Exodus 1:8 ASV and Exodus 2:2 ASV

LeadershipSuperNatural – part 2 of 5 | 8.10.08
What Got You Here – Won’t Get You There!

Good Morning PRC!

Today, we are continuing our SuperNatural Teaching Series and it’s good to be back in the saddle teaching here at Pine Ridge.

It’s been awesome to have a few weeks off from teaching - I really feel like God has given me a new & fresh prospective as we head into our 2nd yr. And He has really laid some awesome things on my heart that I am going to be sharing with you over the next few weeks.

God has been up to some unbelievable stuff and there are some things happening behind the scenes that we will be unveiling in the coming weeks that are going to blow your mind. I can’t wait to fill you in on all that God is doing!!

Let me tell that I am stoked about teaching what God has laid on my heart today. This is a message that I have been piecing together over the last 5 weeks. God has been unveiling some unbelievable things to me and I have been chomping at the bit to share them with you.

Today, we are taking an honest assessment – an honest inventory of who we are – each and everyone of us - we are going to look inside ourselves today and get real honest with who we are. I feel like we have to start there - that is the first step if we are ready to see some change in our lives. We are going to talk about what that change looks like in just a few minutes.

Today, we are going to start off by taking a look at someone in the Bible that experienced some of the most SuperNatural events the world has ever seen.

This one man saw things that no one has ever seen – he walks with God like no one before him ever had – and yet he gets stuck – and when he got stuck where he was at – he never gets to go where God ultimately wanted him to go.

I am going to share a story with you this morning form the Bible and we are going to have to move fast – so try to keep it up. We have A LOT to cover in a very short time.

Our story is going to begin in Exodus chapter 1. Here we have the nation of Israel. During this time the people of Israel – the Israelites were in bondage or in slavery to Egypt. For hundreds of years the Israelites have been their slaves.

In Exodus Chapter 2, we read about the birth of this boy named Moses – a Hebrew. Very important because the Hebrews during this day were considered the lowest of the low. They were sort of treated liked backwoods redneck hicks. Sort of like some of the people we have attending Pine Ridge – I love it!!

The Pharaoh of Egypt has called for the killing of all the Israelite boys. So Moses mother makes a basket and puts him in it – she takes that basket and she placed it in the Nile River.

I don’t want to get off onto this too long. Moses is found by Pharaoh’s daughter – she takes him and names him Moses – which literally means to be drawn from water. She then calls on a Hebrew slave – which was actually Moses mother to nurse the baby because she decides to keep him.

That’s the first SuperNatural event that takes place in Moses life. His life is spared when all of the other baby boys are being killed. He is a Hebrew – a slave – and yet Pharaoh’s daughter has now brought him into the kingdom and the women she has picked to raise him is Moses mother. Pretty cool story so far right – it get’s better.

In Exodus Chapter 3, we really begin to see the SuperNatural take place. One day Moses is out in the field and an angel of the Lord appears to him as a burning bush. Moses is totally awestruck and amazed by this burning bush because it’s engulfed in flames but the bush isn’t actually burning.

So, Moses is like – I gotta check this out. Suddenly, God realizes he has Moses attention and he begins to speak out loud to him.

Exodus 3:4-5 
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Do you think Moses has just seen something SuperNatural? I mean the dude has just seen a bush that is covered in flames, but isn’t burning and now God is literally speaking to him from the bush.

It’s crazy – that doesn’t happen everyday you know?

God begins to tell Moses about the suffering of his people – see the Israelites people are known as God’s chosen people – he doesn’t like the fact that they are enslaved to Egypt and he wants Moses to do something about it.
Exodus 3:10 – God Speaking
Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

See God tells Moses – HERE where my people are IT isn’t good enough. I need you to get them THERE. THERE was this land – referred to as the Promise Land. This land was overflowing with milk and honey, a land free of slavery, a perfect place for God’s chosen people.

God says that is what I have in mind for them and He tells Moses that He needs him to get them THERE. He tells Moses – listen to my commands – and lead the way I have called you to lead and you will lead my people from HERE to THERE.

Moving our story along – Moses begins to question God about why he has been chosen for this task. Have you ever done that?

God, I see the problem – God you have revealed to me a solution to that problem, but God do you really want me to take care of that? Don’t you think that someone else would be better for that? I mean God I am not perfect –I don’t have it all together. What happens if I mess it up? What happens if I don’t do it right? God who am I to do the task you have laid before me?

Here is Moses in chapter 3 verse 11 asking the same question that so many of us have asked – God how can I do this. And God is like don’t sweat it Moses – I am with you.

Moses begins to argue with God and I love God’s response.
Exodus 3:14
God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

He is like I don’t even have to say that I AM God – you just tell them I AM sent you.

Moses continues to doubt God - Moses is stuck – he doesn’t trust God and he can’t move from where he is at to where God wants him to be because he can completely trust God.

I believe that is true for some of us here today as well!!

For some reason God puts up with his mess. He begins to ask God to prove himself and on three separate occasions Moses tests God and for some reason God does these SuperNatural wonders and proves himself to Moses [ie. Turns his staff into a snake, leprosy hand, turns the Nile River to blood].

Still Moses argues with God and begins making excuses about whey he isn’t fit for the job. Moses begins telling God that he isn’t a good enough speaker. Moses has a speech problem and he doesn’t think he can communicate clearly what God wants. So he begs for God to send someone else.

You ever done that? But God I am not the best leader – God I am not the best communicator – God I don’t like to be in front of people. We make all these excuses and in our fear we do nothing.

God finally gets ticked off and agrees to allow Aaron, Moses brother, to be a messenger, but he doesn’t allow Moses to escape from what he wants him to do.

Finally, we find Moses and Aaron in Exodus Chapter 5 approaching Pharaoh for the first time. They approach Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelite people go. Pharaoh obviously rejects the offer for several chapters as Moses and Aaron continue to approach him asking for the Israelites to be freed – after he continues to say no – he finally gets God angry.

Exodus 6:1
Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

God sends a series of SuperNatural plagues on Egypt. He sends the plague of blood and all of the rivers, canals, marshes, and reservoirs turned to blood.

He sent the plague of frogs – a plague of gnats, a plague of flies, a plague killing all of the livestock in the land, a plague of boils, a plague of hail, a plague of locusts, a plague of darkness – Pharaoh & Egypt experience all the plagues and still refuse to budge.

Finally, God sends the plague of death – all the firstborn sons of Egypt were killed. Finally, God gets Pharaoh’s attention and he chooses to let the Israelites go.

Imagine for just a moment that your Moses – this dude has experienced some BIG-TIME SuperNatural stuff – he has talked to God – seen God do some crazy stuff – just watched God pour out this unbelievable plagues on Egypt – and now he has seen God’s plan beginning to come to fruition. Pharaoh has decided to let God’s people, the Israelites, go. I mean it is happening right before his eyes.

God is using Moses to lead his people from HERE – a place of bondage and slavery to THERE – a place chosen – a land handpicked and designed by God for his people!

Moses and the Israelites begin their trek out of Egypt. Historians say there were approx. 600,000 Israelite men – not including women and children. So, I think it’s safe to say that Moses is leading over a million people out of Egypt.

Just imagine that for a moment. I can’t imagine leading over a million people anywhere – imagine the complaining, the whining – trying to keep everyone together – making sure no one falls behind. That would not be for me!!

Anyways, the story goes on and Pharoah decides that he doesn’t want to give up the Israelites any longer so they come chasing after them and as the Israelites try to escape they come to a dead end.

They come face to face with the Red Sea – they have nowhere to go. The Egyptians aren’t far behind and they can’t move any further. They can’t go around the sea – there isn’t enough time and it would take too long. They are stuck. There is an obstacle in the way – that is keeping them from getting from HERE to THERE!

What do you think the people of Israel did in that moment?

Exodus 14:10-12
As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?
Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
They start questioning God and questioning Moses. I mean God is allover this situation – He has already done how many SuperNatural events for these people? And the moment an obstacle is in the way – they instantly forget what God has already done.

How many times do we do this? God has led us a certain direction – he has taken us down a certain path – he has walked with us and guided us every step of the way and the moment something pops up – we get angry at God and we start questioning him.

How many times are we like that – the moment it doesn’t go our way – we pout – we threaten to pack up everything we have – pack up all of our stuff and go back to where we came from.

I mean these people are ready to run back to Egypt and become slaves again – they are doubting God so much they are willing to go back to where they came from.

Instead of moving forward to the THERE that God has for them – there are content with being stuck HERE. All they can see is their current situation. They have lost track of what God has planned for their lives.

How does God respond to Moses and the people?
Exodus 14:15 
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!

I love God’s response – He is basically like – SHUT UP!! Why are you whining to me? Am I not who I said I am. I got this under control – SHUT UP and get moving!!

I honestly believe this is God’s message for some of you today. Some of you are stuck HERE! You are stuck in a sin – you are stuck in a certain place – you are stuck in a certain circumstance - you have stalled out.

I honestly believe that God is telling you today to GET MOVING! To stop whining about it – to stop complaining about it – it’s time for you to start trusting him to get you from HERE to THERE!!

Some of you can’t stop looking at your circumstances – all you see is your job, your finances, your family. God is saying stop looking at yourself and look at me – I am who I said I am and I will do what I said I will do. I have something for your life, but you are stuck HERE – I want to get you THERE. If you want to get from HERE to THERE then it’s time to get moving.

What happens next? God once again proves who he is.

Exodus 14:16 
Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.

Exodus 14:21-22 
Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.

So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!

The Bible tells just as the Egyptians were closing in on the Israelites – right after the last Israelite crossed over to dry land – that God caused the waters to return to normal killing all of the Egyptian soldiers.

I mean can we even begin to understand the SuperNatural event that just took place? God parted an entire sea to allow over a million people to cross on dry land and then after the last person steps foot on dry ground he allows the walls of water to crash in on all of the Egyptian soldiers.

To say that is pretty SuperNatural would be an understatement. Can you believe what all of these people have experienced?

Now, I want to encourage you to read this entire story because I am going to skim through the rest of it really quick.

These people experience all these miraculous and SuperNatural signs from God during their trek from HERE to THERE and do you think that made them trust God anymore? NOPE! Because they are just following their leader. Moses continues to doubt God and so does the people of Israel.

The story goes on to tell us that the Israelites get mad at God and Moses because there isn’t enough food – so God does the SuperNatural and actually allows food to drop from the sky every morning [Manna & Quail] – just drop from the sky.

Does that make them trust God? Nope!! Then the people get mad at God and Moses and they start complaining about water – so God does the SuperNatural and allows fresh water to flow from a rock.

Seriously this story goes on and on – over and over again the people come to Moses complaining about something – doubting God and over and over again – Moses goes complaining to God and over and over again he doubts God.

There is a bunch of other significant events – The Israelites get to the wilderness and Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai and God gives moses the 10 commandments that most of all of us know. The commandments that a lot of us live our life by.

There is a ton of other incredible events. Moses goes back up the mountain and actually gets the opportunity to not only be in the presence of God, but he is one of only two people in the Bible that actually got to see God. You talk about SuperNatural – Moses gets to actually see the God of the universe – AMAZING!!

Do you think it changes the way that Moses sees God? No – because Moses still struggles with trusting God. After all that God has done – he still can’t truly trust God.

Moses is stuck at the HERE in his life and that HERE is ultimately going to cost him from getting THERE! You will see how this place out in a few moments.

Then Moses really screws things up and this is where you see the failure of Moses leadership – he is doubting and doubting has caught up to him.

Moses and the Israelites are in the Zin Wilderness and there is once again nothing to drink for the people or the livestock and so once again they start complaining and doubting God.

So Moses does we he is supposed to – he takes it to God and this is what God tells him.

Numbers 20:8 
“You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

But what did Moses actually do?

Numbers 20:10-11 
Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

Moses screws it all up - Moses disobeyed a direct command from God. God had commanded Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff.

Moses took the credit for bringing forth the water. Notice how in verse 10 Moses said, "must we (referring to Moses and Aaron) bring you water out of this rock." Moses took credit for the miracle himself instead of giving the credit of the SuperNatural event it to God.

Moses did this in front of all the Israelites. Such a public example of direct disobedience could not go unpunished.

Moses is the leader – he is given a much bigger responsibility and he has just committed sin in front of all of these people. God hand was forced and Moses is punished because of his sin. Moses becomes an example.

Numbers 20:12 
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

Because of Moses sin – he wasn’t allowed to take the people of Israel THERE – to the promise land.

See Moses through all of these incredible SuperNatural events – couldn’t truly trust God. He was God’s chosen man, he was God’s chosen leader, but Moses couldn’t make a shift in his leadership.

Moses – like so many of us - was stuck - and he wouldn’t allow his faith to be stretched and since Moses couldn’t get from the HERE in his life [the insecurities, the doubts, the fears, the sin] to THERE in his life [the leader that God had intended, the chosen one to lead God’s chosen people] – since Moses couldn’t embrace that and live into that – since Moses couldn’t get THERE – He lost the opportunity to lead the people THERE and ultimately fulfill God’s mission for his life.

Look how this story ends and to be honest with you Pine Ridge – this scares me to death.
Deuteronomy 34:4 
Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”

God takes Moses up to the top of a mountain and gives him a glimpse of the promise land. He allows him to see the glimpse of the fulfilled vision – the fulfilled mission. It’s right there in the grasp of his hand – his eyes are locked on the finish line – and because of his sin – he didn’t get to complete the mission.

He died on the mountain overlooking the promise land and never set one foot on the ground.

That scares me to death because I feel like right now – we are standing on a mountain - we have caught a glimpse of the vision – the mission – the finish line - for what God wants for this church and the hard reality is that some of us will never make it to see it come to fruition.

Some of us will only catch of glimpse of it, but we won’t be around to actually live in it!!

We are making some changes behind the scenes of this church – WHY? Because we want to get from HERE to THERE. Because in-between those two is growth.

In-between every shift we make as a church along the way there is growth. Growth in me as a leader, growth in my staff, growth in the leadership in our volunteers, growth in the people we have an opportunity to reach for Christ, and growth in the impact we have in reaching thousands of people in this community through this church.

What got us HERE won’t get us THERE!

We can’t do that by getting stuck HERE – because HERE IS NOT the vision. HERE is a step in the right direction in getting us THERE! I can’t not allow us as a church to get stuck HERE – to get stale – to get apathetic – to start taking the SuperNatural things that God is doing here for granted!!

Just like we are making shifts in this organization for growth – we have to make shifts in our lives for growth – shifts that allow God to move us from HERE to THERE!!

As you change – as any organization changes - you have to change – and there are two things that have to change in order for you to get from HERE to THERE!

In order to get where you want to go and structure for more growth - You have to change your old behaviors with new behaviors

You can’t keep doing what you have been doing – or you will just keep getting what you have been getting.

Some of you have been getting the same old same old for far too long. Some of you complain about everything all the time. Ask yourself what are you doing about it? Have your behaviors changed? Or are you still behaving the same way and expecting different results?

You gotta change your behavior or the results are going to stay the same!!

In order to get where you want to go and structure for more growth - You have to change your old beliefs with new beliefs

You can’t be like Moses and live a life of doubt and fear. You have to trust God for the big things. You have to step out and take risks.

You have to believe that God is who he says he is and he will do what he has said he will do.

You have to believe that God has something SuperNatural in-store for your life. Because if you have chosen to follow Christ – he does has something SuperNatrual planned for your life.

Your beliefs have to change in order to get results.

The scary part is that some of us will never choose to make some serious shifts in our lives – some of us will never get past the HERE – where we are right now – the sins, the doubts, the mistakes, and they will keep some of us from ever getting to THERE in our lives – to the place God ultimately wants to take us.

Some of us will continue to be stuck HERE and our marriages will fail – our finances will fail – our parenting will fail – and our relationship with God will fail.

If I asked you about getting THERE – you would say you want to get THERE – but are you willing to make the necessary shifts to see it happen?

Sadly, some of us will sit on top of the mountain and watch the THERE in our life slip away.

However, I believe that some of us today will choose to move from HERE – to move from a place of complacency – from a place of mediocrity – a place of apathy – a place of doubt and fear – from the entrapment of sin – and today some of us will find and embrace the freedom of forgiveness – some of us will choose to shift – so that we can truly change – in order to grow.

I believe once we do that - God will do the and he will move us from HERE to THERE!!

My goal for us today - is that each and everyone of us would look within ourselves and look at where we are right now in our lives. I want us to be thinking about all of the things that have gotten us HERE – where we are at in life right now.

Whether it’s in your job, what you have accomplished financially, you parenting, your marriage, your walk with Christ. I want you to think about the things that have lead up to where you are. What got you HERE?

The hard thing for us swallow today is realizing the things that got us HERE – to this point – won’t be the things that get us THERE.

THERE – that is the vision you have for your life. THERE – that is where God wants to take you. THERE – that is the incredible SuperNatural mission that God has for your life.

THERE – that isn’t HERE! It can’t be! That isn’t where most of us are today!! A lot of us are stuck HERE and wondering what else is out THERE!!
We have to understand that it is God’s desire for all of us to move through this life getting from one point to the next. He doesn’t want us to stall-out and get stuck and a certain point.

Some of us has stalled-out because of a certain sin in our life or something we can’t move from. Some of us have stalled-out because of a funk we are in right now.

Things aren’t going great at home with the spouse or kids, things aren’t great at work, money is tight – whatever it might be – some of us have stopped moving away from HERE and we have become stuck HERE!!

We have to realize that God has something SuperNatural planned for our lives – Tom talked about that last week - and the only way you can ever get THERE – to achieve that mission - is by moving from where you are right now – moving from the HERE - to where God wants and desires for you to be.

What is the THERE for your life? What is keeping you from getting THERE? What’s got you STUCK?

Today, you have to release it – you have to move forward – you can’t just stay HERE!!

God wants to take you on the greatest adventure you will ever experience as he moves you from HERE to THERE.

But you have to be willing to move – you have to be willing to shift – you have to be willing to change – your behaviors – your beliefs – and you have to trust God to do the SuperNatural in your life!

What got you HERE won’t get you THERE!

Are you ready to move from HERE to THERE?

Ex. 14:15 – GET MOVING!!

Let’s Pray!!