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.’”
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
We have to have faith that God is God
For Big But #3 God said to Moses in Exodus 4:2-9
2 Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
3 The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6 Then the LORD said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[a]—it had become as white as snow.
7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”
For Big But #4 God told Moses in Exodus 4:11 and 12
“Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Finally For Big Butt #5, we see God reach his breaking point, he gets angry and we read in Exodus 4:14-17
14 Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
So for Big Buts 3, 4 and 5, we have to have faith that God will supply what we need when he asks us to do something. We must have faith that when we do our part, God will do His part
These responses by God, these areas that we need to exercise our faith in can be summarized like this.
1. God is present. God will be with you.
2. God is God. God is our everything, He is bigger then anything we will face. He is God!
3, 4, 5 God will provide him the resources he needs to fulfill his calling
It isn't about us and what we can do.. It is about what God can do thru us if we let him. God is never wrong. When he asks you to do something. it is not by accident. He chooses us. God created each one of us and he knows what we can do.
And yet Moses’ list of excuses, driven by his sense of inadequacy, are not met with God assuring him that he is adequate, but with the response that God will be present, God will be with him, God will provide him the resources he needs to fulfill his calling.
Jesus tells us in Mark 5:36 Don't be afraid, just believe. When God calls us, lets not be afraid, lets just believe and have faith God knows what He is doing. He loves us and knows what is best for us. We need to always remember that it is not about us, its about God. He wants our obedience, not our big but.
Lets bow our heads and close our eyes. Maybe you have a big but that is keeping you from following Jesus at all. If this is you, if you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, today is the day. Today is the day of the But be Gone workout to begin. No more excuses. Jesus loves you and wants only the best for your life. Don’t let your excuses get in the way. But I’m scared, But my family and friends will think I’m nuts, noone will like me, But I have to give up so much.. remember, God is with you, God is Your God and God will provide everything you need to succeed following Jesus. Jesus is waiting and all you have to do is say Yes, Lord, I will follow you.
Maybe there is someone here today that has a big but that is hindering their walk with Christ? All of these Buts in our lives can get in the way of us living the full life God has for each one of us.
We all need to learn from Moses when it comes to choices that need to be made in our lives as disciples. The “Buts” do come easy sometimes. I know I should be in worship ever weekend BUT…I like to sleep in on Sundays, or I’ve had a really hard week and I need the weekend to recuperate. I really want to get connected to a small group, BUT…it’s such a rush after work and the kids are so busy. I’d really like to serve in a ministry here, BUT…there are lots of others who could probably do a better job than I can. I know I’ve been called to tithe and give to the church, BUT…I am afraid there won’t be enough at the end of the month. In one way or another – to one degree or another – the “Big Buts” creep into our lives and before we know it our walk with the Lord has gotten a little bit flabby. We also need to remember that when God tells us to do something, that God is here, God is present, he is walking right with us thru it all. He will never leave our side. God is God. God is bigger then anything we go thru. God is all knowing, He knows that we can do anything with Him. God will always provide everything we need to do the work he has for us. He gave Moses everything he needed and He will do the same for us. So lets not sit there with our Big Buts. Lets start getting healthy with a diet of Gods Word and Lets start exercising our faith in God. We are going to open the altars. If you need prayer this morning. If you are struggling with God today, if you keep giving God your Big Buts, your excuses, get down to the altar and tell God you are ready to answer His call. Also , if you raised your hand to become a follower of Jesus, I want to pray with you so please come down. Also if you need prayer for anything else, we have people that want to pray with you. So, lets stop giving God our Big Buts and start giving God what he deserves, our obedience!
