Study

Using What Ya’ Got

January 10, 2017 by in Study

Text:

Exodus 4:1-5:

1   And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

2   And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3   And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4   And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5   That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

 

Theme:

Using What Ya’ Got

 

Introduction:

  • The scripture is extracted from Exodus, the second book of the Bible and the second book of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the law of Judaism.
    • The main character is Moses. Moses was born the son of Amram and Jochebed, the brother of Miriam and Aaron.  But, later, by way of an ark of bulrushes, pharaoh’s daughter who unwittingly/unknowingly paid Jochebed to nurse her own child adopted him into the house of pharaoh.
    • The years of the life of Moses are divided into three forties over the 120 years of his life:
  1. the first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh’s court
  2. the second as a shepherd in Midian with his father-in-law Jethro.
  3. the third as a king in the Jeshurunian wilderness, leading the Isrealites toward the Promised Land.
  • The text finds us in the midst of the “Calling of Moses”.
    • This dialogue began in Exodus 3:4-5, “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
    • The Calling is culminated in God’s statement in Exodus 3:10, when it says, “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
  • Moses responded with questions?
    • Exodus 3:11, “Who am I?”
      • God responds that He will be with Him.
    • Exodus 3:13, “What is his name? what shall I say unto them?”
      • God responds that he should say, “I AM hath sent me unto you.”
    • Exodus 4:1, “for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.”
      • God told Moses to use what he had in his hand…his staff…to perform miracles.
    • Exodus 4:10, “I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
      • God responds with first anger and then offering Moses’ brother, Aaron, to speak for him.
      • Exodus 3:14, “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses,”
        • We are getting on God’s nerves when we keep making excuses for what we don’t or do do. J
        • God doesn’t want to hear our BS just as much as we don’t want to hear it. If you are not gonna change then just stay where you are for a while.
  • Our theme focuses on what is basically Question 3:
    • God told Moses to use what he had in his hand.

Body:

  • Growing up we oftentimes heard the old saying, “A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush”.
    • Why can’t we heed to that pearl of wisdom?
      • We ignore the value of the “bird in the hand” and end up losing all, striving for the “two in the bush”
      • What are the “two in the bush”?
        • Let’s look at “Birds in the Bush”
          • Birds in the Bush are not visible and not heard = You don’t know that they are really there
            • Like that “Pot of Gold” at the end of the rainbow
              • We have never even seen the end of the rainbow, but we speak of it still
            • Like “hitting the lottery”
              • We have chances of over 50 million to 1, but people play it like it is “their turn”!
            • Like that “perfect” mate
              • We hope for it even though there are none perfect…but there is on perfect FOR US!
            • Birds in the Bush are only seen when they are flying away = You can’t have them
              • That “Pot of Gold” is always at the end of the rainbow that goes away!
              • That lottery jackpot always attracts us when someone else “just like us” wins!
              • That “perfect” mate always looks perfect when they are with someone else!
            • The Bible teaches of the “Birds in the Bush”
              • Psalms 39:6, “Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.”
      • What is the “bird in the hand”?
        • The “Bird in Hand” represents what you HAVE…possess…own!!
        • The Bible explains our “Bird in the Hand” in 1Corinthians 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” – The Believer’s Inventory!!!
          • We have FAITH!
            • Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
            • Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
          • We have HOPE!
            • Hope in God’s Word à Psalms 119:81, “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.”
            • Hope in God’s Mercy à Psalms 39:18, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;”
            • Hope in Jesus à 1Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”
          • We have LOVE!
            • 1John 4:10, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
            • 1John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
        • The “Bird in Hand” needs to be our #1 Priority!
          • Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
            • God’s Word is all that we really HAVE!
            • Mark 13:31, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”

Conclusion:

  • Let’s look at Moses in our text:
    • Moses had the knowledge of the wisest men in Egypt
      • But God told him to use what he had in His hand!
    • Moses could have the riches of the Roman Empire
      • But God told him to use what he had in His hand!
    • Moses had wisdom of years of experience with God
      • But God told him to use what he had in His hand!
  • Just like what we have, the staff was:
    • Not pretty or elegant
      • The strength is not in our appearance
    • All that he had in his hand…no other options…clarity
      • God’s Will forces us to use whatever is in our possession to use.
  • God wants us just as we are!
    • Since He made us He knows that we don’t need anything else but Him to be victorious!
    • The song says it well:

I don’t possess houses or lands, fine clothes or jewelry,

Sorrows and cares in this old world my lot seems to be,

But I have a Christ who paid the price way back on Calv’ry,

And Christ is all, all and all this world to me.

  • However, I would rather have the “staff” in my hand rather than not.
    • As the song says,

Silver and Gold,

Silver and Gold,

I’d rather have Jesus,

  • what you have already done!!!!!!!!
    • God has already made us to glorify Him
    • God has already made a way for us to be saved.
    • God has already put people in place to help you to realize your dreams.
    • God has already sent His Son to die and be raised again for the remission of sins

    • USE WHAT YA’ GOT!!!!!!!!!!

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