If you were God & were Picking leading Roles for the Bible Stories – Who Would You Pick? What would they Look Like?
Pretty people...Together...Going the right direction...
Sinners? Drunks? Murderers? Thieves? Prostitutes? Rebels? Nobodies?
What would you use as a Sign to get their attention? To let them know they were called?
What if I Told you of a man or a woman – That had a call on their life...Raised in lots of money...Got Older & killed someone...ON the run...40 years...
One day, they show up & Declare "God has called me into Ministry!"
What if – YOU had a friend that had a child...You see them years later & ask "What happened to Bob?..." – "Oh, he killed someone & has never been heard from since"...Then you hear - "Bob’s back into town – says he’s had an encounter w/God...Starting a Church...etc..."
Would that be HARD to Accept?
Which Part?
About Bob?
About You – Can’t see it?
About God – Doesn’t make Sense?
I Think We would struggle with the part that - God keeps Speaking to us
IN SPITE OF WHO WE ARE & WHERE WE’VE BEEN & WHAT WE’VE DONE & WHO WE KNOW...
I THINK we Keep missing the Obvious Parts Of Life –
That Life Doesn’t Work without God
That Life is meant to be in relationship to him
That sin messes you up
That Habits form a life
Several years Ago – Country Song "Here’s Your Sign"
About People A Little Slow – Kings/Queens of the Obvious"
They Went Like this
Before my wife and I moved. Our house was full of boxes and there was a U-Haul truck in our driveway. My friend comes over and says, "Hey, you moving?" "Nope. We just pack our stuff up once or twice a week to see how many boxes it takes. Here’s your sign."
A couple of months ago I went fishing with a buddy of mine, we pulled his boat into the dock, I lifted up this big ’ol stringer of bass and someone on the dock goes, "Hey, y’all catch all them fish?" "Nope - Talked ’em into giving up. Here’s your sign."
I was watching one of those animal shows on the Discovery Channel. There was a person inventing a shark bite suit. And there’s only one way to test it. "All right Jimmy, you got that shark suit on, it looks good...They want you to jump into this pool of sharks, and you tell us if it hurts when they bite you." "Well, all right, but hold my sign. I don’t wanna lose it."
Last time I had a flat tire, I pulled my truck into one of those side-of-the-road gas stations. The attendant walks out, looks at my truck, looks at me, and said, "Tire go flat?" I couldn’t resist. I said, "Nope. I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me. Here’s your sign."
We were trying to sell our car about a year ago. A person came over to the house and drove the car around for about 45 minutes. We get back to the house, he gets out of the car, reaches down and grabs the exhaust pipe, then goes, "Man that’s hot!" See?
If he’d been wearing his sign, I could have stopped him.
I learned to drive an 18-wheeler in my days of adventure. Wouldn’t ya know I misjudged the height of a bridge. The truck got stuck and I couldn’t get it out no matter how I tried. I radioed in for help and eventually a local cop shows up to take the report. He went through his basic questioning. No problem. I thought for sure he was clear of needing a sign... until he says "So.. Is your truck stuck?" I couldn’t help myself! I looked at him, looked back at the rig, then back to him and said, "No I’m delivering a bridge ...Here’s your sign!"
SIGNS
Have you Ever prayed something like this – "If I were you I wouldn’t forgive me...Call me...Use me..."
Probably most of us have – because we know ourselves better than Anyone Else.
We know who we are/been when n o one was looking...BUT GOD WAS
Imagine – having your life in a BOOK!
ALL parts – even the ones that no one really knew about –
The ones that you thought by moving you would never face again...
The ones that you thought you were done with – only to have to deal with them again...
TALK Today – About the Call of Purpose on Your Life
When God Just Won’t Leave You Alone
He Just won’t quit
He just won’t take no for an answer
TRUTH IS –
God loves You too much to leave you alone...
God already has done a lot to know you...
God already knows all about you...
Whether – You’re doing well or have failed miserably – God will not leave you alone!
Personally – I think we wrestle with 2 extremes in life
1 to be in God’s will – used for him...
His call...Purpose...Touch...Gifts...Blessings...
The OTHER
I Don’t want the responsibility of it all...Accountability of it...Action of it...Inconvenience of it...
Scripture
Luke 12:48 To whom much is given...much is required...
STORY of Moses
His Name means – Drawn or Drawn out
Speaking of his Rescue at Birth...
Grew up in Pharaoh House...$$...$$...$$$...
The Very NEXT Thing YOU Hear About Him – MURDER
HIS HEART
Most People that are Hurt – Hurt people
I’ve found that most people that are Hung up w/Stuff – have really BIG Hearts!
The HEADLINES Would Read
"Child Rescued At Birth – Commits Murder"
Runs for his life...Leaves Everything behind...
40 years...Gets Married – Family...
Desert...Sheep...
2:21 "Moses was CONTENT to live the man...wife..."
i.e. Moses was saying "You Don’t Mess w/me – I Won’t mess w/You"
Then 1 DAY – WALKING...WORKING...DOING SHEEP STUFF...
Phenomena
BURNING BUSH – NOT CONSUMED
He goes to Check it out – "Take off your Sandals...Holy Ground"
I.e. YOU’RE CALLED Moses – Quit running from me...
Moses knew that already – thought that if he got far enough from God...Because of his past...
It would be OVER...
GOD saying to him – "Here’s Your Sign"
JUST LIKE US –
Moses Argued...Offered Every Excuse in the Book...
You May Be Here Today – Arguing about the call on your life...
Trying to come up with a plan...Compromise...Easier way...
Trying to tell God why you can’t....
I want to Share Moses’ Argument & God’s Response –
I Believe This is What God Says to You Today
1. "I am a Nobody"
GOD said "I WILL BE WITH YOU"
The Difference Between us being a nobody or not is GOD
The Question is Not – WHO YOU ARE TODAY –
The Question is "WHOSE YOU ARE"
God in Our Life is the Real Difference in ALL of LIFE
BONUS
ON THIS MOUNTAIN – You will Worship me when you do what I’ve Called You TO DO
It’s a Done deal
2. Who Are You
"I have a Problem Trusting You"
HONESTY w/ Self & God – Goes ALONG Way!
"I AM" = I am the one that is – the Present one!
At that time – Moses was Displaced from the Will of God...
I AM PRESENT
It’s like us being on the Run from God – Only to Find out He has run with us...Right There...EGYPT...Warriors...
I found out that you can’t Out drink God’s Call...Voice...Love...
That great saint and missionary pioneer, Hudson Taylor said, "The real secret of an unsatisfied life lies too often in an unsurrendered will." Halfhearted obedience satisfies neither us, nor God.
NOTE
You Will Continue to be Miserable Until YOU YIELD your life to GOD’S Will...
3. They Won’t Follow Me! (Won’t Believe me)
DUH!
God says "You Might be Right – What’s that in Your Hand?"
NOTE – When God Asks a Question – it’s Never because he Doesn’t Know the Answer...
The Answer is Always for YOU!
We ALL have Something In Our Hand to use for God – that will Elevate OUR LIFE!
UNTIL you Use What you have for God – YOU won’t get anything more for God!
Many are waiting for God to GIVE them some great gift...call...
While they RUST on the pew...
Atrophy their muscle away by Lack of Use...
Shrivel up & Die...
YET – When YOU Use What You Have For God –
Others Will Know about the God that YOU Belong To...
Moses used the rod for many things to Deliver Israel as God Used Him!
NOTE
If God could take an Ex-Murderer – Who doesn’t want to be used - & USE HIM
God can Surely do Something with those that want to be used...
Those that will simply say Yes
4. I Have a Speech Problem
God said "WHAT" (Just kidding)
Acts 7:22 Moses was MIGHTY in Words & Deeds
God Would have Healed Him – If he would Simply SHUT UP
God gets Angry...
"OK God..."
"When you get back do all that I have shown you – but it won’t work..."
FEAR is a Terrible thing...
Grows on us...Paralyzes us...Immobilizes us...
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real
Somehow – Moses Quits Arguing & Accepted the Call on His LIFE...
He then went back to the place he was running from...
Back to his people...
Difficult...
Stubborn...
Pharaoh...
Plagues...
Death...Passover...
And leads 2 Million People Out from Bondage...
AWESOME...
What if He hadn’t have said yes?
Story Look like?
What About You?
Who is it that God has created you to lead Back to Him...
Who out there is waiting for someone to live like they really believe this story?
Life Without Purpose
Life without purpose is barren indeed, There can’t be a harvest unless you plant seed
There can’t be attainment unless there’s a goal, And man’s but a robot unless there’s a soul.
If we send no ships out, no ships will come in, And unless there’s a contest, nobody can win.
For games can’t be won unless they are played, And prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed.
So whatever is wrong with your life today, You’ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray.
Not just for pleasure, enjoyment, and health, Not just for honors and prestige and wealth.
But pray for a purpose to make life worth living, And pray for the joy of unselfish giving.
For great is your gladness and rich your reward, When you make your life’s purposes the choice of the Lord.
Life
Life is a leaf of paper white
Whereon each one of us may write
His word or two, and then comes night.
Greatly begin! Though thou have time
But for a line, be that sublime—
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
- James Russell Lowell
