AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIPS
Exodus 17:8-16
INTRODUCTION:
PROP: HAVE A MICROWAVE SET UP IN THE FRONT OF THE SANCTUARY. GIVE EACH PERSON THAT COMES IN A KERNAL OF POPCORN. HAVE A BAG OF MICROWAVE POPCORN STANDING BY TO POP
ILLUSTRATION: (popping popcorn
v Each of you has been given a kernel of popcorn. Not all that attractive, really not all that useful, really hard and if any of you have ever tried to eat a piece of un-popped corn, not very tasty.
v BUT… when a little friction is applied, maybe even a little heat a wonderful and amazing transformation takes place. This hard kernel of corn, turns into a light and fluffy edible snack for many. This transformation is useful and can bring joy and sustenance to all who partake of it.
v Moses has had to face some hardships in our reading.
o He had to fight with his own fears of failure
o He had to go up against pharaoh on multiple occasions
o He had to deal with the grumblings of this group of stiff-necked people. Over and over again as they dealt with hardships, they criticized Moses.
o Moses had to be the judge between any disputes they had with on another also
§ Exodus 17:3-4 (NIV)
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
v On top of all the internal strife going on inside the camp, he also had to worry about what was going on outside the camp. In our reading today we see Moses and the Israelites going up against the Amalekites. The Amalekites were the descendants of Esau. LETS GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THE TEXT THIS MORNING
SCRIPTURE
Exodus 17:8-16 (NIV)
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(which means “place of rest”) 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, (the hebrew translation here is, “drum it into his ears”) because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Each one of us here today goes through personal attacks, but the good news is that we don’t have to go through them alone. We are not a lone kernel going through the microwave of life alone. Moses was not alone and neither are you.
Genesis 2:18 (NIV)
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
There is a fundamental truth in this passage of scripture. WE WERE DISIGNED TO BE IN RELATIONSHIP. I believe that is one of the ways that we were created in the image of God.
In the wilderness the Israelites were in a hostile environment and in this passage facing one of their enemies, they needed each other. According to Deuteronomy 25:17-19 the Amalekites came up behind the Israelites, cutting off some that had been lagging behind. We live in a hostile environment also, with the devil, or enemy always looking for a way to attack us. Usually it is not a frontal attack, but he sneaks up from behind, from a place we are not watching.
This morning I want to share some of the multi-dimension of relationship that Moses had with several around him.
MOSES WAS FRIENDS WITH GOD (FELLOWSHIP)
v From the very beginning standing in front of the burning bush Moses knew that it was God that was going to have to be the one to bring him through.
o It was God that gave him the ability to stand up to Pharaoh
o It was God that did the wonders in Egypt
o It was God that parted the Red Sea
o It was God that gave manna and quail
o It was God that lead by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night
v Moses had a relationship that all of us should desire to have. A relationship where God would speak to us face to face, intimately, honestly, and with great care and love.
Exodus 33:11 (NIV)
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
v Jesus calls us friends
John 15:14-17 (NIV)
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
v Moses knew about God’s plan to deliver His people. Moses knew how the cries of His people had affected God. Moses knew of a God that also was faithful to do what he said. It was because of this friendship that Moses had with God that Israel found success. The Israelite army experienced divine intervention because of Moses’ dvine intercession. Intercession can take it’s toll on us however. When we walk in an attitude of spiritual warefare we can be run down, physically, emotionally.
MOSES WAS FRIENDS WITH AARON AND HUR (PARTNERSHIP)
v Moses was experience fatigue from holding his hands up in ant attitude of intercession for Joshua and the Israelites that were fighting against Amalek. With others grumbling and coming against Moses for the situation they were in, two men stood up among the rest as true friends. Friends that came along side Moses – not because they were commanded to, or were paid to, but simply because they wanted to support their friend. This is called partnership. Success can’t happen without partnership, teamwork is a critical factor in the success of life
v Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV)
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
v If you are a sports watcher you know that it is not the most successful player that wins a championship, it is the most successful team. What is true in the sports world is also true in life and in the church.
MOSES WAS FRIENDS WITH JOSHUA (DISCIPLESHIP)
v Joshua was Moses aide, now I don’t think Joshua was tutoring Moses in algebra. No he was there to help Moses, He was there to learn from Moses.
v Exodus 17:14 (NIV)
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it,(drum it into his ears) because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
o Why wouild Joshua need to hear it – He was there! It was a reminder from the teacher to the student – this could not have been possible without the help of God. Joshua you are a gifted leader, you are strong and inteligent, but always remember that the Lord God is with you. Just as I lifted my hands to the heavens, so you must be a man that listens and calls on God.
o Joshua was with Moses when he went up on the mountain of God
o Joshua was with Moses when he went later into the tabernacle
§ Exodus 33:11 (NIV)
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
v I had two friends in college. The first was a young woman that I met my first year in school. She lived directly below me in the student dorm rooms. We hung out a lot and played many practical jokes on each other. For a long time many people thought we were dating, and some people even thought we would get married. We have remained friends to this day. My other friend was my roommate several years later. I was still in college, but no longer lived on campus. Our Church had a college age group and it was at that group that I introduced my two friends – they have now been married 13 years and have 5 children.
o Because Moses took Joshua with him wherever here went and God met with Moses, God was also meeting with Joshua. Moses was training Joshua
v Jesus did the same thing when he called 12 to live with him, to experience the miraculous, to feel the hardships, and the grieving that Jesus often went through. The disciples got to see first hand the relationship that Jesus had with His Father, that same relationship that the disciples embarked on when filled with the Holy Spirit.
o Discipleship is not just about learning intellectually about God – but helping people come into a place where they can experience God. Sometimes that is through our own experiences
MOSES WAS FRIENDS WITH JETHRO (MENTORSHIP)
v The last relationship that I want to mention this morning is not actually found in this passage, but I thought it was an important relationship that Moses had in living a successful life. That relationship was with Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. We have seen…
o Fellowship with God
o Partnership with Aaron and Hur
o Discipleship with Joshua
v The last is MENTORSHIP from Jethro
o Exodus 18:13-27 (NIV)
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.
o A mentor is someone we allow to speak into our lives. They are the ones that grant us access to the deep personal things of their lives They teach us the lessons we need to learn through the mistakes and successes of their lives. That is why it is important for us to look at people like
§ Josheph, and Moses, and David, and Elijah.
§ We think of others that have significant places in our lives. I think of the place my wife has – she can tell me about myself. I have other pastors that I allow to speak into my life
v You also need to let others mentor you. We all need people to speak into our lives. One of our most significant mentors is Jesus Himself. The words He speaks to us are spirit and they are life for all that accept them.
CONCLUSION
These relationships are essential to living well. They help us stay healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, and most of all spiritually. I believe God’s desire is for us to be whole, and His desire is to put people in your life to help fulfill these areas in your life. If they are not there – I would encourage, and even challenge you to ask God to put people in your life that would shape you and mold you, making you more like Christ.
PRAYER
Loving Creator who has made us to enjoy us. Thank you for the dynamic relationships that you have created for us to have. Help us to enjoy those relationships, to embrace them and all of the wonderful things they have to offer.
The bible says as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another – help us to bring out the best qualities in each other so that we may stand united against the devil and all his schemes
