공동체와 양육

Bless : Empowered by the Spirit (Exodus 3:1~4:17)

2016.09.18Stephen Cha

God calls and sends his people on his mission, goes with them, and uses their limited lives through his own power. As we trust his hand and bless others where he has placed us, he brings people to himself through us.

God sends us on his mission, and he goes with us (vv. 7-10)

God says he has seen the affliction of his people, heard their cry, and come down to deliver them. The mission is not Moses working alone or God merely helping him; God himself does the deliverance and uses Moses to carry it out. Matthew 28 has the same pattern: Jesus, who holds all authority, sends his disciples and promises to be with them. Knowing that God sees the pain of people and came down to save them lets us go with confidence.

Love the people God sends us to with his heart

John Stott once sat in a small church whose prayers covered only a holiday, a birth, and an illness, a village church with a village God that cared nothing for the wider world. A worship leader preparing a report on orphans instead led her group into prayer, and some wept as they met God's heart for the fatherless. The sermon says that what breaks God's heart will break ours when we pray, and we begin to share the Father's heart for the people he sends us to.

God's hand makes us adequate, not our own ability (vv. 11-4:17)

Moses gave five excuses, beginning with 'Who am I?' and 'I don't know you.' God answers that he is the I AM, who will be experienced in every need, and that he will be with Moses. Like a latex glove that does nothing without a surgeon's hand, Moses is nothing alone but useful when God's hand is upon him. God made his mouth and his abilities and disabilities, so he can use Moses despite his limits.

Trust and obey, and God shows his power as we go

God turned Moses' ordinary shepherd's staff into the staff of God, and he showed his power through a hand that became leprous and was cleansed, and through water that turned to blood. The sermon connects this to the gospel: as we walk in ordinary obedience, pray in Jesus' name, and share the gospel, we experience God's power breaking through. The sign God gives is not a guarantee of outcomes but the surprise of looking back and seeing that he has used us.

Bless others and God will use us to bring people to him

The BLESS pattern gives practical steps: begin with prayer, listen to the Holy Spirit and to people, eat together, serve real needs, and share how God has changed your life. The sermon cites a study of two missionary teams in Thailand, one aiming to bless and one to convert. The blessers had greater social impact and about fifty times as many conversions. Live as God's sent people where he has placed you, and he will use your prayer, service, and kindness to bring people to him.

Apply to Life

  • Let us begin each day with prayer, asking God to send us and to give us chances to bless others.
  • Let us listen to the Holy Spirit and to people's stories instead of only giving what we think they need.
  • Let us eat together with someone and serve a real need, building relationships where God has placed us.
  • Let us share how God has changed our lives and trust him to use our obedience, even when we feel inadequate.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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