THE ROD OF GOD IN THE HAND OF MAN
Exodus 3 & 4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: HOW THEY HANDLED DONATIONS
1. A rabbi, a priest, and a pastor were discussing what they do with donations.
2. The pastor said that he drew a circle on the floor, threw the money up in the air, and whatever landed in the circle, he gave to God, and whatever landed outside the circle, he kept.
3. The priest used a similar method, but reversed; whatever landed outside the circle, he gave to God, and whatever landed inside, he kept.
4. The rabbi said his method was different. “I throw all the money up in the air and whatever God wants, He keeps, and whatever falls back down is for me.”
B. TEXT
1. 3:9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you….” 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?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am….” 4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 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. 10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”16 [Aaron] 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.” Exodus 3:9-14; 4:1-4,10-12,16-17
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look this morning at how to take hold of the supernatural and put it into action. We look at the history of the Rod of Moses and how it symbolized the Name of Jesus.
2. Next we will examine the power of the Name of Jesus and see the keys to its effective use.
3. The title of this message is “The Rod of God in the Hand of Man.”
I. HISTORY OF THE ROD OF GOD
A. MOSES PROBABLY HAD IT FOR YEARS
1. Moses had been 40 years in the desert. He was a shepherd with sheep and goats. He probably found a particular tree to fashion into a stout walking stick. Even more, it had to be a shepherd’s rod. He probably had had that rod for years.
2. Moses was familiar with it, but didn’t realize the power that was possible with it. Christians already have God’s power available to them, but they don’t know it, so they don’t use it.
3. It wasn’t just a “staff;” I believe “rod” is a better translation. This rod had to be very solid, solid enough to wield like a club against larger predators (lions, bears, etc.). They had no guns, and swords were too expensive and heavy.
4. While Moses was tending the flocks, he led them to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush. God called him to go to Egypt and deliver the Israelites.
5. Moses let his doubts of himself make him try to get out of his assignment. Sometimes we do the same thing.
B. MOSES’ INFERIORITY COMPLEX & EXCUSES
1. I’M A NOBODY. Ex. 3:11, “But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
2. THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME. Ex. 4:1, “Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
3. I’M NOT A GOOD SPEAKER. Ex. 4:10, “Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and tongue.”
4. I DON’T WANT TO GO. Ex. 4:13, But Moses said, “Pardon
your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
C. GOD’S PLACEBO FOR MOSES - A Wooden Rod
1. God saw that Moses needed an aid to his faith, so when Moses doubted, God said, “What is that in your hand?”
2. God shifted Moses’ focus from himself to the rod. [Later we’ll see that the Rod represents Jesus. We’re to focus on Him, not ourselves!]
3. It’s strange that Moses could begin to believe that rod, which he had probably carved, was invested with supernatural power.
II. CONSIDER THE POWER OF THIS SHEPHERD’S ROD
A. AT THE CENTER OF ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE AND TRANSFERAL TO THE PROMISED LAND
1. This dead-tree ‘rod of man,’ once thrown down, became the most famous Rod in all of History – the Rod of Authority – it became center-stage to accomplish the purposes of God.
2. It moved an empire, divided oceans, defeated armies…. “Take this rod in your hand and you’ll do great signs and wonders!”
3. Question: “What did Moses do with it?” He was told…
a. “Throw it down” – it became a Snake.
b. “Lift your rod” – the sea divided.
c. “Smite the Rock” – water gushed forth.
d. “Hold the rod over your head” – and power issued to defeat the Army of Amalek.
4. WHAT THIS ROD COULD DO:
a. When it touched the NILE RIVER, it altered the chemistry of its water from H2O and turned it into literal blood, not just red-colored water. (Imagine the sharks off the coasts!)
b. When Moses waved this rod OVER THE DUST of Egypt, it suddenly was transmuted into frogs, gnats, and flies.
c. When it was waved OVER THE LIVESTOCK, terrible and deadly plagues killed all the various kinds of cattle.
d. When the rod was waved TOWARD THE SKY, fiery hail or swarms of locusts appeared from nowhere to ravage the lad.
e. When it was extended OVER AN OCEAN, the ocean was divided to make way for a causeway hundreds of feet deep and miles wide. If they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So, there had to be a space in the Red Sea 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night.
e. When it STRUCK SOLID ROCK, it caused a miracle of
continuously flowing water to appear without a source and pour out 100 million gallons over 120 days. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11 million gallons each day -- a freight train with tank cars 1,800 miles long, just to bring water! So when Moses struck the Rock, a River was brought forth.
f. When it was held up OVER MOSES’ HEAD, it controlled warring angels, invisible in the heavens overhead, and controlled the outcome of a war. Exodus 17:9.
5. It’s amazing to think something a simple as a piece of wood could do such miraculous things!
III. SYMBOLISM: THE NAME OF JESUS = OUR ROD
The Rod of Moses symbolized the Name of Jesus. Isaiah said that Jesus is “the Rod out of the stump of Jesse” Isa. 11:1. Isaiah said, “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” In the name Jesus, slumbers omnipotence! Many Hispanics are named Jesus. We might have thought of it as a common name, but it’s not! All the power of Creation lies hidden in that Name. Let’s look at some of its powers. THE NAME OF JESUS EXERCISES:
A. POWER OVER THE SPIRITUAL WORLD
1. At the name of Jesus made the devils tremble; when they heard his name, they began to cry out, saying, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" At the very mention of his Name, they began to quiver.
2. The devils wouldn’t have obeyed if commanded in the names of Peter, James, or John (common names). No; they would have laughed and mocked them; but the mention of the name of Jesus made them release their captives immediately.
3. When I was a new Christian, I was trapped in a room with a demon-possessed man. He was big and threatening and was coming toward me. I was terrified. Frozen in place, all I could do was whisper the name “Jesus!” Immediately the man stopped. I saw it and said louder, “Jesus!” and he backed up. I got louder and worked around him and escaped from the room. I learned early the power of the Name of Jesus over the spiritual realm! You can trust in its power!
B. POWER OVER THE PHYSICAL WORLD
1. There’s no doubt that Jesus commissioned ALL believers to exercise the power of his name; “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" Mk. 16:17-18.
2. Just like the Name of Jesus has power over the spiritual realm, it also has power over the physical realm. Every kind of sickness yielded and does yield today to that Name.
3. The New Testament is filled with instances of believers commanding leprosy, fevers, dropsy, and even death itself in the name of Jesus and those maladies yielding to the marvelous power of that Name.
C. POWER IN THE REALM OF PRAYER
1. The Name of Jesus is the key to heaven to the man or woman who knows how to use His name correctly. Jesus said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” Jn. 14:13-14.
2. The Name stands for the person. Jesus Christ has given us the POWER OF ATTORNEY to use His Name. What Jesus did when He was upon this earth we also can do in His Name. We have power to break strongholds, power to release captives, power to heal and power to deliver. When we pray in the Name of Jesus, it’s as if Jesus Himself is doing the praying.
3. There are many storms in life, some we must rebuke, others we must flee from, and others we must stand strong and persevere through. Don’t rebuke something that God’s allowing for your growth and development. But also, don’t accept something that the enemy means for your harm.
4. There’s no part of the universe where the King’s name is without influence; the warrant from His throne may be executed among angels, and among devils, and certainly shall not be powerless among men. “Where the word of a king is, there is power!”
IV. KEYS TO ITS EFFECTIVE USE
1. It is important that we understand that the Name of Jesus is not a magic charm or an incantation that works like a magic formula.
2. The reason the name of Jesus worked for early believers but didn’t work for Jewish exorcists (Acts 19:14) was that they weren’t “members in good standing.” They were trying to use the Name of Jesus without being submitted to Jesus. Unconfessed sin in your life will disconnect you from the power of Jesus’ Name! Proper use is…
3. When we’re full of Jesus, moving in His will and with His commission and addressing a need He Himself would solve, we may speak the Name of Jesus with the same authority that Jesus would and expect His miraculous intervention to follow.
4. The Name of Jesus means three things in Scripture:
A. “THE PERSON OF”
1. To call on the “Name” of Jesus is really to call on the Person of Jesus; the two are interchangeable in some contexts.
2. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Rom. 10:13. “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:10-11.
B. “THE SPHERE OF PRESENCE OF”
1. We can speak the Name of Jesus because Jesus is actually in us and with us; we are not acting alone. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.” Acts 9:34.
2. When Christians come together, there can be a corporate presence of Christ manifested; Jesus is there in a new dynamic when we gather in His Name. “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matt. 18:20.
3. Paul said, “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the POWER OF OUR LORD JESUS IS PRESENT, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” 1 Cor. 5:4-5. But Jesus is also in the individual believer. Miracles are meant to happen outside of church too!
4. Dutch Sheets says: “When you pray or lay hands on someone, YOU lay your hands upon them, but unseen to anyone are the HANDS OF JESUS upon you, and His authority, power and healing are flowing into and through you.”
C. “THE AUTHORITY OF”
1. Because we are operating in obedience to Christ, not acting alone, then we can have the same authority as the believers of the early church. Nowhere in the New Testament does it ever say the gifts of the Holy Spirit will cease before Jesus comes.
2. “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues…” Mk. 16:17. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Lk. 10:17.
3. So let’s heed the last command God gave to Moses, “And be sure to take your rod along so that you can perform the miracles I have shown you” Ex. 4:17 TLB. God’s Rod for us is the Name of Jesus. Go forth and use it!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. E. P. Scott was a missionary to India and he desired to reach a savage tribe in the Indian subcontinent.
2. Ignoring the pleadings of his friends, he set off into the dangerous territory. Several days later, he met a large party of warriors who surrounded him, their spears pointed at his heart.
3. Expecting to die at any moment, Scott breathed a prayer, closed his eyes, and began singing with holy boldness, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name…”
4. After singing the first verse, the second, the third, and then beginning the fourth, Rev. Scott realized he was still standing, and that all around him was a peaceful quiet.
5. Opening his eyes he saw every spear lowered. There stood those mighty warriors, with tears in their eyes, touched by the mighty spirit that animated him!
6. Scott spent the next two years evangelizing that people group, telling them all about Jesus Who came to save them. That’s the power of the Name of Jesus!
B. ALTAR CALL
1. What needs do you, your family, or your friends have? Have you interceded in the name of Jesus yet?
2. Do you have spiritual problems or chronic physical problems that you want to speak the Name of Jesus over and take His authority over?
3. Are you tired of letting the enemy silence you from mentioning the Name of Jesus in public and you want to pray for boldness?
4. Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Paul said that if you “confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” Rom. 10:9-10. REMEMBER: IT’S THE ONLY NAME RECOGNIZED IN HELL!
[I got the idea for this message from an audio message of Vesta Mangun, “Pour it Out, Throw it Down,” but I went a different direction with it.]
