Jim Moss - October 9, 2022
A Comeback Story
A Comeback Story 10-9-22 Acts 7:23-29 23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. 24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. 25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t. 26“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’ 27“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born. Acts 7:30 30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. Exodus 3:1-2 1One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. In the midst of the routine, when you least expect it, you are surprised by God’s invitation. Exodus 3:4-5 4When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. The first thing that Moses hears from this bush is his own name. Moses Questions: Who Am I? Exodus 3:11-12 11But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” God’s Answer: I will be with you 2 Corinthians 3:5 5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. Moses Questions: Who Am I? Who are you? Exodus 3:13-14 13But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” 14God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God’s Answer: I AM I AM your provision (Jehovah - Jireh) I AM your victory (Jehovah - Nissi) I AM your peace (Jehovah – Shalom) I AM there (Jehovah – Shammah) Moses Questions: Who Am I? Who are you? What about them? Exodus 4:1-2 1But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” 2Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. God’s Answer: What’s in Your Hand? Exodus 4:3-4 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. 4Then 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.
From Series: "A Better Story"
We love a good story! Something that captures our imaginations and takes us somewhere. Something that gives our lives meaning, context, and hope. Unfortunately, we often get so caught up in trying to write our own story that we lose our God-given purpose. We trade a life of eternal kingdom impact for the temporary and empty rewards of our own desires. In this series, we will lay down our story for a better story and be intentional about leaving a legacy of kingdom impact and purpose.
