Moses, Moses
Part III
¡§MANIFESTATIONS¡¨
Introduction:
On July 27th, I shared my vision for North Thurston Life Center. I spoke about Moses and the burning bush. And many of you were touched by the awesome power of God¡¦s Holy Spirit.
I spoke about the vision God has given me of a ministry of people helping each other ¡§Hand to hand¡¨ in their Christian walk as we all strive to achieve a likeness of Christ.
There were four promises that God made to Moses. One for each of Moses¡¦ denials to do what God had asked him to do.
„« The promise of HIS PRESENCE (Exodus 3:12)
¡§And God said, ¡§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.¡¨
„« The promise of HIS MANIFESTATIONS (Exodus 4:2-9)
„« The promise of HIS ENABLEMENT (Exodus 4:11,12)
„« The promise of HIS DIRECTION AND INSTRUCTION (Exodus 4:14-16)
This morning I want to speak to you about the second promise given by God to Moses.
God said to Moses, ¡§If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.¡¨
Exodus 4:8
Signs or manifestations of God are used to show the power of God and to increase our faith.
I. SIGNS ARE GIVEN TO CONFIRM FAITH
In Judges 6:38-40, Gideon asked God to deliver Israel.
¡§If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised¡X37look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.¡¨ 38And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew¡Xa bowlful of water.
39Then Gideon said to God, ¡§Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.¡¨ 40That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.¡¨
In 1 Kings 13:3-5, God promises destruction of the altar to King Jeroboam through a prophet.
¡§This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.¡¨ 4When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, ¡§Seize him!¡¨ But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.¡¨
In Isaiah 7:14, the promise of Immanuel.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.¡¨
God desires to manifest Himself through His faithful and obedient followers when they step out and do the things God has called them to do.
God said to Moses, ¡§What is that in your hand?¡¨ And Moses replied, ¡§a staff.¡¨
I find it very interesting that God asked Moses for his staff. God didn¡¦t ask Moses to go and make something out of gold or silver He just said, ¡§what is in your hand?¡¨
II. SIGNS ARE GIVEN THROUGH THE ORDINARY
A shepherd¡¦s staff was commonly a three to six foot wooden rod with a curved hook at the top. This particular staff was given to me at my ordination service.
The shepherd used it for walking, guiding his sheep, killing snakes, and many other tasks.
Yet it is still a stick. But God used a common shepherd¡¦s staff that Moses carried to teach him an important lesson.
God sometimes takes great joy in using ordinary things for extraordinary purposes.
What do you have that is ordinary in your life? Perhaps or your voice, tools, a broom or a musical instrument?
It is easy to believe that God can do the miraculous but what about using the ordinary?
This ordinary staff that Moses carried guiding sheep in the hills of Midian was going to be used to deliver God¡¦s people from slavery and torment!
God said to Moses, ¡§Take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it. 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.¡¨
Exodus 4:17
ƒæ Exodus 7:10-13. Sign of the rod. Magic was inextricably bound up with Egyptian religion, which was demon-controlled idolatry of the grossest sort. The miracles performed by the magicians were manifestations of evil supernaturalism, similar to demon powers operative in spiritism and occultism today. Ordinary¡K¡K.Moses¡¦ Staff
ƒæ Exodus 7:14-25. First plague: blood. The Nile was turned to blood, a judgment upon the river deified on occasion as Hapi, ¡¥the giver of life,¡¦ and at others as Osiris, the god of fertility. Ordinary¡K.Take your staff and stretch out your hand.
ƒæ Exodus 8:1-15. The second plague: frogs. This was a miraculous intensification of a frequent natural phenomenon. After the low Nile in May-June comes the inundation in July. With the recession of the waters, leaving numerous pools of stagnant water, come the frogs in August-September. This, too, was a judgment against the innumerable gods of Egypt, the frog being worshiped as a symbol of Hekt, a form of the goddess Hathor. Plagues of frogs in Egypt are referred to by ancient classical writers. Ordinary¡K..Stretch out your hand and staff.
ƒæ Exodus 8:16-32. Third and fourth plagues: gnats and flies. Again divine miracles were performed, but based upon natural occurrences. The gnats (kinnim) were doubtless sand flies, these stinging insects of Egypt being notorious. The flies, literally swarms, were other common pesty insects which plague Egypt. These judgments were a blow against the prestige of Isis, wife of Osiris, and Hathor, Egypt’s foremost goddess, represented by the cow. Ordinary¡K..Stretch out your staff.
ƒæ Exodus 9:1-12. Fifth and sixth plagues: These plagues were directed against Ptah (Apis), the god of Memphis, represented as a bull, as well as other gods represented by the goat, the ram, the cow, etc. The sixth plague, described as a festering boil breaking forth (pustules) upon man and beast, was directed against both the idolaters and the idols they worshiped. The ¡¥Nile scab¡¦ is a popular designation of a skin disease prevalent at the rising and falling of the Nile. Ordinary¡K¡K.Waiting for God¡¦s timing.
ƒæ Exodus 9:13-35. The seventh plague: hail. This plague from the sky would impress the Egyptians, who saw a deity behind every natural phenomenon, that Jehovah is Lord of heaven as well as of earth. Hail is rare in Egypt. This occurred in January, as indicated by the fact that the barley was in bloom, 31-32. Each of the plagues was seasonal, but miraculous. Ordinary¡K¡KStretch out your hand.
ƒæ Exodus 10:1-20. The eighth plague: locusts. This was a grievous visitation. Locust invasions are well known in Syria-Palestine, but rare in Egypt. The locusts were brought by the east wind and carried away by the west wind. Ordinary¡K¡KStretch out your hand.
ƒæ Exodus 10:21-29. The ninth plague: darkness. This miracle is thought by some to have been caused by the west wind that carried away the locusts, bringing the dreaded Khamsin or blinding sandstorm from the desert that creates a darkness one can feel. The darkness of this visitation was so severe it paralyzed all ordinary activities for three days. This plague would have been particularly significant. The chief god in the Egyptian pantheon was Re, the sun god. Here, Jehovah demonstrates that He has power over sunlight as well. Ordinary¡K¡KStretch out your hand.
ƒæ Exodus 11:1-10. Death of the firstborn. The climaxing plague announced, and its effectiveness predicted, but its execution is not recorded until 12:26-39. The plague was either a direct judgment by God or a disease like bubonic plague that killed the halest and best, as the firstborn was thought of in the East. Its miraculous intensity and sparing of those behind the blood-marked doors, made this wonder a fitting capstone to the other nine miracles. Ordinary¡K¡KLambs blood.
III. SIGNS OF THE BELIEVERS
He said to them, ¡§Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they 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.¡¨ 19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:17-18
Scripture clearly teaches us that Christ wants His believers to perform miraculous deeds as we go about doing the work of Jesus. (Repentance, healing, deliverance, discipleship).
ľ He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
Matthew 10:1
ƒæ He appointed twelve¡Xdesignating them apostles¡Xthat they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons.
Mark 3:14-15
ľ When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:1-2
ƒæ I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 15¡§If you love me, you will obey what I command.¡¨
John 14:12-15
These signs that are done by true disciples, confirm that the gospel is genuine, that God¡¦s kingdom has come to earth in power, and that the living and risen Jesus Christ is present with His people and working through them.
These spiritual manifestations are intended to continue within Christ¡¦s churches until Jesus returns. Scripture never suggests that theses signs were restricted to the period immediately following Jesus¡¦ ascension.
CONCLUSION:
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus indicates in Mark 16 that these signs are not special gifts for a few, but were to be given to all believers who, in obedience to Christ, are witnesses to the gospel and claim His promises.
The failure of these ¡§manifestations¡¨ to occur in the church today is not Jesus Christ¡¦s failure to keep His promises. Failure lies within the hearts of the followers.
¡§O unbelieving and perverse generation,¡¨ Jesus replied, ¡§how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?¡¨
Matthew 17:17
Jesus has promised us that His authority, power and presence will go along with us as we battle Satan¡¦s kingdom. (Matthew 28:20; Luke 24:47-49)
We must set people free from their captivity by preaching the gospel, living righteous lives and by performing signs and miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The question is do you believe that the Holy Spirit wants to work through you to set people free?
It begins with having a personal living relationship with Jesus Christ. He stood for you when He was condemned to die at Calvary. Will you stand now for Him?
