Notes on Sermon "Worse before Better."

Sermon 17-1-2010 Evening Service

A Series on The Life of Moses, Learning Leadership: “Worse before Better”
The text of the Sermon is Exodus chapters 5 & 6

This passage records one of the most honest exchanges in the Bible, setting down as it does conversations between God, Moses, the Egyptian King and the Israelites, but those between God and Moses are very instructive.

The passage records that God has spoken to Moses about His intentions. However, immediately following this, the situation gets so much worse for the Israelites and especially Moses, as their God-appointed leader. The opposite circumstances seems to be occurring to that which God is speaking about! God promised release from slavery for the Israelites and of a Promised Land, but in this passage we see the Israelites screwed down to cruel forced labour as an expression of Pharaoh’s extreme anger.

This often seems to happen in our own lives – worse before better. Can you identify this in your life, or someone close to you? Take heart!

The main points are:

1. Our honest response to God. What situations are you facing that you need to bring sincerely and honestly to God and in which you need help?

2. Our trust, our perseverance. How do our character traits need to change in order to engender these two qualities? As we let in the grace of God in our situations, spending time with God and getting to know Him better will allow us more to trust in a loving Heavenly Father who carries our very best interests at heart. God’s purpose was to relieve His precious people (Exodus 2.24-25) of their suffering and take them to a land 'flowing with milk and honey'. So much more us as we look to God for breakthrough in the challenges we face.
Hebrew 6.12 says: “Imitate those who through faith and patient inherit what has been promised.”

3. To be seeking His vision, His perspective, the bigger picture, especially in those spheres that we are taking a lead. This may be at home, at work, in church or a particular relationship. “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” James 4.8.

Some helpful quotes are:
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." (Sir Winston Churchill)
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
"The biggest enemy of fear is action."

What promise from God can you cherish today?

Haydn Wilkins