Just Do It

Think for a moment, have you ever been told or asked to do something, maybe by a friend, maybe a sibling, maybe your parents, maybe your boss, or it may have been God? And you came up with a million and one reasons (some pretty good) as to why you couldn’t do it.

Our message today is titled “Just Do It”. Tell somebody, Just Do It.

Focal verse: Exodus Chapter 4:19-20 [NKJV]

Exodus 4:19–20 NKJV

19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

So, would you take a little walk with me through this passage of scripture?

As we begin, we need to take a little history lesson. If we turn our attention to Exodus chapter 3, we find a few interesting Tidbits to chew on:

First --- Moses encounters God

o 3:1-9 Moses encounters God at the burning bush:

Exodus 3:1-9

Exodus 3:1–9 NKJV

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him 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. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

- Our second Tidbit is God has a mission for Moses

THE MISSION

Exodus 3:10

Exodus 3:10 NKJV

10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

- As we continue reading, we find Moses starts making excuses why he should not do it. And God tells him why he should do it…

o Excuse 1 – Who am I to do these things?

§ 3:11 But Moses said to God, " Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"

o God’s Response: I will be with you.

§ Verse 12, said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

o Excuse 2 – They might question who you are

§ 3:13 Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you. ' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name? ' What shall I say to them?"

o God’s Response: Tell them I AM has sent you

§ 3:14–17, God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ' I AM has sent me to you. '"

§ 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ' The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. ' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial- name to all generations.

§ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ' The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, " I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

§ 17 So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey."'

o Excuse 3 – What if the still don’t believe me?

§ 4:1 Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ' The Lord has not appeared to you. '"

o God’s Response – Here are a few signs to show them.

§ 4:2 - 9 The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, " A staff."

§ 3 Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

§ 4 But the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail"—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

§ 5 "that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

§ 6 The Lord furthermore said to him, "Now put your hand into your bosom." So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

§ 7 Then He said, "Put your hand into your bosom again." So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.

§ 8 "If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign.

§ 9 But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."

o Excuse 4 - – But I am not an eloquent speaker

§ 4:10 Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

o God’s Response – I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.

§ 4:11-12, The Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

§ 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."

o Excuse 5 -- but I just can’t do it.

§ 4:13 But he said, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will."

Jesus in Matt 26:39 asked God that if possible let this assignment pass from him, but He knew that it could not… He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, " O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Jesus accepted His assignment and died for you and I.

o God’s response to Moses:

§ 4:14-17

· Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, "Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

· 15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.

· 16 Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.

· 17 You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."

- Moses finally accepts his assignment

o No more excuses – Moses has no more excuses and accepts his assignment from God.

§ 4:18-20,

18 Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father- in- law and said to him, "Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

§ 19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead."

20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

- God works through Moses

- For 40 + years God worked through Moses to free the sons of Israel and lead them into the Promise Land, the Land of Milk and Honey.

Here is the bottom line:

(Life Application)

· Stop making excuses

· God will never give you more than you can handle

· Refusing to accept your assignment is rebellion

· Rebellion is disobedience to God’s will.

· Obedience is in accepting God’s will for your life.

You know, Many of us when we pray we recite all or part of the Lord’s Prayer, we say : [Matthew 6:10 says] ' Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

Matthew 6:10 NKJV

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Do we really believe it when we say to the Lord, let thy will be done? Or, are we just reciting something we learned a few years ago?

I’m just not so sure. We speak it with our mouths, but do we mean it in our hearts?

God has a plan for each of His children, each of us has a assignment in life but some of us are just plan too stubborn to allow His will to be done in us and through us.

Listen, God loves you and me, He only wants the best for each of His special children. The bottom line is this, God’s will, will be done, if not through you then through someone else. It’s your choice.

So stop wasting so much of your energy making up your excuses why you can’t do and use that energy to ….