Please open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 3 as we talk about Moses and Winning In The Wilderness. Moses is just one of the many great men of the Bible whose trials and triumphs will inspire you. Whose lives will direct you, will comfort you, will challenge you and most of all conform you to the glorious image of Jesus Christ. Being that this is a day we have chosen to honor one of the many great men of this church, Don Dickison, I felt it appropriate that we speak on great men.
How many of you have suffered severe disappointment? Let me see your hands. How many of you have ever had a sudden career reversal? Let me see your hands. How many of you are alive? Let me see your hands. That explains it. You are going to enjoy this sermon, Winning in the Wilderness. Read with me verse 1 thru 5, & verse 12, 14
"And God said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "" (Exo 3:14)
Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, let us learn today from the life of Moses what it takes to win in the most disappointing moment of our lives. And when we are overwhelmed with the crisis of life and feel like running, let us learn to stand, with our hand in the hand of God, to be more than conquerors. In Jesus name we pray and ask it and all of God's children said, praise the Lord.
The text opens with Moses being disappointed in the desert. There was a story of a man who read an ad in the newspaper, it was in the auto section and it said, "Mercedes, 500 SEL, for sale. Mint condition. $50." He phoned the number and a woman answered the phone and he said, "Are you sure you know what kind of car it is you are selling out there." She said, "Yes". He said, "You want $50 for it?" She said, "Yes". "And it's a Mercedes 500 SEL?" "Yes" He raced over, saw the car, it was in mint condition. He got in it, he drove it, he loved it. He came back. "Here's your $50." She gave him the title to it. He said, "Could I ask you a question?" She said, "Sure". He said, "Why are you selling this $80,000 car for $50?"
She said, "Well, last week my husband ran off with his secretary and he told me to sell his new Mercedes for what ever I could get for it and I just sold it." She was disappointed but not near as much as when he got his $50.
Disappointment. Exodus 3 finds Moses disappointed. He had been adopted into the royal family of pharaoh. He had studied at the University of Egypt. He was the heir apparent to the throne of Egypt. He had wealth and power and privilege and position. He had the signet ring of Egypt on his hand and the curled cobra was on his turban.
Then like lightning out of the blue sky his fairy tale life came unraveled. He saw to Hebrews being beaten by an Egyptian and as the crowned prince of Egypt he could have easily had this man place in prison, but Moses in a fit of rage KILLED the man with his bare hands. This is the shadow that falls over the life of Moses from that moment and it never left.
WHY? Because of Moses' uncontrollable temper. His anger. 40 years later Moses is in the wilderness. He's the leader of 5 to 6 million people and he has become weary with the people complaining about not having all the water they want. And he lost his temper again. The first time he lost his temper he killed someone. The 2nd time he lost his temper he disobeyed God and God poured out His judgment upon him. God told him to smite the rock and he smote it twice in anger. He said, "Okay, you hardheaded people want water!" Whack, whack, you've got water, drink it till you drown.
That's not in the book of Deuteronomy, that's just what I think he said. God forbade Moses to enter the Promised Land. Think of this. This man had lived and dreamed all of his life about setting his people free.
What he had lived and dreamed to accomplish, he never got to touch. His reason for living was never realized. He was allowed to see the promised land from a distance. He was allowed to see it from Mt. Nebo as God buried him, but he never entered the Land of milk and honey. And as he died, he spent his final moments thinking about what might have been.
I want you to hear this, some of you are just like Moses, you'll live your last days in the desert of disappointment. Deep sorrow, saturated with regret. You'll live your last days in sight of your life's dream. You'll go to your grave wondering what might have been if it were not for your uncontrollable temper, your uncontrollable anger.
Your anger has destroyed the quality of your marriage. It has intimidated your children and destroyed their self confidence. Your anger and your temper have destroyed your professional opportunities. It has embarrassed and humiliated you a thousand times. When you go home your dog hides behind the door when you come in. You have pitiful excuses to alibi for your temper. You need to be freed from that monstrous temper and you need to call it as the Bible calls it. SIN. It's abuse. It's emotional cancer that will destroy you and every member of your family unless you get a handle on it.
Proverbs 16:32 says, ""He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit is greater than he who conquerors a city." (Prov 16:32)
Samson conquered a city, but he could not conqueror himself. David conquered nations, but he could not conqueror himself. Alexander the great conquered the world, but he could not conqueror himself. The worse enemy he ever had was himself.
Choices have consequences. Say that with me. Choices have consequences. Moses made a choice and that choice led him to flee for his life to the back side of the desert. Logic would have said, "his life is over. It's finished. All of his political connections are broken. He's now on the back side of the desert, he knows no one." Logic would say that. Except that God had a purpose for the life of Moses. Listen, Mr., Lady, Teenager. God has a purpose for your life. Your foolish choices may have gotten you into trouble. It may have led you to drugs. It may have led you into the depths of crime. Your foolish choices may have led you to an abortion clinic. It may have led you to one tale after another until you don't know what the truth is. But I am here to tell you, that I have good news, that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can take your sin stained life and make it beautiful again. He can set you free from the guilt of the past. He can set you free from the tormenting memories that haunt you day and night.
He can set you free from the anger that controls you. He can set you free from the resentment that drives you. Jesus can take the fear and give your life new meaning again. The Bible says, "for whom the Son sets free, is free indeed." The Bible says, "who so ever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be delivered." The Bible says, "There is therefore no condonation to those who are in Christ Jesus." You can walk out of this building today, free, free
, free. Free, free forever because Jesus Christ sets the captive free.
Many of you in this room have lives that are filled with disappointment. You're in the desert of your days. You're in a wilderness. You're looking for a new beginning. You're looking for peace that passeth understanding. I want to tell you that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can give you the garment of praise for that spirit of heaviness. He can change your life around. And in Him you will find the answer to everything you are searching for.
It's not what you go thru, it's who you go thru it with.
These illustrations and I close. God guaranteed Moses success because Moses said, "I tried before and I failed." "I tried to help those people and they said, will you also attack us as you attacked the Egyptians. They turned on me. The very people I tried to help. They turned on me." God said, "I'll help you". Moses said, "Do you know how powerful Pharaoh is?" God said, "Surely, I will go with you. I will do the delivering. I will divide the sea. I will be the cloud by day and the fire by night. I will provide the manna. I will provide the water in the wilderness. I will give all the answers you are looking for."
God did not say, "You go." He said, "Let's go" The difference between failure and success, between winning in the wilderness and losing your mind, is weather you go with God or not.
Two men, in the great depression. Both of them wealthy. Both lost everything they had. One man blew his brains out. The other man went to the house of God and he knelt and prayed. And while he was praying, God gave him an idea, that brought him more wealth then he had ever known.
The point. Both went thru the same storm. One went with the Lord and the other went by himself. The fact is, if you will face your failures WITH GOD, God can make your worse day, your best day.
The two thieves on the cross. Look how they faces the crisis. Both went thru the same storm. One said, "IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD?" That's full of doubt. "If you are the Son of God, save us?" That man died and went to hell. But the other thief said, "We receive our just deserts, we're guilty." That's confession. "Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom" That statement says, I know you have a kingdom and I believe You can help me if you will.
And casting himself on the mercy of Jesus, when he closed his eyes in death, he walked thru the gates of heaven and said, "I'm a thief and I am the FIRST ONE to be washed in the blood of Jesus. CROWN ME!!!"
Both of them went thru the same storm. One of them went with the Lord and the other one said, "I'm going to do it myself." Burdens will try your strength. Burdens will cause you pain. Burdens will bring tears to your eyes. BUT THEY CANNOT CRUSH YOU IF GOD IS WITH YOU.
But one might say, "Oh, but pastor, you don't know what I've been thru." Moses could have said that after 40 years. Job could have said that after burying his children. Elijah could have said that at the Brook Cherub. "Ohhhh, you don't know what I've been thru God, go ahead and kill me."
They all got up from the greatest defeat of their lives determined to win in the wilderness and turn disaster into delight and to conqueror rather than cower BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO FACE THE STORM WITH THE LORD. "Certainly, I will be with you sayeth the Lord." In Gen. 31:3 we read, "Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I WILL BE WITH YOU.""
"'Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I WILL BE WITH YOU and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." -- 1 Ki 11:38
And some of you will say, "Ah, but that's in the Bible, nobody does that anymore." (low) That's wrong.
If you will walk thru your valley, holding the hand of God. There is no burden you cannot carry. There is no circumstance you cannot conquer. There is no midnight you cannot walk thru. There is nothing that can destroy you, because when the Lord of Host, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob says, "Surely I will go with you." NOTHING can defeat you. Nothing is impossible unto you. The Lord our God shall sustain you. Underneath His wings are the everlasting arms. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad because God is here and everything is going to be alright.
Please stand. While the organist is playing I want you to listen. What I am about to tell you will get you off of Malox, off of Valium and off the physiatrist couch.
David in Psalm 55:22 says, ""Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you;....."
Jesus said in Matthew 6, "Take no fault for tomorrow" Stop worrying about the future. I don't know what tomorrow holds but I know who holds tomorrow. Forget the past, God has forgiven it. Forget the future, God is already there. Enjoy today. Jesus is here. He is here right now. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His angels surround us. His blood cleanses us. This is holy ground. Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by. He'll make the worse circumstance that you have ever known, become beautiful.
While your heads are bowed, how many in this room can say, "Pastor, there is sin in my life. If God sent His angels for me right now, they would drag me into the caverns of everlasting hell, because I have not received nor confessed Christ. Or there is unconfessed sin in my life and I want Jesus to be Lord of my life. Can I see your hands right where you are. Raise it please. God bless you.
How many in this room can say, "Pastor, I am going thru a wilderness experience today, in my health, my marriage, in my finances and things about which I am resentful happened in the past and I need the Lord to come to me today in a special way and to bless me with His holy Spirit. ,
How many of you here will be honest and say "Preacher, I have an uncontrollable anger. It's destroyed everything that I love, hurt the people I live with and I want the Lord today to help me conquer myself.
How many can say, Preacher, I need a fresh vision of what God has for my life. I'm not 80 years old like Moses, but my life has become stagnant and stale, it has no direction and it has no meaning and I want the Lord today to give me a fresh vision of His purpose for my life.
Lastly, how many of you can say "Preacher, I've suffered great disappointment. Something I have not be able to get over. And I'm asking God today to heal my broken heart, so that I can go back to the place of my failure and be a mighty conqueror and win in the wilderness of my life.
As we sing, There's Room At The Cross For You. #645, I want you to come and I'm going to have a prayer with you and with JESUS we are going to make this the best day of the rest of your life.
