GOD USES LITTLE THINGS!: A stick 9-8-24

GOD USES LITTLE THINGS!: A stick 9-8-24

 

INTRODUCTION

 

God uses small things to demonstrate His power and challenge our faith.

 

““Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?””

       Zechariah 4:10 NIV

 

I’m going to read you a story.  This is part of Moses’ story.  I am going to read Exodus 2:23-4:17.  Please listen as the words will not be on the screen.  Listen to the story.

 

“During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”

           Exodus 2:23-25 NIV

 

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 

 

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “ I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 

 

"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.””

           Exodus 3:1-22 NIV

 

“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous —it had become as white as snow. “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.””

           Exodus 4:1-17 NIV

 

I.  PROBLEM - We don't believe God!

 

A.  INSECURITY - What if they don't believe me? (Ex. 4:1-9)

                      1.  God will take care of it

                          b.  Miracles

                                            i.  Staff to snake

                                           ii.  Hand to leprosy

                                        iii.  Water to blood

                      2.  Do they believe God, not me?

                      3.  Why don't we trust?  Do you trust that God will work it out?

B.  INFERIORITY - I am not enough

                      1.  God will help you speak and teach you what to say

                             a.  Words

                      b.  Knowledge

                      2.  Why don't we trust God in us?  Do you trust God's work in you?

C.  INFLEXIBILITY - Send someone else

                      1.  God will work it out

                                 a.  God sent Aaron

                                 b.  God will help both of you speak and I will teach you what to do.

                      2.  Why don't we trust God use us?  Do you trust God can use you?

 

“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

       Zechariah 4:6 NIV

 

II.  SOLUTION - Grab the staff

 

Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He took 90 volunteers and 12 million dollars worth of medical supplies.

 

As he made the trip, he thought to himself, "A lot of these people don't have to die. I can save their lives, and maybe we can turn it from the House for the Destitute Dying to the House for the Hopeful Living." He was going to make that happen.

 

When they arrived, Sister Priscilla began to assign everyone their tasks. As this was happening, Gary put his stethoscope around his neck to let Sister Priscilla know he was a doctor. Everyone got their assignment and Gary found he was the last person. And he said, "OK I am ready Sister Priscilla, what do you have for me to do?"

 

She directed him to come with her. They went to the woman's unit and didn't stop to help anybody. They kept going and went to the men's unit and he thought this is where he was going to begin to help. But they walked through that unit and he thought there must be people who are even more severely sick in need of help.

 

But instead, they walk into the kitchen. He asked, "What do you need for me to do here?"

She said, "Just follow me."

 

They walk out the door, and he sees a huge pile of putrefied trash. She hands him two plastic buckets and a shovel and saw. "What we need you to do is haul this garbage to the city dump just down the street two blocks away. You can't miss it." Then she smiles at him, turns and walks away.

He standing there and thinking, "Did she not see my stethoscope. I'm a doctor! Doesn't she understand what I can do with these hands?" In a silent shock and a bit of self pity, he began wondering what to do. But there was only one thing to do. So all day, he carried bucketfuls of putrefied trash to the city dump, and by the end of the day having moved that entire pile, he was a sweaty, sticking mess.

 

He walked back into the building and saw this sign from Mother Teresa: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." He said, "At that moment, my heart wilted. On this day, Mother Teresa pierced the armor I had worked so hard to construct. And my life was changed by the act of hauling garbage down the street and becoming a servant for others in need."

           Tim Smith, Sermon Central, October 8, 2011.

 

"But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."

 

         A.  What need do you see?

         B.  What are you waiting on someone else to do?

         C.  What does God want you to do?

 

III.  SYNOPSIS

 

       A.  Moses story

                      1.  God plays checkers.  Or is it chess?

                      2.  God gets us exactly where he wants us.

           B.  We, like Moses, have a faith problem.

           1.  Insecurity 

           2.  Inferiority 

           3.  Inflexibility

 

We, like Moses, need to grab the staff.

 

In October 10, 1871, it had been a season of dryness. Little rain in sometime. The little buildings were small little WOODEN buildings. A little couple named Patrick and Catherine O’Leary lived in their little house. The little lady got up early that morning. She got a little match and she lit a little oil lamp. Later she went out to the little barn to milk their little Jersey cow. There was a little wind blowing that morning. She got a little hay and placed it in front of the little cow to milk. The cow got excited and knocked the little dim lamp over and the little fire from the little lamp caught the little hay of fire. Quickly the little fire ignited the little barn, the wind carried the fire to their little house. The fire burned from Oct. 8 to Oct 10 out of control. 17,000 building were destroyed of homes were destroyed, 300+ people died, 100,000 people were left homeless. The fire burned a four mile long and one mile wide area of Chicago. Finally a little rain came blowing in and the rain helped the firefighters in their effort. Looting and lawlessness broke out and martial law was declared and many companies of soldiers were called to duty to establish control again. Today the Chicago Fire Department has a training academy on the property where all the little things came together at once.

 

LITTLE THINGS MATTER, I may never do great things, but God has a plan that we can do small things in a great way…

           Wade Martin Hughes, Sr., Sermon Central, February 1, 2019.

 

CONCLUSION

 

We have a problem - we don’t believe God.  The solution is to “grab the staff.”  

 

There was a missionary in China whose talents and abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned it down. He told them that God had sent him to China as a missionary.

 

He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary. He turned that down too, but again they came back, doubling the financial package.

 

Finally he said to them, "It's not your salary that's too little. It's the job that's too small!"

         Christian Cheong, Sermon Central, March 4, 2011.

 

God has big things for us to do.  Grab the staff and get to work!

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.