Not Enough, Just Enough, More Than Enough Sermon #2
FROM WORSHIP TO WHINING
EXODUS 5
How many of you believe that we serve a awesome God today?
Ephesians 3:20, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! AMEN
® It doesn’t matter how strong the storm is.
® It doesn’t matter how fierce the winds are.
® It doesn’t matter how high the floodwaters are.
® It doesn’t matter how bad it looks to everybody around you.
® It doesn’t matter how serious it looks right now.
Because God is well able to meet your need in just one instant of time. He is a mighty, mighty God.
So today we have established that our God is able to meet your needs whatever the need is.
ÿ But what about when the answer doesn’t come right away?
ÿ What happens when we get a different answer than the one we expected to get?
ÿ What happens when we pray and things get worse instead of better?
ÿ What happens when deliverance is delayed?
ÿ Why do we face difficulties even when we are doing what God told us to do?
ÿ When these questions come does that affect our view of the mighty God that we serve?
ÿ When the answer doesn’t come do we think differently about God?
Well…most often we whine!
Read text: Exodus 4:29-31
When the “word” comes—it brings excitement. It brings anticipation. What is God going to do?
Why is it our tendency to whine instead of worship?
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN WE…
1) FACE DIFFICULT PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T HEARD FROM GOD LIKE WE HAVE OR DON’T CARE WHAT GOD HAS SAID.
A) Chapter 5:1-5
a) Listen to Moses: vs. 1
b) Listen to Pharaoh: Who is the Lord? He didn’t check with me
c) You’re just wanting to take these people away from their work—take a vacation
d) Get back to work!! God who?
B) Whenever we begin to make a move for God we can expect to encounter opposition from the enemy—and often that opposition comes in the form of people who don’t know or care about your God!
a) Why is it that when we feel that we have heard from God that we should be able to move forward with little or no opposition from anyone or anything?
C) Have you even been on a spiritual high—and you go to share that with someone and they just give you that look?
a) Or worse-they tell you how ridiculous this whole thing sounds.
b) “You’ll get over it soon enough…”
D) Remember the story of Elijah?
a) Great victory on Mt. Carmel—fire falling
b) Outruns the chariot in his excitement
c) Hears Jezebel is out to kill him…
E) When we run into the wall of opposition—what is our response?
a) Whine or worship
LETS MOVE ON…
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN…
2) OUR RESOURCES ARE CHALLENGED
A) Especially when they are challenged for unjust causes.
B) God I’m willing to follow you anywhere, just don’t let it cost me anything.
Read text: Exodus 5:6-16
C) Listen to this thought…
a) You give your tithes to God and you will never be without money
b) You help the sick and needy and God will always see that you lack nothing
c) You attend church every Sunday and you will never face any struggles in your life.
d) You answer the call to preach, or to missions, or to whatever and I will take care of you always…
D) Look at this text with me…
a) Acts 16: 6-10
(1) A vision—a glorious calling
b) Vs. 20-24
(1) From a vision to prison
(2) From a vision to a flogging
E) Back to Exodus
a) No one was probably more surprised about this event than Moses
b) The people were just waiting with anticipation to see what God was going to do—because they had just came from worship…
F) Do you ever wonder why we become a Christian, and then think that exempts us from any further challenges in life?
WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN…
3) WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE STATUS QUO
A) Question: Are these people happy with making bricks.
a) I thought that this was the whole reason for these actions.
b) “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.” 2:23
c) read text: 5:17-21
B) Just leave us to our straw and bricks.
a) At least that is something that we know
b) At least the beatings aren’t as bad then
c) Who knows, maybe if we make enough bricks Pharaoh may actually start to like us
C) Do you dream about being free? Do you dream about reaching new heights
a) But to get there I’ve got to get out of my boat.
b) I’ve got to leave my comfort zone.
ONE MORE…WE WHINE INSTEAD OF WORSHIP WHEN
4) THE FOCUS IS ALL ABOUT ME
A) Read text: 5:22-23
a) Is this why you sent me?
b) This was about straw—this was about reputation—this was about what people think about Moses…
B) God wants us to get the focus off of ourselves
a) Listen to the next verse
(1) God had to get the focus off of Moses
(2) Off of the people ability, even with limited resources, to fix the problem themselves.
(3) John 3:30, “He must become greater and I must become less”
Are you a worshipper, or a whiner?
Have you been questioning what God is doing?
Has your patience for God been tested?
May we return to the way we started—‘When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped.”
