Getting There From Here
Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, 25 March 2007 08:05
The Jesus Thing: Through the Moses Lens
Sermon Notes
Why don't we make more progress spiritually?
The Israelites were being told by God to go in and conquer the land. So, Moses sent in 12 spies (one from each of the major tribes) in order to search the land to see how they should go about it. However, ten of the spies brought back a bad report and said it was impossible. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, however, said that with God's help it was certainly possible. So, the Israelites were faced with a decision, a decision that would make a huge difference in their own spiritual growth.
| The Israelites' perspective | The bigger picture |
|---|---|
| The Israelites had experienced great difficulty in the desert. | But, God had provided amazingly. |
| The Israelites were being asked to believe very ancient promises. (See Genesis 17:2; 22:16-19; 26:3; 28:13-15) | But, God had given many signs and must have spoken into their own hearts. |
| At Kadesh, the Israelites were asked to do what seemed circumstantially unwise. | But, Yahweh is the God of the impossible. |
When Moses sent the spies, he wasn't asking whether they should go into the land. He was asking how they should go about it.
When the spies gave their report, those who did not believe God's promises heard about an opportunity for giants to overwhelm them. But those who did believe God's promises heard about an opportunity for God to show himself great through them.
Two Questions for You:
- What has God said to you, or what is God saying to you now?
- What are you willing to do to see it happen?
What does this have to do with Jesus?
In Jesus, God has show Himself fully. (John 14:7,9)
- Will we follow Jesus?
- Will we pattern our life after His?
- Will we adopt His values and His ways?
Testing Your Call
- What topics are you especially passionate about? Why?
- What are your pet peeves?
- What spiritual/emotional themes have always been important to you?
- When have you experienced God most powerfully?
- What do these times have in common? What was God communicating to you during times when you experienced Him?
- If you could do anything for God, what would you do? Are you doing it? What would it take in order for you to do it?
- What ?giants? are standing in your way?
- Try to write your life mission in a sentence. Next, write a couple of sentences about what that looks like. Put as many specifics around it as you can.
Understanding the 'Jesus Thing'
- How have you sensed God moving or speaking into your life?
- What direction does He seem to be pointing? What does He seem to be saying? How is He saying it?
- Specifically, is there some lie He is trying to correct? Is there some promise He is offering? Is there some change of direction He is placing before you?
- In what contexts/settings do you sense Him most powerfully? What does that mean?
- What do you make of the claims of Jesus as far as you understand them? What is your understanding of the whole ?Jesus thing??
- What do you sense God is asking from you next?
- Try writing out a prayer that acknowledges what you think God is saying to you and then write your response. Do not be brief. Give this as much detail as you can.