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:15,600 Jebusites, the land flowing with milk and honey. The elders of Israel will listen to 169 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:22,600 you. Then you and the elders are going to go to the King of Egypt and say to him, the 170 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:29,000 Lord, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us take a three day journey into the 171 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:35,920 wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. But I know that the King of Egypt 172 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:44,760 will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike 173 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:51,880 the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will 174 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:59,840 let you go and I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people so that when you 175 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:07,000 leave, you will not go empty handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor, any woman living 176 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:15,200 in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your 177 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:28,840 sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians. Wow. So Moses, he started his 178 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:36,760 arguing here. He started his asking by asking God for his name. And this is a good thing 179 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,400 because keep in mind, he's brought up the royalty so he's not necessarily completely 180 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:46,800 familiar with everything that's been done before and what the beliefs and the traditions 181 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:53,300 are with worshiping God and the promises that have been made and all that. So this is so 182 00:20:53,300 --> 00:21:01,480 that the Israelites would recognize him, him being God, and not be confused with the Egyptians' 183 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:11,240 many gods, their idols. So God told him, I am. Yahweh is derived from the Hebrew word 184 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:19,280 for I am. And God used this to show his unchanging nature. He reminded Moses of his promises to 185 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:25,760 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which can be found in Genesis. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 186 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:32,200 13, 8, that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And in sending Moses on this 187 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:39,120 path, God even tells him that not only will the Israelites escape Egypt, but that the 188 00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:49,560 Egyptians will be happy and even give them gifts from clothing to wealth. That's a lot. 189 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:57,400 Now, looking at verses 16 through 17, there are two things to take note of. The first 190 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:03,640 is that God told Moses to go and to tell what he's seen and heard. Basically, he's done 191 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:11,160 to go and give his testimony. And the best way for you to share the gospel with others, 192 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:16,400 for you, me, all of us, is to do exactly this, is to tell them about what God has done for 193 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:22,600 us in our lives, our blessings. This gives credit to the fact that you're vouching for 194 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:31,160 God. And that's what it is. The second thing to note is that this is the second time God 195 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:37,580 mentions the land of milk and honey. It was also mentioned in Exodus 3 verse 8 as well. 196 00:22:37,580 --> 00:22:44,560 This isn't God singing the Crowder song, though this is what Crowder was singing about. This 197 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:49,560 is referring to the land where Israel and Jordan are today and expressing how beautiful 198 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:55,080 they are and how prosperous their promised land is going to be. 199 00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:04,080 Now, moving along into chapter 4 verses 1 through 17, we see Moses continuing to argue 200 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:12,120 with God. The Bible says, Moses answered, what if they do not believe me or listen to 201 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:18,280 me and they say the Lord did not appear to you? Then the Lord said to him, what is that 202 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:23,880 in your hand? A staff, he replied. The Lord said, throw it on the ground. Moses threw 203 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:30,960 it on the ground and it became a snake and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, 204 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:37,840 reach out your hand and take it by the tail. So Moses reached out and took a hold of the 205 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:44,800 snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. This, said the Lord, is so that they 206 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:51,000 may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac 207 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:57,560 and the God of Jacob has appeared to you. Then the Lord said, put your hand inside your 208 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:03,680 cloak. So Moses put his hand into his cloak and when he took it out, the skin was leprous. 209 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:12,200 It had become white as snow. Now put it back into your cloak, he said. So Moses put his 210 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,880 hand back into his cloak and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his 211 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:23,160 flesh. Then the Lord said, if they do not believe you or pay attention to the first 212 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:28,220 sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen 213 00:24:28,220 --> 00:24:35,280 to you, take some water from the Nile, pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from 214 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:41,920 the river will become blood on the ground. Moses said to the Lord, pardon your servant, 215 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:49,200 Lord. I've never been so eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your 216 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:56,440 servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. The Lord said to him, who gave human beings their 217 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:03,840 mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not 218 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:13,080 I, the Lord? Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. But Moses 219 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:20,280 said, pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else. Then the Lord's anger burned 220 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:27,520 against what Moses said. What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. 221 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:34,920 He is already on his way to meet you and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to 222 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:41,120 him and put words in his mouth. I will help both of you speak and I will teach you what 223 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:48,440 to do. He will speak to the people for you and it will be as if he were your mouth and 224 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:56,560 as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so that you can perform the signs 225 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,360 with it. 226 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:10,260 So it reads the same for Moses as it does for us today. He was afraid of people with 227 00:26:10,260 --> 00:26:15,040 think. He was over thinking things. He was building up the what ifs in his own mind. 228 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:24,000 He had that stinking thinking. We all do this. It is really easy to do. We all start building 229 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,600 things up in our heads and looking at things like, oh man, what is going to go wrong? The 230 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:35,240 solution to answer all this is to remember that God does not ask us to go to the places 231 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:40,840 he will not help us with. We need to trust in him and know that he will provide what 232 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:51,640 we need. In verses 2-4, God used a simple shepherd staff that Moses was carrying not 233 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:58,440 only to provide a miracle or a sign but to teach a lesson as well. Moses had no idea 234 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:04,720 how powerful his staff could become. While it could be used for many things, at the end 235 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:13,480 of it all it was just another stick. However, God can use the most ordinary things to do 236 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:17,120 great stuff and does. 237 00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:20,720 What are some of the ordinary things in your life? A musical instrument? Lord knows I have 238 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:27,120 plenty of them. How about a pen or a hammer? A gentle touch or your voice? I can tell you 239 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:32,720 first hand that a gentle touch or a kind word can make a world of difference. You want to 240 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:41,760 see this at play? You go watch a CNA or a nurse tech at work. Beautiful, beautiful thing. 241 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:50,040 We all like to think it is special skills that God is going to use. But do not ever 242 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:58,020 discount anything. It does not matter how small or how mundane it might seem. God can 243 00:27:58,020 --> 00:28:03,620 use anything. Anything. 244 00:28:03,620 --> 00:28:10,640 Carrying on through verse 10, we see God continuing to equip Moses. He has given him signs which 245 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,920 are miracles in themselves. He has promised to be with him. He has reminded him of the 246 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:21,640 promises that he has already made and that he is going to keep as well. Yet Moses continued 247 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:28,800 to act like a whiny teenager. In verses 11-13, Moses continued to weasel his way out of what 248 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:34,660 he has been told to do. I cannot do it. Have someone else do it. He is continuing to talk 249 00:28:34,660 --> 00:28:43,680 back to God. It is really easy to see why in verse 14, God is getting angry. Here is 250 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:51,680 Moses going, but, but, but, but. So God is doing what any parent would do at this point. 251 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:59,160 He is telling Moses, what did I just say? Boy, you better listen. Despite the protest 252 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:07,160 coming from Moses, God still continued to show his mercy by sending his brother Aaron 253 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:13,680 to help him. At this point, Moses has just run out of excuses and it is time to go to 254 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:21,600 work. The time for reluctance is done. God drew the line in the sand at this point. He 255 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:27,720 is like, we are going to work. Like it or not? 256 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:32,720 Moses had stumbling blocks from here on out as well. However, this right here, this is 257 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:39,040 where the reluctance goes away. He is beginning his ascent into becoming a great leader for 258 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:45,560 his people. He shows us that no matter how defiant we get, that we cannot argue with 259 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:53,800 God. Like Moses, sometimes, and really often times, we are our own worst enemy. We all 260 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:59,320 like to take that easy way out. We like to push things off for someone else to do. What 261 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:06,240 is the easiest way to do this? Let me tell you something. Being a good person is hard. 262 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:15,640 Being a Christian is even harder. God will show mercy and walk with you every step of 263 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:22,880 the way through fear, self-doubt, outright defiance. God can and will still use us just 264 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:28,520 like he did with Moses, whether we like it or not. He will help every one of us break 265 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:35,720 the chains of reluctance. Really, reluctance is just another chain of fear. He will help 266 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:40,160 us to become the people we need to be for his kingdom. 267 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:46,960 In this series, we have looked at a few examples of reluctant leaders. They all have common 268 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:53,840 traits, not only to each other, but to us as well. We all need to talk to God. We all 269 00:30:53,840 --> 00:31:00,480 need to trust in him. We all need to march forward. We need to tell him what we are feeling. 270 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:06,280 This all becomes a lot easier to do when we realize that we are not alone. We all feel 271 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:12,280 all the same things that all of these leaders have been feeling, the doubts, the lack of 272 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,560 confidence and everything. Like, oh, there has got to be someone better. It is like, 273 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:25,160 really me? Sometimes even at that point, it is like, really me? No, I am not fortunate 274 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:32,840 enough. I hate to say that term. I do not have that kind of luck. It is not my luck. 275 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:43,880 God is here. He is with us and he will help us. Now you know what the Bible says on reluctant 276 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:52,320 leaders. Thank you for tuning in to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. If you would like 277 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:59,560 to know more about our ministry, you can find us on Facebook at Be the Light Sanctuary or 278 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:07,460 you can visit our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org. Thank you so much for listening. We will catch 279 00:32:07,460 --> 00:32:14,460 you next time. God bless.