Is it possible that you can be used of God to impact your world? I want to look at a woman who impacted two countries. Her name was Jochebed. She was the mother of Moses. Through Jochebed God impacted Egypt as well as Israel. Her son, Moses, left a spiritual influence on both of these countries. “And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.” Exo. 2:1-3
1. If you want to impact your world invest in others for God. Moses mother invested in her son. Let me share her story. At the time of Moses birth the Israelite people were living in slavery in Egypt. The people were looking for evidence that God had not forgotten them. They were looking for a ray of hope. Moses was born into that environment. Jochebed may not have envisioned that her son could bring hope. However, within every parent there is a vision for their children. Every parent would like to see their child be the president. Every parent thinks their child is the most intelligent child in the school. Jochebed was no different.
A. This woman of faith, like all parents, recognized the potential in her child. In Hebrews 11:23 the Bible instructs us that Moses’ parents hid him when they saw he was a special child. The KJV says “proper”; the Amplified says he was a “comely” child; the NASV says “beautiful”, and the NIV says “no ordinary”. This principle is repeated in Acts 7:20. The focus seems to be on the fact that Moses was a beautiful child. Obviously, Moses parents thought he was a beautiful child. I have never seen parents who thought otherwise. All parents consider their children to be beautiful. I have never heard a parent say “that is an ugly baby.” Whether this phrase refers to Moses looks or his overall person is irrelevant. Point is, Moses parents saw something special in him. They saw his potential and risked their lives to help him reach his potential. One of the first jobs of a mother is to recognize the unique potential that God has placed in their child and magnify that potential.
“Someone has said anyone can count the number of apples on a tree; however, it is a rare and wonderful person who can count the number of trees inside an apple.”
Many of you know the name John Croyle. John was an All American who played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama. John was selected to play professional football. However, he turned down the opportunity because he had a larger dream. John’s dream was to start a ranch for troubled teens. He started “The Big Oak Ranch” for troubled teens, near Gadsen, Al. Over the past 20 or so years John has rescued the lives of hundreds of troubled teens. He has written a book “Bringing Out The Winner” in your child. That is a marvelous life goal. It is a wonderful goal to help bring out the winner in other people.
Jesus was this kind of person. He went about bringing out the winner in other people.
Illustration: One of His more famous female disciples was a lady named Mary Magdalene. Mary had the distinct honor of having receive the expulsion of seven demons from her life. Jesus saw more than a demon possessed women.
Illustration: Another of Jesus’ disciples was a man named Simon the Zealot. Simon was basically the equivalent of an Arab terrorist. Jesus saw more than a radical terrorist. He saw potential. He called Simon to follow Him. Simon became more than a zealot. He became a zealot for Jesus.
I believe if you had asked Jochebed what she considered to be her job, she would have said, “My job is to bring out the winner in my child Moses.” (or) She might have said, “It I my job to raise this child for God.” Someone has said “Our children are like library books on loan with a due date that remains unknown.”
B. Investing in other people has its demands but it also has its rewards. Let me mention an example. (Show picture of my oldest son and his wife on the screen.)
This is a picture of my son and his wife being appointed as missionaries. The date was July 12, 2004. That was a tremendously rewarding night for Judy and me. We swelled with pride to see them walk across the stage. We invested our lives in David. It was rewarding seeing our investment reaping dividends. However, the investment also had its demands. I mention a couple. When David was 11 or 12 he tried to run away from home. He and a friend, who has been in prison several times, plotted a scheme to run away from home. David was mad at us at the time. That was demanding. When David turned 16 he bought his first car. Within a matter of weeks after buying that car David was given two reckless driving tickets for exceeding 80 miles per hour. That was demanding. Investing in other people has its demands but it also has its rewards.
Some of you are asking, how can I make an impact in my world? Invest in other people.
2. If you want to impact your world live by faith. As we study the lives of Moses’ parents we discover them to be people of faith. We do not learn much about their faith. The Bible only shares one simple glimpse into their faith. It says when Moses was born his parents hid him at home for three months. They did this because Pharaoh had ordered the destruction of all male Hebrew babies.
This simple act tells us two things about legitimate faith.
A. Real faith is courageous. It took great courage for Moses’ parents to hide Moses as they did. They defied the king’s orders. They defied the death verdict.
What about you? You may not ever face a death verdict from a Pharoah. You may not ever face a dictator. However, there are little acts of courage that all of us can display.
In our church we offer a public invitation when individuals can respond to God’s urgings. It could be a response to invite Jesus into their heart. It could be a desire to unite with our church to be a part of this fellowship. It could be a desire to request believers baptism. It could be a desire to come and pray about a burden. It could be a desire to release a burden. All of those actions require a certain amount of courage because you are expressing your desires in a public setting. Any act of faith requires courage.
Illustration: Corrie ten Boom was a courageous Dutch woman who was interned in a Nazi prison camp during World War II because her family helped to hide Jewish people from the Gestapo. During her imprisonment, Corrie endured some of the worst degradation a person can experience. Her sister, Betsy, died in the camps. But through all her suffering, Corrie never lost her faith in God. She defined faith as:
F antastic
A dventuring
I n
T rusting
H im
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Richard Burkey)
Illustration: We witnessed a courageous act of faith at Columbine High School several years ago. Rachel Scott, one of the students who was killed in the school shooting, displayed this courage. Just before being killed Rachel was asked if she was a Christian. Rachel boldly and confidently confessed that she was a Christian. Right after that the gunman killed her.
Moses learned courage from his mother. He was influenced by two forces. He was raised by his mother, with Pharoah’s permission. He learned the religious teachings and ways of the Hebrew people. He studied the philosophies and ways of the Egyptians. However, when he became a man he made a decision. The Bible tells us “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the grandson of the king, but chose to share ill-treatment with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Heb. 11:24) Moses, like his mother, courageously rejected the king’s authority.
B. Faith should be consistent. In our text we read about a lady who lived her faith. She was an example of character, courage and integrity before her son Moses. She did not compromise her faith simply because the king was on a rampage. She was the same under the threat of the king as she was in the presence of God’s people. There should be a consistency in a believer’s life. You should be the same on Monday as you are on Sunday. You should be the same at home as you are at church. When you sing “O how I love Jesus” you should also sing “O how I love other people.” When you sing “O how I love Jesus” you should also show His love toward your wife, your mother, your children and your fellow workers.
Illustration: Sometimes there is inconsistency in our words and lifestyle. I cut a story out of a church newsletter years ago that illustrates this point. A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers was concerned that his students might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they understood that the birth of Jesus occurred a long time ago, that He grew up, etc. So he asked his class, “Where is Jesus today?”
Steven raised his hand and said, “He’s in heaven.”
Mary was called on and answered, “He’s in my heart.”
Little Johnny, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, “I know! I know! He’s in our bathroom!!!”
The whole class got very quiet, looked at the teacher, and waited for a response. The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. Finally, he gathered his wits and asked Little Johnny how he knew this. Little Johnny said, “Well…every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door, and yells, “Jesus Christ, are you still in there?!”
3. If you want to impact your world invest in others, live by faith and finally depend on the grace of God. You may be thinking, where do we see the grace of God in Jochebed’s raising of Moses. It Exodus 2 we read that Jochebed did something that seemed strange. When she realized she could not hide Moses any longer at home she made a small boat of papyrus reeds. After building the boat she placed Moses in the boat and placed it among the reeds along the banks of the river. Jochebed asked Moses older sister to watch the small boat. In reading the text you get the impression they were setting a trap so that one of Pharoah’s children would take baby Moses and raise him (thus guaranteeing his protection). We do not know that as fact. No matter the reason, Jochebed was taking a chance in what she did. She simply depended on the grace of God to handle the situation. That is a recipe for parenting. Do the best you can and leave the rest to God.
A. God’s grace will put you in a place where He can and will use you. He has a significant purpose for you. God’s grace chose Jochebed to be the mother of Moses. The principle of selection by grace is illustrated throughout the Bible. God chose a simple shepherd boy to be the greatest king of Israel. God chose a virgin girl to be the earthly mother of His son. God chose a murderer to be the greatest missionary in the New Testament. God chose a woman who had been demon possessed to be one of the first visitors to the empty tomb. God’s grace will place you where he can use you. He will use you and the distinctive qualities of your life.
Illustration: Consider the story of Edward Kimball. God used Edward Kimball to spark a spiritual revolution. His contributions could have been overlooked. Kimball was a Sunday school teacher who worked as a humble shoe clerk. He helped lead Dwight L. Moody to Christ. One of Moody’s converts, J. Wilbur Chapman, became a friend and coworker of D.L. Moody and hired a former baseball star named Billy Sunday as an advance man. Billy Sunday held an evangelistic campaign in Charlotte in 1924 and a men’s prayer and fellowship group, originally known as the Billy Sunday Layman’s Evangelistic Club and later renamed as Charlotte Businessmen’s Club (CBMC), grew out of those meetings. This group invited Mordecai Ham to Charlotte to hold evangelistic meetings in 1934. Mordecai Ham preached a sermon where a 16 year-old by the name of Billy Graham went forward and received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Billy Graham has preached to hundreds of millions of people all over the world and seen literally millions won to Christ. Edward Kimball started a chain of events that touched millions of lives.
( Contributed to Sermon Central by Warren Lamb)
The significance of your purpose is not dependent on the size of the job but the size of the God. A small job is as significant as a large job when God assigns it. God will place you where he can use you.
B. God’s grace will put you in a place where he can use you. Also, God’s grace will overcome your limitations. Jochebed was used of God in spite of limitations. She was a slave. She was not allowed to raise her son in a typical home environment. There was always the fear of the Egyptians hanging over her. Even when she came up with a game plan it seemed foolish. She placed her baby in a basket and hid him in the river. That did not seem to be the best plan. What if a snake got in the basket? What if the basket leaked? In spite of the limitations of her plan God used her. The same is true for you. No matter what your short comings, no matter what your limitations, God can use you!
Illustration: When I was a teenager our pastor asked a young man from a neighboring town to do a concert in our home church. This young man was a distant cousin of mine. When I heard that he was going to do a concert, I laughed. This young man stuttered, in the worst sort of way. I envisioned him getting in front of our church, embarrassing himself, our church and his family. He came, he did his concert and he blessed our hearts. He did not stutter the first time when he sang. He went on to become one of the only full time ministers of music in the state where he served. God used him!
May you become a person of impact!
