A Grace Case: Moses (Part 6)

This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to look at the life of Moses.  We left off with Moses standing in front of a bush that was burning, but it was not being consumed.  Moses then heard the Lord call him by name, saying, “Moses! Moses!”  And the Lord went on to say, “Do not come any closer.  Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.”  I can only imagine what Moses felt.  This was a supernatural experience.  The Lord went on to say, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.  I am sure his heart was experiencing relief (that he had not actually derailed himself from his destiny), gratefulness (that God still wanted to use him), and fear (that he was actually having an encounter with the God of his forefathers), all at the same time.

The Lord then said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt.  I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers.  Yes, I am aware of their suffering.  So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.  It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”  Notice the amount of times the Lord says, “I”.  The reason why this is a grace case is because, when grace is involved, the emphasis is on God and not us.  We know Moses to be the great deliverer of the Israelites from Egypt, but Moses did not come up with the idea.  It’s not like Moses said, “You know what?  Although I grew up like an Egyptian, I am actually a Hebrew and I am going to see to it that all the Hebrews go free.”  No, this was not Moses’ idea, it was God’s and God used Moses by Him immeasurable and amazing grace.

So what did Moses do when he heard what God said?  Did he rise up with amazing courage, ready to take the assignment?  Did he exhibit exceptional faith and tell God he was the man for the job?  Of course not.  Moses hid his face, afraid to even look at God.  Why?  Because Moses had been carrying around the condemnation and guilt of his past for years.   You can’t exhibit confidence in God, or His assignment for your life, when you feel condemned and guilty.  In the New Testament John explained this, saying, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21,22).  John explained that if our hearts DO NOT condemn us, then we can have confidence in God.  But what happens if our heart condemns us?  What happens if we are walking around with the guilt and condemnation of the mistakes we have made in the past?  The answer is simple: we will be stripped of all confidence.  We will never take on our divine assignment from God when we cower in condemnation.

So what does this mean to you today?  A few things:
1.  You are not a mistake.  You were born with a purpose and your life is about what God wants to accomplish in, with, and through you.

2.  You are a grace case.  Like Moses, you did not earn your assignment.  And just like you did not earn it, your mistakes cannot disqualify you from what God has already qualified you for.

3.  You don’t have to be perfect.  When God gives you a promise He knows that there will be a period of time between the promise and the performance.  God also knows that you will not be perfect in that span.  So don’t wallow in condemnation when you make a mistake.  Repent, receive forgiveness, and move on in faith.  You are not perfect, but you are forgiven and destined.

4.  Have faith in God.  Condemnation will strip you of your confidence and faith boils down to confidence.  When you remind yourself that God knew you were going to mess up and He gave you the promise anyway, then the emphasis is clearly on Him and His faithfulness.  Maintain your faith/confidence in God.  Men will fail you and you will fail yourself, but God will never fail you!

Closing Confession:  Father, I thank You for knowing me better than I know myself.  Men have failed me and I have failed myself more times than I want to admit, but You have never failed me and You never will.  You destined me by Your grace and Your foreknowledge of what I would do right, and what I would do wrong.  Therefore, my mistakes cannot disqualify me from what You have qualified me for.  I am who You say that I am and I will do what You say that I will do.  I will accomplish everything You put me on this earth to accomplish, because I will enter every day with an unwavering confidence in You.  My faith is in YOU – not in me and not in others.  You called me and I am convinced that You are able to finish what You have started in my life.  I declare by this faith!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.