How To Get Rid Of Your Big But Series

Title: How to get rid of your big but

Text Exodus 3-4

This sermon was preached at Calvary Assembly of God Dudley Ma by Rev. Tony Hamilton as part of our E100 Bible reading challenge series

Do you have a big but. I know I have a big but. I think at one time or another, we have all had a big but. Some of us might even have more than 1 big but. When God asks us to do something, our big but appears. We don’t even have to use the word But or But God.. any excuse we come up with to not obey is a big but. Today, we are going to look at another man that had a big but, 5 big buts to be exact. As we read this week in our E100 Challenge, that man with the 5 big buts was Moses. Today we are going to look at Moses and his big buts and how God dealt with him and his big buts and hopefully we can get rid of our own big buts once and for all.

So, in the book of Exodus we have God calling Moses to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Moses wasn’t too keen on this idea at first. Instead of just obeying God, Moses tried to get out of it by trying to show God that he wasn’t the right man for the job.. pretty much saying that God is choosing the wrong man and Moses knew better. So, lets look in Exodus 3 and 4 and see if this will help us fight off the Big But.

1. We see the first big But in Exodus 3:11

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

BUT #1 - BUT WHO AM I

2. Big But #2 appears in Exodus 3:13

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

BUT #2 - BUT WHO ARE YOU? BUT CAN YOU REALLY DO THIS?

3. Big But #3 is in Exodus 4:1

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”

BUT #3 - BUT WHAT IF THEY DON’T BELIVE ME OR LISTEN TO ME

4. We next see Big But # 4 in Exodus 4:10

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

BUT #4 - BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY OR HOW TO SAY IT

5. Finally Big But #5 is in Exodus 4:13

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

BUT #5 - BUT I JUST DON’T WANT TO

God calls Moses and we see Moses try 5 times to get out of it. He tries to reason with God. He tried to tell God he was the wrong man for the job. He finishes by pretty much begging God not to choose him. He used every excuse he could think of. So, how do we respond when God asks us to do something. Something that is maybe too hard if it was just us doing it. Something that is uncomfortable, something scary for us. Do we give God our big but.

I think I discovered the way to get rid of this kind of big but. Just like with our human body, the way to get rid of a big but is thru Diet and Exercise. The same can get rid of our spiritual big but. Thru diet and exercise. A diet of the word of God. We need to know what God is asking of us and what we are supposed to do. And thru exercising our faith in what we read. When we read something, When God speaks to us, we need to have the faith in God that we can do it with Him.

So lets get back into the Word of God and see what God says to Moses each time

These are the things we are called to exercise our faith in.

For Moses Big But # 1 God says in Exodus 3:12 “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

So we have to have faith that God will be with us.

For Moses Big But #2 God says in Exodus 3:14 and 15 “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”