(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - Good morning, church family.

Happy Lord's Day. We're gonna go ahead and begin our service with this first hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." (gentle music) ♪ What a friend we have in Jesus ♪ ♪ All our sins and griefs to bear ♪ ♪ What a privilege to carry ♪ ♪ Everything to God in prayer ♪ ♪ Oh, what peace we often forfeit ♪ ♪ Oh, what nameless pain we bear ♪ ♪ All because we do not carry ♪ ♪ Everything to God in prayer ♪ - Have we trials?

♪ Have we trials and temptations ♪ ♪ Is there trouble anywhere ♪ ♪ We should never be discouraged ♪ ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ Can we find a friend so faithful ♪ ♪ Who will all our sorrows share ♪ ♪ Jesus knows our every weakness ♪ ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Are we weak and heavy laden ♪ ♪ Comfort with the Lord of care ♪ - Precious Savior.

♪ Precious Savior still our refuge ♪ ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ Do your friends despise to see you ♪ ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ In his arms he'll take and shield you ♪ ♪ You will find a solace there ♪ (gentle music) (congregation applauding) - Sing blessed Savior.

♪ Blessed Savior thou has promised ♪ ♪ Thou wilt all our burdens bear ♪ ♪ May we ever Lord be brave ♪ ♪ All to thee in earnest prayer ♪ - Soon in glory. ♪ Soon in glory bright and clouded ♪ ♪ There will be no need for prayer ♪ ♪ Rapture, praise and endless worship ♪ ♪ Will be our sweet portion there ♪ (gentle music) (gentle music) - Well, good morning, everybody.

Happy Lord's Day to you. If this is your first Sunday at the church, we do have a welcome table in the back of the courtyard, and I'm sure you might've passed it. So if you wanna find out more information about the church and to see how you can get plugged in, please do visit that table.

I do have a couple of announcements for you that are pretty important, especially for the next couple of weeks. This week, we don't have Bible study at church for the Wednesday or for the home groups. Instead, this coming Friday, we're gonna have all church praise and prayer at 7.30.

So it's a good time for all of us to get together. So please do make an effort to come out. Today, we're gonna be taking a special offering for the Dropbox Ministry, or the Baby Box Ministry in Korea. Pastor Lee will be joining us, actually, next Sunday for service.

And then in the afternoon at 1.30, we're gonna have a time to give him an opportunity to share what we can do, just a Q&A time. So if you haven't signed up for that, please do sign up online. And if you have questions to submit, please do so. And if you're part of the Women's Ministry, you know that you guys are gonna watch the entire documentary next month.

So all of that is in the announcements. If you're new to the church and not a member, but you want to become a member, our eight-week courses are starting up again on October 2nd. So the sign-ups are available, so please do sign up. And if you have anything exceptional that you need to discuss, talk to Pastor Nate Kwok.

Monday, October 31st of next month, we're gonna have trunk formation and we're gonna fill our courtyard with a bunch of booths and trunks with candies and prizes. So if you have a trunk that you want to decorate and make it into a game, or you have donations of prizes, of toys, of candy, please do send that in.

If you have any questions, contact Esther Leung. All right? We're gonna take a time of offering. And as a reminder, please do try to send in your offering electronically through Zelle, if that's your means. Otherwise, we do have an offering basket somewhere over there in the back. Okay? Let me pray for us, and then we'll continue with our service.

Father, we pray that as we gather here this morning, that we would remember that you are the one that we come to honor. You are the audience of one, and you are center here. And so we pray that as we sing, as we give, as we hear your word, and as we fellowship after, Lord, would you remain very much at the center of all that we do this day for your glory, for our rest.

So we thank you, Lord, and thank you for entrusting us to steward the resources that you've given us. And we pray that the offering that we give, you would use it really to build your kingdom in and through your people. In Jesus' name we pray. Brothers and sisters, let's all rise together as we sing these songs.

We won't fear. We won't fear the battle. We won't fear the night. We will walk the valley with you by our side. You will go before us. You will lead the way. We have found a refuge only you can take. Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing with joy now. Our God is for us.

The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress. Raise your voice now. No love is greater. Who can stand against this? For our God is for us. Even when, even when I stumble, even when I fall, even when I turn back, still your love is sure. You will not abandon.

You will not forsake. You will cheer me on with never-ending grace. Sing with joy now. Our God is for us. The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress. Raise your voice now. No love is greater. Who can stand against this? For our God is for us. Sing it out, neither of us.

Neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low. Neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low. Sing it out, neither of us.

Neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low, neither high nor low. Sing it out, neither of us. Sing it out, neither of us. Sing it out, neither of us. Sing it out, neither of us. Sing it out, neither of us. The uncreated One, the author of salvation, who wrote the laws of space and time, and fashioned worlds to His desire.

The one whom Angelos revered hung the stars like chandeliers, numbered every grain of sand, knows the heart of every man. He is King forever, He is King forever, He is King forevermore. God of fortress and of strength, the Rock on which we can declare, majesty, His majesty, His power and authority.

He's unshaken, unshaken by the schemes of man, never changing, great I Am. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, He is faithful through it all. Crown Him King forever, Crown Him King forever, Crown Him King forevermore. Sing mighty God, mighty God in mortal flesh, forsaken by a traitor's kiss. The curse of sin and centuries did pierce the lowly Prince of Peace.

Lifted high the sinless man, crucified the spotless Lamb, buried by the sons of man, rescued by the Father's hand. To reign as King forever, reign as King forever, reign as King forevermore. King eternal, God of grace, we crown You with the highest praise. Heaven shouts and saints adore Your holy, holy, holy Lord.

What joy, Lord. What joy in everlasting life. All is love and faith aside. Justice rolls and praises rise at the name of Jesus Christ. King of kings forever, King of kings forever, King of kings forevermore. Yes, He's the King. King of kings forever, King of kings forever, King of kings forevermore.

Amen. You may be seated. All right, would you join with me in prayer before we hear just the proclamation of God's Word? Father, we are gathered here this morning just to hear what You have to say. And I pray, Father, that You would stir our hearts and that You would cause them just to long to know You more.

So would You bear fruit through the preaching of Your Word? And I pray, Father God, that You would be honored through the application in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. The passage today is going to be Deuteronomy chapter 34, and I'm going to read for you verses 3 to 12.

Deuteronomy chapter 34, verses 3 to 12, or 4 to 12. "Then the Lord said to him, 'This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants, and I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.' So Moses, a servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no man knows his burial place to this day. And although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.

Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. And now Joshua, the son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him, and the sons of Israel listened to him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

And since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. For all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants in all his land. And for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

You guys know that Moses is one of the most prominent figures in all the scriptures. He is mentioned in thirty-one of the sixty-six books of the Bible, so nearly half. And I'm sure most of us can recount at least a couple of stories or events involving Moses. And there are probably images of Moses that pop into our heads right now.

I mean, especially since our children's Bibles are full of them, and that in our lifetime there are at least two very famous movies that have been based on his life. The first five books of the Bible are called the books of Moses, as he is the primary author. And we refer to these books as the Torah or the Law or the Pentateuch, and Deuteronomy is the fifth and the final book of the five.

And Deuteronomy ends with an account of Moses' last moments, his death, and then it concludes with a eulogy of sorts. So we have a very historic setting here in Deuteronomy chapter 34. The children of Israel are on the plains of Moab, and they're just about to enter into the promised land.

They have just concluded a forty-year nomadic journey in the wilderness, and now they are about to cross the Jordan River into Canaan, the land of promise. And they are guaranteed success. And the twelve tribes of Israel are finally about to enter into the land flowing with milk and honey, and there is a buzz and there is an excitement.

It's a young group. Among the million-plus people that are left there on the plains of Moab, only three of them are over forty years old. Everyone else that had left in the exodus from Egypt had fallen down dead sometime in the wilderness wanderings. So there on the plains of Moab, only three people standing will be able to recall a life in Egypt, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.

And that number is going to go soon from three to two. So the buzz and the excitement take a hit when Moses, their fearless leader who had led them out of Egypt, led them in and through the wilderness, tells them that he is not continuing on with them into the promised land.

And we read in the beginning of chapter 34, we read in the beginning of chapter 34 that God allows Moses to see the land of promise with his own eyes. And then Moses dies, and the leadership of Tan is passed to Joshua. And the people mourn for him for thirty days, and then the book of Deuteronomy closes with a very powerful statement on the life of Moses.

So Deuteronomy 34 10, "Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." And what a statement. It says in verse 6 that God himself buried Moses, so no man knows where Moses is buried, so there's no grave site, there's no tombstone.

But what a statement. Whom the Lord knew face to face, wouldn't have been an amazing line on a tombstone. In Exodus 33 11, we see a similar description of Moses. "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." The scriptures say that God knew Moses face to face, that God would speak to Moses face to face like a friend.

And so this got me to thinking, when did this kind of relationship begin? Was it when Moses was growing up in Egypt? Did it start at the burning bush? Did this face to face kind of relationship begin on Mount Sinai when Moses would receive the Ten Commandments from God?

When did the Lord start speaking to Moses face to face? And when did Moses' intimate friendship with God begin? And is this kind of relationship unique to only Moses? Does the Lord speak like this to his people now? Do I have this kind of access to God like Moses did?

And what would it be like for me to be known by the Lord like that? I want to know the Lord like that. And I want to be a person with whom the Lord talks face to face like a friend. And I want to be someone in whom God, the creator of the universe, confides.

Scripture teaches me as a New Testament Christian that I'm actually supposed to know the Lord like that. And I've been given that kind of access. And in eternity, I will have a face to face knowledge of God. So John 17, 3, 1 Corinthians 13, 12, inform me that eternal life is knowing God, seeing Him face to face.

And for me, I know that eternal life does not begin after I physically expire. So for those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, eternal life has already started. And I know that eternal life has already begun for me. On this side of eternity, can I know the Lord like this now?

And in this earthly life, can I have that kind of relationship with God? So that when I die, could it say on my tombstone, Peter Chung, whom the Lord knew face to face. Or Peter Chung, friend of God. I mean, it feels very bold, doesn't it? I want to be useful to God.

I want to serve Him faithfully. Now, how do I do that? And there's a wonderful and almost shocking and offensive mystery in the Scriptures. In Matthew 11, Jesus himself says that among those born of women, none has arisen greater than John the Baptist, but that he who is leased in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

So John the Baptist is greater than Moses. But Jesus says that you and I, if we have been made new, purchased by the blood of Christ, and if we have the Holy Spirit indwelling within us, we have a relationship with God that these giants of our faith never experienced in this life.

So today I want to walk us through the biblical account of the life of Moses and explore what a life cycle of a friend of God looks like. And there's a lot of material in the Bible about Moses, including details about what he did, about how he lived. And most of all of this material is descriptive rather than prescriptive, but there's still much we can glean, gather, and observe.

And Moses lived 120 years, and his life is divided nicely into three periods of exactly 40 years. Life as a prince in Egypt, life as a shepherd in Midian, and life as a leader of Yahweh's people in the wilderness. And I call these periods a period of learning, of losing, and of leading.

And there are things that we can observe in Moses' periods of learning, of losing, and of leading, and there are things in these periods that are very common to many other heroes of the faith that we read about in the scriptures. We do not have too much detail of the first 40 years of Moses' life, but the details that we do have are very interesting.

We know that he was born into the tribe of Levi through both his father and his mother. His parents were devout and unafraid of Pharaoh. And Moses had an older sister and a brother. And when he was three months old, his mother hid him in a wicker basket, and he floated down the Nile, and he was picked up by the daughter of Pharaoh.

And in a strange twist of events, Pharaoh's daughter chose to adopt Moses as a son. And this Hebrew child grew up in the house of Pharaoh as a prince. And that you guys know, at least from "The Prince of Egypt," right, the movie? In Exodus 2, we see Moses' own account, his autobiographical account of his childhood.

It's very short, and it moves very fast. Here we go. "The child grew, and she," presumably Miriam, "brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she named him Moses and said, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'" Now, it came about in those days when Moses had grown up that he went out to his brethren, looked on their hard labors, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.

And so he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hit him in the sand. So notice that between verses 10 and 11, 40 years pass, and Moses goes from nursing child to 40-year-old man. Notice also that Moses is given his name by Pharaoh's daughter and not by his parents.

And these are the only details that Moses provides of his own childhood. But there are a few things we can assume about Moses' upbringing from this account. He was afforded physical and educational opportunities. Growing up in Pharaoh's household meant that he was going to have access to whatever he needed to become a man of power in Egypt.

He probably ate the best foods, received the best education. And because we know that the Egyptians were a fearsome people, we can assume that Moses likely could fight with the best of them. The Egyptians were well known for their military prowess, and Egyptian princes did not grow up as spoiled pansies.

They were trained to fight. So no wonder that Moses easily strikes down an Egyptian taskmaster. No wonder that he's tough enough and scary enough to scare off a bunch of roughneck shepherds in order to protect the daughters of Midian. And we get some more insight into the life of Moses through Stephen's sermon in Acts 7.

Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. But when he was approaching the age of 40, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him, took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

And you suppose that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. So Moses was given physical, educational, and circumstantial privileges. So clearly, God was uniquely equipping Moses to be a national leader. And he is described as being a man of power, and he is powerful in speech and in action.

And in verse 22, it leads me to believe that Moses was a very eloquent man. And keep that in mind for when we get to his interaction at the burning bush. Moses is articulate and eloquent. So Moses not only had the pedigree for leadership, it also appears that he had the temperament.

We see that Moses was a passionate man. He's ready and able to fight. He may have even had anger issues. After all, the tribe of Levi in Genesis 49, 5-7, Jacob uses the word "anger" and "violence" to describe the tribe of Levi, and that's where both his mom and his dad are from.

So Moses in his first 50 years is a zealous man. He's a man of action. He has a passion for righteousness. And this Acts passage we just read gives us an insight into the mind of Moses, who believed himself to be fighting on behalf of God, and on behalf of God's causes, and on behalf of God's people.

He may have had what we now often refer to as like a "savior complex," and it is not difficult to assume that Moses himself believed to be called a specific Godward purpose. After all, it's not every day where a Hebrew slave rises to power in the way that Moses did.

The last time that it happened was 400 years earlier, when a young Hebrew named Joseph became second in command in all of Egypt. So my belief is that Moses, from early on, knew the God of Israel had called him to deliver his people. Moses was also a very spiritual, upright, and principled man.

And let's take a quick look at Hebrews 11. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ's greater riches and the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." So what happened to Moses at age 40?

The account is there in Exodus 2. Moses murders an Egyptian, and then he second guesses that, and then his countrymen respond negatively. Pharaoh sets out to kill him. Moses becomes afraid and runs for his life. And this pretty much sums up what we know of the first third of Moses' life, the period of learning in Egypt.

If I was Moses, I would have been very confused. Moses was called by God to be used by God to bless his people. But apparently, not quite yet. So the 40-year period of learning where Moses is equipped, trained, and raised up definitely is not wasted, but it turns out that this is not the period of his life where God would find him the most useful.

The zeal is appropriate. Moses' righteous passion for the plight of the people is noble and it's God-given. But it seems that the application of this passion was premature. So Moses may have been impetuous, impatient, and perhaps even spiritually reckless, because after all, he is called by God to do great things.

By human standards, Moses at 40 was in his prime. Moses was at his peak. He was well-equipped, well-trained. Moses was principled and spiritual. Moses was passionate for God and for God's people. But why is the prime of Moses' life the least spiritually fruitful one? Numbers 12.3, Moses writes this about himself, okay?

"Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who's on the face of the earth." He writes this about himself. It takes a supernaturally humble man to say about himself that he's the humblest man in the face of the earth. But I believe it. And I'll explain later why I believe it.

But Moses was not a humble man when he was growing up in Egypt. Passionate and perhaps self-righteous, yes. Humble, no. The humility would come as the end result of the next 40-year period of his life in the desert of Midian. The 40-year period of losing that comes after the 40-year period of learning.

So after leaving his home in Egypt, Moses comes to Midian. He fends off a group of shepherds. He protects the seven daughters of Jethro. And they go and tell their father about him. And Jethro, who's called Reuel in chapter 2, invites him to stick around. Okay, and I'm going to read this account for you.

"Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. And then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.' And now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out.

And their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God." And notice how God is active in this. "So God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.

And he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." So for the next 40 years, the second section of 40 years, Moses is a shepherd in the wilderness. He's pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.

If Moses had been called by God to a noble purpose, as Hebrews 11 alludes to, imagine how confusing it would have been for him to first be misunderstood and rejected by the very people he's trying to help, and then to have his education and his oratory skills all go to waste from neglect for 40 years.

No matter what you've studied, if you don't use it for 40 years, you will likely forget everything. Up until 2012, I was pretty conversant in Mandarin. I'm ethnically Korean, but I could speak Chinese. It's been 10 years since I've left China, and now I'm like, "Uhhh," and Spanish comes up.

My last Spanish class was back in 1994. My Spanish now? No bueno. That's all I know. My last math class was a calculus course in 1996. 26 years since I took calculus, all but forgotten. Moses spent 40 years taking care of sheep. You may not pick up on this at first glance, but for a person who has been trained up in all the wisdom of Egypt, and all the learning of Egypt, being a shepherd is the last thing you want to do as an occupation.

So if you remember the accounts of Joseph in Genesis 46, this is a scene where Joseph is prepping his family to meet Pharaoh. And he says, "This is what you should say when you meet Pharaoh." And we get a glimpse into the worldview of the Egyptians through this passage.

Genesis 46, 34, "You shall say your servants have been keepers of livestock from your youth even until now, both we and our fathers, that you may live in the land of Goshen. For every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians." Every shepherd was loathsome to the Egyptians. The ESV, LSB say, "An abomination." That's a strong word.

The NIV uses the word "detestable," "disgusting." So in Genesis 43, we see that the Egyptians and Hebrews, they couldn't even eat together for this reason. So this is a very far cry from who Moses used to be, and what he used to be, and where he used to be.

And at the tail end of this 40-year period, God hears the prayers of the people. He mobilizes Aaron in advance, sets a bush on fire, draws Moses to himself, and Moses, the now lowly shepherd, speaks to God on Horeb in the midst of a fiery bush. And this is what happens, Exodus 3, 7.

"The Lord said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come now to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.

Therefore come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?'" Notice what Moses says to God in verse 11, "Who am I?" Moses, the once impetuous, passionate, zealous man, is now begging for confirmation, affirmation.

He's fishing for it. So God promises to be with him, and he promises to perform miracles through him, and then Moses remains unconvinced. So God shows him two miracles in his sight on that spot, but still Moses says, "No, thank you very much." And we see his arrogant response, Exodus 4 10.

"Then Moses said to the Lord, 'Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech, slow of tongue.' And the Lord said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth, or makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind?

Is it not I, the Lord? Now then, go, and even I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say.' But Moses said, 'Please, Lord, send the message by someone else, by whomever you will.' And then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses." So for 40 years, Moses had been living a very ordinary life in Midian, and in his mind, he is not the man he once used to be.

My guess is that he was thinking something like, "Well, if only you had used me 40 years ago. I was already stationed there. I was eloquent. I was charismatic. I was young and passionate. I had leadership. I could throw some hands. But now, I'm just a lowly, smelly, abominable shepherd." Moses is not a humble man at this burning bush.

He is an arrogant man. He is struggling with what we would call an inferiority complex, comparing his 80-year-old self with who he once used to be. Inferiority complex, insecurity, self-deprecation, those are not the same things as humility. In fact, all of that is just wounded pride. Some of you in here struggle with self-confidence.

That's not humility. That's just damaged ego. God's anger never burns toward a humble man. It burns toward the arrogant. It burns toward those who minimize the power of God, and those who believe that their inability is greater than God's ability. And there at that bush, Moses is arrogantly saying, "God, even you can't help me do this thing.

My mouth is now completely useless. I am useless. Use someone else. Send someone else. I have too much failure in my life. I'm too old. Don't use me." So the 40 years tending sheep in Midian has not only humbled, but has humiliated this once confident and passionate man, Moses.

And he needed these 40 years to be emptied of himself, to lose confidence in himself, in his talents, in his experiences, and in his strength. And the story continues, and Moses goes back to the Hebrew people, and initially it looks like there's some hope, but as soon as Pharaoh makes things a little bit harder, the Hebrews reject Moses again.

Trauma, PTSD, right? And they blame Moses. So that doesn't go well. And you immediately see a whining Moses, whining to God in Exodus 5. "They said to them, 'May the Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.' Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Oh Lord, why have you brought harm to this people?

Why did you ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done harm to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.'" That's how he sounds when I read. So God just continues to humble Moses. And even at the doorstep of Pharaoh's court, Moses, we see him being stripped of all that he thought himself to be.

A.W. Tozer, the great American pastor-theologian, once said, "It is doubtful whether God can use a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." Moses' ancestor Joseph was more useful to God as a prisoner than as a young man in the prime of his life. And Joseph is in prison innocently for 13 years.

We see in the New Testament the apostle Peter was more useful to God broken and ashamed than while he was wielding either a sword or a fishing net. We see the apostle Paul was more useful to God as a thorn-bearing former murderer and persecutor than as he was a leader in the Sanhedrin.

It is doubtful whether God can use a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. Moses was being prepared to be used by God in very powerful ways. He just needed to lose, completely lose all confidence in his own flesh. It's interesting because in the wilderness, you know what?

God is teaching Moses. In using Moses to shepherd sheep in the wilderness, God was training him to shepherd people in the wilderness for another 40 years. Nothing was wasted. So the first 40 years of Moses' life in Egypt was a period of learning. The second 40 years of Moses' life was a period of losing his confidence in himself and of utter humbling to make him useful.

So for many of us sitting here today who have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we're probably somewhere in between these two phases of friendship with God. Some of us in here, you're excited about your faith and you're feeling antsy because we want to be put to use.

We want to do some great and extraordinary things for God. Some of us in our youthful pride and arrogance feel somehow that God needs us for his ministry. And this learning period is a period in which young men and women of God can get restless and want things to move to action in the name of righteousness.

And this is a period in which great and exciting things are expected. But on the contrary, this is a period where oftentimes there is no movement, there is no fruit, and there are tons of mistakes made in the name of righteousness. We've learned some things, and we're frustrated because the people around us aren't excited about the same things.

The learning stage is not a bad stage, but this is a stage where caution, watchfulness, wisdom, and humility are greatly needed. If you're excited about your faith and about making your mark for the kingdom of God, you need to be careful. Some of us may be in the second stage, but we're being humbled.

We failed, and we've been failing. And there are lots of things we are losing. Circumstances are revealing to us that we aren't as godly as we may have thought ourselves to be. Perhaps we're being broken down and beaten up, wondering how God could ever use such sin-tainted, messed up, incompetent people like us, especially after all that we've done.

I kind of feel like I'm in that season now. Today marks the 21st anniversary of 9/11. I remember vividly the events of that day and that week, because that was right smack in the middle of my very first year as a pastor. 21 years have passed, and objectively, I am a very different kind of pastor.

I know my worldview has gotten bigger. My understanding of Scripture has for sure increased. But I have a whole lot less confidence in me. I have more fear now, speaking on behalf of the Lord. The phrase, "Thus saith the Lord," sends me chills. Because I don't want to speak or teach or say anything in vain.

I used to think I was very good with people. Now people scare me. You terrify me. And I constantly feel like I'm poorly stewarding the people and the relationships that are in my life. Back in 2001, I remember thinking--I mean, I never voiced this, but I remember thinking, "I am God's gift to Christendom." And obviously, I packaged that in a humble way.

I never said it. And my prayer was, "God, use me." And I would list the great heroes of faith. "Use me like David. Use me like Joshua. Use me. I will be in your service." Now in 2022, I more often pray that God gives me the grace so that I don't get in the way.

That I don't get disqualified. I don't mess things up. Now I'm painfully aware of how much God does not need me. My life is just a mist passing through. But interestingly enough, at the same time, I want so much more to know God intimately as a friend. I don't need extra blessings either in this life or in heaven.

I just want God. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing his sufferings and becoming like him in his death. I want to know what that is like. And I want to know him without my sins just getting in the way of that knowledge.

For believers in Jesus Christ, there are ups and downs and varying seasons in our walks. And at times we actually can go back and forth from season one and season two. From learning to losing to learning to losing all over again. We can go from being equipped and then being excited and taking ourselves too seriously.

And then we plummet into seasons where we are being broken and humbled and embarrassed. And we wallow and we forget that his power is made perfect in our weakness. We go back and forth. I want to live a life where I'm truly thriving and leading people to Christ. And I want to one day be at a point in my friendship with God where my ministry is completely devoid of me.

Where everything is about Christ and Christ alone. In Exodus 34, the glory of God is shining off of Moses' face. Initially, he doesn't even realize it. He's unaware. He starts putting a veil over his face because people around him are freaking out. That the glory of God is reflecting off this mortal man.

And he's oblivious. Here's a word of caution as you ponder what season of the Christian walk you are in. And how you are doing as a friend of God. At every stage in Hebrews 11, we see that Moses refused to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. If the majority of your day-to-day thoughts are on enjoying this world, and seeing how much you can toe the line of being worldly and still squeaking somehow into heaven, you are likely not on either stage one or stage two.

You are on the outside of the friendship of God. Because scripture teaches us that friendship with God and friendship with the world are mutually exclusive. So James 4:4 says that friendship with the world is hostility toward God. And we serve a very good, but a very jealous God. Matthew 6, 24, "No one, you are not an exception.

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be a friend of God and be a friend of sin. It's impossible. And the things that I've discussed thus far will not pertain to you if you are a God-hater.

You were created by God and for God to love God and to serve God, but you've completely misunderstood your purpose if you think that God exists for your happiness. As it says in Isaiah 55, for you guys who are in that situation, "Seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near, because he is slow to anger, gracious and compassionate." So I don't know exactly when Moses starts speaking to God face to face, but when we get to Deuteronomy, Moses is a changed man.

He is a godly man. He is a Christ-like man. And we see him walking with God and speaking on behalf of God like a friend. So we are going to look at the final 40 years of Moses' life, the season of his spiritual leadership. And at the onset, this final 40 years looks great.

But it's the most painful, most frustrating, most challenging, but still most God-glorifying third of Moses' life. Do you really want ministry success and be a friend of God? Yeesh! For the final 40 years of Moses' life, Moses leads God's people in and through the wilderness, right up to the edge of the Promised Land.

And that begins with Moses' second departure out of Egypt. So let's look at the beginning of this. "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." So, so far so good, right? Fruit. "When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord." Great.

"And they believed in the Lord." Awesome. "And in His servant Moses." Yay for Moses. "And then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord and said, 'I will sing to the Lord, for He has highly exalted the horse and its riders. He has hurled into the sea.'" If only Moses' last 40 years of his life were all like this.

The people not only believe in the Lord, they believe in Moses. And the whole community erupts in praise with Moses leading the charge. But if you guys are familiar with the Old Testament, you know that this is very, very short-lived. In the same chapter, toward the end of chapter 15, the people grumble about water.

Chapter 16, they grumble about food. And then about meat. And then water again. And then they complain that Moses doesn't make himself available enough to handle all the disputes. So Moses has to, he listens to Jethro and sets up little advisors. And then when Moses is meeting in Sinai with God, one of history's most amazing moments where God comes down and meets face to face with a man, he comes down from Mount Sinai.

And what are the Israelites doing? They're dancing around a golden calf that his brother made. And then they have to take the sword and plunge it through 3,000 men. And then Nadab and Ebihu, at a moment that was supposed to be super sacred, they get caught up in the hype.

They offer unauthorized fire. They get struck down and they're Moses' nephews. And he has to watch this. And they grumble about water and meat again. And then they complain about hardship again. And then they start blaming Moses for all this hardship. The people make an outcry saying that they should elect a new leader and then go back to Egypt.

A rebellion is stirred up by Korah. And then the ground opens up and swallows them up. 14,700 people get hit with the plague. They die. They still grumble. The vipers come, bite them. They still grumble. Even Aaron and Miriam betray Moses. So there is so much heartache and death for this friend of God.

By the time we get to Deuteronomy 34, everyone that Moses led out of Egypt has died in the wilderness. Except Joshua and Caleb. And I do not think Moses as a heartless, cold man who celebrated their deaths. My guess is that he lamented each and every single death. Who would want this kind of ministry?

Why would God allow this for his friend? Do you want to be a friend of God? Moses' ministry fruit came from representing Holy God to hundreds of thousands of stiff-necked, stubborn people for four decades. Intimate friendship with God often leads to great loneliness and rejection while ministering in this life.

And I'll say that again. Intimate friendship with God often leads to great loneliness and rejection while ministering in this life. True ministry success, true God-glorifying service, more often than not, it brings pain. It brings suffering. It brings isolation. It brings despair. This is not for the faint of heart.

But ironically and interestingly, it always produces compassion, mercy, and love. And we see these things in Moses' humble third season alive. Moses comes down from Mount Sinai. We see that he sees the people dancing around the golden calf. And then he returns to the Lord to intercede. Exodus 32.

On the next day, Moses said to the people, "You yourselves have committed a great sin, and now I'm going up to the Lord. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. He's ready to sacrifice himself." And then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.

But now, Yahweh, if you will forgive their sin, and if you will not, please blot me out from your book which you have written." Do you see Moses' heart here? The people around him have sinned grievously when they worshiped the golden calf as God. And Moses pleads with the Lord for them.

And Moses asked the Lord to forgive the sins of the people. And if that means that Moses himself is blotted out of the book of life and sent to hell to face eternal condemnation, so be it. That's how much Moses desires God to be glorified through mercy. That's how much godly compassion now resides in this friend of God.

That's absolutely selfless and astounding. Even in the face of insult and personal betrayal, that humility and that compassion is there. Numbers 12, we see Miriam and Aaron, fellow leaders of the nation, Moses' own sister and brother. They criticize and speak out against him. And they say, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?

Has he not spoken through us as well?" And then it says, "The Lord heard it." And then God said, "Come out." I mean, imagine if God was on your side like that. That'd be great. If someone injures me and God says to them, "Hey, get over here." And then this is what God says.

"Not so much," I mean, I don't speak in visions and dreams of Moses. "Not so much with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, not in dark sayings. And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

So the anger of the Lord burned against them." And he does a very, he walks out. Scary stuff. "And then the cloud had withdrawn over the tent, and behold, Miriam was leprous, wide as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous." Moses, seeing his sister covered in leprosy because of her sins, immediately turns and says, "Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, 'O God, heal her, I pray.'" Friends of God are always forgiving.

It's fascinating. We love because He first loved us. I can forgive because I've been forgiven so much by my friend. The latter years of Moses' life, you see him walking with God, and he submits fully to the sovereign purposes of God. And Moses is told in Deuteronomy 31 and 33 that he's not going to lead the people into the promised land.

Joshua is going to do that. And so he proceeds to bless each of the tribes of Israel. He gives them warnings to keep the covenant of the Lord and to be faithful once they enter into Canaan. He doesn't worry about leaving a mark. He doesn't worry about any kind of legacy.

This is a man whose primary desire was usefulness to God, to give glory to God. And Moses is not going to lead his people into the land of promise. Joshua is going to be doing that. And Moses' job is now simply to pass the baton. You know what's super interesting?

Moses does not die of natural causes. I think God slays him and then buries him himself. Deuteronomy 34, 5-7. So Moses, a servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord, and he, capital H, buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor.

But no one, no man knows his burial place to this day. And although Moses was 120 years old when he died, his eye was not dim, and he was perfectly healthy. His eye was not dim, his vigor was abated. This is a very healthy and strong man. And like Enoch in Genesis 5-24, Moses walked with God, and then he was not because God took him.

God put Moses, his friend, to physical death. God buried him, then ushered him home. And I doubt that Moses, when he entered glory, regretted anything. Regretted not entering the promised land. Regretted not living to 160. This is what a humble friendship with God looks like. Walking with God, loving his people, and faithful service and perseverance in the midst of loneliness, fruitfulness, all the while completely oblivious to the fruit that is being born around you.

That's friendship with God. And then, when all is said and done, you take the baton and you pass it to the next guy. He must increase, I decrease. That's the growth of the heart of the friend of God. And I want to close with a look at this great baton pass that continues on with us.

Hebrews 11-33 down. "Who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight, women received back their dead by resurrection, and others were tortured, not accepting their release so that they might attain a better resurrection.

And other friends of God experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated. Friends of God, men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground, and all of these, having gained approval through their faith, and faith alone did not receive what was promised on this side of eternity, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. I want to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. That helps me to persevere. Will you join with me in prayer?

Lord, would you help us to walk with you, to minister in and through the power of your Spirit. Lord, would you grant that we live lives that are very useful, that we would be ambassadors for Christ wherever we are, and that when you deem fit, you take us away to glory.

For the time that you've given us to steward while we're here, may our cry with John the Baptist simply be that you must increase, and that we decrease. For we know that therein lies our greatest joy. Remind us of these truths, regardless of whatever season that we find ourselves in.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Church, let's go ahead and stand together. (soft piano music) ♪ What gift of grace is Jesus my Redeemer? ♪ ♪ There is no more for heaven now to give ♪ ♪ He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom ♪ ♪ My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ For my life is wholly bound to His ♪ ♪ Oh, how strange and divine I can sing ♪ ♪ All is mine, yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ The night is dark, but I am not forsaken ♪ ♪ For by my side, the Savior He will stay ♪ ♪ I labor on in weakness and rejoicing ♪ ♪ For in my knee, His power is displayed ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my shepherd will defend me ♪ ♪ Through the deepest valley He will lead ♪ ♪ Oh, the night has been won, and I shall overcome ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ No fate I dread ♪ ♪ No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven ♪ ♪ The future's sure, the price it has been paid ♪ ♪ For Jesus fled and suffered for my pardon ♪ ♪ And He was raised to overthrow the grave ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my sin has been defeated ♪ ♪ Jesus now and ever is my King ♪ ♪ Oh, the chains are released, I can sing ♪ ♪ I am free, yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ (soft piano music) - With every breath.

♪ With every breath, I long to follow Jesus ♪ ♪ For He has said that He will bring me home ♪ ♪ And day by day, I know He will renew me ♪ ♪ Until I stand with joy before the throne ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ All the glory evermore to Him ♪ ♪ When the race is complete, 'til my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ All the glory evermore to Him ♪ ♪ When the race is complete, 'til my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ When the race is complete, 'til my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ - Father, we are thankful that you've provided for us just the freedom to gather, the opportunity to meet together, to worship.

And we're thankful, Lord God, for just your truth. And as we walk out of here, I pray that you would strengthen and empower us to live in application of the truths that we know. And in our lives, in the lives of our families, in the lives of our children, we pray that you would be magnified, that you would be honored, and that you would receive all glory.

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with each and every one of us who's striving to walk with God as a friend, now and forever. Amen. ♪ God sent His Son ♪ ♪ They called Him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my pardon ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to prove ♪ ♪ My Savior lived ♪ ♪ Because He lives ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because He lives ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because He lives ♪