[00:00] Speaker 1: (instrumental music plays)

[05:25] Speaker 1: (bell tolls) As we step into worship tonight... (smacks lips) I invite you to join me in prayer with words based on Belgic Confession, Article 13. And I'm gonna speak as loud as I can. I think I'm on but there's no one back there right now. (laughter) Yup, I'm on. (clears throat) (grunts) (clears throat) ... invite you to join me in prayer with words based on Belgic Confession, uh, Article 13. Father, we praise you tonight because you are a good God. You created all things and did not abandon them to chance or fortune, but you lead and govern them according to your holy will. In fact, we acknowledge that nothing happens in this world without your orderly arrangement. Thank you, Father, for your providence and for the way this gives us unspeakable comfort. For you, our gracious Heavenly Father, watches over us with your fatherly care. Lord, help us to adore you tonight and in all our lives.

[06:58] Speaker 1: For although your power and your goodness are so great that we cannot fully comprehend them, we trust you, the one who rules this world by your mercy and by your grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. (instrumental music plays) (clears throat)

[07:23] Speaker 2: (lighthearted music) (singing) How great Thou art, O Lord. How vast Thy hand. When fears are stilled, when striving ceases, I can see the glory of my Savior. And now I'm happy in His love. Yes, I'm happy in His love in which I'll ever be. How sweet to hold on to His

[10:22] Speaker 2: promises. The light of heaven shines within. My soul finds rest. I'll never know how much it cost. To see my sin upon that cross. The burden of my heart. Gently did Jesus take. And since that day I could not see. The light of Heaven, I'll never know how much it cost. To see my sin upon that cross. The burden of my heart. Gently did Jesus take. And since that day I could not see. The light of Heaven, I'll never know how much it cost.

[11:17] Speaker 1: The one whose name endures for endless days is here in our midst tonight, and He greets you with these words. Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God, our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ, through the mighty and transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

[11:34] Speaker 2: Amen.

[11:42] Speaker 1: We welcome all of you to worship this evening at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church. We're glad for those of you who are here in the sanctuary tonight, those of you who are watching online. We're so glad that you have joined in worship tonight. (smacks lips) This evening, we will think in the message about the life of Moses. We'll hear things he does, hear a few things he says, but it also seems fitting that we spend some time reading the things that he wrote, including Psalm 90, what some consider probably the oldest psalm in the Psalter. And so, we'll hear from Psalm 90 in sections.... we'll pray after each one and then we'll also sing a verse from O God, Our Help in Ages Past, a psalm, song based on Psalm 90, at the conclusion of each of those prayers. First, hear Psalm 90 fro- the first six verses. "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

[12:48] Speaker 1: Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, you mortals.' A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night. Yet, you sweep people away in the sleep of death. They are like the new grass of morning. In the morning, it springs up new, but by evening, it is dry and withered." Would you pray with me? Father, we give you thanks that you are both eternal and everlasting, and that your years know no end. Before this world began, you were there, and for eternity going forward, you will be there, ruling and reigning over all things. We praise you that you know us so well. Before we were born, you knew all the details of our lives and how long we would live. This is incomprehensible to us, but not to you, O Lord, for you know all things.

[14:06] Speaker 1: Help us, O God, not to fear death, but to know that you hold all of our lives in your hands and will take us to be with you in heaven at just the appointed time. We pray as well, Father, for those who are grieving in this congregation, those who are grieving things like lack of mobility, decline in health, loss of relationships, as well as the death of loved ones. We especially lift before you those who have experienced death recently, the Pileman, Postmus, Canton, Faber, and Campbell families. Father, despite the challenges we face, we praise you that you are our dwelling place and that we can place our trust completely in you. Hear us now, in a moment of silent prayer, as we give thanks for the times when we have felt especially close to you. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

[15:35] Speaker 2: (somber music) O thou, our help in ages past. Our hope for years to come. Our shelter from the stormy blast. Friend our eternal home.

[16:09] Speaker 1: Hear now from Psalm 90:7-10. The Psalmer says, "We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath. We finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to 70 years or 80 if our strength endures. Yet, the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass and we fly away." Let us pray. Father, we praise you that you are all-knowing and that nothing we do escapes your divine attention. Yet, while we praise you for being all-knowing, we also grieve the things you have seen us do, think, and say, that we should not have done. And we also grieve the opportunities that have been missed, things we should have said, done, or thought, especially those things that, as your servants, we could have done to advance the work of your kingdom.

[17:27] Speaker 1: Merciful Father, may your spirit search our hearts for any known sins, for anything that is hidden, or anything that may hinder our fellowship with you. And may you hear us now as we confess our sins in a time of silent prayer. (silence) Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

[18:32] Speaker 2: (slow piano music) Lord of our help in age's stress, our hope for years to come. Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

[19:09] Speaker 1: And finally, Verses 11 through 17 of Psalm 90. "If only we knew the power of your anger, your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord, how long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord, our God, rest upon us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands." Let us pray. Father, the one who is all-powerful and all-glorious, we praise you that though You are disappointed, uh, with us when we sin, you are not unkind or lacking in mercy.

[20:23] Speaker 1: Thank you, Father, for forgiving our sins, and for showing- showering us each morning with your unfailing love that is both steadfast and true. Empower us, O God, because of how much you love us, to be glad each day you give us, that we would sing for joy and tell of your goodness. We also pray, Father, for a heart of wisdom in all we do, that you would establish the work of our hands and our whole being, as we do your work as your servants. Hear us now, O God, as we spend some time in silent prayer, listening to how you would have us serve in your kingdom. (silence) Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

[21:48] Speaker 2: (slow piano music) Lord of our help in age's stress, our hope for years to come. Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

[22:26] Speaker 1: I invite you to join me in these words of illumination from Psalm 119 as we get ready to hear God's word tonight. "How sweet are your words to our taste, Lord."

[22:39] Speaker 3: "How sweet are your words to our taste, Lord, sweeter than honey to our mouths. Help us to gain understanding from your precepts, so we will hate your every wrong path."

[22:50] Speaker 1: "May your word, Lord, be a lamp for our feet and a light unto our paths. Amen."

[23:01] Speaker 2: (slow piano music) God has spoken by the prophets, spoken the unchanging Word. Ye shall gaze with faithful waiting on the watchful, righteous Lord; when the world's disrepair and turmoil offer inward holy rest, God, eternal, lives forever, the First and the Last.... where the world has begun. White as the light of glory, with the Father ever one. Slowly by the world divided, love of God made flesh was born.

[24:46] Speaker 2: Light of life to earth descending, Christ has conquered death by birth. Life is given by the Spirit, speaking to our hearts again. In the image of perfect charity, love's true message now we send. Through the eyes of proclamations, God's truth in its shining face. Love of us, the world saving, God's own Ransom, our price.

[26:10] Speaker 1: Our scripture reading tonight comes from the Book of Exodus, the Book of Exodus, Chapter 2. If you're using the Pew Bible before you, it's found on page 88. Exodus Chapter 2, we'll begin our reading at verse 11. "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that, seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day, he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, 'Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?' The man said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?' Then Moses was afraid, and thought, 'What I did must have become known.' When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

[27:41] Speaker 1: Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Ruah, their father, he asked them, 'Why have you returned so early today?' They answered, 'An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.' 'And where is he?' Ruah asked his daughters. 'Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.' Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, 'I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.' During that long period, the King of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

[28:52] Speaker 1: God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Just mentioning the name of Moses often brings a variety of images to people's minds. Some, for example, may think of the 1956 classic moveme- movie, The Ten Commandments, which stars Charl- Charlton Heston. In that film, he portrays Moses as handsome, with thick hair and a full beard. Brave and confident, he goes about leading God's people by leading them out of Egypt. Others may be more influenced by the more contemporary project, The Prince of Egypt, which was released in 1998. This animated film portrays Moses as quick-witted, agile, and trim, and fit. Whether in a chariot race swirling up clouds of dust, or the frontline of people marching through the walled-up Red Sea, Moses is the ultimate hero, one who looks the same in his teenage years as he does in his 80s.

[30:36] Speaker 1: As one author writes, "Who wouldn't want to drink from the same fountain of youth as this debonair prince of Egypt?"A missing piece of these two films, however, is a bit of reality, the reality that life was not always easy for Moses and, in fact, it was downright hard at times. Moses is born during a period when the Israelites are living in Egypt because of the famine in Canaan. Things go fairly well with this arrangement until a new pharaoh takes the reign, a pharaoh who notices the growing Hebrew population, a situation he sees as a threat. And a threatened pharaoh is not a pleasant pharaoh. His first plan is to work the Hebrews to death by appointing taskmasters who will assign them hard labor. With whips at their backs, God's people end up creating two new cities for the Egyptians. You would think this would slow the Israelite baby boom. Not so.

[32:01] Speaker 1: In fact, when we go back to verses 12 and 13 in chapter one of Exodus, we see that the more they are oppressed, the more their population multiplies and spreads in the area. When Pharaoh sees that the harsh conditions of slavery are not achieving the desired results, he turns the persecution up a notch. Infanticide, murder, now all Hebrew male babies are to be killed. This would have been the fate for Moses as well if it were not for the clever thinking of his mother, Jochebed, and of course, the providence of God. For she knows that despite her careful planning, the results lay completely in God's hands. She hides him, as many of us know, in a basket in the Nile River at a spot where she knows Pharaoh's daughter will go to bathe, and the details fall right into place. Pharaoh's daughter finds him and feels sorry for him.

[33:19] Speaker 1: Moses' sister, Miriam, comes along and offers to find a Hebrew woman who will nurse him, and the Hebrew woman she finds is Jochebed, who gets paid to raise her own son for the first part of Moses' life until he is returned eventually to Pharaoh's daughter. Nearly 40 years go by before we pick up the story from today's passage that we read, and while we don't know all the details of those years, we can imagine the living conditions for Moses. From a humble little shack in what we might refer to as the ghetto in Goshen, Moses takes up residence in the elegant palace, the elegant court of the king, a place where he no longer shares cramped space with the family, but likely enjoys an entire suite of rooms all to himself. As one comment- com- commentator said, "This is not like moving down the block, or into another neighborhood, or into a different city in the same state.

[34:36] Speaker 1: This is like moving to a whole nother planet." And while the second chapter of Exodus is silent about the activities of Moses' life during this period, the seventh chapter of the Book of Acts is not. In Acts 7 verse 20, which is part of Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrins, we read that Moses was nurtured in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. The word nurture here means to rear, to educate, and to train. No longer being homeschooled by Jochebed, Moses is now under the teaching of the polished Egyptian tutors, who begin to instruct him in all things Egyptian, protocol, lifestyle, and culture. Moses endures a whole process of reorientation, we might say, likely as we learn from historians like Josephus, to prepare him to eventually take the throne of Egypt since Pharaoh had no son and no heir. Scripture also seems to imply that he was a good student, for that same verse from Acts 7 tells us that he is powerful in speech and action, or as another version says, he is mighty in word and deed.

[36:14] Speaker 1: Moses makes a name for himself and earns the respect of the Egyptians, for he pos- he possesses not only intellect, but also charisma. One day, he decides to go see his people, the Hebrews, the children of Israel. This was not hard to do, for they were everywhere, building, carrying, chopping, sweeping, shoveling, hauling, doing all the Egyptians' dirty work.And as Moses watches them in the midst of all this hard labor, he sees one of the Egyptians beating one of the Hebrews, one of his own people. And despite Moses' deep connection to the Egyptian- Egyptians now, and their way of life these past 40 years, he does not forget his roots. For his heart goes out to the mistreated slave as he not only observes but sees the cruelty and the injustice that is happening here.

[37:36] Speaker 1: "Enough of this unfair treatment," he thinks to himself, "I must do something to help my people." So he peers to the left and he peers to the right, he rolls up his sleeves and he reaches out and strikes the Egyptian and kills him. After reaching for a shovel, he digs a hole in the sand and buries the body. "Case closed," he thinks. The next day, however, when he goes to watch the Hebrews again, he witnesses another conflict. This time between two of his own people. "What are you doing?" Moses asked, "Why are you beating one of your friends?" The man looks at him and says, "Who appointed you to be our prince and our judge, Moses? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?" A feeling of terror rises up in Moses' chest. "They know what I did," he thinks to himself. "My secret is out." And sure enough, everyone does find out, including Pharaoh, who issues a death sentence on Pharaoh's life, or on Moses' life rather.

[39:20] Speaker 1: It would be easy to think that something suddenly snapped in Moses when he witnessed the brutality by that Egyptian. But that is not what scripture tells us. Instead, we read in verse 12 that he acts deliberately and according to the plan that he concocted. He looked to the left and he looked to the right, but he did not look up to consult the Lord his God. In this situation, Moses makes the decision entirely on his own. It would also be easy to think that Moses did this for his own glory, as someone out to make a name for himself. But scripture does not teach us that either. It would seem that his intentions are sincere, desiring to do the right thing and fighting for justice for God's people. The problem is that he ran on ahead of God's plan and God's timing.

[40:39] Speaker 1: We too can become so dedicated to what we believe is God's will, so driven by a false sense of purpose, that we might inadvertently leave God out of the loop when we don't seek him in prayer, and in his word, and in the leading of his spirit. This was true for a pastor who took a call to a ner- new church. He came on the scene with much energy and enthusiasm, including his desire to have people in the church and in the community learn all about how to do neighborhood evangelism, something that was a passion of his. To do so, he organizes a study in his home. Congregational members are skeptical however, saying it is too much, too fast, the trust has not been earned yet. But the pastor is undeterred, "I have it all worked out," he says, "Don't worry, it will be great." He talks it up in worship, he sends out invitations, he posts it on social media.

[42:01] Speaker 1: The night comes and he and his wife have the living room all arranged, there are flowers on the coffee table, there's a fire in the hearth, and then on the kitchen counter are a number of refreshments. The starting time of 7:00 comes and goes. The clock in the hall tolls the half hour and still nobody has arrived. The hands grind around on the clock to 8:00 as the fire goes down, the fizz goes out in the punch, and the refreshments begin to grow dry and stale. And the pastor's heart sinks. A sinking heart is what is also being experienced by Moses as well.Now that he has tipped his hand and shown his true loyalties, Pharaoh can't stand to have him around. In the king's eyes, a disloyal and out-of-control prince is better off dead. After hearing through the grapevine that Pharaoh is out to get him, Moses flees from Egypt and heads off to Midian, an incredibly barren land with hot sand, craggy rocks, and an occasional, occasional scraggly bush somehow surviving.

[43:43] Speaker 1: He stumbles through the wilderness, getting his tailored clothing caught on broken branches, tripping over half-submerged rocks, picking his way through the wasteland. An exa- it's an example of what we said at the beginning of the message that life was not always easy for Moses. Eventually, he finds a place to sit down, and of all places in this arid environment, it's by a well. As one author writes, "When that broken 40-year-old man finally slumps to the ground at the end of his self-driven life, a life that went on ahead of God, fresh, cool drinking water is available right beside him." It's like God saying to Moses, "Sit down. Be still. Have a rest. Stay there. Find refreshment for your soul as you learn my ways." And as he sits there by the well, seven young women catch his attention as they make their way up the path to draw water from the well for their father. However, several shepherds who are approach- who approach from the other direction block their efforts.

[45:22] Speaker 1: Moses sees the conflict. His heart goes out and again, he intervenes. Not by killing this time, by simply ousting the shepherds away, and helping the woman to- women to water the flock. It's almost like God's saying, "You want a job as a deliverer, Moses? Then start here, son. There are seven women right here in Midian who need a champion at this very moment." Moses could have shrugged it off and said, "Forget it, Lord. I'm done intervening in conflicts like this. I got burned last time. Let someone else do the job." But he doesn't do that. It's here that Moses learns the first step of what it means to be God's servant. We see that as well in God's plan for him settling down in Midian the next 40 years of his life. A long time, as verse 23 describes it. It's not easy to be in a place, as Moses describes himself, as a foreigner in a foreign land.

[46:53] Speaker 1: Yet also a place where God likely continues to mold Moses' character, since it's often in the hard times that God shapes us most to be His servants. And what do servants do? They do the next task. They do what is ready and available for them to do. They do what God calls them to do, and not what God does not call them to do. We saw this in the life of one of our homebound members who passed away recently. Her husband was diagnosed with MS, multiple sclerosis, when he was in his, when h- he was in his late 20s. And for the next 46 years, she became his helper. When a desirable job opportunity presented itself, and the feeling that a warmer climate could be better for his health condition, they moved to Florida, far away from friends, family, and their church community here at La Grave. When he needed to travel for work, she often went with him. When he needed his Amigo to get around, she hoisted it in and out of the car so he could be mobile.

[48:26] Speaker 1: And when she needed to be gone for the day, she made sure his lunch was prepared and readily available in the kitchen, in, in the kitchen, in the refrigerator for him. And she did these things not because it was her own agenda or for her glory, but be- but because she knew this is what God was calling her to do as His servant. We see an even greater act of servanthood, however, and a greater image of surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane the Thursday night before Jesus dies.Filled with great anguish, Jesus kneels down and he cries out, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me." In other words, "Lord, this is excruciatingly hard, and I would rather not have it this way." In an act of complete surrender, however, we hear Jesus conclude the words with this prayer, "Yet not my will, but yours be done, Lord." He acknowledges that the Father's way is best, and it's best not to run out ahead of it, or away from it.

[50:06] Speaker 1: The writer of the Book of Hebrews in Chapter 3 acknowledges all the good that Moses does, including how he serves faithfully in God's house, but he also declares that Jesus is the far greater example, the one who deserves all the glory because he is completely faithful as God's son, and, uh, as the one who journeys all the way to the cross to take the place for our sins. "Fix your thoughts on Jesus," the writer of Hebrews tells us, as we allow God's spirit to lead us not to run on ahead, but to follow his ways and his timing as his servants. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Would you pray with me? Lord, our God, we thank you once again for your word. We thank you for ancient words that are timeless, and yet, Father, they continue to speak to us today. We thank you for the way you worked in use your servant Moses, but we thank you even more for your son, Jesus Christ, and for his ultimate example of servanthood.

[51:45] Speaker 1: Father, help us to remember that example and to follow it so that your spirit would lead us to do what you would have us to do. We ask this all in the name of Jesus, our Savior, and the pie, the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[52:01] Speaker 2: (organ music) Have I no aid, Lord? Have I no aid? Thou art the Potter; I am the clay. Mold me and make me After Thy will; I am waiting, yielded and still. Have I no aid, Lord? Have I no aid? Strength too weak is mine; Ye bless, and today. Open my eyes;

[55:01] Speaker 2: hide not thy Son from me now. Cast in thy presence; Only thine I bow. Have I no aid, Lord? Have I no aid? Clothe me and bear me; Help me, I pray. Power from the Father Sure is mine; Touch me and give me Strength to be mine. Have I no aid, Lord? Have I no aid? All of my being Cast under the sway. Fill with thy Spirit Till all shall see Christ only, always Living in me.

[55:16] Speaker 1: As you go into this week, a week that needs God's people to shine the light into a dark world, go as His servants and go with His blessing. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face towards you. May He show you His presence and may you experience His peace both now and forever.

[55:48] Speaker 2: Amen. (organ music) .

[59:38] Speaker 2: (bell tolls) (organ music)