The Person God Uses

Day 1 :

Theme: Doing something with the right intention, but with the wrong way and at the wrong time.

Any christian wants to be used by God, but not everybody is usable.How many times do we do something with the RIGHT INTENTION, but with theWRONG WAY and at the WRONG TIME.

Moses, he has the right intention. He saw the Israelites in bondage.He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own/blood people. Moses wanted to deliver the Hebrew from the beating, so he killed the Egyptian and buried the Egyptian in sand. (Exodus 2: 11-13). Wow! What has Moses done? He had the right intention, that was to deliver the Hebrew from the beating (from the bondage of being a slave), but he had done itthe WRONG WAY and at the WRONG TIME.

This is the same Moses that BY FAITH decided to leave everything that the world can offer to gain what God can offer. This is the same Moses that BY FAITH chooses to follow God than to enjoy the treasures and pleasures that Egypt can offer (Hebrew 11:24-27). The same courageous Moses that we saw last week.

What has he done now? Moses had the right intention to do something forGod, that is by delivering his people, but he was doing it his own way(not God's way) and at his own time (not God's time). Therefore, what had he accomplished? The Pharaoh, when he heard about this news, wanted to kill him. So Moses fled to Midian (Exodus 2: 14-15). Moses had accomplished only one result, that was, Moses the royal prince becameMoses the royal failure.

Have we ever been like Moses? We are eager to be used by God and wehave the right intention. Yet, we are doing it in the wrong way and at the wrong time. We look left and right, but we forget to look up toGod. Therefore, we end up with a failure.

Moses has the FAITH, but the lacks WISDOM. At the feet of his bloodparents, he learns about his people and grew in FAITH, but the wisdom,God is just about to teach him about wisdom in the desert. We shall see this tomorrow. We may have had the faith to accept Jesus as our Savior,but we still have to learn about wisdom before we could be used by God.We can learn this by studying Moses's life as recorded in the Bible.

Day 2 :

Theme: Moses in the desert experience

Moses, was a royal prince, now a shepherd in the desert. The Eqyptian believed that the lowliest occupation a person could have was to be a shepherd. Now, Moses has this great RESUME! From a royal prince (the highest position), to a shepherd (the lowliest position). Moses at theage of 40 lost everything that he own, every prestige that he wasentitled to and everything that he is. Now, this Moses, became a humbleshepherd in the desert for 40 years. Yes, for 40 years. Moses must have taught that he was through, that he was going to spend the rest ofhis life in the desert and die there in the desert. Yet, God is a Godof the new beginning. He was just about to use Moses.

Moses can have the best education system (that is the Egyptian school system), but ONLY IN THE DESERT WITH GOD CAN HE LEARN:
* TO COME FACE TO FACE WITH GOD and
* TO COME FACE TO FACE WITH HIMSELF.

Are we in a "desert experience"? A "desert experience" can be a crisis,a pain, a failure, an emptiness, a weakness. God brings "desertexperience" to our lives to bring use face to face with God and face toface with ourselves. In the "desert", we can re-evaluate our lives andfind ourselves. God brings "desert experience to our lives" to bring usback to Him.

Day 3 :

Theme: Before God uses a person, He prepares them (Lesson #1 - Lesson of Significance)

Before God used Moses, He need to taught Moses three more lessons:
* The first lesson is the LESSON OF SIGNIFICANCE. (Exodus 3:1-11)

Moses spent the first 40 years of his life by being a SOMEBODY. Moses was young, handsome, powerful, in a high position. He was a PRINCE. Then, he spent the second 40 years of his life by being a NOBODY. Moses was defeated, aged, humbled, and weak. He became a lowly SHEPHERD in the desert. Finally, Moses was just about to find out what a "NOBODY yielding his life in the HAND of GOD can be". That's how he spend the third 40 years.

This 80 years old Moses, now defeated and weak, had a self-esteem problem. Forty years ago, it was not his problem, but now he said, "WHO AM I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring Israelites out of Egypt?". God did not reply his question by answering who Moses is, but God said, "I WILL BE WITH YOU." Yes, that is where the significance can be gained, that is by being a person with God's power at his hand. In the same way, we are a nobody, but when we have God on our side, we are more than a somebody, we are a man with a PURPOSE in life, we are a man with significance.

What is so special about the bush that was on fire but did not burn up (Exodus 3:3). There is nothing special about the bush. It is just an ordinary bush. The significance of the bush comes from the fact that it was on fire but did not burn up. The same way, what is so special about me? Nothing. There is nothing special about me. I am just an ordinary person, but the significance about my life comes from the fact that the Holy Spirit (the fire) within me. Yes, that's right. Fire in the bible
represents the Holy Spirit. Our christian life should be burned up for God by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we yield to the power of God, we'll be burned up but not burned out.

Let's see Billy Graham. He is 80 years old. Just like Moses in Exodus
3. Is Billy Graham the young vibrant preacher? No he is not anymore. He has aged. Is he fighting with illness? Yes, he is. Is he
struggling to speak? Yes, he is. Is he struggling to walk? Yes, he is. But one thing still remains the same, that is "HE IS STILL BURNING FOR THE LORD by the power of the Holy Spirit and he is not burned out."

Day 4 :

Theme: Before God uses a person, He prepares them (2/3)

* The second lesson is the LESSON OF OBEDIENCE (Exodus 3: 11-22). In Exodus 3:4, Moses answered God's call by saying, "Here I am, Lord", but then when he was called for a mission, he came with excuses upon excuses (Exodus 3: 5-22, 4:1-17). How many times have we been saying, "Here I am Lord, but send BOB (don't send me)". Bob is good, Bob is
this and that, and "I can not", "I have not", "I am not good enough."

Moses had become comfortable in the desert. The desert had become his hiding place, his isolation place, his way of making a living. The desert had become his COMFORT ZONE. Then, he was asked to leave his comfort zone, to follow God's call, that is to deliver Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. So, Moses came with excuses upon excuses to not follow His call.

God has heard it all. All of our excuses: "I want to serve the Lord, but ...", "I want to trust the Lord, but ...", "I want to surrender my life to God, but ...". Yes, God has heard it all. We have come to find that the "desert" becomes our COMFORT ZONE. Christians can create comfort zone within their ministry. They start compromising God's call with their comfort zone. They have one foot to follow God's call, and the other foot on the comfort zone. Now, we are asked to leave our comfort zone completely, and be used by the burning power of the Holy Spirit, to "deliver" the people around us from "bondage", to be used by God to "deliver" the people from the "slavery" of the "world".

Moses did not want to leave the comfort zone and face Pharaoh in Egypt.

He used excuses:
* Who am I? (i.e., I am not good enough) (Ex 3:11)
* What if they do not believe me (Ex 4:1)
* What if they do not listen to me (Ex 4:1)
* Lord, I have never be eloquent. I am slow to speech and tongue (Ex 4:10)
* Lord, please send someone else to do it (Ex 4:13)

What is our answer? Are we going to pass the LESSON OF OBEDIENCE? Are
we going to obey God's call? Are we going to use all of Moses'
excuses? Or are we going to say, "Here I am, Lord! Send me!"

Day 5 :

Theme: Before God uses a person, He prepares them (3/3) Before God used Moses, He need to taught Moses three more lessons:

* The first lesson is the LESSON OF SIGNIFICANCE (Exodus 3:1-11). God can use any ordinary man. Yes, any ordinary man, as long as the man iswilling to yield his life in the hand of God.
* The second lesson is the LESSON OF OBEDIENCE (Exodus 3: 11-22). Godhas heard all of the excuses that we can think of. "I can't, Lord", but God said, "I can", "I don't know, Lord", but God said, "I do know", "I haven't done this, Lord, "but God said, "I have", "I am not good enough", and God said, "It is true that you are not good enough, but I am." It is only a question of obedience.* The third lesson is the LESSON OF DEPENDENCE (Exodus 4:1-9)

If we depend on God, we are like the ROD in the shepherd's hand. The shepherd's rod, like Moses' rod (Ex 4) is just an ordinary rod. Without the shepherd, the rod does not mean anything. But in the shepherd's hand, the rod became a very powerful tool. It is used to deliver the sheep from danger (i.e., lions and other attackers) and to find and guide the lost sheep.

In the same way, we are like the ROD. Without God, the shepherd, we mean nothing and we can do nothing. But in God's hand, the "rod", ourlives, can be used as a very powerful tool. That is to deliver the sheep (God's people) from danger and to find and guide the lost sheep.If we depend on God, He can use us, just like a shepherd uses an ordinary rod.

Moses learned the lesson of significance, the lesson of obedience and thelesson of dependence, then he is used by God to deliver His people. Do we want to be used by God to "deliver" His people (i.e., people that needs the Lord) from the slavery and the bondage of this world?

~END~

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Disclaimer
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church. The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.
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