Breakthrough 2000

Breakthrough 2000

JUNE 27, 1999 AM PASTOR GLENN NEWTON

TEXT: Exodus 6:1-9

In our passage this morning, the message is pretty clear, God makes himself very

clear. Moses is again complaining because no one seems to be listening to him, nothing

seems to be going as it should, not a whole lot is making sense to Moses.

Aren’t you glad that it doesn’t always have to make sense to us?

In this passage Moses has carried out what God has told him to do, he has

delivered the message to Pharaoh to let the Isrealites go, and instead of listening to Moses,

Pharaoh increases their work load.

Now I want you to think with me for a few minutes this morning, because I’m

going to tie all this together at the end, Put yourself in Moses shoes, in fact I kind of think

that this is where we are as a church, I think we have had the burning bush experience, we

know God has great days ahead of us, we believe he has opened up some doors for us to

relocate, and to move to the promised land if you will.

But we are in the same boat as Moses now, Moses has his instructions, he is trying

with all he has to carry out those instructions, he doesn’t feel real confident about what

he’s doing, but he’s doing it anyways.

Church, weve been working hard, weve been believing that something is right

around the corner, but it’s a real long corner, weve been waiting and praying, and praying

and waiting. Weve been carrying on and doing our best, but even then it seems like

Moses, all we come back with is failure, those we invite don’t show up on Neighbor Day,

on Friend Day, none of our Friends show up. We’ve been faithful, but we don’t have a lot

of fruit to show for our labor, and we wonder why. Don’t you wonder why?

To be honest with you I’ve been scratching my head, look all the hair is gone.

Way back in Feb. the 15-18 I attended our Millennial Celebration in KC. One afternoon, I

got by myself, skipped lunch, that was my way of telling God I was serious, and I began to

pray, I began to pour out my heart and tell God just what I thought. He listened, and he

also spoke to me. He impressed upon me to study and then preach on the life of Moses,

and especially the journey from captivity to the promised land. So I have, and you’ve

been hopefully been listening to some of what God has had me learn and share with you.

In the past three months God has taught me something that goes along with what

He’s been trying to teach me through this story of Moses. I believe God wants you hear it

too.

In my life, and even as a pastor, I have been able to get things done, and even excel

at them without 100% effort. In school, I rarely did any homework, I didn’t make strait

A’s, but I made all B’s which was good enough for me. College was the same way, I was

able to do just enough to make it through, mostly C’s and B’s. In sports I worked hard

because I wanted too, not because I would have had to make it. You see I’ve always

been able to get the job done, I’ve been able to pull it out, maybe at the last minute, but

still it got done.

My point this morning is this, God through His Word, but through some painful

times he has allowed me to see that Glenn Newton Just doesn’t have what it takes to pull

this one off. I’ve had to admit it to God, and I admit it to you, I don’t have what it takes

to move this church were God wants us to Go.

What about you this morning? If there’s someone here this morning who has the

knowledge, who has the answers to overcome the obstacles that we are faced with, Please

stand and share with us what we need to know so we can move on. Is there anyone?

I guess were in the same boat?

Five months ago when God directed me to start studying and to begin preaching

about the life of Moses, I know in my heart He knew we would come to today.

As I studied this passage that we are looking at this morning, the lightbulb finally

went on. Listen to Moses, does he kind of sound like us, maybe different questions, but

the same really.

“O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent

me?”

O Lord, why have you allowed us to buy property to build on, but not allowed us