Title: You Can Make A Difference
Series: God Uses Broken Vessels
Text: Exodus 3:1-10
Introduction
In 1829, Martin Van Buren sent the following letter to then President Andrew Jackson:
To: President Jackson
The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as “railroads.” The federal government must preserve the canals for the following reasons:
One: If canal boats are supplanted by “railroads,” serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed in growing hay for horses.
Two: Boat builders would suffer and towline, whip, and harness makers would be left destitute.
Three: Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States. In the event of the expected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could ever move the supplies so vital to waging modern war.
As you may well know, Mr. President, “railroad” carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by “engines” which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock, and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed. (From Bible Illustrator for Windows, by Parsons Technology)
But being a leader takes courage. And often it is not the doubters from without that we must conquer; it’s the doubts from within.
I. HAVE THE COURAGE TO TRY.
Exodus 3:11
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Illustration: On November 8, 1970, there was a hard-fought struggle between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions. The game was nip and tuck, and it came down to the last final seconds to see who would win. The crowd gasped as they realized that the Saints were going to try a field goal of 63 yards. To try something that had never been done before in the history of man would certainly take a Goliath of a person. The crowd looked for a man with a size 45 shoe and a chest as big as the back of a semi. But instead they saw a man run out onto the field who had no fingers on his right hand, no toes on his right foot, and only half of his kicking foot. When Tom Dempsey kicked the ball he set history for professional football and set a world record that had never been done before. The beautiful thought about Tom Dempsey is not that he won a football game, but that he saw an obstacle and refused to be handicapped. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 272.)
A. The Source Of Our Strength Is Jesus.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
1. Jesus faced all that human life has to offer.
2. He was born in a Bethlehem stable and raised in a humble home.
3. He went to school and worked at manual labor to earn His daily bread.
4. He knew what it was to not have anywhere to lay His head at night.
5. He knew bereavement, suffering, and pain.
6. He died an agonizing death after being falsely accused, scorned by enemies, and forsaken by friends.
7. In his darkest hour He was conscious of being abandoned even by God.
B. Jesus Trusted God Completely.
1. Jesus knew that God was His Father and the Holy Spirit was His constant companion.
2. Even in the dreadful hour when He became sin for us He knew that He was offering Himself without spot unto God.
3. He had strength enough to blot out the sun, burst open graves, and tear the veil in the temple.
4. He had strength enough to die in the will of God on a cross of shame.
5. This strength is the source of our strength.
II. KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON THE MESSAGE.
Exodus 3:13
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Illustration: It was June 18, 1858, the Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the Allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.
Late in the day it flashed the signal: “W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N- - -D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D- -.” Just at that moment one of those sudden English fog clouds made it impossible to read the message. The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. The whole countryside was sad and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read. The message had four words, not two. The complete message was: “W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N- - -D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D- - -T-H-E- - -E-N-E-M-Y!” It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy, defeat was turned into victory!
So it was when Jesus laid in the tomb. Hope had died even in the hearts of Jesus’ most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on the friends of Jesus. They had “read” only part of the divine message. “Christ defeated” was all they knew. But then on the third day, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: “Christ defeated death!” Defeat was turned into victory; death was turned to life! (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 165-166.)
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
III. GO IN THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST.
Exodus 4:1
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
Illustration: A young second lieutenant at Fort Bragg discovered that he had no change when he was about to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, “Do you have change for a dollar?” The private said cheerfully, “I think so, let me take a look.” The lieutenant drew himself up stiffly and said, “Soldier, that’s no way to address an officer. We’ll start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?” The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, “No, sir!” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 42-43.)
A. We Have No Authority Of Our Own.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
B. We Have No Assignment Except To Go.
Note: Because He is the Sovereign Lord of the universe Jesus has both the authority to command us to be His witnesses and the power to enable us to obey that command.
IV. YOU HAVE ALL THE ABILITY YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S ASSIGNED TASK.
Exodus 4:10
10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Illustration: A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building.
Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary. Unfortunately, the church with its undersized lot had used every inch of their land except for the mountain against which it had been built. In order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain out of the back yard.
Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had "mountain moving faith." They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following week.
At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation’s 300 members assembled for prayer. They prayed for nearly three hours. At ten o’clock the pastor said the final "Amen". "We’ll open next Sunday as scheduled," he assured everyone. "God has never let us down before, and I believe He will be faithful this time too."
The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called "come in", a rough looking construction foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered. "Excuse me, Reverend. I’m from Acme Construction Company over in the next county. We’re building a huge shopping mall. We need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church? We’ll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We can’t do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly."
The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned and there were far more members with "mountain moving faith" on opening Sunday than there had been the previous week!
Would you have shown up for that prayer meeting? Some people say faith comes from miracles. But others know: MIRACLES COME FROM FAITH! (Source unknown)
A. The Gospel Cannot Be Obtained Through Human Wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
B. The Gospel Cannot Be Obtained Through Human Works.
V. ALLOW GOD TO DETERMINE YOUR DESIRE.
Exodus 4:12-13
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
(KJV)
Exodus 4:13
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."(NIV)
Illustration: I’m sure he must have been surprised at the turn of events in his life. Never in a million years could he have conceived such an idea Still yet, he loved her dearly. But how could he continue with the marriage? How could she do this to him?
And what of the plans that he had made? He had secured a good job, had built a nice home to live in, and had even supplied some of the furnishings. He could see his children now running and playing outside. How many would they have? Three? Six? More?
The law says he can put her away. But he just couldn’t bring himself to make a public spectacle of the whole thing. He decided he would make sure it was a private matter. Everyone would understand soon enough anyway. She would have to bear the disgrace for being pregnant before they were married.
These must have been some of the distressing thoughts on Joseph’s mind when he went to sleep that night. But the angel brought the message of peace to Joseph, for the child Mary carried was God’s own Son. To carry out this divinely conceived plan must have taken a great deal of faith and courage. It must surely have been the most difficult decision of Joseph’s life.
A. God Energizes Us To Do His Will.
Philippians 2:13
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Note: Paul uses the word energeo (worketh) which means, “to energize or work effectively.” This has more to do with God’s enablement than with our resources.
B. The Holy Spirit Plants In The Believer’s Heart The Desire And The Determination To Bring Pleasure To God.
1. Sanctification involves our cooperation with the Holy Spirit in producing a holy life pleasing to God.
2. The Holy Spirit does not do it all.
3. As we say no to the wrong and yes to the right, He releases the effective working of His power.
4. This cooperation produces a transformation in our conduct that is essential in maintaining a good testimony in the world.
