Moses: His Potential

Let's turn again then please to the book of Exodus. I want to take another reference. I think I'll take two references but we'll take the first one in the book of Exodus and in chapter 2. Exodus chapter 2 and we'll read some of the verses which we read this morning.

Exodus 2 and look with me at verse number 1. And there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of Levi and the woman conceived and bear a son and when she saw him that he was a goodly child she hid him three months and when she could no longer hide him she took for him an ark of bulrushes and dubbed it with slime and with pitch and put the child therein and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink and his sister stood afar off to wit or to know what would be done to him and the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river and her maidens walked along by the riverside and when she saw the ark among the flags she sent her maid to fetch it when she had opened it she saw the child and behold the babe wept and she had compassion on him and said this is one of the Hebrews children then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee and Pharaoh's daughter said unto her go and the maid went and called the child's mother and Pharaoh's daughter said unto her take this child away and nurse it for me and I will give thee there thy wages and the woman took the child and nursed it and the child grew and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son and she called his name Moses now there is a little bit of anomaly we're not exactly sure who is the one that called and gave Moses his name it appears to be that it was actually Pharaoh's daughter that gave this name to Moses and possibly Moses is an abbreviated name it could be that the name that was given was ish Moshe or something of that nature it means drawn out and in fact that's what we read here because she called his name Moses and she said because I have drawn him out of the water and it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens and he spied an Egyptian smiting in Hebrew one of his brethren and he looked this way and that and when he saw that there was no man he slew the Egyptian and hit him in the sand and when he went out the second day behold two men of the Hebrews strove together and he said to them that did the wrong wherefore smitest thou thy fellow and he said who made thee a prince and a judge over us intendest thou to kill me as thou killest the Egyptian and Moses feared and said surely this thing is known now when Pharaoh heard this thing he sought to slay Moses but Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian and he sat him down by a well now the priest of Midian had seven daughters and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock and the shepherds came and drove them away but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock and when they came to rule their father he said how is it that ye are come so soon today and they said an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock and he said unto his daughters and where is he and why is it that you have left the man call him that he may eat bread and Moses was content to dwell with the man and he gave Moses Ziphora his daughter and she bare him a son and he called his name Gershom for he said I have been a stranger in a strange land now look to the book of the Hebrews Hebrews chapter 11 we'll just take a short reference from Hebrews 11 just to corroborate what we have read from the book of Exodus Hebrews chapter 11 and look at verse number 23 by faith Moses when he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw that he was a proper child that simply means there's a comely child I don't think it's so much his physical appearance we actually read in the book of Exodus that he he was a becoming child that was he was pleasant to the eye of God God had his eye on Moses they saw that he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment by faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to suffer a fit affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of reward by faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible and God blessed to us that further reading from the scriptures now we step this morning we step this morning into the study just a short study and I would be the first to admit a fragmentary study on the life of Moses and we were suggesting first of all in that first excerpt that we looked at that we were looking at the protection of the child and we were focusing on those early days early days in the home the first three months and then following the first three months after the first three months into the little bark and from the little ark or the little bark then back into the home and that's where we rejoin the story here in Exodus chapter 2 and so the protection of the child what I want to focus on this afternoon for a few moments is not the protection of the child but I want us to think now of the potential of the child one of the things that comes up it comes up in the story of Moses and it comes up in the story of others like Moses in the Old Testament is just the tremendous potential that was seen in a life now one of the things I'll be coming back to that but I want to handle it just now is just the potential God looking down had his eye on this man and the potential of that life here we are at this conference here we are in Garneville oh this afternoon and did you ever think of the great potential that is found on these chairs brethren and sisters gathered together older folks that are here younger people that are gathered and particularly the young men and the young women that are here this afternoon and the great potential of lives for God and if there was ever an example of it it's seen right here in the life of Moses as we see the little boy and the little babe now we're stepping immediately just for time the sake of time we're stepping immediately into the story of Moses I think I think the first thing that I want to highlight I want you to notice with me that this is a distinct life a most distinct life we have seen we have seen the boy and he's there just as a little baby and he's found in the little are just at the riverside just at the the moment one of the great things about the story is the super intending grace of God in the life of Moses here he is in the ark and here is Pharaoh's daughter you could hardly make the story up here's the little boy and his sister is standing just beside the river and the little boy is in the ark just at the the brink of the river and here is Pharaoh's daughter and she comes down and one of her maidens brings the little ark to Pharaoh's daughter and as she opens up the ark what our brother Marvin handled last night I was sorry I didn't hear it Marvin but what our brother Marvin handled last night behold a babe and the babe is weeping and the great thing you can see in the story is this the super intending hand of God just at the very pivotal moment at the moment where everything hung in the balance the hand of God was seen in the story you know beloved saints one of the things that we cannot neglect in life is the super intending hand of God in the lives of his people you know in the story of Joseph just at that point when his brethren were going to dispose of Joseph behold there was a band of Ishmaelites were just journeying down and the hand of God was there that story of Ruth that we've heard about today that our brother read Ruth chapter 2 you remember there was that dear girl and she came back from the fields of Moab and you remember where she she landed behold she appeared into a field and it was the field of Boaz and the great thing that I notice I could give you more of those but for sake of time we dare not do that but the great thing I notice is this whether it's the life of Joseph God at his hand on Joseph's life or whether it's the life of Ruth God's finger was in the life of Ruth or whether it's here in the life of Moses the man Moses there's the little ark and it's opened and the babe is weeping and beloved Saints the thing that I learned is this that the very hand of God was super intending a life and one of the great things is this I look over an audience like this I look at brethren and sisters that are gathered listen beloved Saints this the same hand of God the same God who intersected in Moses experience he's intersecting in your experience and sometimes we ask why and if that's your experience it is not wrong to ask why even in the experience of the Lord Jesus Psalm number 22 he asked why my God my God why didst thou forsake me but one of the things I would say to the audience today is this never forget now never forget our God is such a God that is hand minutely is seen in the lives of his people and here is Moses and it's a babe weeping and of course I love this part of the story his sister comes along and his sister says to Pharaoh's daughter and the maidens she says listen she says that's a Hebrew a Hebrew child would you like me to go and get one of the Hebrew ladies and if I would call for one of the Hebrew ladies she could look after the child for you and she goes and gets her mother and her mother comes down and gets her own child and the thing that I love about the story is this she actually get pays wages our God is such a great God and the devil the devil beloved Saints he always oversteps himself and I love the story of Moses because Pharaoh's daughter she says listen she says take the child for me you take the child and she says not only take the child but I'll give you wages for looking after the child and beloved Saints I can see that lady carrying the little deposit and she's carrying it home you ever wonder sanctified imagination like I it must I was gonna say it's an Irish thing but I know it's not an Irish thing I've heard other preachers it's a great thing did you ever wonder what she was thinking talk about the consolidation of faith in God as she she leaves the River Nile and she's walking home and she's carrying home the little boy did you ever wonder what she was thinking that afternoon carrying Moses home you ever wonder what she was singing oh she must have broke out into a song about the greatness of God and the majestic greatness of the eternal one that has stepped into her experience I tell you beloved Saints here we are this is a distinct life but the thing that I want to handle as we consider this distinct life is just this boy because there were things put into him and there was things that she communicated to him and there were things that were embodied in him that were a direct result from those years in the home how long did she have him the Bible really doesn't tell us we're not exactly sure how long she had him in the home but I do know this every day was precious and you see for every day in that home there was the embodiment of something that was put into that little boy there was something that she communicated to him something of the reality of God something of the distinctiveness of that people something of the majesty of the one that she served it was put into the little boy and the day came when he left that home and he's bound for the palace a distinct life and yet here he is and he's just a young man but it's a life that's going to be given for God the thing that I would like to try and communicate at this first point a distinct life I want you to think today of lives that are exhibited here right here in this conference because here's a boy and there's been something an embodiment put into him there's something he has received and what he has received he's going to stand in the good of it all the days of his life in fact he's going to give his life to God and he's going to live for God and he's going to serve God where you say he's just a young man I look across an audience like this and I see young man here did you know did you know everything in your future is likely being decided now can I repeat that for you the choices that are going to be made in your future are dependent on choices that you are making right now and you think of those young people in Scripture whether it's young man or young women you think of young people in Scripture and they themselves decided we will live for God we will dedicate ourselves to the service of God we will give ourselves into the hand of God we will live lives for God and for his glory and his honor you think of Joseph I've already mentioned Joseph and how we live for God you think of Daniel we heard about Daniel just from our beloved brother before he sat down this afternoon he told you I hope you grasp that that Daniel had two big tests the first test that came in Daniel's life in the book of Daniel was Daniel chapter 1 the second big test that our brother Clark referred to was Daniel chapter 6 in Daniel chapter 1 Daniel was 16 years of age what you say was I used to think did you catch what our brother Clark told us in Daniel chapter 6 he's 86 years of age he's an old I shouldn't say that he's an older man I'm not sure who I'm speaking to today but he's definitely an older man in fact I was I was speaking with my brother Frank Sona there I and he and I were enjoying a series of gospel meetings and I kept referring I think I kept saying you all you old ladies Frank took me aside one night and he said listen he said listen there's something I want to share with you I wasn't sure what it was he says you can say whatever you want to the man but when it's a lady you say you older ladies so I don't know who I'm speaking to today but I do know this that here's Joseph and at a pivotal point when he was young he dedicated his life to God here's Daniel 16 years of age dedicates his life to God you think of others David that we were hearing about today a young man 17 years of age dedicates his life to God you think of that young woman in the the first book of Kings you remember second book of Kings and you remember she comes to Naaman and she says would God that my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria he would recover him of his leprosy she'd never seen a leper cleansed she'd never seen the power of God in that but there's a young woman and she dedicated her life to God and I'm looking over an audience today and I see older friends here and I see younger men and younger women here and the thing that we need in this generation is young men and young ladies that will dedicate their lives to God for the glory of God and the honor of Christ who you say is this a call to the mission field no no no we need it but this is not a call to the mission field the thing that I have in my heart today is this we need men and women we need young people and older Saints that will live for God all the days of their life did you ever think of Joseph now I gotta leave this but maybe I shouldn't leave it maybe I'll just stay on this point did you ever think of Joseph a young man it was through Joseph that God overturned the Egyptian world and brought the knowledge of God to that world that made that I referred to 2nd Kings chapter 5 just a little girl it was through that made that the knowledge of God reached the kingdom of Assyria and God stepped into the kingdom of Assyria you think of Daniel it was through Daniel that the knowledge of God reached the kingdom of Babylonia and the knowledge of the one true God was disseminated and here we are today beloved Saints young men and young women as I'm looking at you today and you're looking at me there is an opportunity that you can give your life to God only one life every one of us here now I have only one life on this earth like a vapor it's passing away I must labor for treasures of worth air toil ends at the end of the day only one life to go I must never withhold it from God I'm reminded of the story wasn't it DL Moody DL Moody was in the city of Dublin and he met a dear beloved Christian his name was Henry Varley and they were sitting on a park bench together and Henry Varley looked at DL Moody who was to become the famous evangelist and Henry Varley said to Moody he said mr. Moody the world is yet to see what God can do in and with and through the man that is wholly given to him can I repeat that for you he said mr. Moody the world is yet to see what God can do in and with and through the man that is wholly yielded to him and sitting on that park bench DL Moody said I'll be that man for God I had distinct life one distinct life and here we have it in the life of Moses the second thing that I want to touch is not only a distinct life but you notice that this was a delightful life one of the things that I read as I was reading the story there it says about Moses and the child grew I love that in the story and the child grew it's one of those statements that appears quite a number of times in Scripture you remember when Isaac was born in the book of Genesis it says and the child grew when Samson was born it says of Samson and the child grew when it came to Samuel it says about Samuel and the child grew John the Baptist in the New Testament it says about John the Baptist and the child grew the most precious one of all there's one and I'm not trying to negate the others but there's a very precious one there was a boy that was born and he grew up grew up in all his ways to God as father's praise precious indeed those days in Nazareth you know what it says about the Lord Jesus and the child grew and honored Christ and yet here's a boy this delightful life and it says about Moses and the child grew and they watched him grow and they saw development and they saw some of these things we've been hearing about development and hearing about foodstuffs I was intrigued by that I especially liked that bit I don't know did you catch the bit that our brother Clark said about getting fat okay I quite enjoyed that bit I thought if you read the Bible in whatever way you want you could almost get any text just so I'm going to McDonald's after no I we're gonna have a good dinner after this I know but but isn't it wonderful that here this child grew the thing that I asked myself beloved Saints is this what about my life and what about spiritual growth that's one of the challenges that we have I'm sure I'm sure that some of you folks were at last year's Garneville Oh conference some of you might have been sitting in an audience like this right here in a similar conference let me challenge you now has there been growth since last year's conference you know some of those New Testament passages you think of 1st Corinthians 1st Corinthians chapter 3 or you think of the book of Galatians Galatians chapter 4 or you think of the book of Ephesians Ephesians chapter 4 or the book of Hebrews Hebrews chapter you know in every one of those passages one of the things that the author does one of the things that Paul does and the author to the Hebrews does is he challenges the audience because they're just like children they're still almost infant and babyish and one of the things I challenge my own heart in is this am I still just like an infant has there been no growth in my life am I enjoying the scriptures am I enjoying Christ has there been growth for the glory of God that's quite the challenge now beloved Saints that's a challenge for all our hearts preachers included it gets to the stage where as a preacher you could almost just go through the motions I've got a conference here in Garneville Oh I'd be in be in Cornerbrook next week Lord willing the following weekend I'd be at a conference in Nova Scotia and you go through the motions but the challenge to my own heart is this what about spiritual growth for the glory and honor of the Lord Jesus am I growing spiritually is there something for him in my life and the child grew a distinct life a delightful life the third one you'll notice with me that this is a detailed life I could almost leave this one in in fact just because of the time I might abbreviate this one but it's quite a detailed life when my beloved brother Clark was up here in the last message and he started about that food stuff I thought brother Clark stop stop and he kept going and I sent him my own spirit that's enough now that's enough no more no more and by the time he finished and he sat down I put my hand on his shoulder and I said brother I have nothing left now I'm out of material completely I started on at about 25% of the 25% is gone and I have nothing left well this is a detailed life did you notice about Moses now that this is the man that has the hidden life with God you think about it in fact we read in Exodus chapter 2 and it says three months they hit him for three months he's the man who's public with his life but he has the hidden life with God he was hidden for three months then he was hidden in the ark of bulrushes he's the man that has the hidden life then you'll recall and we'll get to it in a moment he goes to the backside of the desert and he's in the backside of the wilderness for 40 years and God hides him in the wilderness for 40 years then we'll recall he comes from the wilderness and he brings the people out of Egypt and he gets them to Sinai and you'll remember at Sinai he goes up into the mountain and God hides him for 40 days then he comes down from the mountain and he goes back up the mountain and God hides him again for 40 days he's the public man with the hidden life for God you'll recall when he was on the mountain that he says to the Lord show me thy glory and the man that was the public man but had the hidden life this is the man that God puts into the cleft of the rock and he covered him with his hand and the Lord passed by and he showed him his back parts by the time that Moses was coming down from the mountain his very face was resonating his very face was glowing with the glory of God you know beloved Saints if we got a hold of this the world would look upon us and the world would say that lady is different if we spent time in the presence of God just like Moses Moses left the presence of God and when Moses left the presence of God and came down to the people the people looked at Moses and his very face was just resident with the glory of God show me thy face one transient gleam of loveliness divine and I will never think or dream of other loves save thine all lesser lights will dark and quite all lesser glories way the beautiful of earth will scarce seem beautiful again you know beloved Saints we punch our time into things and they're not going to last could I tell you young man up here you young man put your time into the things of God you see everything in this world it's not going to last boys but the thing that will last is this if we get a glimpse of the glory of God and live for Christ the world will say take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus the last one when it comes to that hidden life the last ones extremely precious he went up to the top of the mountain by Nebo and it's lonely mountain on this side Jordans wave in a veil in the land of Moab there lies a lonely grave and no man knows the sepulcher for no man laid him there but the angel of God upturned the sod and led the dead man there and the last time that Moses was hidden he was hidden by the hand of God he's the public man with a hidden life for God and beloved Saints if any man or any woman is going to be of any value to the people of God we need to have a life we need to spend time in the sanctuary see what our brother Clark has been telling us about the manna and the food and beating it out and enjoying it and getting it for our souls we need a hidden life beloved Saints and if we have that hidden life like Moses a distinct life a delightful life a detailed life let me come to the third one it was a developed life he leaves the home must have been a sad day actually I often think to myself what did his mother think there came a moment when the little boy left the home that he's heading to the palace and when he gets to the palace it's going to be quite a life all the disciplines of the Egyptian world were poured into that boy he learned mathematics he learned hieroglyphics he learned physics they go through the things that that they would have been taught there's a quite a list of things that these boys would have been taught he actually became a champion in the army in Egypt now that's extra biblical in fact in fact that the Bible doesn't go anywhere close to it Acts chapter 7 comes quite close to it but it doesn't detail those things Josephus and Philo two of the old historians they tell us that he became the captain or the general in the army and there came an insurrection in Ethiopia and the man that was able to put down the insurrection in Ethiopia was Moses that's according to history and you say well it's a developed life what is God in mind is God develop him developing them through physics and mathematics and hieroglyphics and the army well in a sense yes in a sense yes you see there's people here today this afternoon and believe it or not believe it or not God can take those disciplines that you are learning at university and use it for his glory if you're going to college not everyone needs to go to college but if you are going to college keep in mind that the studies that I take can I use this in some way to further the work of God to honor the Lord Jesus to glorify Christ is there a possibility in this but you say what about the developed life here as we're looking at the book of God was developing his man God at his hand on his life God is going to develop his man there's a day just about over 40 years later there's a man will step his step from the desert he'd be holding a staff in his hand when he steps from the desert and steps with a staff in his hand he steps into the palace of Egypt tell me beloved Saints how did he know about the palace of Egypt you say what about the etiquette of the Egyptian palace how would he know where to go how would he know what to say how would he know the things to do well this man he had been raised in the palace and when this man stepped forward oh no this man wasn't intimidated by the palace he was coming from the presence of God this man had been raised in the palace this man knew the protocol of the palace this man had been developed by God I tell you beloved Saints God knows how to train a man and God knows how to work with a life and God knows how to train a life so that whenever he wants that life for his glory he brings that life forward he puts that life on display and he says now now act for me because this is a developed life the fifth thing that I want to handle it's not just that this is a distinct life it's not only this is a delightful life this is a detailed life this is a developed life I want to conclude this afternoon and I want you to think with me this was a devoted life that's why I read in the book of Hebrews Hebrews chapter 11 and we read there when he was come to years and this man he's going to make a choice and what a choice it's going to be because this is a devoted life did you notice the change in the personal pronouns in Hebrews chapter 11 it speaks about Moses and it says by faith Moses and it says about his parents they that's verse number 23 when you're in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse number 24 it moves from the plural and it comes to the singular and it says by faith Moses he because this is a personal choice you see when it comes to God and when it comes to living for God and when it comes to serving God and some of those things that I have mentioned my beloved brethren and sisters this is a personal choice wouldn't it be wonderful now wouldn't it be wonderful if on Monday some of the Christians would leave this conference and when they leave this conference there would be that resonating in their very soul that I have made a personal choice and there's something that is happening for me and from this point forward I can never be the same again I remember a point like that in my life I'm sorry I'm sorry to use the minutes to tell you a story actually I'm not sorry preachers tell you that they're sorry when there's no remorse at all so really beloved people of God I'm not sorry at all but I do remember I was at a crucial point in my life and I was at a point where it was either go this way and stay in business or it was go this way and serve the Lord and I got a recording of Mr. Albert Hull I thanked him for it before he died and on that recording Mr. Hull told a story he told the story of George Whitfield the last time he ever preached and he said that George Whitfield had preached all day preached to 30,000 outside of Boston preached all day when the day was over he came into the home and he went to bed to sleep and the crowd gathered outside the house and when they gathered outside the house as they were gathered there they called for the preacher and they said get him to preach again and Whitfield come out and there was a candle burning here and there was a candle burning there and Whitfield preached until the candles went out and he went into the house and the Lord took him home I remember sitting in a car I could take you to the very spot I remember sitting in the car and I made a personal choice and I said I know the way I'm going I know the way that life has to be for me and here we are this devoted life and a personal choice the second thing is not only a personal choice it was a pertinent choice maybe I won't develop all of these but it was a pertinent choice and you say why was it a pertinent choice because did you catch in Hebrews 11 esteeming the reproach of Christ you say what does that mean in the context it means this that Moses decided that the Jewish Messiah he would be linked to him that's what it means in the context but he sided with the claims of Christ you say what about the world the world meant nothing to him what about the pleasures of the world the pleasures of the world meant nothing to him you say what about what about the throne of Egypt the throne of Egypt meant nothing to him and you say why this now is a pertinent choice we sing it we sing it in the gospel but I want to use it this afternoon in the ministry do you know what Moses said Moses said it's Christ for me it was a pertinent choice it was a perplexing choice I'm sure the Egyptians looked at this man they didn't see him he left Egypt they would see him when he come back to Egypt but it was a perplexing choice and the perplexing choice is this Moses you can have it all Moses it's all at your disposal Moses everything is yours and Moses made a choice that the world looks at and the world says this why would he live like that why would he serve God why would he honor Christ you know the world looks at you and I beloved saints and the world cannot understand you and I you read first John for yourself the world knoweth us not it's a perplexing choice because the world looks at the Christian and the world says they're different from us they're distinct from us they're walking but they're not walking by sight they're walking by faith we walk by faith not by sight this is a perplexing choice what about the the prospect of his choice he had respect unto the recompense of the reward he made a choice here and now because he had different values that were ahead I know we shall all stand at the judgment seat of Christ I know that beloved Saints I'm almost done I got two minutes recently I was at a Bible reading conference and we were handling one of those passages about the judgment seat of Christ personally if I'm being honest with the audience here I'm absolutely dreading the judgment seat of Christ to stand there and give account it's going to be a solemn business I've listened to some man and you would almost think almost think that we're just going to stand we're going to verbally give account for deeds that are done in this body Hebrews 13 the word used in Hebrews chapter 13 is this it's actually to give a verbal account of the things that are done in the body and I can assure you I'm not looking forward to it there is one thing I am looking forward to there are dear Christians that I know and I'm looking forward to them coming forward dear widows and they've lived years for God and they've served God's people and they've done things in service for Christ and there's a day coming and I'm going to stand and watch them come forward one by one and as they come forward I know this there was a day in that lady's life when she made a choice and it's seen at the judgment seat of Christ may God help us today Moses and the potential of a life what a life it is may God help us that we live for him