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SUNDAY SERVICE JULY 13, 2008
YOU’RE
SPECIAL---CALLED FOR A PUPOSE PART 8
FROM THE RED SEA TO THE MOUNTAIN
song service
This is lesson 8 in
the series and, by now, you must have Romans 8:28 coming out of your
pores but, for the sake of those who’ve joined us for the first time
today, let me quote the scripture:
And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.
WE ARE STUDYING OUR
OWN CALLING AND PURPOSE THROUGH THE LIFE OF MOSES.
MOSES HAD A
CALLING. He was called to shepherd the people of Israel—God’s
people.
Whatever
our calling is,
it will be connected to God’s people. We are ALL called to be God’s
ambassadors; to lead people to Jesus and also to bless those who
know Him.
MOSES NOT ONLY HAD
A CALLING, HE HAD A PURPOSE.
First, he was to
lead Israel out of the slavery of Egypt and save them through the
Blood of the Lamb. We are called to lead people out of the slavery
of sin and turn them to God that they be saved through the Blood of
the Lamb—God’s Son, Jesus.
But there
was more to the purpose that God had called him to; he had to
receive the Law from God and give this law to Israel so Israel might
live a good and abundant life. The Law would teach them how to
survive—both in the desert and in the Promised Land.
We
are called not only
to bring people to salvation, but to turn them toward the Word of
God so that they might live an abundant life---so they (and we) may
survive in the desert and in the place of blessing.
And, then, he had
to lead Israel to the Promised Land.
He would do that, but he would not lead them INTO the
promised land. Joshua would. The reason that Moses couldn’t lead
them in was because he sinned in the sight of his people and did not
honor God when he struck the rock the 2nd time. But there
was another reason. He was the giver of the law and the prophet
called to lead them out. Joshua—Yeshua in Hebrew (which is the name
of Jesus)—was a type of Jesus and he was the one born to lead them
in. But we’ll get to that another time.
Now,
after Israel left the Red Sea, Moses led them to Mt. Sinai, where
God would give them the ten commandments. In order to serve God,
they needed to know what God expected of them. God
called Moses up to the mountain to give him the ten Commandments. He
said to him, "Tell this to the
sons of Israel, ‘If you will hear My voice, you will be My people.’"
But,
while Moses was up on Mt. Sinai receiving the ten commandments from
God so that Israel could be blessed, Israel was at the foot of the
mountain, busy building a golden calf to worship as their god
instead of the God of Israel who had done all the miracles and
brought them out of Egypt.
MOSES WAS FURIOUS AND SHOWED HIS ANGER BY BREAKING THE STONE
TABLETS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Exodus 32:19-20"And it came to pass, as soon as
he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing:
and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands,
and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they
had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and
strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of
it."
Right
then and there, God could have wiped them out and created a people
for himself through Moses, but Moses, though he was angry, had a
shepherd’s heart. He loved his people and he wept and prayed for
them.
GOD DOESN’T CALL US
TO AVOID PEOPLE OR WRITE THEM OFF BECAUSE OF THEIR SINS; HE CALLS US
TO PRAY FOR THEM THAT THEY MAY BE FORGIVEN.
We may be angry at their sin, but we are to pick up our own cross
and carry it. Carrying our cross does not mean bearing some personal
pain just for the sake of hurting. What was the Cross of Jesus for?
It was to bring sinners to God. While Moses was receiving the law,
the people rebelled against God and Moses. While Jesus was on the
cross atoning for our sins, the people were mocking him—hurling
insults. But, what did Jesus do? He said “Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they are doing.”
OUR CROSS MAY BE
PAINFUL, BUT IT’S PURPOSE IS TO BRING FORGIVENESS. REMEMBER, WE EACH
NEED FORGIVENESS OURSELVES. WE RECEIVE IT WHEN WE ACCEPT JESUS, BUT
IT DOESN’T STOP THERE. We are given a way to receive daily
forgiveness by confessing our sins to God.
1 John 1:8-10 8If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is
not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have
not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place
in our lives.
BACK TO
ISRAEL AND MOSES.
Exodus 32:30 The next day Moses said to the
people, "You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the
LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 31 So Moses
went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people
have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if
not, then blot me out of the book you have written." 33
The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will
blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the
people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you.
However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them
for their sin." 35 And the LORD struck the
people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron
had made.
As a
result of Moses’s prayer God did not wipe out the people who had so
grievously sinned against Him. Though many died because of the
plague, God continued to bless the people with His presence.
Romans 3:23 says that ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF
GOD, BUT GOD MADE A WAY FOR US TO BE WITH HIM.
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, 24and are justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement,[a]
through faith in his blood.
The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal Life through
Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[Christ
Jesus our Lord.
BUT
GETTING SAVED IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
Israel
getting out of Egypt was just the beginning...and the ten
commandments were just a beginning.
Moses
knew that they needed a detailed plan in order to serve God and
he needed a detailed plan in order to lead god’s people.
Exodus 33:12-13 12 Moses said to the LORD,
"You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let
me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by
name and you have found favor with me.' 13
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and
continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your
people."
WE ARE
GOD’S PEOPLE—CALLED TO BE A HOLY NATION AND A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD.
In
order to do that, we need God’s Word—not just a part of it but ALL
of it!
Our
journey to fulfill our calling and purpose begins with the Word and
it continues with the Word. And the very faith we need for all of
this comes from HEARING THE WORD!
Romans 10: 17So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL WERE SAVED FROM EGYPT; THEY WERE SAVED TO BE A PEOPLE
FOR GOD’S GLORY--- TO WORSHIP GOD AND BE A HOLY NATION THAT LED THE
WORLD TO GOD.
Their immediate purpose was to go to the Promised Land and
seize the land. It should have taken no more than 40 days to get
there. It took them 40 years because of their rebellion and
disbelief. Let’s make sure we don’t take that same detour. Let’s
keep ourselves in the Word of God and let it do its work within us
to keep us from unbelief and disobedience.
Hebrews 4:11-13 (AMP) 11Let
us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to
enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves],
that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and
disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].
12For the Word that God speaks is alive and
full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and
effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to
the dividing line of the [a]breath
of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow
[of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and
analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
3And not a creature exists that is
concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked
and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.
They could have
done it the easy way but they chose to do it the hard way.
No actually, they chose to do it the hardest way.( I call
it “hardissimo”, a word I coined). Like them, we can
choose to do things the easy way or the hard way---or the
hardissimo way!. God WILL bring us to our “promised land”
and he will cause us to fulfill our purpose and be conformed to his
image. Will it take “40 days” or “40 years”? That’s up to each one
of us.
AND, HAVING GOTTEN
RIGHT UP TO THE PROMISED LAND, WILL WE ACTUALLY GO IN AND POSSESS
IT? THAT’S UP TO US. GOD IS WILLING AND GOD IS ABLE. WE JUST HAVE TO
BELIEVE, TRUST AND OBEY!
NEXT
TIME: THE WILDERNESS—40 DAYS OR 40 YEARS?
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