Sermon Central
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Who Am I? Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 21, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: Moses didn't want to do what God asked. He didn't think he was worthy or capable... and he was right. So what made the difference in his life?
ILLUS: A man named John Newton had been a foul and evil man. He was a sailor who cursed and drank spent time in the red-light district. And he bought and sold slaves with little concern for their lives. But then, God got hold of Newton, and this former trader of slaves became a preacher of freedom in Christ, and he fought (successfully) to outlaw slavery in Great Britain.
I’m told John Newton wrote these words: “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”
It didn’t matter what he’d done, it mattered what he’d be, because once John gave himself to Jesus – the Son set him free.
And that leads me to my THIRD and final point. As I prepare for my sermons, I’ll look at what other preachers have preached, and the title one of man’s sermon impressed me: “Without God's Fire, It Was Only A Bush” (Ernie Arnold).
Exodus 3:2-3 “the Angel of the LORD appeared to (Moses) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
It was just a bush… a common, ordinary bush. A bush Moses probably would have seen lots of times before but never even gave it a 2nd thought. But it wasn’t the bush that got Moses’ attention. It was the fact that it was on fire… but it wasn’t burning up. Without God’s fire… it was only a bush.
Now, here’s how it applies to you. On the outside, you and I appear to be just ordinary folks. But on the INSIDE (of those of who belong to Jesus) there’s a fire that makes us extra-ordinary. That fire is the Spirit of God. Without that Spirit inside of us we’re just… A BUSH. We’re mere mortals. But with that Spirit that’s inside of us we’re IM-mortal. The fire of God LITERALLY burns inside of us. That’s why 1 Thessalonians 5:19 tells us “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
The Spirit teaches us; He intercedes for us; He helps us when we pray; He helps transform us into the image of God. “And the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” (I Corinthians 2:10)
Essentially, the Spirit is GOD LIVING INSIDE OF US. And the more we walk with God everyday, the more God changes our lives as His Spirit works inside of us.
CLOSE: So, where do we get this Holy Spirit? Acts 2:38 tells us clearly: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
