Change the Direction
Unstoppable: The Destiny that could not be denied • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsSince God has given us special abilities and talents; use them to impact the next generation.
Notes
Transcript
exodus 4:1-17
exodus 4:1-17
1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”
2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.
3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.
5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. 7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”
10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
“Change the Direction!” (Exodus 4:1-15 NLT). We investigated the Life of Joseph to start 2020, looking at how God used Joseph and his dream to save not only his family but an entire nation. The favor of God was on Joseph’s Life and he had great success everywhere God placed him. Pastor Or decided to take the Dream further and discuss how we can move forward as a people as a body for the next Generation. Continue the Dialogue, Conquering the Division, and last week Challenge the Darkness. All of these issues are important for us to move forward and create a brighter future for our families. As we close out the series, it is necessary for all of us a individuals to put our best foot forward to push the next generation to higher levels. To do this, we must put away unnecessary mindsets and actions holding us down, thus slowing down our progress as a people. The Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made; which suggests God has created us with gifts to help our communities thrive and flourish. Now is not the time to allow our gifts to sit dormant, we need all of our gifts to advance the kingdom of God and create a new destiny for our children. Since God has given us abilities and talents, Use them to positively impact the Next Generation! To do this we must do away with Self-Doubt, Self-Deprecation, and Self-Demotion.
self Doubt
self Doubt
-awareness- they wont listen to me: (lack of confidence in yourself)
-awareness- they wont listen to me: (lack of confidence in yourself)
(Exodus 4:1) “Lacking Confidence”
Haters plague our community and I know that someone up in here has their fair share of haters. Haters are all around. Everywhere I go haters are lurking and looking; trying to find a way to set up a trap for me. However, If i may. . Let me submit that there is something else that plagues our community more than haters. There is another bandit causing more death to dreams than the Hate of others.
Its called self Doubt.
self doubt is something that plagues our community and is destructive when we think about the idea of creating a future for ourselves and the next generation. Yes, its self doubt. You can as Willie Herrington said shake haters off; however, self doubt is hard to shake.
self doubt over the years has caused spiritual and emotional paralysis to cover a community to think that we will never make it we can never overcome. Although God has brought us from a mighty long way. . as the song writer said “through many dangers toils and snares i have already come” many have been left to think that life the way it is now is all that its gonna be.
Is there anybody here who knows someone who’s been there? Never has anything positive to say, always negative no optimism about life. You know people who: hate where they live, hate their job, hate their spouse, hate their person on the side, hate the direction of their kids, hate their community, hate government leaders but won’t vote. . hate hate hate.
These folks are hard to be around and they hate so much and they hate the potential they have to succeed.
self doubt has put a halt on many things our ancestors in the past fought for, died for, sacrificed for. Some of us God has given big dreams that die because we doubt ourselves and the vision God has given us.
Self Doubt will cause many to stay in debt because they don’t believe they make enough to save. And they will continue to spiral down in debt and pass that debt to the next generation.
self doubt
Our friend, the main character of our text Moses is having issues of self doubt. God has called him and gave him a huge task of leading the people of God to freedom, and lead them to the promise land. But there is a major hurdle. . he has to go to Pharoah and tell him to release God’s people so they can worship.
In chapter 3, God told Moses all that He would do to assure Moses he would be victorious and that he would be on his side. **use some of the verses from chapter 3 to show how devastating it will be for the Egyptians**
Moses says: God I hear all that, i hear everything you saying and I believe you. . . but can I suggest something to you God; They will not believe me or listen to my voice. This Doubt began in Exodus 3:11-13
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
you feel the doubt, the self doubt. God said I will Plunder the Egyptians. Moses is like nope. . no no no; not going to listen. The God of all creation assures Moses he will be victorious and yet he still doubts him self.
ahhhh but God is God, God is all powerful, God is all knowing and God accomplishes all things according to His will, plan and purposes. God was not caught off guard by Moses and his self doubt. And God being the all wise God, the God who knows everything about us. . the God who fearfully and wonderfully made us. . . Says Moses what’s in your hand.
Moses says what? God says you have something in your hands. Take that staff throw it to the ground, and it changed properties. He told Moses to take his hand and put it inside your cloak and his hand changed colors.
God says Moses you have all you need and all that you need is in your hands.
Some of you in here have doubts and fears about your future, you doubt your abilities and how things are going to shape up for you. . and God is saying like He told Moses: everything you need to change the direction of your future and future generations is all in your hands. What’s in your Hands?
God has gifted you. . God has designed you to do great things. . The Bible says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The BIBLe says God will order your steps . The Bible says he who began a good work in you will complete it. God says in Deuteronomy . . it is God who gives you the power to get wealth .
Its in our hands; we don’t have to live in self doubt. We don’t have to live in a manner in which our mind is playing tricks on us.
If you are here and are wondering how do i get my mind right how can I live a life without doubting myself. You must remember that if God is for me, who can be against me. You have to make up in your mind that if God is for me than who can stand against me.
we have to realize that no weapon form against me is able to prosper.
What’s in Your Hands?
we must stop with the self doubt next we must fight against self deprecation
self deprecation
self deprecation
abilities- not eloquent in speech: (negative thoughts that impact your self esteem
abilities- not eloquent in speech: (negative thoughts that impact your self esteem
(Exodus 4:10) “Lacking Action”
self deprecation is undervaluing your gifts and abilities. It is insulting yourself.
You remember the Color Purple, the scene when Celie puts the knife to Alberts neck and curses his future. . Two memorable lines come from that 2 minute scene. Remember Albert tells her: “you black, poor, ugly. .”
Self deprecation is if Celie would have said those harsh words about herself.
Self deprecation is not believing in the abilities God has giving us. Self deprecation has held many people in our community hostage and pushes them towards inactivity.
Moses shows us how easy this process is. God said I have you covered Moses responds: I can’t talk. My speech is not good. My speech is slow. God showed Moses that he would fight the battle for him but Moses still speaks down on his own abilities.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever put yourself down because of fear?
did not apply for that position because of fear
did not follow a certain career because of fear
did not the investment because of fear
Fear year after causes us as a people to sometimes start over generation after generation. Communities looking the same or worse.
We must move forward!!!
We keep discussing the same problems, I know there are some things systemic that keeps us from upward mobility. However we been addressing the same issues for years. . education, economics, empowerment.
I believe God has given someone the mind to move these things to another level
God Answers and declares that He is the one who has the power to open mouths and close them; reminding Moses that He has All Power and he has nothing to fear. Some of us need to be reminded that God has the power to navigate through any of our inadequacies, any of our issues and flaws and will get glory out of our lives. We must realize that we are Complete in God!
self demotion -Assistance- please send someone else (aaron)-(voluntarily)
self demotion -Assistance- please send someone else (aaron)-(voluntarily)
(Exodus 4:13) “Lacking Initiative”
Moses goes from no confidence to no action and now we see him trying to remove himself for the plan all together. God just send someone else. The task is to big, stakes are too high; Lord send someone else. He volunteers to sit on the sideline and act like nothing is going on. Throughout history we have seen leaders pushed out on the frontlines to fight for the people. From King to X; Shirley Chism to Michelle Obama, God always has someone to put in the game. In our story God set it up for Aaron to be ready to speak on behalf of Moses and his people. The text reminds us we have a Champion in God!
Close
Close
This is not the last time God would show us He is our Champion
Joshua would lead the people into the promise land - before he could do it he had to fight the battle of Jerico
David the shepherd boy would end up becoming the king of Israel-but before this he had to defeat Gooliath on the battlefield.
But it doesn’t stop there. . i’m a living witness that God will send a champion to fight your battles. Is there anybody in here who can testify. . that time and time again God will send someone to fight on your behalf.
Maybe it was your parents. . school teacher. . someone in the church. . but God knows when to send somebody to stand in the gap.
we need people to stand in the gap and be champions for the next generation.
we need preachers and teacher
coaches and tutore
parents and counselors
to create a better future for the next generation
folks who will sacrifice there time, talent, treasure and expertise
Go to the Cross.