PARDON THE INTERRUPTIONS OF GOD

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

SUNDAY JANUARY 15^TH 2023

Sermon by pastor Marc Simeon

PARDON THE INTERRUPTIONS OF GOD

WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS YOUR LIFE BRACE YOURSELF FOR AN ADVENTURE

READING: EXODUS 3: 1-11; 4:10, 13-15

Ex 3:1 ¶ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

 7 ¶ And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

 8 “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

 9 “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

 10 “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

 11 ¶ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Ex 4:10 ¶ Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Ex 4:13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

 15 “Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.

INTRODUCTION

• Many people gaze at retirement as the opportunity to finally experience a measure of peace in their lives.
• In the United States of America, the magic age is now 65, but it is subjected to change to later.
• People put on a lot of things to do when they retire; most of it is for fun and fulfillment sake.
• No eighty year old person expects to be called to the front line of battle.
• Moses might have had aspirations to alleviate the misery of the Hebrews when he was young, but he received a slap in the face for trying.
• The first attempt to side with the Israelites turned Moses into a fugitive.
• Moses lost his career, his prestige and most of all his freedom in his first assignment as a deliverer of the Jews.
• The ungratefulness of his fellow Jews was the final blow and the last nail in his coffin.
• The Midianite experience was in fact bitter sweet for Moses; the simple life of a peasant shepherd was not that bad at all.
• Moses had turned to a family man; he had the favor of his father in law; life was good enough for Moses for the most part.
• For Moses, the big races of life were behind him; as Moses would prepare to slow the paste of his life, and then came the interruption of God.
• It was not the first time that God had invaded the lives of people with a new program that comes out of the blue.
• When Abram was 75 years old and childless, he received a peculiar call from God to become the father of a great nation.
• He had to move to an unknown country that God would show him.
• Noah had a similar call to go up in the mountain to build an ark.
• At the time of the flood, according to Genesis 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.

THE RACE

• Everyone on earth is on a race whether he or she realizes it..
• Most of us find ourselves racing in this life without knowing, neither the purpose nor the destination where we are heading.
• Many thought that the destination of their race was to achieve success, material possessions, fame and glory, only to find out that they were deceived.
• The race in one’s life is determined by God the Creator. No one can experience true fulfillment in life unless he or she stays on course with the destiny God had in mind for them.
• Moses was once an ambitious young man.
• His childhood was filled with bittersweet memories.
• Moses was able to have a perfect blend between two cultures and two socio-economic classes.
• He knew he was a Jew, yet he was reared in the opulence of Egypt.
• The princess of Egypt was his adoptive mother.
• By default, Moses was in line to possibly become the next pharaoh if that was his destiny.
• At some points, Moses refused to be called the son of the princess of Egypt.
• Moses was disenchanted by how maliciously the Israelites were being treated.
• Moses’ indignations got the best of him to even kill an Egyptian while defending a Jew.
• The call of God for Moses to become a deliverer of the Jews was dormant in him, yet a glimpse of it manifested early on to translate into action.
• Moses was greatly surprised to see how his good deed was rewarded by ungratefulness, hatred and possibly jealousy from his fellow Jews.
• What was supposed to be a secret was now circulating in the streets and Moses immediately became a fugitive.
• Moses fled Egypt with the words “Who put you in charge of us” echoing over and over in his head.
• Moses realized that he was at odd with both sides like mixed races people often feel.
• Moses was a declared traitor to Pharaoh and all Egypt, yet, he was not welcome with the Jews either.
• After Moses fled Egypt to Midian, it was out of sight and out of mind for Moses.
• The Egyptians will have to take care of themselves and the Jews will have to take care of themselves.

THE LIFE OF MOSES IN MIDIAN

• After sometimes Moses was able to settle down peacefully in Midian. 
• Moses had turned to a student of nature while living the life of a shepherd.
• With his many days in the field, any abnormality could easily get his attention.
• While Moses was enjoying his routine of the day, he saw something that evoked his curiosity.
• A bush ablaze in fire but was not consuming; a tree on fire that produced no smoke puzzled Moses.
• The phenomenon required a closer look and Moses had plenty of time to spare.
• It is said “curiosity kills the cat.” Moses walked right through God’s trap.
• The fire was not ordinary but a divine manifestation of God, a “theophany”.
• The entire area was affected by God’s presence, not just the tree, the ground was also declared holy.
• Out of the supposed fire, a voice shot out the name of Moses.
• It started as a fire that does not consume, it then turned to a fire that can speak; finally the fire knows your name.
• So far so weird for Moses. The day was already spoiled for Moses anyway.
• Moses was about to find out that the fire was not coincidental, that he was the prime target of the whole scene.
• What transpired in the conversation between God and Moses was not pleasant in Moses’ ears.
• God’s visit was a major interruption in Moses’ peaceful and enviable life.   
• Moses’ life was about to undergo a paradigm shift.
• In spites of Moses’ insistences, he was handed another mission that was going to encompass the next 40 and final years of his life.
• Moses would never again conjugate the verb peace in his life, if that was a verb.

PARDON THE INTERRUPTIONS OF GOD

WHEN GOD DISTURBS YOUR LIFE, BRACE YOURSELF FOR AN ADVENTURE.

• The third quarter of Moses’ life began with a mission impossible adventure.
• Moses was going to be just an instrument in the mighty hands of God who was about to reduce Egypt and its gods to nothing.
• Before the adventure was over, God’s name was feared and revered by all mankind.
• Moses’ former ambition was to save one Jew at a time.
• Moses was later embarked on a God empowered mission to free all the Hebrews at one time.
• Exodus 3:10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

GOD’S EMPOWERMENT FOR THE MISSION

• After the burning bush encounter, Moses would soon find himself on his way to Egypt to liberate the Jewish people.
• God had already wiped out all those who sought to kill Moses.
• The ordinary shepherd staff of Moses was turned to a weapon of mass destruction to flip Egypt upside down.
• The pharaoh was going to put Moses to the test, but God played the game with him all the way to the Red Sea where he was drown along with his elite army..
• God made Moses to become as God to the pharaoh, meaning that Moses’ words were pronounced with the same authority as if of God.
• Ex 7:1 ¶ So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

LET MY PEOPLE GO OR ELSE.

• Each time Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, God intensified the pressure.
• On the tenth and biggest plague, all the firstborns in the land of Egypt had died, including the first born of the animals.
• The Egyptian people along with the pharaoh begged the Children of Israel to leave Egypt.
• Pharaoh’s pride knew no bound to dare to pursue the Children of Israel after their departure.
• The fate of Pharaoh became the source of fear to all the nations on Israel’s path to the Promised Land.
• Pharaoh was not going to be the last obstacle on Moses’ path.
• All the military skills that Moses had acquired in the first trimester of his came handy to face all the foes of Israel all the way to the Promised Land.

END OF MOSES’ MISSION

• Before it all ended, Moses would have several more lines to add to his résumé; namely:
• The ten plaques of Egypt.
• The crossing of the Red Sea
• The Mount Sinai experience.
• The water that came out of the stone.
• The first two Tablets of the Ten Commandments, written by God’s own hands.
• The victory over the mighty and giant kings who opposed Israel’ passage.
• The building of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle.
• The writing of the Law for Israel.
• The coming of the manna.
• The earth opening its mouth to swallow some of his opponents
• Getting to the frontier of the Promised Land.
• The passing of the baton to Joshua.
• Being allowed to view the Promised Land even if from afar.
• And finally his funeral that no one was allowed assist.
• What a last trimester for Moses.

WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS YOUR LIFE, GET READY FOR AN ADVENTURE

• Now that we know where the interruption of God in Moses’ life went, we are very appreciative of it.
• Moses could not see where God was leading him and neither can we when God interrupts our lives.
• Unless you are already on track with God’s plan for your life, get ready for your own burning bush experience.
• God knows how to reel you in; God knows what could trigger your curiosity.
• God knows how to get the last word even if you don’t feel up to his plans.
• God knows how to wipeout all your excuses.
• God will make sure to clear all the stumbling blocks on your path to facilitate His will.
• God knows about your disabilities and your weaknesses.
• God knows about the oppositions you will be facing.
• God knows what you are made of even if you don’t know yourself.
• God knows all the hidden strength you are equipped with.

CONCLUSION

• When you are a servant of God, the word retirement does not exist.
• You may be called for a change of assignment at anytime.
• It’s up to God to fix the timing for each assignment.
• For many of you, your big assignment is in the future and not in the past.
• Yes, God has the right to interrupt your life at any point and time for His highest glory.
• The name of Moses has become a household name thanks to the last trimester of His life.
• Israel needed a strong leader who would not fear the presence of Pharaoh and that was Moses.
• Israel needed a well educated liberator and that was Moses.
• Israel needed a great legislator and that was Moses.
• The same Moses who was earlier rejected by his fellow Jews was indeed God’s man for the job.
• As this era is coming to a close, God is handpicking some key leaders to face the coming age.
• If you are a child of God, your name may be called for service at any moment.
• Be ready to say yes to God, knowing that it is He who will be fighting the battle.

10 REASONS TO PARDON THE INTERRUPTIONS OF GOD

1. Pardon the interruptions of God, for it’s for a good cause.
2. Pardon the interruptions of God, for it is to put you on the right track of your destiny.
3. Pardon the interruptions of God, for you were not supposed to be ordinary.
4. Pardon the interruptions of God, for your life is a continuation of the Bible.
5. Pardon the interruptions of God, for your hold the future of nations in your hand.
6. Pardon the interruptions of God, for the Battle is not yours but the Lord’s.
7. Pardon the interruptions of God, for you are His property.
8. Pardon the interruptions of God, for you will be rewarded for all eternity thanks to it.
9. Pardon the interruptions of God, for that’s the least you can do in gratitude for your salvation.
10. Pardon the interruptions of God, for that’s only where you will achieve true peace, joy and fulfillment in life.
11. AMEN!