Today I was able to attend one of our churches within our network, and specifically the same church in which I preached just this past July. It is always a joy to visit and see familiar faces worshiping God with all their might and experiencing their authentic joy to see you again.
At the end of the service, it is customary for every single person to greet every single other person...every single person! As I was coming to the end, saying "Praise the Lord" again and again (this is how you say hello in the church here...love it!), there was one woman in the back that spoke to me just a little bit longer. What she said really meant a lot to me.
She told me that she remembered my sermon the last time I was there, and most amazingly, "I ask God every day to make me a burning bush." Wow. She actually remembered the sermon and it has changed her prayer life!
When you preach or teach, you sometimes wonder if even one person remembers one little part such that it makes a real impact in their life. And I reason with myself that if even a single person remembers a single thing that has real impact on their life, then it was worth all the preparation and spending yourself for the message. The message was for them...they are the person you were preaching to, if the only person. That gives the teacher or preacher purpose.
And so to know that God continues to work powerfully in the message long after it is given is a special blessing. As I prepare to preach again next Sunday, Nov 11, I would like to invite you to pray for a sermon with equal or greater impact on listeners such as the woman today who has been impacted by Moses and the burning bush.
Specifically, I am praying for three things:
-Simplicity
-Clarity
-Power
I believe these elements will be used by the Holy Spirit to make lasting impact in the lives of those who will hear.
The topic of my sermon next week will be Waiting on the Lord, specifically highlighting the account of Jesus raising Lazurus in John 11. It is partially inspired by the post the Lord moved me to write last November: The Pain & Glory of Waiting on the Lord. I had no idea at the time that I would be preaching on this topic in India within the year!
Until then, for those that are curious, and for those that migh be similarly impacted, below is a summary of the Burning Bush sermon from July:
Key Scripture: Exodus 3:1-10
Thought questions: Have you ever ignored a burning bush? What does a burning bush look like in your life?
1. Examining the burning bush
- Was the bush God, or special in any way? No, it was ordinary. God IN the bush made it extrordinary.
- What does a burning bush look like today? - 2 Cor 4. A burning bush is anyone who is under trial, but is not consumed. Without Christ they would be consumed, but with Christ, they are not.
- Everyone is set on fire by the world. Will you be consumed?
- Daniel 3:22-25 - Jesus, the 4th person in the furnace is the difference.
2. Responding to the burning bush - Lessons from Moses in Exodus 3
- This was an ordinary day for Moses. 40 years, 14,600 days of silence, exile, and obscurity.
- Moses' role? He simply "turned aside" to behold the phenomenon.
- God speaks through burning bushes today. Look for them and "turn aside" to listen. In addition, your testimony will be God's miracle and mouthpiece to speak to someone else.
- God called Moses by name, and He will do the same with you.
- Moses' and our calls are the same: (Eph 2:8-10)
1. To God Himself
2. His purpose for your life
Thought questions:
1. Does today feel like just another day?
2. Are you preparing yourself to respond to God's call?
3. If you have received a call from God, are you remembering daily that He calls you to Himself first?
Conclusion:
1. Be the burning bush in Christ
- Hope of not being consumed yourself
- Joy of sharing that hope with others
2. Turn aside and listen to God in burning bushes (fellow Christians)
- If you have failed, if you have not heard from God - today He chooses you by name
- First call is to God Himself
- Second, walk in obedience in the works that have been prepared for you
At the end of the service, it is customary for every single person to greet every single other person...every single person! As I was coming to the end, saying "Praise the Lord" again and again (this is how you say hello in the church here...love it!), there was one woman in the back that spoke to me just a little bit longer. What she said really meant a lot to me.
She told me that she remembered my sermon the last time I was there, and most amazingly, "I ask God every day to make me a burning bush." Wow. She actually remembered the sermon and it has changed her prayer life!
When you preach or teach, you sometimes wonder if even one person remembers one little part such that it makes a real impact in their life. And I reason with myself that if even a single person remembers a single thing that has real impact on their life, then it was worth all the preparation and spending yourself for the message. The message was for them...they are the person you were preaching to, if the only person. That gives the teacher or preacher purpose.
And so to know that God continues to work powerfully in the message long after it is given is a special blessing. As I prepare to preach again next Sunday, Nov 11, I would like to invite you to pray for a sermon with equal or greater impact on listeners such as the woman today who has been impacted by Moses and the burning bush.
Specifically, I am praying for three things:
-Simplicity
-Clarity
-Power
I believe these elements will be used by the Holy Spirit to make lasting impact in the lives of those who will hear.
The topic of my sermon next week will be Waiting on the Lord, specifically highlighting the account of Jesus raising Lazurus in John 11. It is partially inspired by the post the Lord moved me to write last November: The Pain & Glory of Waiting on the Lord. I had no idea at the time that I would be preaching on this topic in India within the year!
Until then, for those that are curious, and for those that migh be similarly impacted, below is a summary of the Burning Bush sermon from July:
Key Scripture: Exodus 3:1-10
Thought questions: Have you ever ignored a burning bush? What does a burning bush look like in your life?
1. Examining the burning bush
- Was the bush God, or special in any way? No, it was ordinary. God IN the bush made it extrordinary.
- What does a burning bush look like today? - 2 Cor 4. A burning bush is anyone who is under trial, but is not consumed. Without Christ they would be consumed, but with Christ, they are not.
- Everyone is set on fire by the world. Will you be consumed?
- Daniel 3:22-25 - Jesus, the 4th person in the furnace is the difference.
2. Responding to the burning bush - Lessons from Moses in Exodus 3
- This was an ordinary day for Moses. 40 years, 14,600 days of silence, exile, and obscurity.
- Moses' role? He simply "turned aside" to behold the phenomenon.
- God speaks through burning bushes today. Look for them and "turn aside" to listen. In addition, your testimony will be God's miracle and mouthpiece to speak to someone else.
- God called Moses by name, and He will do the same with you.
- Moses' and our calls are the same: (Eph 2:8-10)
1. To God Himself
2. His purpose for your life
Thought questions:
1. Does today feel like just another day?
2. Are you preparing yourself to respond to God's call?
3. If you have received a call from God, are you remembering daily that He calls you to Himself first?
Conclusion:
1. Be the burning bush in Christ
- Hope of not being consumed yourself
- Joy of sharing that hope with others
2. Turn aside and listen to God in burning bushes (fellow Christians)
- If you have failed, if you have not heard from God - today He chooses you by name
- First call is to God Himself
- Second, walk in obedience in the works that have been prepared for you
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