Sermon Series “Exodus”
4:1-4:17
“God Equips Us”
Exodus 4 “16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Back in 1983, a man, Timothy Leatherman, had an idea for a compact tool with multiple functions – The Multitool. It has a knife, a Philips head screwdriver and even a pair of pliers. None of the tools there will help me live my life for God, so He has given us a multi-tool… The Holy Bible.
2 Timothy 3 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Four tools mentioned here:
• Doctrine – that’s belief – talked about it before – right belief is Orthodoxy
• Reproof – means “put to proof” or “rebuke” – this is about your beliefs that are different than God’s Word – need to change
• Correction – that’s actions – what we are doing that God does not want us to be doing
• Instruction in righteousness – how we are supposed to live – fancy word for right actions – Orthopraxy
In Exodus 4, Moses is still at the burning bush. Moses is still offering excuses for why he can’t do what God wants him to do. God continues to show Moses how he can be used in the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.
God shows Moses that the ordinary can be used for the extraordinary.
Exodus 4 “2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand)…”
As soon as I said snake the first time, I lost some of you. Then when God told him to pick it up by the tail, I lost more of you – NO WAY! (anybody remember when folks killed snakes by grabbing the tail and whipping the head?) This is supernatural – not like seeing the hose covered by leaves out of the corner of your eye. Too often we want to see some proof of the supernatural, but what if we are missing how God is using the everyday things around us to send His message? We want a burning bush or a booming voice from heaven. God can speak to us in a still, small voice when we make listening a part of our daily prayer time.
After this there is another miracle that does not involve snakes – look it up. Then Moses makes his most remembered excuse.
God will use Moses “In spite of”… not “because of”.
Exodus 4 “10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
After the excuse of “slow of speech” God assures Moses that he can be used just like he is, but God gives Moses a man to speak for him – Aaron, but in Egypt Moses does most of the talking. I believe that Aaron was sent to help him with the Israelites since when Moses left he was not very popular.
If God can use us just as we are and give us the tools we need, why are we still making excuses?
Bad news for you…
God takes ordinary people, equipping them to do extraordinary work.
Here a few examples from the Bible:
• Gideon – Judges 6 – was threshing wheat in secret when God told him to go and destroy the altars of Baal
• Samuel – 1 Samuel 3 – was only a boy when he was given the first prophetic word
• Jeremiah – Chapter 1 – God tells him that he was ordained to holy work before he was even born – but Jeremiah objects because he is “a youth”
• Ezekiel – Chapters 1-2 – God sends him with a hard word – but with the power of God’s Spirit – 2:2 “Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet…”
• Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, worked as fishermen.
• Matthew, called Levi in Luke, worked as a tax collector for the Roman government.
• Simon was known as the Zealot, not strictly a profession. Zealots engaged in politics and anarchy, attempting to overthrow the Roman government.
• Judas served as the treasurer in Jesus' band, and John 12:4-6 identifies him as a thief and an embezzler.
• During his missionary journeys, Paul supported himself as a tent maker according to Acts 18:1-3.
These are all ordinary folks – used by God and equipped by God.
God’s final instruction to Moses - “take this rod in your hand” Ex. 4:17 If we are going to be used by God and equipped by God – we have to take our Bibles and open them. Maybe you have a Bible App on your Smart Phone – do you use it? I bet there are plenty of apps on your phones you never use. They are doing you no good. Neither is the Bible on your shelf. They are not magic objects. The Bible has to be opened and read so that daily it saturates the mind and heart. That’s how God will equip you and me. Amen
TEACHING SHEET:
Date
Sermon Series: Exodus
Exodus 4:16-17
“God Equips Us”
God’s Greatest Tool – HIS WORD
2 Timothy 3 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
God shows Moses that the ordinary
can be used for the extraordinary
Exodus 4 “2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand)…”
Too often we want to see some proof of the supernatural, but what if we are missing how God is using the everyday things around us to send His message?
God will use Moses
“In spite of”… not “because of”
Exodus 4 “10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
God gives Moses a man to speak for him – Aaron, but in Egypt Moses does most of the talking. Any excuses?
God takes ordinary people, equipping
Them to do extraordinary work
• Gideon – Judges 6 – was threshing wheat in secret when God told him to go and destroy the altars of Baal
• Samuel – 1 Samuel 3 – was only a boy when he was given the first prophetic word
• Jeremiah – Chapter 1 – God tells him that he was ordained to holy work before he was even born – but Jeremiah objects because he is “a youth”
• Ezekiel – Chapters 1-2 – God sends him with a hard word – but with the power of God’s Spirit – 2:2 “Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet…”
• Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, worked as fishermen.
• Matthew, called Levi in Luke, worked as a tax collector for the Roman government.
• Simon was known as the Zealot, not strictly a profession. Zealots engaged in politics and anarchy, attempting to overthrow the Roman government.
• Judas served as the treasurer in Jesus' band, and John 12:4-6 identifies him as a thief and an embezzler.
• During his missionary journeys, Paul supported himself as a tent maker according to Acts 18:1-3.
“take this rod in your hand” Ex. 4:17
