MCC Podcasts
Rediscovering a Life of Adventure - Big Adventures start with a small step
Well this morning we are continuing on our series of life of adventure and we're going through the book of Exodus looking at the story of Moses and so if you have a Bible in front of you why don't you turn to Exodus chapter 2 verse 23 and we'll continue on into chapter 3 verse 10. During that long period the king of Egypt died and the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out and the cry for help because their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob so God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Now Moses was attending the flock of his death row his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Harab the mountain of God. There the angel the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire did not burn up so Moses thought I will go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses and Moses said here I am do not come any closer God said take off your sandals for the place that you are standing is holy ground and they said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob at this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt I have heard them crying out because they're slave drivers and I'm concerned about their suffering so I've come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land into a good and spacious land a land flowing with milk and honey the home of the Canaanites the Hidites the Amorites the parasites the Hivites and the Jebusites and now the sitting and now the cry of the Israelites has reached me and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them so now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people to the Israelite to take the Israelites out of Egypt the word of the Lord would you pray with me. Heavenly Father and gracious God I thank you so much for just the joyous to be together with our people to come and to worship and to be reminded of your goodness of your faithfulness to be reminded that you are a God who redeems who restores and a God who calls and who sends and this morning as we spend some time in your word Lord I pray that your Holy Spirit would be here in an extra thick way that you would speak very loudly to each of us we all have different things that we need to hear from you this morning God and so I pray that somehow through our time together that you would nudge on our hearts that we would hear your voice and that we respond your calling we pray that everything we do this morning would be for your honor and glory amen well like I said we're in the middle of this adventure series and Jeff kicked off our series in a great way last couple weeks and the definition that we're using is that adventure is that is being out of control and and immediately when Jeff decided to use that as our definition of adventure being out of control I was like okay I'm out and then I realize I'm on the preaching schedule and I'm like I'm really out because here's the deal I am not the adventure some guy on our church staff and I know when you look at me you have been but you are so handsome and you do so much cool stuff you are you are the epitome of adventure well I'm telling you right now that that is a total sham it's a facade it's simply so that students will like me and that doesn't even work all the time and so the deal is I am not I am a control freak and so when I hear the word be on the adventure be out of control I'm out in fact this is my schedule in fact last week I thought it'd be fun to see what do I do in a week where children's ministry people they're kind of blog in their hours and I want to participate and play along so I'm like this week I'm gonna document and log everything I'm doing and and what's funny is I didn't have to really go and do more because my day planner is like my life I love this thing every hours I can't afford if you go up even earlier it tells you when I wake up I'm like this is when I wake up we have we had dinner with my family I made sure it's on the day planner I want everybody know I got this block of time it's for my family and for those three hours I'm not gonna stress out I'm not gonna freak out cuz in my day planner for those three hours it's family time right and then I have like meetings with people and kids and here's Noah's soccer game and dinner with friends like so for that two hours I'm good I'm watching soccer game I'm with my kid but then if it's not in that it's not it's not in those hours if it's not in those parameters I get all anxious like what do I do and and if you're anything like me right my life is well you're probably way more healthy than me but for me I'm every hours accounted for and then the hours that aren't accounted for that's what I'm trying to cram in TV shows and movies that I want to get caught up on or books that I'm reading or whatever and and I realize that I have no space no space in my life even though there's some white up there that has all been consumed with that thing since I thought I've been a little annoying if I'm like I am to the dishwasher today plus Katie be like really that's that made the list but the deal is I am in control and when we talk about this idea of being an adventure being out of control going God I'm gonna step out what you have you have to know that that is not me and it is a big challenge and there's kind of two ways that I think that that disqualify us that kind of take us out of the game and be in a part of what God is doing and one is what Jeff talked about last week that we have somehow wrecked it that we have made us choice or a series of choices where we're like okay I'm out there's no way that God can use me and fix this deal and I thought Jeff did a masterful job of giving us hope for a broken heart of people that this is our new plan A and that God redeems all of it every single bit of it and so if we can't use oh man I was a total wreck and now God's gonna save me like those are the best testimonies I remember being in college and I was like a straight arrow guy and I'm like I should have done crack and then I could have had a good testimony you know and so so God uses he loves messiness in redemption in those stories so if that's one way that we're disqualified the other way is like me guys like me I'm fully in control I've kind of reached this acceptable level of Christianity I'm kind of comfortable with how I work with God how I roll and I'm done and I kind of put my nose down and I go to work and I work really hard but in some sense going to work and working really hard and having zero space in my life I think also disqualifies me from being on this adventure from the walk with God and the deal is that God is calling each and every one of us God is calling the messed up people who've made horrible awful ridiculously messed up choices and people who are boring and who cannot get their nose out of their day planner to save their life and God has something for all of us and the deal is no matter where we find ourselves we have to get our heads up and listen to God and I love the way this whole passage begins in chapter three it says now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian he gave up he's like the best of both those worlds right he killed somebody he's out of God's plan and he's doing something boring it's like oh something for everybody there and he's out there doing his thing and in the middle of him doing his thing God is just running after him and pursuing him well just before that in verse 23 it says during the long period the king of Egypt died the Israelites grown their slavery cried out and the cry for help for their slavery went up to God and God heard their groaning and the way I envision it is there's Egypt and my geography is kind of messed up here but you have to bear with me but Egypt's over here and the Israelites are there they're in slavery they've been there for 400 years and they're they're crying out to God we are in bondage we are in misery we are being oppressed we know that you have something better for us we know because of our father Abraham Isaac and Jacob and here we are oppressed save us and then all the way across the Red Sea and in some valleys and deserts and stuff there's this there's Midian and Moses is over here in Midian doing his thing as far as you could be from what God wants to do in Israel and what God does is God says hey Moses this life that you're living I have something for you and it involves going over here being a part of his adventure and taking part of this well the adventure I said twice okay so the way I envision it and you have to forgive me because I think it's all of what I'm about to say is only formed by pop culture so I don't even know if it's true but my grandparents they they were part of the World War II generation and this is what I envisioned in 1943 going on 1943 two brothers going to the movies to see I don't even know movie came out then cast up costablanca whatever right who knows old movie black and white going the movies to brothers and and but before the movie they show these newsreels right I don't know if you've ever seen these before but it's like we're off to war and Hitler invading ball of law and they show these black and white choppy things well there's these video there's these video clips these movie clips and and to kind of like recruit people to tell people where are going on in these two brothers are watching these clips and I found this clip from 1943 so imagine here we are two brothers or our family I'll eat popcorn and this comes on before whatever movie we're gonna see [Music] [Music] [Music] all right two brothers watching the movie I'd like to call his brothers Jeff and Ben mean popcorn that ends Jeff's like screw this popcorn do you see what's going on I'm in right he throws down the gauntlet he's like let's do this thing I'm all in and he goes down the recruitment office and signs up and and gets a secretary job or something but he's in he's all in right and me what do I do no wait I came to see a movie on my calendar said we're going to move you today and I'm eating popcorn and then actually have a job and my boss we kind of torqued out if I left and maybe in three or four years I can get around to that right two brothers watching the same thing this recruitment deal and Jeff goes and is a part of the war and I eat popcorn and do this deal right and the deal is at least for my grand my grandparents and my grandpa's for them the defining moment the defining issue for them is what did you do during the war right did you fight in the Pacific were you an infantry were you a in an engineer what did you do during the war and in retrospect we know that the war ended that the ally is conquered totalitarian then we stopped the Holocaust right it was like the last like noble war we stopped this stuff and it was like this great great moment this huge battle the whole world was involved in an our side one right justice and freedom and all that kind of good stuff right and so this defining thing at the end what did you do and if you participate like I was a part of that thing and if you didn't I would imagine there's a little bit of shame least for I would be like oh I didn't know it's gonna turn out that way if I knew it was gonna turn out that way that's a whole different deal maybe I would have been a part of it and the deal is that over there in Egypt far away God is doing this thing right during World War II over there in Europe there was this huge battle and there was this call I want you to sign up to get out of the movie theater and get over there to Europe and be a part of this thing and call to Moses Moses I want you to quit being a shepherd and walk back to Egypt and be the deliverer but the deal is the same is true for us except you know we don't have to go to Egypt we don't have to go to Europe the deal is that right here in our area in our context there is this gigantic battle of kingdoms there's the battle of the kingdom of God which isn't the battle of power and violence like a World War II it's a battle of justice and mercy of reconciliation of love and grace this is the kingdom of God that is ever advancing in our county but in the very right next to it it's butting up to this this kingdom of darkness and God is inviting us to church saying listen quit eating popcorn put your popcorn down and get into the game and just like in World War II except we know it because we have scripture we win the kingdom of God ultimately wins the kingdom of God will ultimately prevail there'll be no more pain no more sorrow no more no more crying no more tears all will be redeemed the kingdom of God will win and right now in this middle ground God is calling the church to quit being shepherds no matter if it's a sob story or you're too anal and busy whatever your deal is to quit and get out and be on the front lines and that is the call that God has for us now the yeah all right I'm done and so the deal is there's three very important questions that we need to ask if we respond this invitation God is inviting us will I want you to be on this great adventure I want you to be a part of my ever expanding kingdom but there's three questions that we need to answer and the first and we're just going to go through this encounter that God has with Moses to figure this out so here we are in chapter 3 verse 2 it says this there the angel the Lord appeared to him and flames a fire from within a bush Moses saw that through the though the bush was not on fire it did not burn up so Moses thought I will go over and see the strange sight now here's the deal that God did not give up on Moses God had a plan for Moses God was after Moses the whole time God kept nudging him coming after him and and finally God gets ahold of him he has the burning bush I mean I would love a burning bush in my life that would be great but Moses got the burning bush and Moses could have gone hey I'm watching sheep I'm doing my thing that's kind of weird but it might just be the sun off the caves whatever right and done his and done his own thing but instead he goes boy that is weird and I'm gonna go and investigate and the deal is that God is always after us God is always putting things in our life and it's funny we always at least for me I really always want the very dramatic give me the pillar of fire give me the feeding of the five thousand give me something where I'm like yes please that was you and you showed up but the deal is what's interesting all throughout scripture the people who experienced the big and dramatic things they were like the most faithless people they're the people who turned their back on God the fastest they're the people like Jesus thanks for the free food but we're out of here right those people it's not about the science about our character and the deal is God does stuff he nudges us and so whether it's a burning bush or a pillar of fire or an angel the Lord or a weird dream or just a nudging and a still small voice all of us are different we're all made different and we all encounter the Holy Spirit differently but the deal is we need to be sensitive to how God works in me and works in you and like I said before I grew up Presbyterian so like I'm not used to the Lord told me the Lord said this like that's not part of my lingo not part of my deal but as I've been working it out I have figured out there is a certain rhythm of how God does stuff in me of how of what's going on of when he's nudging me and the deal is I have to go and investigate a lot of times I'm too busy you saw my schedule I'm sorry God I would love to investigate but I have a three o'clock appointment so maybe next time right maybe you could do it you're nudging between Thursdays at two to four that's that's not how it works but the deal is when we experience those nudges we have to go and investigate we have to go figure out God what are you doing is that real are you really calling me to do this are you really doing this or was I just moved by a movie or was it something I ate we have to investigate and when I got this past the description I'm not gonna lie it was really bummed out because this is a very hard past description and it's very hard to have to come up here and be a total hypocrite so I thought I can't come here and be a total hypocrite and not do it so at least for one week I'll try it out I'm gonna try to put into practice what I want to communicate this week so that I don't feel too bad so I know it's awful it should be my whole life story but my schedule is really busy but for this week I did so you know what I did this week I said God I'm gonna take a fast because I need to make space to investigate these nudges that are going on and I thought God I know I think I already know what you're gonna do in my life I'm all excited to confirm that but I'm gonna make space I'm gonna be a good Christian and I'm gonna fast and so what I did I took a fast but not like I mean pizza or chips and salsa or like that would have been easy compared to what I took a fast from I fasted from politics this week and you don't mean not those about me but I am a total political junkie and if you follow politics and all this like the best week ever there's like there's there's debates going on there's a occupy everything going on I'm like I wanted to protest I'm like want to hear the radio and people talk about all the occupations and people and primaries and like what's going on and I would like walk by like newspapers just got a little like what's going on you know trying to figure out because I'm a political junkie and the deal is every part of my life all those little spare chunks got taken up with politics and I said you know God this week I'm gonna make space I'm not gonna listen to the radio I'm not gonna read the newspaper I mean internet I'm not gonna do any of that stuff I'm gonna make space and I'm gonna listen and so I did I investigated all week I listened I nudged what is that is that what you're doing God is that what you're doing and then the worst thing is of course what I was hoping God would do God didn't do he instead gives me this whole other deal which is my own deal so that's the first thing we have to investigate we have to go God what is that what is a strange site what is going on what's going on in me what's going on around me is that from you and so Moses goes over investigates and that says when the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush and said Moses Moses and Moses said here I am do not come any closer God said take off your sandals for the place that you're standing is holy ground and the deal is when we feel these nudges their nudges from God the almighty creator the universe is gently nudging us is gently inviting us to participate into the kingdom of God and we need to get our heads around it's not just like somebody going hey let's go fishing this is God saying I think I want you to do this and we need to wrestle with whoa what if God is calling me to do this and we need to figure out is this really from God because I've I've watched movies I'm like that's it I'm gonna give all my money to those people and okay maybe I shouldn't give all that so we have to figure out I have to go okay the Holy Spirit the way that I engage the Holy Spirit is this you really in me I need to go and talk to people my people who have great gifts and discernment going this is what I'm hearing God saying does that sound right does that not sound right and the deal is a lot of times we use all the Lord told me because we don't want to do something we want to get out of something and we think that's going to be the easy call all the Lord told me obviously we throw that around but the deal is the almighty creator the universe is calling us to do things and if we are nudged by God we have to do the hard work to go God is this really from you so this week I'm driving around I'm thinking god this might be the thing that you're calling me to do and so I go Katie I think this is the thing and K goes yep I knew it told you could tell you three weeks ago I'm like oh that's always how it works in our family except she knows way ahead I'm finally God figures out I'm like okay yes I think this is God and I asked Katie is this really it and she's like excuse me yes totally it is it and so the deal is we have to recognize that it's from God and it is from the almighty God and all sudden my truck driving through San Francisco was not my truck driving through San Francisco it became the sanctuary where God met me right I don't know if you have those places like that when I was up in Washington before we came here we were presby's for a long time and then we moved up to Washington and we sold everything and we were gonna live in Washington we Washington and we bought a big old house on the third of an acre right over a high school we're gonna be like those people I guess and I was all excited I was like this is the thing God called me to do and a huge expense politically and personally to my wife but I'm like we're doing this thing and it was nine months of really really challenging stuff I mean our church went through it and it was really awful and so I just came back from a mission trip an urban mission trip with high school kids which is like any youth workers bread and butter like if everything else is awful going on an urban mission trip with students is like oh so good well the last student leaves and I'm like that was the worst that was the worst thing ever if I never see those kids again it'll be too soon and they all left I closed up all the doors and I went in my office and I'm like I don't have any other skills I was like oh no I was like God is this this is not right this is this is what I do this what I've been made to do and this was the worst ever and God nudges means like this isn't right for you like no but you don't understand I sold everything we I told my dad this is what God told me to do and I put it all out there and God's like I don't think you're supposed to be here and and so I investigated and I felt God go look in your journal and I open up my journal like okay might have just been this week it's been an awful week and so I go my journal yep sure enough all these things this week about how awful things were nudging go farther go farther a month earlier a month earlier a month earlier all nine months my journal is just peppered with this is not good what is this this is weird is this okay and and and all of those things all came crashing down to this awful little office I had in this church right next to mushroom farm that reeked it our pastor used too much brute and mushrooms in the combination was just like it's like still in my nose you know but all sudden that awful office became holy ground it was like God showed up in my office and was like this is not your deal and that through a whole bunch of dramatic events God graciously picked us up from there and brought us here and God does that he nudges and we have to investigate what those nudges are we need to listen to the Holy Spirit we need God's people to help us affirm those things and when God shows up we need to recognize it is the Lord Almighty who just showed up and we have to take off our shoes we have to acknowledge we have to say this is holy ground and if you've ever experienced that in a worship context or on a run or by yourself I mean it is dramatic and it is amazing and what's so cool about the story is in the story that Moses telling says I'm out there hiking by Harrib the mountain of God well wasn't like a big placard that said Harrib mountain of God it was just his mountain and but God showed up in the burning bush and said Moses I am calling you take off your sandals this is holy ground and he takes off his sandals this is holy ground and then he said you know what that mountain is no longer whatever that mountain is this is Harrib this is the mountain of God this is the place where God showed up where God called me where God initiated this whole delivery from Egypt sort of deal it is the mountain of God and we must get water marks in our life we must have reminders we must when we those moments come we have to grab sand from that dirt take tile from that church you know take a flower and put in your Bible whatever it is we need those markers because we're humans and we're done and we forget and we just move on we think that was so great and then we move on because like there's a buffet happening or whatever again these are my deals not yours right but we have to we have to stop and recognize from God and somehow signify it because if not it just becomes this weird thing that we ate and we move on and from all of our scripture Harrib the mountain where God showed up it is marked it is etched Moses defined that mountain forever you want to know God showed up remember we used to be in Egypt and now we're in the promised land oh because at that mountain God showed up my smelly office in Olympia God showed up even in my truck this week which is also smelly God showed up so the first thing we have to do is we have to investigate we have to go God are you actually doing something and when we investigate sometimes it's not God at all but sometimes it is the Lord almighty showing up and when it is the Lord almighty showing up we have to stop we have to acknowledge and we have to worship now the last part is the hardest part verse 10 says so now go I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people that Israelites out of Egypt I'm not gonna lie to you I am ashamed and embarrassed by the amount of times I can list thinking I investigated I worshiped and then it got too hard and I backed out I heard God say this I confirmed it with someone else I even was had an emotional moment in worship and then I didn't follow through my life is littered with those this week in my truck God told me to something it was dramatic it was emotional I told Katie it's confirmed I had this moment and on Wednesday and already I'm thinking this morning I really wish I didn't tell Katie I kind of want to back out but the deal is it only matters if we actually follow through if Moses like that was awesome this is a hair of only his wife would care but all of Israel was waiting for him to follow through and to be the deliver that God promised and the truth is that God is calling every single one of us in this room to a unique calling we are all uniquely and gifted and you know that verse maybe you don't it doesn't matter like you remember sorry Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 says this for we are all God's masterpiece we are created anew in Christ Jesus for good works we are God's masterpiece and sometimes probably not you but for me I just want to be I'm valuable I'm a masterpiece I want to sit in that like after like 35 years it's kind of boring just sitting in that we're not just masterpieces to sit in to pat ourselves in the back and go look at how much God has done in my life which is all great but he has created us anew to be masterpieces to do good works to actually do something to expand God's kingdom and the deal is all of us have very unique personalities we all have very unique passions we all have very unique paths we all bring all different things to the table so the thing that God is calling me to do would sound very would not dramatic or challenging or anything cool to you but it's God's call to me based on who I am and what God is calling me to do and you are just as unique and you are his masterpiece and God has this unique unique calling for you as well and some of those callings could be dramatic it could be like you were in the wrong career and you should be doing this and if that's God's calling life I am so sorry that is scary and hard and awful but we'll pray through it we'll figure it out but whether it's huge and dramatic like you're supposed to be I thought you're gonna be Washington but said you're not or you're supposed to be this and now you're supposed to be this or if it's as simple as actually I'm supposed to do this here there's a whole spectrum I asked Peter I said Peter what do you do no I understand I know what Peter does but what I wanted to know is Peter you know better than all of us what is God doing because my nose is in my calendar doing my thing and the truth is that there are groans and there are cries right here in our county and I want to know what are those things and I thought I would just share them with you because maybe some of these things are the ways that God is procling you all that blank time on your calendar maybe that's the thing that God's like you don't need to do so much politics you don't need to read so much you don't need to do this maybe with all that blank time I might be calling you to do this and these are things right here in our county that are going on there's the alpha course which helps people explore what it means to know Christ there's serving over at Hamilton with students and staff there's an open table where a bunch of people from our church participate in walking through life with a with a sister for a whole year that's I wish I was smart enough to be on that team there's caring for the street community down Santa Fel there's breaking human bondage there's being a part of that meeting on Tuesday right here in Marin County being a part of that sort of stuff bless burn parks there's other things that our church we don't do but there's people in our church who participate with like Gilead House Pregnancy Resource Center Ritterhouse Salvation Army blood drive big brothers and sisters blanket drives all those sorts of things short-term missions and then all the global stuff that's just in Peter's little department right that stuff that God is doing people are groaning they're groaning and they need to know that God hears them and the deal is whether it's a total life call that's different whether it's something different with your free time that God has made you to serve in maybe it's simply just being the reconciler in your family being the person of peace in an awful situation or an awful boss or whatever I have no idea I know what it is for me but the deal is that we have faith in a God who is alive a God whose Holy Spirit is very active who is nudging on our hearts if we simply open our ears and the trick is will we actually open our ears and acknowledge that nudging might be from God will we investigate it and if we get it confirmed will we actually worship and go God the Lord Almighty is doing this thing in my life and finally will we actually go will we say oh my goodness this is it because the deal is you are God's masterpiece created for good works people are praying people are groaning people are broken and caught in sin and bondage they're begging God to show up but God doesn't just show up and pat people on the head they'd be great if he did what he what God does is you are my body you are the church you are my partners you are the ones who go in comfort you are the ones who go and reconcile you are the ones who go and feed you are the ones who stand in the gap you are the ones who sit around the table and walk through life with somebody God by himself doesn't we do that and if none of us ever get past our nose in our schedule none of us ever recognize this God and none of us ever go then they just sit in the groan and my prayer for me and for you is that we would be a church that does the thing that God is calling us to do whatever it is it's unique it's your thing is dramatic and huge and hard for you my thing is dramatic and huge for me and they apply are totally different but what we're going to do since I'm kind of tired of my voice and you probably are too is we're going to make some space and just give I'm going to invite up Michael and Carly and we're just going to give you some space to simply take your nose out of your calendar take your nose out of what you have to do after church and all the things that you have to go on before the week starts and for a few moments say God what are you doing what do you have for me some of you has been nudging for a very long time and you just simply need to go okay I'm listening and in a card in front of you I would encourage you to write down what is God nudging in me if that nudge is more than an edge and you feel like the Lord Almighty is inviting you to participate in his kingdom in some specific way then write that down and if you were willing to go then then I have a very bold thing and I would encourage you at the end to take a little pin and put it up on that story board back there that storyboard back there is just a symbol of our church the variety of people that we are doing the variety of things that God is calling and how cool that our church of 350 people or so are 350 agents of God that got to do whatever unique thing that is so you have a few minutes to wrestle with God write down whatever he puts in your heart wrestle with however you wrestle except don't disrupt right now we'll take care of that later no not you don't sorry mo and and then at the end if you feel so inclined I encourage you to to be bold and put up your your part on the piece