More: One Thing!

MORE: ONE THING:

INTRO TO TOPIC: Last week, Pastor Craig kicked off our new series:

• “More: What if less actually gave you more?”

• Jesus said: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

• The enemy wants to steal your time, your energy, your hope, peace and joy.

• What if we could stop that? That’s what this series is all about!

• ILLUSTRATION: Yesterday, Liza and I went to Save On More. I noticed there were two prices in the store for many items, but to get the lower price, you had to have a “More” Rewards card. I got the card, and now I get the rewards every time I shop there!

• Do you want to experience MORE – the abundant life Jesus has promised you?

• Abundant = Greek perissos – superabundance, excessive, overflowing, more than enough, extraordinary, more than sufficient. Who wants that kind of life? Let’s PRAY.

INTRO TO SPEAKER: For ten years, we were the youth pastors here at Bible Fellowship.

• The Lord’s call: For the past ten years, Liza and I were the lead pastors in Beausejour.

• We’ve been through a very challenging season, and needed a rest from pastoral ministry.

• Now = guidance counsellor at RCA; Caleb @ PLBC; Tori @ BU; Austin & Hannah @ RCA. Liza and I are leading RCA mission trip to Costa Rica, and are glad to be HOME.

QUOTE: “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” Charles Spurgeon.

• Did you bring your Bibles today? I love the Bible! PREACH.

• The B.I.B.L.E: Wisdom, guidance, freedom, hope and transformation.

BIBLE STORY:

“1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.' " 2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go." 3 So they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” (Exodus 5:1-4, NKJV).

• Shadows and types (symbolism) in the Old Testament: Egypt is a type of the world, Pharaoh a type of the devil, Moses and type of Jesus, and the Israelites are a type of us.

• Jesus has set us free from slavery so that we can worship God and experience His love!

• But the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy, and keep us from the MORE life.

“5 And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!" 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 "You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.” (Exodus 5:5-8).

• God wanted His people to worship Him and experience His rest and freedom.

• But Pharaoh didn’t want them listening to the voice of God, so look what he did:

“Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.” (Exodus 5:9).

• Pharaoh called God’s voice “false words” and wanted to keep the people so busy so that they couldn’t hear the Word of the Lord.

• The devil does the same thing today – he tries to keep us so busy that we don’t have time to pray, or read our Bibles, or go to church, or worship God.

• Someone described B.U.S.Y. once as: Being Under Satan’s Yoke.

STORY: I know what it’s like to get too busy, even doing good things in the church. When I was youth pastor here, I thought it was godly to be busy. I was the youth pastor, Christian Education director, I taught two classes in the Bible College, did chapels and taught in the school. And I never took a day off. I thought I was being saintly! “No rest for the righteous!” No, the expression is, “No rest for the wicked.” God gives his beloved rest!