Category Archives: Lent 2016

Day 21: “I Cannot Speak!”

Evangelism, Exhortation, Lent 2016, Meditation

Day 21: “I Cannot Speak!”
Passage: Exodus 4:10-12

Communication takes place when thoughts are exchanged between two parties. When effective communication takes places, marriages tend to be strengthened, friendships solidified, and business relationships flourish. It is an art that can be learned, and those who harness this skill usually succeed in life.

Prayer is a form of spiritual communication between believers and God, and when Christians pray, their relationship with God grow. While he was praying to God, Moses tried to avoid what God had called him to do by claiming that he cannot speak eloquently before people (Ex. 4:10). He humbly recognized who he was before God and also his own morality in his prayer. Moses was afraid that he would mess up when he speaks before the Pharaoh and the Israelite nation. Even though Moses was raised in the palace of Egypt, he was not quick witted and so he thought he would be inadequate for the task God was calling him out for.

God then reassures Moses that clear communication and speech is only given by God to human beings, and that he will give Moses words he needs to speak before Pharaoh and the Jewish nation (Ex. 4:11-12). In fact, Moses was the perfect man to stand before Pharaoh and be the deliverer of God’s people because he was raised in Pharaoh’s household and knew the ways of the Egyptians. God has already providentially worked in Moses’ life to mold him into just the right person for the work of delivering Israel. All Moses had to do was to know, trust, and obey God if he was to be an effective communicator.

Throughout the Scriptures, God often uses people who appear weak or unworthy to accomplish His mighty work. God desires to use humble people who intimately knows and completely trusts God as His chosen vessels to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. If people respond in a belligerent manner to the message being proclaimed, believers must continue to love and express kindness toward them. They are to pray for the people who oppose them: “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them who despitefully use you” (Luke 6:28). Above all things, all believers must remember that they are sinners whom Christ died for whenever they share the gospel (Romans 5:8).

Do you love God enough to look past your own convenience and comfort zone? Do you love mankind enough to let yourself to be used by God to reach them with the good news? Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt. 5:9). By biding our time and praying for them we stand ready to be used by God to bring them into fellowship, not just with us, but with God in Christ as well. In every discussion or connection with others – especially during the Lenten season – let us remain humble enough and dependent on God to reach them for Christ.

Day 20: “Suppose They Say?”

Evangelism, Exhortation, God, Inspiration, Lent 2016, Pastoral Advice

Day 20: “Suppose They Say?”
Passage: Exodus 4:1-9

Moses’ first two protests were formal by nature, properly expressing his humility before such a great assignment. But here, Moses presents his third objection with a hint of uncertainty concerning God’s promise: the possibility of being rejected by the Israelite masses. Knowing God’s divine name itself does not validate Moses’ claim to be divinely commissioned, for since the days of Jacob no Israelite had professed to receiving a theophany. In other words, Moses was saying, “Suppose they did not believe or listen to me when I tell them about you?”

God was prepared to reassure him with three distinct signs he could use to overcome the doubting people he was bound to encounter. The first sign was an ordinary shepherd’s crook supernaturally transforming into a serpent, only to be changed back to its original state once Moses took hold of its tail (Ex. 4:3). The second sign was that of Moses’ hand becoming encrusted, or flaky (not necessarily leprous as identified in Lev. 13-14) that supernaturally returned back to normal once he took it out of his cloak the second time (Ex. 4:6). The third sign, which was to be performed only inside Egypt and foreshadowed the first of the ten Egyptian plagues, was the transformation of Nile River from drinkable water to blood (Ex. 4:9). Every sign points towards God’s complete sovereignty over harmless things by supernaturally changing it into something harmful and then changing it back. Moreover, it demonstrated the matchless power the Israelite God would have over the Egyptian gods who supposedly controlled the nature.

All believers are commissioned by God to deliver those who are in bondage to sin, to set people free with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as God gave three signs to Moses to overcome his fears, God wants us to overcome three areas we tend to fear in this world:

Satan (Ex. 4:3)

In the first sign, Moses threw down the rod at God’s command and it became a snake. As a shepherd living in the wilderness for forty years, he knew enough to run from the snake. But God told him to stop and grab it by the tail – which required a great amount of faith!

The snake has always been a symbol of the Devil. Moses probably have known the power of Devil was real in Egypt (remember how “powerful” the magicians were in the land of Egypt – they could also do the signs and wonders). Moses needed to know that his God was greater than the gods of Egypt. Later on, the rod-turned-snake would swallow the magicians’ snakes. God used this sign to show Moses that he could provide for all of his “spiritual needs.”

In a similar manner, God promises His people that He would overcome our adversity, the Devil, and meet all our spiritual needs. 1 John 4:4 says that God has already overcome the Devil because He is infinitely greater than our adversity.

Sickness (Ex. 4:6)

Moses was eighty years old when God called him to go into Egypt. He used the second sign to show Moses that he could take care of all his “physical needs.”

People live in constant fear of their health and death. The greatest fear of most people eighty years old is that of “falling down.” Who is going to help me back up if I should fall? The “I AM” will!

Later in his life when he was one hundred and twenty years old, Moses’ natural strength had not abated and vision not dimmed one bit (Deut. 34:7). This is an amazing testimony to how God has provided for all of Moses’ physical needs!

For believers, Jesus assured his disciples in Matthew 6:25,26: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Whatever befalls in your lives, God will continue to provide and care for your physical needs.

Sin (Ex. 4:9)

Moses might have been afraid of the failure of past memories and what he had done that forced him out of Egypt. He knew that he was a murderer and thus a “sinner.”

God knew that too; with this sign, God tells Moses that when he pours the water of the Nile River upon the ground, it would become blood. Blood is associated with the forgiveness of sins; for present-day believers, this forgiveness is found in Jesus Christ alone. God used this sign to help Moses overcome his “emotional needs.”

There are many people that would serve Christ, but are afraid to say anything to others because of their fear of being reminded of their past failures. God sent Moses to the Pharaoh to tell him about who God was. The message that believers must give to the world is not about them, but rather about God’s extravagant grace and of His insurmountable power to save to the uttermost. It is because of God’s grace believers are commissioned to serve Him in a ministry and to have the privilege to proclaim the good news to people.

God can change your life, and he wants to use your life for His service. He can help you overcome your greatest fears and unleash your potential to reach the lost world with the gospel message. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that our fears have been replaced with spiritual strength, extraordinary love, and a rational mind: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” When you are assailed with fear and doubt when he commissions you, do you run to God in your prayers and depend on Him as the source of your strength, or are you prone to run away from and not allow God to use you as he sees fitting?

Day 19: “What Shall I Say?”

Evangelism, God, Lent 2016, Meditation, Preaching, Scriptures

Day 19: “What Shall I Say?”
Passage: Exodus 3:13-22

When Moses began his prayer filled with awe, fear, and doubt, and in spite of God’s assurance that Moses would not be alone, Moses questioned God and asked Him in verse 13, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them the God of your ancestors has sent me and they ask me what is his name? What shall I say to them?”

God, in verses 14-22, revealed to Moses his divine name, a divine self-disclosure of who He is: “I AM WHO I AM.” It is by the power of His name Moses shall go forth into Egypt and proclaim Israelites’ liberation not just before the Pharaoh but also assure that deliverance was at hand before the entire nation of Israel. To the elders of Israel, Moses will declare that they would be freed from the oppressive hand of Egyptians and that they will be divinely protected by God as they face various enemies in the Promised Land. If there was a shred of doubt that the Jewish leaders would follow suit, God reassured Moses that he would not only gain the support of Israelites but also be opposed by the Pharaoh and become an instrument by which God will demonstrate His awesome power and wonders before the entire Egyptian nation. Once all signs were performed, Israel will not only leave Egypt but also be affluent because of all silver and gold jewelry and clothing they would get from the Egyptians as plunder, a prize given to the victors of a war.

All believers are commissioned by God to proclaim the Gospel message (which means “good news”) before all men and women (Matt. 28:19-20). Yet we often ask God out of fear like Moses, “What shall I say?” In other words, what is the Gospel message we must know, accept, and proclaim in order to liberate men and women from the power of sin and death, and to restore their relationship with God again? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 gives us an apt summary of the message we must know, accept, and proclaim before the world:

  1. Christ died for our sins;
  2. Christ was buried (in other words, literally dead); and
  3. Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

Additionally, we must proclaim that Christ offers His salvation as a free gift to everyone that can only be received by faith, apart from any works or merit on our part (Rom. 5:15; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9). The gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). Apostle Paul, the same author, tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

The essential elements of the Gospel are as follows:

  1. All men are sinful, or separated from God;
  2. Christ died on the cross to pay for those sins;
  3. Christ rose from the dead to provide eternal life for those who follow him; and
  4. God offers the free gift of salvation to everyone who believes, accepts, and follows Christ.

Just like the Egyptians did and ultimately failed, the world will resist the gospel message for a while, but Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” It is through the power the gospel and of God, the “I AM” of Exodus, that everyone will bow down in this world one day in the future.

What shall you talk about? The gospel message, the good news of how God has been reconciled with sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The challenge is this: Are you committed to proclaiming the simple yet awesome, grace-filled, and liberating power of the gospel message before all sinful men and women through whatever means possible and wherever you go on a daily basis?

Day 18: “Here I Am, Who Am I?”

Lent 2016, Meditation

When he saw and approached the burning bush which was never consumed, Moses heard God calling Moses personally by name. “Here I am” was Moses’ response to God, the beginning of his prayer that changed his entire life.

God then told Moses, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Confronted with the awful majesty and holiness of God’s Presence, Moses hid his face from God out of fear. God then explained that He has heard the cries and sufferings of the Israelite people in Egypt, and that it was time for God to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them into the Promised Land. He has chosen and will send Moses, the perfect person for this job, to Pharaoh the king of Egypt to liberate His people. “Yes, I have chosen you to free my people from Egypt!”

After Moses heard this, he out of fear skeptically questioned God, “Who am I to demand the Pharaoh to let your people go and bring them out of Egypt?” Then God promised Moses, “I will be with you,” and gave him a clear sign that once they were out of Egypt, “you shall worship God on this mountain, Mount Horeb (=Mount Sinai).”

God draws our attention to Himself in order to draw us nearer to Him. He knows each of us and calls us by our own names every day. Yet it is easy for us to miss God’s voice in the midst of our lives. We must shift our attention to Him before we can make ourselves available and say, “Here I Am.” Do you strive to seek God, recognize His voice, and converse with God in your daily life?

It is natural for humans to experience awe, reverence, and fear whenever they are in the presence of a holy God. Humans then tend to doubt because they wonder, “Is it just ‘voices in my head’ talking to me, or is it really from God?” When God calls men and women to follow Him, they will know immediately. Yet humans tend to instinctively fight back because they know that they must give up their old ways and sinful habits in order to follow Him. Have you submitted your life to God and long to follow Him in love and obedience yet?

“Who am I” is an appropriate question for humans to ask whenever they talk with God in prayer. Humble men and women recognize that they are not good enough to stand before, much less to relate with, a holy God because of their own sin. Yet in his divine prerogative and wisdom, God has chosen to use human agents to accomplish His will in this world. It is an amazing privilege for men and women to partake in God’s redemptive work in this world. God knows that humans cannot accomplish His work in the world on the basis of their own strength, intellect, or schemes because they are weak. This is why God utters this promise to those who belong to Him: “I will be with you.” This is a wonderful promise that cheers the hearts of a weary saint! It is the one that Jesus repeats at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:20) – “Lo, I am with you always to the end of age.”

God desires to invite us to participate in His redemptive work within this world, namely, to liberate men and women from the heavy chains of sin and death through the power of Gospel so that they might experience new life in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But humans always respond to God with awe, fear, and doubt. This is why all disciples of Christ must hear this promise over and over again in our lives: “I will always be with you!”

Day 17: The Wandering Hebrew

Lent 2016

Please note: due to my computer crashing over the past weekend and because I’m currently working on getting my new system installed with video production software, no videos will be released for the next few days. I apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for faithfully watching my videos over the past three weeks!

Lent-CrossOn the fourth week of this Lenten season, our attention shift to Moses, the wandering Hebrew.  We are familiar with his story and the impact he had on the history of Israel, especially in the Exodus event. Moses was born in Egypt and raised in the house of the king, the Pharaoh. When he grew up as a young man, he decided to take matters in his own hands to deliver his people from oppression. But in doing this in his own way, in his own strength, by his own hand he messes things up. By accident he kills one of the Egyptians and word gets out and he has to flee for his life.

So Moses leaves Egypt, suddenly and quickly, heading into the middle of nowhere, into the desert that’s sometimes called Horeb, and sometimes Sinai (they are in the same place). There he becomes a shepherd, marries, raises a family, in the middle of nowhere until God spoke to him and calls him to return to Egypt and liberate the Israelites forty years later.

From being a failure, from being a farmer, from being a family man, God calls Moses to become a liberator, a general, and a nation builder. His life is changed completely.

As we know from reading the book of Exodus, Moses’ impact on human history has been enormous; he is a towering figure of history. But what many people do not know is that Moses was actually a cowering figure when God called him in the midst of nowhere and in his wandering. Moses is simply a man filled with fear and with apprehension. When he prays to God, Moses’ prayer is nothing other than a protracted series of doubts and questions and excuses all blended into a fairly chaotic conversation with God.

Moses’ prayer is not much different from our own. In fact, it is exactly what prayer is. Sometimes it’s formal, sometimes it’s neat, sometimes it’s tidy; but sometimes it’s just a chaotic conversation with God. But God will take whatever discombobulated prayer we offer and use it as part of an ongoing conversation so that through us, people like you and me, we can know God more intimately and also God’s perfect will can be fulfilled on this earth.

Over the next five days, we will examine Moses’ chaotic prayer in Exodus 3 and 4 as paraphrased in the following manner: “Here I am, who am I? What shall I say? Suppose they say. I cannot speak. Send someone else!” Through Moses’ prayer, we will examine our relationship with God and how He prepares and calls each one of us to courageously go forth in faith and obedience, being empowered by the Holy Spirit.