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Encouragement of Reluctant Servants: Exodus #11

This exposition of Exodus 6:28-7:7 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 1, 2018.

Intro:

I’m wondering how many of you are like me? I’m happy to help out, I want to be involved but I’m not usually the first to jump up and volunteer. In school I never sat up front and when the teacher was looking for a volunteer I usually managed to avoid eye contact. My head was down or I was suddenly engrossed in something in the textbook. I was known to try to hide behind those seated in front of me. That’s not easy to do when you stuck out on both sides of them! I most assuredly did not want to “volunteer” for an impossible assignment.

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God said to Moses, “You go deliver this message to Pharaoh. Oh, and I’ve made sure that he will not listen to you.” The assignment was to go to the most powerful man on earth who despised your people, refused to acknowledge your God and tell him, “The invisible God of the Hebrew slaves says, ‘Let my people go!’” Sure! No problem. What could possibly go wrong with that? It is easy to be critical of Moses and say, “Where is his faith? Doesn’t he understand the power of God?” I have to ask, “Have you ever failed to do the will of God? Have you ever been hesitant to do as you’ve been commanded?” Do you jump at every opportunity to share the gospel? Are you quick to love your enemy? When the discussion is about LGBTQ issues are you quick to declare the biblical position? Do you relish the opportunity to stand in the minority? Do you find it easy to be black and white in a gray world?

In today’s culture biblical morality and Christian standards are in the minority. Even within the church folks are hesitant to stand where Scripture stands. You understand I’m not talking about a “Westboro Baptist Church” kind of stance. I’m not talking about a hateful, venomous ranting but rather a loving, heart-felt expression of biblical truth. To state that gender is fixed rather than fluid; that marriage is a loving commitment between a man and a woman for life; that there is only one way of salvation and that is through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to draw the ire of most of the culture. Such a stance demands courage and faith. I’m not talking about a post on Facebook but a bold stance in the real world, face to face with real people. I understand Moses’ hesitancy. I understand his pleading, “Please send someone, anyone else.” Because I understand it, I’m grateful for the way God dealt with His reluctant servant. Our text this morning is found in Exodus chapters 6 and 7.

Text: Exodus 6:28-7:7

Big picture: God is sovereignly at work saving a special people for His own glory.
We’ve seen Moses sovereignly preserved, prepared and called.
We’ve seen him reluctant, hesitant yet obedient.
We’ve seen his first visit to the palace of Pharaoh - it did not go well.
We’ve seen the people turn on him and we’ve seen him question God.
We’ve seen God reaffirm his call (first part of chapter 6).
Then we took a look at the genealogy of Aaron (that parenthesis in the story).
Now we come back to the story (could just go from 6:13 to 6:28 and wouldn’t notice).

Thesis: In the face of a culture increasingly hostile toward the gospel, there is great comfort in knowing that God deals graciously with His reluctant, hesitant servants.

You may not need such encourage but I do! I’m encouraged when I read through Exodus. Most of the time when we think of Moses we think of his standing before Pharaoh as God’s representative. We picture him at the Red Sea with staff outstretched or when see his glory face has he comes from the presence of God. We think, “Now, there is a man of God. Who who speaks with God as a man speaks with a friend, face to face.” But before he was Moses, the man of God, he was Moses the man on the run. He was Moses the reluctant, stammering, excuse-maker. I see that and I’m comforted because God was gracious with him.

I look back at Exodus 4:1 - “They will not believe me or listen to me…” I cringe. But God is gracious and demonstrates His power.

I look at Exodus 4:10 - “But I’m not eloquent…” and think, “Well, that’s it!” But God is gracious.

Exodus 4:13 - “Send someone else” - I expect fire to consume him and then hear God say, “Next.” But God is gracious.

Exodus 5:22-23 - yet again, God is gracious.

Here we go again in our text. There are three things I want us to note from this text that brings encouragement, comfort and peace to the LORD’s reluctant servants. By the way after this encounter, Moses is no longer hesitant.

  1. There is encouragement in understanding that inability is no hindrance to divine service. (6:28-7:2, 6-7)
  2. There is comfort in knowing that in the economy of God, faithfulness not results is the measure of success. (7:3-4a)
  3. There is peace in accepting that God alone is God and He will accomplish His work. (7:4b-5)

Conclusion:
God is doing the same thing through the Lord Jesus.

Some receive him as Savior and Lord.
Confessing their sin and trusting his death on the cross and his resurrection.
They believe and are saved, thereby delivered from pain of hell.

Others reject him.
Uninterested in the salvation he offers.
Unwilling to call him Lord.

But one day they will: Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

One way or another, whether a believer or an unbeliever, sooner or later, you will be compelled to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. Why not make it sooner?

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