Excuses, Excuses Part 2

Raising his voice to Jesus phone number when believers know what God wants them to do but refused to do it, but often find creative excuses for their refusal. That's what Moses did, until God graciously overcame his objections and lame excuses. The bottom line we must obey God church in Chicago this is going to with Dr. Sir is clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther Moses said he was not eloquent.

Is this ever an issue for preachers. In answer to your question, I would say yes it is because if God calls you, you should be able to speak you because you do speak, then you should be able to speak but Moses objection was overruled. When God said I'm going to send Aaron and he's going to be your mouthpiece, but one of the most incredible verses in all the Bible occurs in this context takes my breath away. God says who has made man's mouth, or the seeing, or the blind have not I the Lord God is sovereign even over our gifting. You know there's so many lessons that we need to learn from the life of Moses and I've written a book entitled getting closer to God. Lessons from the life of Moses.

I really do believe that you will profit from this book. In this sense, but as you read these stories and of course there directly from Scripture.

You'll see how God worked in Moses life and you'll know that the same God works in our lives as well. For a gift of any amount. This book can be yours. You go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book getting closer to God.

Call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us hear how God continued to work in the life of Moses in chapter 4 verse one then Moses answered, behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say the Lord did not appear to you. Now this is very interesting. It says in chapter 3 verse 18 God says they will listen to your voice. Now Moses is saying they won't listen to my voice to see the disconnect God is saying one thing and Moses is saying another and I think Moses has it all wrong because he thinks that he is going to be the deliverer he doesn't understand that God is the deliverer, and he only is the instrument that God is going to use it is God who is going to bring the deliverance it'll it's God doesn't because when God calls you and me.

He actually doesn't call us to a work to a vocation to a ministry he always calls us to himself first.

It's a calling to God and God's as well. If they won't believe you will give you some signs. Throw down your staff and it'll become a a serpent. Put your hand in your shirt and it will become leprous. Take the water of the Nile poured onto the ground and it's going to turn into blood and so you are going to be given all of these signs and you're going to be able to out to the magicians of Egypt and were going to be studying that because that's fascinating that these magicians of Egypt were able to do as much as is Moses. In some instances, until they got to a certain point where they could not keep up with them.

But God says I'm going to give you signs because Moses I want you to know that I am the God of men who have failed. I am the God who who are of those who are in the desert.

I'm the God of those who don't want to go back to their original calling. Isn't it amazing we make God, Lord of all we say Jesus is Lord of all, except that is not Lord of the desert here in a desert today. You say Jesus isn't Lord here.

Yes, he is Lord of the desert.

So Moses you go back and I'll give you the signs. We think that by now, for certain he would say, of course, Lord all go so God is saying go. And Moses is saying no because his objection actually is deeper so there's 1/4 one is is Lord. He says them. I don't have any natural talent.

Chapter 4 verse 10. You'll notice that the text says chapter 4 verse 10 Moses said to the Lord all my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am of slow speech and of tongue.

The ideas he has an impediment may be, he stuttered. So Moses says I'm not qualified any begins to visualize what would be like going to Pharaoh.

Imagine going down those along colonnades that he was acquainted with. As a boy when he lived in the palace and you walk all the way down. You finally have an audience with Pharaoh you're standing in front of him with all of his advisors around him and you open your mouth and nothing comes out and everybody says speak let Moses it's it's time for you to talk and know that he can do is to stutter and to stammer and the words aren't coming out and you can imagine the ridicule and the rejection and the fund that would be made of somebody who was in a position of such incredible embarrassments, I says, I'm not a speaker find us somebody who can talk and you started with the Lord's answer to Moses. The Lord says, who has made man's mouth or who makes him mute toward death, or seeing, or blind, is it not I the Lord now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak Moses if I had wanted you to be eloquent out of created you eloquent if I had wanted you to be brilliant in other areas I would've made you brilliant in other areas Christ to speak to you heart-to-heart you content with the way in which God made you when you look into the mirror, you content with the raw material that God gave you to work with. Is it okay with you that you're not one of the beautiful people. Is it okay with you that you're not as good-looking that you're not as talented as somebody else because you know who has made man's mouth who makes someone mute and who gives someone the ability to speak.God.

Those of us who are in public ministry. I did confess to you that oftentimes we struggle in comparing ourselves with others. I remember as a young minister right here somebody speak like a EV Hill: I say to myself after hearing EV Hill I'm never going to preach another sermon again makes me want to go back to the farm and start up the old John Deere and do something else. What a gift that I have to say is I look in the mirror, God, you created me this way.

If you had wanted me to have that kind of eloquence you have given it to me.

I'm content with who I am of the older I am, the more content I am with who I am, didn't come out right understand what I'm saying I don't have to be anybody else. The real issue is whether or not the self existent eternal God has called me that's really the issue that he gives us a certain amount of talent to work with. Are you envious because God is been so generous to others in their eloquence and their beauty and their abilities. God's is Moses I created you with that impediment to get over it.

What you think that at this point Moses would say course I'm going know he has a deeper objection and we finally get to the heart of what's troubling Moses. Moses finally says all right I don't want to go verse 13 of chapter 4, he said oh my Lord, please send someone else. I just don't want to go. I've got a wife and children. I hate Midian I hate the desert but if I go to Egypt there will be risk involved, there's the possibility that I could fail if I fail here in the desert. Nobody knows about it. Nobody knows whether on the good Shepherd or bad Shepherd because I'm living here in obscurity in isolation, but if I go back to Egypt. I will failed big time and I'll be on the front page of the Egyptian newspaper, everyone will know about it and I'm not interested in that kind of risk Moses digs in his heels and he stands there on holy ground. Arguing with God and God says go and Moses is saying no. How do you feel God may be calling some of you to a new ministry God may be taking you out of your nest out of your sense of security because the desert may be bad but at least you know the desert event and God may be speaking to you about ministry opportunities. Someone will ask you to teach Sunday school, and you'll say who am I I don't know enough and furthermore I just don't want to do it. Think for a moment of what Moses would have missed if he had said no. He did missed being there when the Egyptian gods were humiliated when an experience that is and were going to touch on that briefly sometime went against all the gods of Egypt judgment came, how humiliating it was for those gods and the God Jehovah triumphed and Moses was there to see the whole thing. He would have missed the crossing of the red to see he would have missed 14 days of on interrupt and fellowship on Mount Sinai in the presence of God says that Moses spoke face-to-face to God like a man speaks with his friends and he was up there 40 days and when he came back, his face was glowing in the stall that he would've missed coming later on into the land and appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration which is where Peter, James and John and Elijah also was Moses would not have shown up on that mountain if he had continued to say no to God. Think of what he would have missed. There are some of you whom God is is pressing out of your out of your comfortable nest. He is exuding you. He is pushing you, he is encouraging you. He is calling you and it is possible that you and I will miss some great things because we will like a mule simply say no. So what is your excuse. Someone is said that an excuse is the skin of a reason, but it's stuffed with a lie.

That's what an excuse is I remember Nancy Reagan saying that her father about the age of 12. If I remember correctly memorize some verses in Sunday school for free Bible and he didn't get a free Bible, but the pastor's son dead even of the pastor's son didn't know the verses as well and so this boy perceived that he had been delivered and injustice and never at 10 did church again.

How do you think an excuse like that will wash in the presence of the Almighty when he stands before God. Will God say oh yeah that's right I remember that at the age of 12 you had that injustice. I guess that justified neglecting me and investigating what my son came to earth for. And I guess I guess that's reason for you to have done what you've done in us what the text says regarding God. In verse 14 of chapter 4. After Moses gave these five excuses than the anger of the Lord burned against Moses goddesses. I'm not amused. I'm not amused that you would have the nerve. The nerve to not go when I call. I'm angry think that God is going to accept those excuses you think God is good, except the excuses of Christians who all of their lives refused to become involved. They have pulled down the shutters. They have closed the windows. They have isolated themselves in their own little world because they were her two years ago and they refused to get over that hurt and they simply hold onto it and say God I don't care what you want to do. The answer is no. I've been hurt like Moses was hurt 40 years earlier. I won't go, may I suggest you that when we excuse ourselves we accuse ourselves. God is asking us to be led out of the desert, a God is asking us to to come to him in simple faith. Some of you are believers in your saying no to God for various reasons and others of you have never trusted Christ as your Savior and your saying no because of a host of reasons. I want you to know today, that those excuses will not work in God's presence and I need to remind you that in the New Testament.

Jesus Christ referred to himself as the I am. He is the self existent infinite God, the same God that revealed himself to Moses when any old Bush would be able to do and to burn under the inspiration the direction and the power of God that is the very same God and Jesus invites you and me to him today for forgiveness for reconciliation to make our peace with God, but it's possible that somebody here today is saying no no back in 1952 Queen Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England. Now I was very very young at that time but I still do remember if there was a lots of talk about the coronation. All those who were invited to the coronation were given beautiful invitations. I didn't receive one, but other people receive beautiful invitations, particularly if they were part of the royal bloodline and in that invitation. After giving all the details. It said this quote all excuses set apart whole ideas that it was unthinkable that somebody would have an excuse not to attend was saying in effect excuses. Thank you.

Unacceptable.

And the king of kings and the Lord of lords, the God of dogs calls us, calls us to ministry within the church calls us to lead to small groups calls.

This may be to assure calls us to responsibilities of teaching and it's possible for you and me to stand there and to say because I've been hurt because of the past because I'm not gifted, the answer is no. We should come to God today all excuses, set apart, would you join me as we pray our father. Today we want to thank you that in your grace. You did overcome. You did overcome the rebellion of Moses, we thank you that he went. We know that he's grateful that he went and we pray that you might help us to obey you in everything that you reveal to us to give up all excuses all rationalizations and in your presence simply say yes Lord, your servant here's Lord, I am willing I am willing to receive what you give. I'm willing to lack what you withhold. I'm willing to relinquish what you take.

I'm willing to suffer what you require.

I am willing Lord God's talk to you. You talk to him right now.

Father do your work in our hearts whatever it is that you talk to us about today all removed from us, our stubbornness, our unbelief and our excuses help us to come with open arms and hearts and say yes to you in Jesus name Amen amen. Is that striking all excuses, set apart boy when were in the presence of God.

There are no excuses. As a matter fact, God will see through those excuses and get to the real motivation that's just what God does know if you're blessed as a result of these messages. Or perhaps you missed some. There's a way in which you can have them permanently, this series can be yours. It's entitled getting closer to God. And here's what you do go to RTW offer.com for gift of any amount. These messages can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 if you realize that so much of the Bible is biography and the reason is because as we look into the lives of others. We see ourselves and even though Moses saw God in a way in which you and I don't fact is that the same God works in our lives today in the desert in the palace at times of success and in times of failure.

I believe that these messages will be a great blessing go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for standing with us because together we are making a difference. This series of messages is entitled getting closer to God.

Lessons from the life of Moses. It's time again for you to ask pastor looks or a question you might have about the Bible or the Christian life are there sins that we can commit that permanently prevents us from having a public ministry. That's the question troubling Joshua who asks, calling the Lord has for a person be rescinded if they become ensnared in a sin like sexual immorality.

I've carried the guilt of my sexual impurity for a long time and I wonder if I can ever minister again will you know this is an excellent question, and of course it's being asked by many pastors and Christian leaders because if they commit immorality, they are wondering can I go back into the ministry again and I might say that the evangelical community is divided as to how we should answer that question.

On the one hand there are those who say absolutely not. You get one chance at this. And if your credibility is ruined. Your credibility is ruined and you can no longer minister. Other say well let's be more redemptive than that. But considering your question again as I look at it more carefully.

You are asking whether or not your call is rescinded well. Your call is something that God gave you your call to the ministry you are gifted you were probably trained.

The ministry was really the gift that God gave you and now you've committed immorality, or at least at some point in your life you have.

Since your call was exercised and I would say that to the calling may still be there, but that doesn't mean that you can exercise it there. Plenty of men and women who have been called by God into ministry. The call was strong that was persistent. It was proven by their abilities. But now they've disqualified themselves, and may well be that you were among them.

So call or no call.

The fact is that immorality disqualifies us to go back into the ministry and now I want to add a different part of my answer, of course, it is possible that God may bring you back into ministry. I think that a person who commits immorality should be out of the ministry for probably years to come.

There has to be a real proving of their character, but within time. If they are under accountability. It may well be that they can minister again. Probably not the way in which they did before, but to it's possible that God may bring you back into the ministry, but here's my word from my heart to yours don't push it. Don't be anxious to get back you let God do this as you humbly and patiently wait before him because credibility is the heart of Christian ministry when we've lost it.

It is very, very, very difficult to get it back. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world for you.

God is something for you to do. It might not be ministry but God keeps working in us using us and blessing us even after serious sin.

Thank you, Dr. looks for those words of counsel for Joshua if you'd like to hear your question answered. You can go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor looks or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 let this be the last day we hold on to stubborn unbelief. Dr. Erwin Blitzer has concluded excuses excuses. The second in a series of 12 messages about Moses, a man getting closer to God. Next time Moses moves in a positive direction.

Join us for getting to know God for Dr. Erwin Blitzer this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church