WHAT’S THAT IN YOUR HAND?
EXODUS 4:1-2
Pastor Greg Mc Donald
There is a story found in the book of Exodus that I want to share with you this morning that I think we should all be able to relate to...because in this story we find the mighty, miracle working power of God being realized by a very human guy in an out of the way place...a man who looked at things much like many of us do.
The man I’m referring to is Moses. We all know the story of Moses...how he was born of Hebrew parents and had to be placed in the bulrushes in a basket so he wouldn’t be killed. We also know he was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who took him and made him her son. He was taught and trained in the finest of settings and given prominence in the land.
But the saying goes, "You can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man." This was true of Moses. They took him away from his people, but they couldn’t take his people away from his heart. We’re not sure when he discovered who he really was, but somewhere, somehow the truth became known to him.
And Moses must have cringed every time a whip cracked against a trembling Hebrew slave’s back. It must have grieved him tremendously to see the horrible ways they were treated. Growing up in the house of Pharaoh’s daughter, he never knew the cruelty of the slave drivers...but apparently he was tormented inside. Why did his people have to suffer so much?
This question plagued his mind until he finally acted on it. He took the life of one of those slave drivers and had to run for his life, and he ended up tending livestock on the back side of the desert. And for forty years one question haunted him continually: "God, why don’t you help them?" Well, finally God answered Moses’ question. Let’s read about this...Exodus 3: 1-11 READ
After forty years of wondering and questioning why God didn’t help them, God said to Moses..."Why don’t you deliver them?" But Moses wasn’t eager to be a part of that plan. He didn’t want to take one step in that parade. Let’s look over to chapter 4:1-2 READ
Some people, like Moses, see a need...and it’s important that we can see the needs around us. Often do we carry around a burden for a certain situation, problem. Many have, for years, carried around a burden for someone’s salvation...or for a healing...or maybe a deliverance of a habit or lifestyle.
And God hears those prayers and cries for help. But when God chooses us to be the instrument for deliverance...we’re so quick to say, "Hey, not me what could I possibly do?" Call the pastor...or call the elders.
But God said to Moses: "Look at what you have in your hand right now. You can take what you have and use it to meet the need - if you let Me help you." The key to the miraculous is first of all seeing the need - but then letting God use what is in your hand."
God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush...and told him about the promise to give the Israelites the land of Canaan...and that he was the one who was going to deliver them. And there were a lot of questions racing through Moses’ mind. Like, "Who me?"....and "Why me?" ... and then the familiar "I can’t do it!"
Moses tried his best to get out of it, but that’s when God asked him, "What is that in your hand?" Now that was an easy question...it’s a staff. A simple, hunk of wood. And what good is a staff going to do for me against all the might of Egypt? He probably thought that the only thing he could lead out of Egypt would be the sheep.
But the staff of Moses...a simple shepherds stick...became the staff of God.A staff that Moses used to performed many miracles before Pharaoh...turned the waters of the Nile into blood and brought out the frogs, gnats, locusts, thunder and hail...
He lifted up that staff over the Red Sea, and it parted. He struck the rock a Meribah and out flowed the water. This simple little piece of wood became the staff of God!
And let me tell you - the principle remains the same. God can take our limited abilities and limited resources and use them for great purposes. The key is offering up those abilities... small as they may seem...to God. That’s when that insignificant thing in our hand becomes the staff of God.
The apostle Paul was one who learned a great lesson after facing impossible situations and obstacles with limited ability...we read about it in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you...for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
We can clearly see that one of the absolute essential keys for tapping into God’s grace and power is the realization of your own inability. James 4:6 says, "God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to - who? - the humble." So we receive grace to accomplish great things through God’s power in the same way we receive grace for salvation.
In order to be saved we have to convince God that we have done enough good things...that we’re basically good people...that we’re trying, even though we fall short, but after all we’re just human, right?
WRONG! In order to be saved, a person has to first of all humble himself and admit that there is nothing he has ever done or ever will do that will earn it...he has no ability to save himself or to deserve it. But Christians Look at what Paul say we can do (Read Phil. 4:13)We need to underline that and read it over and over again until it finally sinks in and we believe it. Miracles come as we grow in faith and learn to look to God for His grace - and not to our own abilities.
I believe that many times God will use needs to show us both His power and also part of His plan for our lives. When you have a need do you ever ask "WHY...Why is this happening...and why to me?" Trouble can be a stumbling block...it can trip us up...knock us down...mess up our day and even mess up our lives...or it can become your servant and be a stepping stone.
How many of you are facing some kind of trouble...a situation that seems impossible and you feel totally inadequate.
Whether they are forced on you or you simply accept the challenge to meet a need, you’ll discover how God can use the gifts and talents you possess when they are placed at His disposal.
Troubles can turn us into animals...it can make us turn off everyone around us...especially those who want to help us the most.
But when we look to Jesus...and to all the power and might He has...troubles can bring out the best in you...not the worst. Remember Philippians 4:13? And when the best of you is brought out...you discover the special talent God has planted in you.
You see, God takes no account of your abilities or lack thereof when it comes to Him displaying His power. He only sees your possibilities. What He looks for is people who are willing to accept the challenge to meet the need.
When you are faced with challenges and overwhelming needs...look to God and ask Him to help you see if the seed of your miracle is already in your hand. And when you recognize it...offer it to God in faith that His power would be displayed through you.
When Moses encountered God at the burning bush...he did everything he could to pass the buck to someone else. "Yes God, I care deeply about my people who are suffering...who are in bondage...who are without hope...But let someone else deliver them."
And the common denominator in all of Moses’ responses and excuses is that he was thinking in terms of his resources...and not God’s resources. Look back to Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I?"
But the ultimate question for Moses wasn’t "who am I" but "whose am I!" And that’s the question we all need to answer when we’re facing situations and we need a miracle. Moses found the answer to that question...he was God’s. God said, "I’ll be with you. Now go and set my people free."
I believe God is giving us the same command - I believe that God is saying to us...Go and set my people free! Those who need the good news that Jesus saves...and Jesus heals...and Jesus delivers and sets free all those who will come to Him and believe.
In our world today people are crying out for something that is real...something that is able to meet their needs and fulfill the deepest longings in their heart for peace. They want something that will completely satisfy....
And money won’t do it...power won’t do it...fame won’t do it...drugs and alcohol won’t do it...illicit sex won’t do it...and listen to me - church won’t do it! The only thing that will satisfy is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...they need Jesus!!!
Now, Moses was confronted by God and all he had in his hand was a piece of wood. But by God’s power that ordinary piece of wood became the staff of God. And the same can be true for you.
God took that little insignificant stick and through it performed many wonderful miracles. It wasn’t the stick...but God’s power displayed through a willing vessel.
Many of you need a miracle...many of you have unsaved loved ones...people who are in bondage every bit as real and as deadly as the Israelites experienced in Egypt. Some need a healing....some need relationships restored...there are so many needs that far exceed our abilities and resources right in this sanctuary this morning.
But let me tell you...right now - at this very moment - as a joint heir with Jesus Christ...you have every bit as much power and divine resource as Moses had when he faced all the might of Egypt...and all the might of the Red Sea...and an obstacle as big as a rock in a dry desert.
God wants that power released so the captives can be set free. He wants us to be a vessel through which He can pour out His power and might so that people will know that He alone is God!
As we have seen, God heard the desperate cries of a nation in bondage. And because of His love for them, He sent someone to set them free. Moses could have refused, and as we’ve seen he tried to at first. And if he had refused, God would have chosen someone else for that purpose. But he finally realized that it wasn’t his to face alone...that God would lead, guide and empower him every step of the way.
God has a purpose and a plan for your life. If you’re a born-again Christian, God has a job for you that no one else could do quite like you could. If you refuse to do it, then He’ll simply give it to someone else and you’ll miss the greatest joy in the world. But the reason He calls us and equips us is because He loves us - and He wants us to be part of His work. And folks, now is the time...today is the day...
God wants to work in your life in ways you’ve never experienced before. Will you let Him?
