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Worship Wars

Every day we engage in an gruesome war, a colossal battle. Multiple opportunities vie for our attention. Work wants more attention. Family demands devotion. Sports scream for more time. God knew this would happen. Before there were iPods and iPads, God called this. His 10 Commandments bear out the reality that our devotion will deviate, that our desires will become distracted. Consider the first four commandments:

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:1-8 ESV)

When you consider God’s commands to have no other gods, what gods come to your mind that people have instead of God today? Do you see any of these in your life? Your family?

You shall not make any idols (carved image). What images do we tend to worship in our culture today? (Movie stars. Athletes. Academically elite.)

You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. What do you think it means to take God’s name in vain? As a parent how does it feel when your child says your name but doesn’t respect you? In that moment, he or she is using your name in vain. So it is with God. God will not be used–he is to be revered and respected.

Remember the Sabbath. Slow down. Take a break. Remember God. Worship him. What are your worship habits? Do your children know Sunday worship is a priority? Or is it something you do when it is convenient?

You will worship something.

Make sure it is the Lord God.

What joy.

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A Multiplying Ministry

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

Moses is leading the people God called him to lead. He is serving as judge in every civil case. That’s ok because it’s what God called him to do right? Jethro, his father-in-law sees a different picture. Moses is doing what God called him to do but now the task is too great because there are so many people, and in order for his ministry to grow larger and multiply there must be a change.

Jethro’s advice is to multiply leaders. His advice is to train new leaders to lead and serve in ministry. The ministry of Moses Goes from slow and stale to growing and vibrant, all because he listened to great advice and he equipped new leaders.

If you’re a current leader in ministry, who can you find to begin training to help lead that area of ministry? God does not want, nor expect you to do it alone; instead his desire is for your ministry to multiply.

If you are not leading a particular area of ministry, where can you begin looking for opportunities to serve and help shoulder the load of someone else? God does want and expect that from all of us.

The body of Christ will grow from a multiplying ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-12 – “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”

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A Divided Sea

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. (Exodus 14:5-8 ESV)

This is a dark time for the people of Egypt. This is directly after the ten plagues. The last of these plagues being the death of the firstborn; including Pharaoh’s firstborn. Through all of this pain and turmoil, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

It is interesting that God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Question: Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Talking Points: One of the reasons God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart was so that God could prove to them once more how powerful he is. Only God knew what was about to partake. He knew that Pharaoh would be filled with anger and would chase the Israelites. His anger led to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21 ESV)

What an amazing sight to see!! All Moses had to do was stretch his hand out over the water and God split the entire sea in half. There was dry land to walk on right in the middle of the schism.

Question: As an Israelite, how would you react to such an event?

Talking Points: The same God who performed the ten plagues and delivered you from Pharaoh has just split an entire sea in half. That would blow my mind. The power of God has no bounds. As creator of this world, he has complete control and dominion over its properties. It would be a fascinating site, but a little scary.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:30-31 ESV)

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Why You Want God to Pass Over You

The Passover The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. (Exodus 12:1-7 ESV)

Talking Points: What do you think is the significance of killing a lamb? Remember when Adam and Eve sinned? They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, which of course didn’t work. God killed an animal and used the animal’s skins to cover them. Sin always requires a sacrifice. The only way God will “pass over” the houses of the Israelites living in Egypt is if they have the blood on the doorposts.

The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13 ESV)

The people obeyed God. Note that God did not passover them because they were his people. He passed over them because the blood of the lamb was applied to their doorposts:

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” (Exodus 12:29-32 ESV)

How does this point forward to the cross? Where is the blood applied to us so that God, in his judgment, passes over us? Jesus’s blood shed on the cross cleanses us from all sin. When applied to our hearts we are clean and accepted.

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Who am I? Who are you?

In Exodus chapter 3 Moses experiences something like never before. He’s on the backside of a desert tending the flock of his father-in-law when he steps outside and sees a crazy sight. He notices there is a bush on fire but it’s not burning up. A voice comes from the bush speaking to Moses and realizes he is in the presence of God.

Verse 7 says, “Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hands of Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” Verse 9 states – “And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” God hears the suffering of His people and decides to act. What a wonderful truth, God acts on behalf of His people!

Moses has a response much like one we may have. He asks in verse 11, “who I am that I should go? Who should I say sent me?” He questions whether or not he is capable of going… He wonders if he can do what God asks… Moses reveals his insecurity.

What’s interesting is God’s response: God says to Moses, “I Am who I Am… Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” God tells Moses not to worry about what he can’t do, rather rely on who God is! When Moses questions his own ability, God tells Moses; you don’t have to sweat anything because I Am.

When you question your own insecurities & wonder if God can use you, He replies, I Am. JD Greear, pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh preached a sermon recently about the name of God. He finished his sermon by preaching these statements… To those who often give excuses, God promises to be all we need.

Here are his statements:

“God I am not very skilled, I know, I Am… Who could possibly be smart enough to figure this all out? I Am… How am I supposed to know which way to go? I Am… Who can I trust? I Am… I’m not sure who is really on my team? I Am… Nobody is listening to me, I Am… My marriage is crashing and I do not know where to turn, I Am… I’m 50 years old and I feel like I am starting all over, I Am… Everybody thinks I can’t do it, I Am… What if I fail again? I Am… I’m not sure I believe anymore, I Am… I can’t hold on, I Am… I am tired, I Am… I quit, I Am… I need a fresh start, I Am… Whatever you’re not, whatever you need, whatever you did not get from your parents or your teachers, what you are not getting from someone else, I AM!!!”

Today, know that whatever you’re afraid of, worried about, suffering from, or in need of… God says I AM.

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A Leader is Born

1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:1-10 ESV)

The people of Israel have now spent many years in the land of Egypt. What once was a great place for them to live has now turned into a place of oppression and distress. The Israelites are slaves being held captive, and God sees that His people are in need of help.  They need someone who will plead for them, serve them, and ultimately guide them through their affliction. Israel needs a leader, so God sends one. Even from the birth of Moses we see God’s sovereign hand playing a key role in his life.

Pharaoh had issued an order that all male Hebrew babies be thrown into the Nile River. Moses’s mother, afraid for his life hid him for three months before finally making a basket and sending her baby down the river. Along the way the daughter of Pharaoh discovered crying Moses in the basket and sent for a woman to nurse and take care of him. Moses’s nurse ended up being his own mother, and the child she was willing to relinquish was the child she began to see grow into God’s chosen man to lead His people.

Parents: Throughout our church’s current sermon series we have seen that kids are to parents like arrows in the hands of a warrior; they are to be sent as ‘weapons’ for God’s Kingdom. The mother of Moses risked so much in letting her child go. Moses could have been harmed or even killed, but the only way he could fulfill God’s purpose was to let him go and see God use Him. While she didn’t know the fullest extent of how God would use him, she took the risk anyway.

Challenge: will you commit to praying that your children will be like arrows in the hand of a warrior (Psalm 127:4)? Not to live a secured & protected life, but rather that you could raise them in such a way that builds God’s Kingdom?

For the rest of you: what are you willing to risk to serve God’s mission? With risk often comes great reward. A great leader was born and raised by the risk of a faithful woman; do you have this same potential? What is God calling you into that seems risky? Remember, in serving Christ the reward ALWAYS outweighs the risk.

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Waiting: God’s University

Years have passed. Joseph is almost 40 years old. His dream that got him in such trouble has taken him from the pit, to Potiphar’s house, and to the prison. Now he is Prime Minister of Egypt. Perhaps he reflected on that dream so many years ago:

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. (Genesis 37:5-8 ESV)

Now, years later, they show up. He never realized his dream would come to fruition like this. He was no longer a smug teenager; he had become a responsible adult. His ego had long ago been checked by suffering and the harsh reality of responsibility. His brothers and father got hungry–so hungry that Jacob sent Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to get some food. When Joseph saw them he wept. As a matter of fact he sent them out of his presence so they couldn’t see him crying and his weeping could be heard throughout the palace.

As a teenager Joseph never saw the dream playing out like this. As a grown man he had a dilemma. Would he accept the ones who sold him into slavery? No doubt he had already forgiven them. Now he had the upper hand. Now he could make them serve him. Would all those years in Potiphar’s house resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife now be avenged? He could make them pay for his forgotten years in the prison.

It’s funny how waiting on God often has more to do with preparing us for His plan for our lives than the actual plan itself. God will accomplish His purposes. We call that the sovereignty of God–His ultimate control over the course of human (and your personal) history. We spend much of our lives in training. There are some things God has for you that you simply cannot handle right now.

Waiting is God’s opportunity to refine you, to mold you into the man or woman He intends you to be. Your experiencing God in the waiting years enables you to handle the responsibility of the fulfillment of His plans. In case you feel alone, consider this list of “Who’s Who” in God’s story:

  • Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 when Isaac was born.
  • Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert…and returned to Egypt at the young age of 80!
  • David was God’s anointed king–and ran from Saul for at least 7 years.
  • Paul the Apostle met Jesus on the Damascus Road and went into training for most likely 10 years before he ever preached!
  • And most profoundly, Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Mary and lived in obscurity for 30 years before performing his first miracle or preaching his first sermon. God in human flesh was the Christmas gift that wasn’t fully unwrapped for 30 years!

Waiting is the norm in God’s economy.

You may feel that you are in a holding pattern…that nothing significant is happening. You’re in good company. And God isn’t finished with you yet.

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Brotherly Love

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. (Genesis 45:1-3 ESV)

Question: After your brothers had sold you into slavery, what your reaction be if you saw them like this?

Talking Points: Not only did Joseph survive everything, but he is now in a place of great power. He holds the key to life in his hands because he is in charge of the food being spread. For you, would there be unresolved anger? Bitterness? Maybe you would have a case of the “look at me now” fever.

In the preceding verses, Joseph put his brothers through a lot of trouble to get food. He wanted them to bring Benjamin (the youngest brother), but Jacob would not allow it. When Joseph saw his brothers love for young Benjamin, Joseph knew they were different than when they sold him into slavery. He greeted them with open arms.

Joseph had every right to be bitter towards his brothers for their actions that happened years before. But he wasn’t.

Question: What does Scripture tells us about holding a grudge?

Talking Points: Scripture plainly states that holding a grudge is unacceptable. If someone has wronged us and they are apologetic, we are to forgive them. When someone has wronged us and they aren’t apologetic, we are to forgive them.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV)

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13 ESV)

Scripture tells us that we are to love one another with brotherly love. That kind of love is a covenantal love. A covenant says that even when you let me down, I will still love you. When I let you down, I trust that you will love me as well.

This week, let’s find ways to treat each other with brotherly love. Here are a few starting points:

  1. Listen to one another’s burdens.
  2. Enjoy fellowship with each other.
  3. Go out of your way to know someone deeper.

These are a few examples. We will begin there.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10 ESV)

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My Talent, His Glory

Joseph is in prison. Two men are down there with him. One is a cupbearer and the other is a baker. They both have a dream. Joseph has the ability to interpret those dreams.

Two years later, Pharaoh has two distinct dreams that were very similar. He called magicians and wise men, but none could interpret them. The cupbearer told Pharaoh about Joseph. So, Pharaoh called Joseph to be brought out of prison.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (Genesis 41:15-16 ESV)

Joseph knew without a shadow of a doubt that this talent to interpret dreams was not from his own power. This had to be God giving him the power.

Question: What talents or gifts do you have that you aren’t giving God the credit for? 

Talking Points: Music, athleticism, intellectual capacity, etc. The list goes on and on of talents that we have. For some, we use these talents to glorify God. For some, we use these talents to glorify ourselves. We were placed on this earth to glorify God.

Without God, we would not have these talents. Without God, we would not exist. We need to recognize that our abilities are beautiful gifts from a loving Father who freely gave them to us.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:39-40 ESV)

After Pharaoh had shared his dreams with Joseph, he interpreted them. He also told Pharaoh that he should choose a man to be head over Egypt before the famine hits. Pharaoh chose Joseph to be that man because of his wisdom.

Some might say Joseph’s talents helped him rise to power. He started at the bottom (in prison) and now he is head over Egypt. We often see that in our culture. People like Donald Trump who began in a tiny business office in Brooklyn and is now a very wealthy business man. His business mind is what made him so successful, right?

Joseph used his talent to glorify God. By no means was Joseph trying to rise to power. He told Pharaoh the truth about his dreams. He was rewarded by his faithfulness.

Question: What was Joseph’s reward?

Talking Points: One could say rising to power to be head over Egypt is his reward. I believe the answer can go further. He had lived over two years as a prisoner. He was not raised out of that pit. After this conversation with Pharaoh, he married Asenath. They had two children. He no longer lived a life of misery. Yes, it was wealthy. Yes, he had power. But he was able to live a better life after his brothers sold him into slavery.

Our talents may take us to big things. Most of the time, they don’t. Joseph had a renewal of circumstance because God blessed his talents. When we glorify God, He blesses us with a renewal of Spirit.

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God Will Always Have His Way

The Failure of Favoritism

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. (Genesis 37:2-4 ESV)

Talking Points: What did Joseph do? (Tattle!) What did Joseph’s father do that was wrong? (Favored Joseph) What problems does favoritism create? How did Joseph’s brothers respond?

The Sovereignty of God

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. (Genesis 37:5-11 ESV)

Talking Points: Who gave Joseph this dream? (God) Even though Joseph’s father made a fatal mistake in favoring Joseph, it did not undo God’s plan for Joseph. Our failures are not fatal. God’s sovereignty refers to his divine rule over the course of human history. God is in charge and will have his way.

God’s Plan…Foiled?

They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. (Genesis 37:18-28 ESV)

Talking Points: God has already given Joseph a dream though his brothers hate him. Now God has to work around his brothers’ hateful actions. God is sovereign even when life doesn’t make sense.

Close your devotional time with this song: