Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000543A
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00:01 BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES PRESENTS:
00:06 SERMON B543 "GO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE" 00:11 [BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC] 00:20 PB: Exodus chapter 3, verse number 9, and we're going to read 00:24 verses 9, 10, 11 and 12. The Word of God says in verse number 9, 00:28 "Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel 00:31 is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith 00:36 the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, 00:39 and I will send thee unto Pharaoh." Everybody say "Pharaoh." 00:42 Aud.: Pharaoh. PB: "That thou mayest bring forth my 00:45 people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 00:47 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should 00:51 go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the 00:55 children of Israel out of Egypt?" Verse 12, 00:57 "And he said, Certainly, I will be with thee; 01:00 and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have 01:04 sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people 01:08 out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." 01:14 Today I want to challenge you, first half of the year, 01:17 go with what you have. Go with what you have. 01:22 Father, bless us now in this Word. Forgive us of our sins. 01:25 Lord, use me today, and may Your people hear 01:28 Thee and not hear or see me. And we praise You 01:31 in advance for what You're going to do. 01:33 Forgive us of our sins. In Jesus' name. Amen. 01:36 Go with what you have. Everybody say "go." 01:39 Aud.: Go. PB: Come on, say "go, with what you have." 01:43 Aud.: Go, with what you have. PB: All right, quickly now. 01:47 In Exodus 3 and 4, we see and we find God's calling of Moses 01:49 into the Lord's service. Now notice, this call is not 01:53 made from a pulpit. This call is not made from an executive 01:58 committee meeting. This call is not made form a boardroom 02:03 or a conference office, but this call to Brother Moses is 02:07 made from a burning bush. Now, remember, this burning bush 02:14 was not a volcanic phenomenon. It was not a beam of sunlight, 02:19 it was not a gas plant that had burst into flames. 02:23 It was just a regular bush like any other bush, 02:27 and the fact that this bush burned wasn't strange, 02:30 because we know that spontaneous combustion will 02:34 often burn a bush in the desert. Do I have a witness in this place? 02:38 Now, remember, on this day there were thousands of bushes 02:43 in the desert. But what makes this bush special is not that 02:49 it was burning, but what makes this bush special is that 02:54 God is in it. And when God is in something, no devil in heal 03:01 can stop it. But the fact that there's a burning bush is 03:05 not what catches Moses' attention. What catches Moses' 03:09 attention is the fact that several hours have gone by, 03:14 but this bush is still burning. So out of curiosity Moses 03:18 gets a little closer to the bush that will not burn out. 03:23 God sees now that He has Moses' attention, and so He tells Moses: 03:28 Moses, take your shoes off. You're standing on holy ground. 03:33 Moses realizes it's God that's talking to him, so the Bible 03:38 says he hides his face, because the Bible says he's afraid. 03:42 Everybody say "afraid." Aud.: Afraid. 03:44 PB: Now, why is he afraid? Moses remembers that his 03:48 service to the Lord in the past has not been stellar; 03:52 that his service to God in the past has not been good. 03:56 So maybe he's thinking, God is now here. God has shown 04:00 up in this burning bush to get even with me, 04:03 because Moses remembers doing God's will his way, 04:06 instead of doing God's will God's way, so he hides his 04:09 face in fear of the wrath of God. The furthest thing from Moses' 04:13 mind is the fact that God is calling him to use him. 04:17 But that's just like our God. God's not so much 04:22 interested in calling the equipped, but God is 04:26 more interested in equipping the called. 04:29 That's why I tell people when I travel, 04:31 I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody 04:33 about Somebody who can save anybody. 04:37 Do I have a witness in this place? 04:39 God says to Moses, Moses, I have seen 04:42 My people oppressed. Moses, I have seen 04:45 My people persecuted. Moses, I have seen 04:48 My people bullied, harassed, tortured, 04:51 tormented, but enough is enough. Moses, 04:55 I want you to lead My people out of Egypt. 04:58 But Moses says, "Who, me?" God says, 05:01 "Yes, you." But Moses says, "Couldn't be. 05:03 So God says, "Then who?" [Aud. reaction] 05:05 PB: What Moses doesn't realize is that he's 05:10 just like the burning bush. There were thousands 05:16 of bushes in the desert on that day, but remember 05:20 the special thing about this bush, in Exodus 3, 05:23 was that God was in it. There are thousands of 05:28 people in the world, but what makes you special 05:32 is that God is in you. But when God confronts 05:38 Brother Moses with the call, Moses begins to 05:40 offer excuses instead of service. In fact, 05:44 the Bible teaches in chapters 3 and 4 that 05:46 Moses offers five--how many excuses, everybody? 05:49 Aud.: Five. PB: He offers five excuses. 05:51 All right, so excuse number one, quickly. 05:53 Moses says, "God, why me? Who am I? I've got 05:58 a colored past. My past is not good." 06:03 In this first excuse, Moses doubts himself. 06:08 Moses is saying, "God, You want to use me? 06:12 Don't You remember, I'm the one who messed up? 06:15 I'm the one who killed an Egyptian and then I 06:18 tried to cover it up." Moses says, "I'm the 06:21 one who tried to break up a fight between my 06:24 fellow Hebrews, but one of them reminded me that 06:26 I was a murderer. God, don't You remember?" 06:29 But I love God. God says, "Yes, Moses, I do remember, 06:33 but I also never forgot you." But Moses says, 06:36 "I'm the one who blows it. I'm the one who messes up." 06:40 But God says, "Yes, you might be the one who messes up, 06:43 but you're also the one who's forgiven." 06:46 Your past is your past. Your past is good 06:50 to learn from, but your past is not good to live in. 06:54 So when your past calls, don't listen, because it 06:57 has nothing new to say. Friends, when you know God, 07:02 understand that when you know God, when you know 07:06 God you will worship God. Understand with God, 07:08 your past is your past. Are you herring what I'm saying? 07:11 But excuse number two: Moses says, "God, by whose authority 07:16 am I being sent?" In other words, who should I tell 07:21 them sent me? Now remember, in his first excuse, 07:27 Moses doubts himself. But in this second excuse, 07:33 Moses is doubting God. But God didn't ask Moses to 07:38 go to the people and explain all that he didn't 07:40 know about God. God just asked Moses to go and 07:45 explain what he did know. So this is what God 07:49 says in verse number 14. He says, "When they 07:51 ask you who sent you, just tell them that I AM, 07:58 that I AM sent you." You all don't hear what I'm saying. 08:03 In other words, Moses, this doesn't have anything 08:07 to do with who you are, but it has everything to 08:10 do with who I am. The reason why so many people 08:14 are not committed to God is because they don't 08:17 know God. They know about God. They know about God, 08:23 but they don't know God. Because when you know God, 08:25 you know the battle is not yours but the battle 08:27 is the Lord's. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 08:29 When you know God and you know who God is, 08:32 out of all the things God can't do, 08:35 God can't fail. God can't fail. Let me try it 08:42 one more time. God can't fail. Why? God is God. 08:47 God is immortal, which means God can't die. 08:50 God is omnipresent, which means God is everywhere 08:53 at the same time. God is omnipotent, which means 08:56 God is all powerful. God is omniscient, 08:59 which means that God is all knowing. God is sovereign. 09:03 God can do what He wants, when He wants, where He wants, 09:08 how He wants, and He doesn't have to ask you or me 09:11 for permission to do as He wants, because He's King of kings. 09:15 Lord of lords. CEO of the universe. I say it all the time: 09:20 you didn't vote Him in and you can't vote Him out. 09:23 You can't impeach Him and he's not going to resign. 09:26 There's nobody before Him and there'll be nobody after 09:29 Him because He is the beginning of the beginning. 09:30 He is the beginning in whom the beginning began. 09:33 He is the beginning before the beginning was begun. 09:35 He is the beginning who did not begin to be. Alpha. 09:39 Omega. First. Last. Beginning. End. God is God. 09:47 God says, "Moses, you tell them that the I AM sent you." 09:50 Excuse number three: "But what if they don't listen to me?" 09:57 What if they don't listen to me. This is his line that 10:04 begins chapter 4, so you've got to go read chanter 4 tonight. 10:07 What if they don't listen to me. What if they don't 10:09 hearken to my voice. But remember, this response was 10:13 totally hypothetical. It wasn't factual. 10:18 It was a what-if response. What if they don't listen to me. 10:24 Let me say this, I've learned in my ministry, 10:27 what-ifs are victory killers. What-ifs are success slayers. 10:36 What-ifs are vision assassins. "What if people don't listen, God?" 10:43 God said, "I didn't ask you that. Just go." 10:45 "What if I don't talk right?" "I didn't ask you that. 10:49 Just go." "What if I don't look right?" "I didn't ask you that. 10:54 Just go." "What if I don't pray right?" "I didn't ask you that. 10:59 Just go." "What if I don't have enough money?" "I didn't ask you that. 11:04 Just go." "What if they don't know me? What if they have a 11:08 question that I don't have an answer to?" "I didn't ask you that. 11:11 Just go." "Well, what if I didn't go to Oakwood?" 11:13 "I didn't ask you that. Just go." 11:16 "What if I haven't and can't be ordained?" 11:19 "I didn't ask you that. Just go." 11:24 "What if they don't know that I have a college degree? 11:28 That I don't have a graduate or terminal degree?" 11:31 Quit talking about what you don't have and use 11:34 what you do have. Moses was too concerned about 11:39 what might happen that he couldn't hear what God 11:42 would say would happen. So what does God do? 11:45 This is the part I like. God gives Moses three proofs. 11:50 Three examples of his power. First proof: God asks Moses, 11:53 "Moses, what's in your hand? What's in your hand?" 11:55 Moses says, "A rod is in my hand." God says, "Well, 12:00 cast the rod to the ground." Moses cast the rod to the ground. 12:04 The rod becomes a snake, and Moses runs from the snake. 12:07 Now let's be honest and be real today. We'd do the same thing. 12:10 Come on, say amen. Snakes and I don't get along. 12:11 Do I have a witness in this place? 12:14 Second proof: God then tells Moses, "Moses, 12:17 reach out your hand and take the snake by the tail." 12:23 Moses reaches out his hand, catches the snake. 12:27 The snake becomes a rod again. God says, "Now, Moses, 12:32 if I can do that with a stick, think about what I 12:36 can do with you." It's important, friends, 12:39 to know that God didn't ask Moses to use something 12:44 he didn't have. God asked him to use what he does have. 12:48 Are you hearing what I'm saying? Are you really, 12:50 really hearing what I'm saying? God asked Moses, 12:53 "Moses, what's in your hand?" Because the reality, 12:55 friends, is God made our hands without our hands. 12:58 It's God's will to use the hands He made to bless others. 13:01 God uses what we have, but God has never demanded 13:04 from us what we don't have. God isn't always looking 13:07 for ability, God's looking for availability. 13:10 Use what you have. Use what's in your hands. 13:12 Third proof: God says, "Now, put your hand in your 13:16 shirt in your flesh." And Moses puts his hands in his shirt, 13:20 in his flesh, and then he takes out his hand. 13:23 The Bible says his hand is as leprous as snow. 13:26 God then tells him, "Moses, put your hand back 13:29 in your shirt, in your flesh." Moses does it again, 13:32 and when he takes it out, his hand is as healthy as 13:34 it was before. God says, "If I can do that with your hand, 13:38 imagine what I can do with your entire being." 13:41 Excuse number four, I'm almost done: "I don't speak well. 13:48 I don't preach well. I'm not good enough. 13:54 I'm not talented enough." Now, this excuse was already 14:01 solved in excuse number two, when God said, 14:04 "Just tell that I AM that I AM." God has the 14:09 authority to say this, because He says, "I AM what you need." 14:13 I know what you need. Because I have what you need. 14:19 I have what you need, because I AM what you need. 14:25 I AM the Great Physician. I AM the Rock of Ages. 14:30 I AM the Lily of the Valley. I AM the Burden Bearer. 14:36 I AM the Heavy-load Sharer. I AM the doctor in the sickroom. 14:41 I AM the lawyer in the courtroom. I AM the prayer answerer 14:46 in the church room. I AM that I AM. 14:49 But Moses still says, "God, I'm not an eloquent speaker. 14:53 I'm slow of speech. I talk funny." Interestingly, 15:00 he may have been slow of speech but yet he's fast with excuses. 15:06 [Aud. Reaction] PB: The irony in the text is that Steven indicated, 15:13 in Acts 7:22, that Moses in the first 40 years of his life 15:17 in Egypt was a man mighty in words and deeds. But yet he 15:23 says he's slow of speech. "I'm not eloquent." But God's 15:27 got an answer for that. If you read chapter 4, God says, 15:31 "Who made your mouth? Who makes the dumb? Who makes the deaf? 15:38 Who makes the seeing, the blind? Just go, 15:41 and I will be your mouth. I will teach you what to say." 15:47 Let me tell you something. Our inadequacies are no 15:50 problem for God. God made us the way we are. 15:53 You and I will never be good enough. Oh, preach, 15:57 Pastor Byrd. I'm doing the best I can. We will 16:00 never be smart enough. We will never be rich enough. 16:04 We will never be eloquent enough. We will never be holy 16:09 or righteous enough. Our righteousness in the sight of 16:12 God is but as filthy rags. We are all gone as 16:15 sheep to the slaughter. Moses stuttered. Noah was drunk. 16:21 Abraham was too old. Josiah was too young. Isaac was a daydreamer. 16:25 Jacob was a liar. Leah was ugly. Joseph was abused. Gideon was afraid. 16:30 Samson had dreads and was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. 16:36 David was an adulterer. Elijah was suicidal. Isaiah preached naked. 16:42 Jonah ran from God. Naomi was a widow. Job went bankrupt. 16:47 John the Baptist ate bugs. [Aud. Reaction] 16:51 PB: Peter denied Christ. Martha was a worrywart. 16:55 Mary Magdalene was demon possessed. Zacchaeus was short. 16:59 Timothy had an ulcer. Paul was a Christian killer, 17:04 and Lazarus was dead. But I've learned over the years, 17:09 you don't have to be a star to be in God's show. 17:14 You don't have to be famous for God to use you. 17:19 You don't have to be a celebrity for God to use you. 17:23 You don't have to preach like Peter, pray like Paul, 17:25 or sing like David. God uses ordinary people. 17:29 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you don't believe God 17:32 uses ordinary people, look at the original disciples. 17:34 They were plain, down to earth, ordinary, workaday, 17:38 grassroots brothers. They were untaught by professors, 17:45 unschooled in philosophy, unexposed to high culture. 17:50 They were not religious scholars, they were not ordained. 17:54 They were not the most intellectual men, they were not 17:57 the kind of men that the world would expect to be 17:58 called messengers of the Most High God. They were 18:01 blue-collar guys. Ordinary fellows. Regular brothers. 18:06 And here is the God of the universe, 18:08 calling them into service. But that's just like God, 18:12 always rooting for the underdog, always pulling for the last, 18:17 the least, the lost, the unlucky, and the left out. 18:20 Praise God that God is willing to use people like you 18:23 and me and these unlettered fishermen, because Jesus 18:26 saw something in them, just like He sees something 18:29 in you and me. He knew what He was doing. 18:32 Jesus didn't go to pick rabbis to be on His team. 18:35 He didn't go pick the bright, the astute, the knowledgeable, 18:38 leaders of Israel. He didn't go to Jerusalem to be among 18:39 the priests and the elders. Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee. 18:44 He called fishermen, folk who had never been to school. 18:47 Folk who couldn't speak the king's English. He relied on 18:50 something better than formal religion, better than 18:52 formal education, better than tradition. Something better 18:55 than the way it used to be to the way it ought to be. 18:59 God's thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways. 19:03 Man sees the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. 19:08 And let me tell you something. God can call whom He wants to call, 19:12 and God can make what God wants to make. God makes and uses 19:17 ordinary people. People like you and me who are willing 19:21 to do as He commands. Let me tell you something. 19:24 God can do mighty things with ordinary people. 19:26 God can do extraordinary things with ordinary people. 19:30 God doesn't just use geniuses. God will use anybody 19:32 that will give God clean hands, a pure heart, 19:34 a dedicated life, and an open mind. Don't you refuse 19:37 to serve God and serve God's church, talking about 19:39 I'm not rich enough. I'm not good enough. 19:42 I'm not smart enough. I'm not talented enough. 19:45 I'm not saintly enough, or I'm not old enough. 19:49 If you think like this, you'll never be good enough 19:51 for God to use you. God doesn't use us because we're 19:53 good enough, but because God is good enough to use 19:56 those that are not good enough to do what God wants done. 19:59 God doesn't save us, God doesn't choose us because we're holy. 20:04 God doesn't choose us because we're worthy. God chooses us, 20:08 thank You Jesus, because His grace is sufficient. 20:12 [Aud. reaction] PB: Excuse number four is common 20:14 among Christians. I don't have the ability. 20:17 I'm not qualified. I'm not good enough. 20:20 People will talk about me, people will criticize me. 20:23 Let me say something about criticism. Elder Jones, 20:26 I'm coming up on five years, so I can just say it 20:28 like I feel it. When you minister, and when you 20:32 serve the Lord, I've learned you will either be 20:36 in the penthouse or the outhouse. You will either 20:40 be in the tower of praise or the dumps of criticism. 20:45 I have learned--listen to me pastor--the same people 20:48 who shout "hosanna" at the beginning of the week will 20:51 be the same people who should "crucify Him" at the 20:53 end of the week. [Aud. reaction] 20:57 PB: When you serve the Lord, you're going to get criticized. 21:01 That comes with the territory. I've learned this 21:05 in pastoral ministry. If the pastor is young, 21:09 he lacks experience. If the pastor's hair is gray, 21:12 they're too old. If the pastor has five children, 21:16 the pastor has too many kids. If the pastor has no children, 21:18 the pastor's not setting the right example. 21:20 If the pastor is a woman, the pastor is not a man. 21:23 If the pastor preaches from his notes, they must be canned sermons. 21:26 If the pastor's messages are extemporaneous, the pastor's not deep. 21:30 If the pastor uses too many illustrations, the pastor 21:33 neglects the Word. If the pastor doesn't use enough stories, 21:36 the pastor is not clear. If the pastor uses too much Ellen White, 21:39 the pastor's too legalistic. If the pastor doesn't use 21:42 enough Ellen White, the pastor isn't Adventist enough. 21:47 [Aud. reaction] PB: If the pastor supports the praise 21:52 team's singing, if the pastor claps his hands in 21:56 praise and worship, the pastor's too liberal. 21:58 If the pastor just supports him singing, 22:01 the pastor's too conservative. If the pastor condemns wrong, 22:05 the pastor's a legalist. If the pastor doesn't preach against sin, 22:09 the pastor's a compromiser. If the pastor fails to please everybody, 22:12 the pastor is hurting the church. If the pastor please everybody, 22:15 the pastor has no conviction. [Aud. reaction] 22:17 PB: If the pastor drives an old car, the pastor 22:27 shames his congregation. If the pastor drives a new car, 22:31 the pastor has set his affections on things of the earth. 22:36 If the pastor preaches all the time, people get tired of 22:41 hearing the same preacher. But if the pastor invites 22:44 guest speakers, the pastor's not doing his job. 22:48 [Aud. reaction] PB: We will never be good enough, 22:57 talented enough or righteous enough or holy enough. 23:01 But I hear the Apostle Paul saying "But be ye steadfast, 23:08 unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 23:13 for your labors are not in vain." When you're 23:16 serving the Lord, it's like an open door that 23:19 draws flies. And the brighter the light, 23:23 the more you attract bugs. You will attract criticism. 23:28 But God is saying, "If I can handle a rod, 23:33 then I can handle the criticism for you. 23:36 If I can handle some lions in a lions' den, 23:40 then I can handle some criticism for you. 23:43 If I can handle a fiery furnace for three Hebrew boys, 23:46 then I can handle the criticism for you. 23:48 When you serve the Lord, you will make mistakes. 23:53 People will see your flaws. But just go. Go with what you have. 24:04 Final point. Excuse number five, really a statement: 24:10 "Send somebody else." Regardless of what God tells Moses, 24:18 Moses still doesn't want to go. The Bible says in Exodus 4:14, 24:29 "Then the Lord's anger is burned against Moses." 24:34 Let me be honest. Can I be, for everybody. 24:36 Not just preachers, the elders and everybody. 24:38 Sometimes God becomes angry at our excuses. 24:44 God's blessings are withdrawn from those who whine. 24:49 God has not called us to be wimps. He's called 24:53 us to be warriors. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 24:56 Soldiers not scaredy-cats. When Moses begged God 25:00 to send somebody else, he's in effect really 25:04 telling the Lord, "I don't trust You." 25:06 This angers God, and the sin of excuses 25:13 will one day come to judgment. But not only 25:15 do excuses anger God, they also cause discouragement 25:17 within the body of Christ. Excuses force the few to 25:20 carry the weight of the many. A business principle 25:23 that I've studied in my master's program is very true. 25:26 Pareto's principle is true. Twenty percent of the 25:31 people do eighty percent of the work. Satan will 25:36 use this as a wedge to bring discouragement and division. 25:40 We don't need somebody else to do what God is 25:45 calling us to do. If we let others do what we're 25:50 afraid to do, then we're probably letting them 25:52 do what God is calling us to do. Think about it, you all. 25:55 God accommodated Moses' lack of faith, but His 26:00 accommodation had its consequences. Moses was God's 26:05 man for the job. Remember? But God told Moses that 26:10 his brother, Aaron, would be allowed to assist him. 26:13 But remember, once the children of Israel left Egypt, 26:19 Aaron got Moses and the children of Israel into 26:23 serious trouble, because remember, it was Aaron 26:26 who led the children of Israel into idolatry and 26:30 idol worship while Moses was on Mt. Sinai 26:33 receiving the Ten Commandments. Let me 26:36 tell you something I've learned in my life, 26:38 almost 23 years pastoring. God's perfect 26:41 will is always better than God's permissive will. 26:45 [Aud. reaction] PB: It's a great deal easier 26:52 to do that which God gives us to do, no matter 26:54 how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities 26:57 of not doing it. But through it all, in spite of 27:02 this mess we still see a breakthrough. 27:07 Moses finally responds in obedience and 27:11 goes back to Egypt and does what God told 27:15 him to do. What's the result? 27:17 Over 2 million Israelites, under Moses, 27:20 eventually walked out of the land of slavery. 27:23 Go with what you have. Moses had a stutter, 27:31 but God said, go. David only had a slingshot 27:37 and five stones, but God said, go. 27:42 Gideon only had 300 men, but God said, go. 27:49 We only have 19 million Adventists in a world 27:57 of 7.5 billion people, but yet God says, go. 28:02 We only have 1.3 million Adventist Christians 28:07 in the United States, Bermuda, Canada and Guam, 28:11 and this division has 375 million people. 28:15 But God says go. 28:17 >: Thank you for joining us for another exciting 28:18 Breath of Life television broadcast. 28:20 Tune in next week at the same time, as Dr. Byrd 28:23 will deliver another dynamic message from the Lord, 28:26 just for you. Until next time, 28:29 may God bless you. 28:30 END |
Revised 2017-01-25