Sermon Series: The Nobility of God's Nobodies

No Excuses Allowed

Exodus 3:10-4:17

PSBC 9/10/00

In a nutshell: Saying in our purpose statement that we will partner with each other to do Great Commission work in the Coachella Valley and the world, is quite an ambitious task, humanly speaking. People are going to offer all kinds of excuses why they can't or won't get involved in doing God's work. We see that in Moses life. He offered all kinds of excuses to God about why he couldn't be Israel's deliverer. But God answered everyone of his excuses, just like He will with ours. God's answer is, "When you operate under My power and My authority to do My job, you will succeed. So, no excuses allowed!".

I. Introduction

A. London Transit Authority

Several years ago, the London Transit Authority had a problem. Buses were going right past passengers who were waiting at the designated places to be picked up. Even though crowds of people were standing at the bus stops, the buses were sailing right past them.

When the public outcry started, the London Transit Authority released a statement to explain their actions. The statement said, I is impossible for us to maintain schedules if we must always stop and pick up passengers.

B. Us

We laugh at the logic of such a ridiculous statement. But don't laugh too long. Because, I wonder if God isn't laughing in heaven at us, when we come up with our excuses why we won't get involved in doing Great Commission word in the Coachella Valley or the world, like our church purpose statement says.

Do you know how I will measure my success as your pastor? I will be able to measure my success if I can come up to you and ask you, "How are you intentionally advancing the Kingdom of God?" And you are able to tell me either what you have decided to do to minister to others in the name of Jesus Christ, or what lives you have targeted to influence with the good news that Jesus Christ is God's way to salvation from sin, an abundant life right now, and eternal life in heaven someday.

And friends, you'll find I'm going to be relentless in asking you that question. To help you identify that ministry, we've designed a plan called "The Faith Development Plan" that consists of four core courses:

PSBC 101–is a two hour course that will help you connect the mission of our church with the vision of our leadership, so you can responsibly decide if you want to be a part of this church family.

PSBC 201–is called "Becoming a Contagious Christian". It is an 8 week course that will teach you what the message of Jesus Christ's Great Commission is all about, and what He expects you to do about it, because you are one of His followers.

PSBC 301–is called "Network: The Right People in the Right Places for the Right Reasons". This also is an 8 week course that will help you discover your God given Spiritual Gift; the unique spiritual passion you have inside you; and the way God has wired you to best work with others in ministry. (We don't use the term PARTNER in our purpose statement by accident. That's because Christianity isn't designed to be a Lone Ranger experience. We need each other.)

PSBC 401–is a one-on-one consultation with one of our pastoral team, to guide you into the right ministry and design training for you to make sure you succeed.

Every person, regardless of age, ability, education, experience, talents, or energy must be involved in doing Great Commission work, if this church is going to be a FORCE for Jesus Christ that the devil has to reckon with–no excuses allowed! I love what Dwight L. Moody said (front of bulletin) "Excuses are the cradle ... that Satan rocks men off to sleep in."

Now, if you think you have an excuse for not getting involved in what God's wants you involved in, then I want to look at a chapter in the life of one of God's servants, when he gave God all kinds of excuses as to why he couldn't be involved in doing what God wanted him to do. The man's name is Moses, and the chapter in his life starts with Exodus 3:10.

C. Background

Moses grew up in Pharaoh's household, even though he was a Jew. Through God's providence, Moses learned culture, leadership, science and a host of other disciplines that were reserved only for the privileged people of the day. Plus he had the benefit of having his own parents teach him about God and His promises to the Jewish people.

So at age 40, Moses thought he could do it all. He took it upon himself to try to deliver his people from the slavery of Egypt, and failed miserably. He spent the next 40 years in a self-imposed exile. Then at age 80, after spending 40 years shepherding sheep on the back side of Midian, God called him to deliver his people from slavery–but this time, God wanted Moses to do things God's way, not Moses' way. So, God identifies the work that He has for Moses to do...
Exodus 3:10
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

But Moses, at age 80 was not nearly so ready to go and be God's deliverer as he was when he was 40. In fact he thinks of all kinds of excuses to give to God about why he can't be the one who brings the Israelites out of Egypt. And God answers each excuse, and basically says to Moses, "Sorry friend, no excuses allowed." Let's examine these excuses and see how God answers each one.

II. The Five Excuses

A. #1–I'm a Nobody

Exodus 3:11-12
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

God no sooner said to Moses, "I'm going to send you." Than Moses says, "Who, me? NO way!" Isn't that interesting. Moses at age 40 was ready to conquer the entire nation of Egypt by himself. Now, at age 80 he feels totally insufficient for the task.

Now, that's not such a bad thing at first glance. Age will do that to us. I can remember coming out of seminary at age 25, having all the answers to all the ills of the church across north America. All people had to do was follow me. Now that I'm 48, I'm much more cautious and realize that there is a lot of things I still don't know or understand.

I'm reminded of Mark Twain's statement, "I left home at 18 convinced my father was the most ignorant man I had ever known. I returned at 21 amazed at what the old man had learned in three years."

I'm convinced that Moses response was out of the humility gained from years of experience on the back side of the desert, and the time he had to reflect on his utter failure to deliver his people 40 years prior to this. He knew he wasn't up to the task. He knew in himself he was totally inadequate. But look at God's response...
Exodus 3:12
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."

Now, I want you to understand what was behind this dialog. When God said, "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Moses got the wrong idea. He thought God wanted him to deliver Israel. Not even close! God was going to deliver Israel–He simply wanted to use Moses to do it. Moses was going to be the tool that Almighty God used. Think about it–a tool doesn't do the work, it's the person behind the tool that does the work.

Illustration: Last week, I put a pull down ladder in the rafters of my garage. To get it attached I had to climb up into the attic, and Noah, Tim and Brian stood in the bed of my pick up truck and held the ladder assembly in place while I used my cordless screwdriver to secure it in the opening. Now, that cordless screwdriver, didn't do the work. I did. The cordless screwdriver simply did what I asked it to do when I pulled the trigger to turn the screws in place. Now, I could have used a drill or a hand-held screw driver, or a wrench or a hammer to secure that ladder assembly in place. But I chose to use my cordless screwdriver.

That's something similar to what is going on here. God could have used a variety of tools for the task of delivering his chosen people from Egypt. He could have sent an army of angels. He could have placed a burning bush right in the middle of Pharaoh's court. He could have opened up the heavens and talked directly to the entire nation of Egypt. But he chose Moses as His tool. God' doesn't need us to advance His Kingdom and do Great Commission work. But He chooses us. He invites us to join Him in His work. As one preacher put it, "Who Moses is is not the question; it is rather who is with Moses that counts." (John Durham).

And to further bolster Moses confidence, God said He was going to send Moses a vision for the future–Israel was going to worship God, not in Egypt, but on this very mountain on which Moses was now standing.

Did you know that God gives you a vision for the future when He calls you to be a tool in His hands? He does. The apostle Paul records it in...
Ephesians 3:20
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...

B. #2–I Don't Know Your Name

Now, take a look at the second excuse...
Exodus 3:13
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, `What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

Moses is a lot like you and me. That's why this series of sermons is called the Nobility of God's Nobodies. These men and women that were seeing God use aren't anyone special. They're just flesh and blood people like you and me. So, here's Moses, worrying because he doesn't have all the answers. "If the Israelites ask me what is the name of this God who wants to deliver them, what do I say?"

Now, don't be confused. Moses knew which God he was speaking with. If you go back up to verse 6 you'll see that He identifies Himself as "the God of your father, the God of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob." But Moses also know that after 400 years of captivity, the Hebrew people were mixing their worship of God with the worship of some of the Egyptian gods. So, he wanted some assurance. He wanted some convincing proof of identification.

Now, whenever an Old Testament person was concerned about the name of God, he or she wasn't asking so much for the first or last or family name. He or she was asking for the answer to the questions, "What are you like?" Or "What kind of God are you?"

Replying to that question, God said...
Exodus 3:14
14 "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'"

This is the first revelation of God's name in the Bible. It's the first time we are given a glimpse into the personal nature of God and his relationship to a group of people that belong to Him. This name, I AM, is called the Tetragrammaton. That means 4 letters. I is spelled in Hebrew with only the transliterated letters YHWH. We pronounce it Yahweh. The Jews considered it such a holy name that they chose four letters that when put together, couldn't be pronounced. They wouldn't even write it.

What God is telling Moses and us through this name–I AM–is this incredibly simple, yet most profound truth: God is saying I AM everything you will ever need. Let me tell you what that means. You say to God...

-God, I'm too old to be of any use to you any more. God says, I am the one who gave you those years, and experience and history for such a time as this. There is no putting out to pasture or retirement from my work for my children, God says.
-God, I don't have the ability to do things like this person or that person. God says, "I am the one who created you just the way you were. While you were still in your mother's womb I knew you, knew all about you, knew your abilities, and the circumstances that you'd find your self in. And I don't make mistakes. You have everything you need to be of use to me in your situation right now.
-God, I don't have the education to impress people. God says, I am all the education you need. I've used shoe salesmen, carpenters, tent makers, fishermen, janitors and cobblers to confound the most learned men and women in the world with My truths. What makes you think I can't use you?
-God, I'm new to the Christian faith. I don't know as much as all these other people. God says, I am all the truth you need to know. If you have a personal relationship with me, then that's all you need to start. I've gifted people in this church to teach you–so learn from them. But take what you learn and put it into practice and into your conversation and into your thoughts.
-God, I'm not very talented. I can't sing, I can't preach, I can't teach. What can I do? God says, I am your ability. When you became a Christian, I gifted you through the Holy Spirit with at least one supernatural gift that I want to use to advance My Kingdom. You just have to discover it, develop it and use it.
-God, I just don't have the energy anymore. God says, I am your strength. When you depend on me, you will soar on wings like eagles, you'll run and not grow weary, you'll walk and not be faint.
When you become a man or woman like Moses–aware of who you are (a nothing and a nobody) and aware of who God is (everything and all we need)–then you are a person God can use.

C. #3–No One will Believe Me

The next excuse is found in the first nine verses of chapter 4, but is encapsulated in verse 1....
Exodus 4:1
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, `The LORD did not appear to you'?"

Basically, "What if they don't believe me?" Moses left Egypt a 40 year old cultured prince. Now God wanted him to return, when he was an 80 year old Midianite shepherd. This would be the equivalent of a of slick yuppy lawyer leaving Washington D.C. and returning 40 years later as a grizzled old wilderness guide who smelled like sheep. Imagine a guy like this saying, "Alright people, I'm the answer to all your problems. Follow me." That's a legitimate excuse, right? Not to God.

God basically says, O.K. Moses, if you run into a problem of no one believing you, I'll give you three signs of authority. Moses what have you got?

1. Well, first Moses had a stick in his hand. It was a rod that a shepherd used to walk, beat off predators, and prod and rescue sheep. It was pretty common. God said, "Take that stick and throw it on the ground." When Moses obeyed God and threw it on the ground, the rod turned into a snake. When Moses grabbed it by it's tail, it became a stick again.

2. Then Moses had a hand–again a pretty common thing–most of us have two. God said, "Put that hand inside your cloak and pull it out." When Moses did, the hand was diseased with leprosy–the most dreaded disease of the day. Then God told him to put it back in his robe, and when he took it out a second time, it was whole, again.

3. Then God told Moses about something common to everyone in Egypt–water. He could take a pitcher of water from the Nile river and pour it out on the ground and the water would turn to blood.

Moses had three common things that every person had access to. But in the hands of God, they became persuasive, powerful and useful to accomplishing God's purposes.

Friends, every person in this room possesses three common things if you are a Christian.
-You have at least one spiritual gift, given to you by God the Holy Spirit the moment you became a Christian.
-You have a passion or a "bent" toward something or some group of people–it may be homeless people, it may be computers, it may be technology, it may be teaching children, it may be a concern for the youth of today. You all have something–we call it a passion.
-And you all have a way that you work best with others. Some of you don't want or need any direction. Some of you work best in a group situation. Some of you work best with direction, then carrying out the task by your self. There are many different ways represented in this room to work in the body of Christ.

Now imagine you were to take your gift, your passion and the way you work best with others and give them to God, like Moses did. Instead of being a person who is afraid that no one will believe them, you would be transformed into a person who is confident in the intentionality of ministering in the name of Jesus Christ to a world that is lost without Him.

D. #4–I Can't Do It

The fourth excuse that Moses gives is found in verse 10...
Exodus 4:10
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

If I could paraphrase this verse it would be this... "God, I just can't do it." He tells God, "I'm not a skilled speaker. I have a speech impediment, and I have a hard time thinking on my feet."

But Moses didn't need a speech coach , or Toastmasters, or a Hooked on Phonics speech course. All he needed was to trust God's.

If you look at the next verses, you'll see that God says...,
-"Who gave man his mouth?" In other words, Duh, of course I know you have a speech impediment, I'm the one who put it there."
-"Now go, I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." In other words, "Just get moving. I called you, so I'll give you everything you need to do what I need done."

And it's the same with you. If you feel the nudging of God to get involved in someone's life or some ministry, or some organization where you can have a Christian influence, then God will give you whatever you need to do what needs to be done. Just GO–get moving. He will take care of equipping you and empowering you. Just Go!

E. #5–Someone Else Could Do It Better

The final excuse is found in verse 13...
Exodus 4:13
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

This is what he's saying, "God, I just don't want to do it! Period! Get someone else."

I have to laugh at Moses' use of a word. He says, "O Lord..." He does what we so often do. He calls God "Lord", but he refuses to bow to His Lordship. Listen friends, either God is Lord of all in your life, or He is not Lord at all in your life! Don't play games with God. Either He is Lord of your life or He is not. It's like being a little bit pregnant–there just is no such thing.

God said, look I know you're a little afraid. That's O.K. I understand. I simply want you available. Just to help you out I'm sending your brother, Aaron, to help you. I've already prepared him to be glad when you ask him to help you in this delivery business. He'll help you speak, and he'll help give you counsel. You guys will be a team.

III. Conclusion

Friends, Jesus Christ, our Lord, gave us our marching orders–our Commission.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""

He is calling each one of us, regardless of age, ability, education, experience, talents, or energy to get involved in doing Great Commission work in the Coachella Valley and the world. Every time Moses offered an excuse, God answered, "When you operate under My power and My authority to do My job, you will succeed. So, no excuses allowed!"

So, don't offer God your excuses. Offer Him your obedience.

Amen.