11.18.2012 Moses pt. 4 - How to Deal with Your Anger Problem

SermonAudio

Refresh us in Your love – You love us deeply and sacrificed all that we might have life in You.
In Your name, Amen.
We are closing Moses this week – and next week we’ll look at Elijah.
Last week we looked at Moses as a deliver and mediator. He is a picture of Jesus Christ there.
Here is a list of all the places where Israel complained and rebelled. It was really bad - some are really significant: Exodus 5:15-20, 14:10,15:22-27, 16:1-36, 17:1-7, 32:1-6, Numbers 11:1-3, 4-9, 12:1-16, 14:1-10, 14:39-45, 16:41-50, 20:1-13, 21:4-9, 25:1-18
Numbers 20: 1In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord
Here they are in unbelief and rebellion – if only we had died when our brothers died! - How that happened – the earth opened up and swallowed them! They are wishing for that. That shows the depth of their unbelief and rebellion against God.
! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
There is a difference between this kind of unbelief – an unbelief and rebellion that drive us away from God, which cause us to hide from God – and a doubt and questioning that drives us TO God.
Like when the father brought the sick child to Jesus – “I brought him to your disciples… - but they were unable to heal him” Jesus: If you believe, all things are possible! I believe! Help my unbelief!
We all go through times of doubt – but during those times we WANT to believe – and it should drive us TO the Lord, like the father – HELP MY UNBELIEF!
Cindy and I were down in Columbus doing a seminar for a small group – we ran into a long-time friend who has served the Lord for a long time. “I hate to say this – but sometimes, when I read the Old Testament, I struggle with the things that are said – it really bothers me” – Cindy said, if you read the OT and don’t struggle – there is a problem!
This should drive us TO God – to want us to know God better. But often, we doubt, and HIDE IT – there are some Christians who hit a point where they doubt God exists – and think, I better not tell anyone. It is important to know that.
They see stories of God slaying children and entire cities and ask, WHAT IS THIS?! Where is God – is He really there? It is in the hiding and covering up that leads to rebellion.
Now, back to Moses:
4 Why have you brought up the Lord’s community into this wilderness? So that we and our cattle should die here? 5 Why have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”
So you wanna go back to Egypt?
They wanted to return to slavery.
6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
Moses goes to God when the people rebel. That may be the best part of his character. However – it says they threw themselves down – you get a glimpse that there is frustration, exasperation, grief at what has taken place
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him.
After all of these rebellions – you would think – early on – God wanted to destroy the people – but in this one, it was like, OK – here we go again. God is acting in grace toward Israel. There is no anger in this section. This demonstrates God’s unfailing love. Time after time – you would think that God would have lost it with them, but we see unfailing love and unending patience.
Psalms: 40 years I loathed that generation – but we see unlimited grace and patience.
Something changes – God had said – speak to the rock – and I will bring it forth, but we see this:
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.
God didn’t say anything about THIS part – this is Moses ad-libbing. My wife tells me not to ad lib when I am up here. I bet Moses’ wife told him that too.
At some point – the grumbling got to Moses – and in this situation – he loses it. Thankfully, that has never happened to any of us, right </sarcasm> - Eventually – there is enough pressure and stress in our lives that the leaks and holes are opened up and revealed. Stress and pressure does not create the leaks and holes, it reveals what is already there.
The grumbling did not create the issue in Moses – it revealed an issue that was already there. I’m sure that has never happened to you. Maybe with your spouse – they do something – but you are in love – and you ignore the problem – and ignore the problem – and ignore the problem, and when they least expect it – you lose it. Or with the kids – letting things go until you lose it.
It is a reality – it happens at home, at work, in church – there are people who bring out the worst in us at different times. We say – that is okay – that happens. Where did Moses go wrong and what do we need to do?
First - I’m reminded of that verse in James – be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger – that is phase 1. If you are quick to speak, you will not be slow to anger!
We need to learn to step back and listen – and be slow to react in the circumstance. And in looking to God, bringing God into the picture, it will help us to not lose it.
You know how you get into situations – I’m going to respond right – and the stress comes from the place you don’t expect it – things are going well, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, something is said and done that catches you by surprise – and the tendency is to erupt.
Teaching yourself to react slowly is a character you can develop – but it is also having a plan
Second – Have a plan– no matter how hard – you cannot avoid it – you live around people all the time – you need a plan – how am I going to react? You know what sets the spark off for you – but I will say this – it is valuable to understand your patterns of response – Look back and see where you lose it and try to understand what lies beneath – why do these circumstances cause me to lose it? Fear, insecurity, control, pride? What is creating this? Wanting to get my own way? Avoiding some conflict that needs to be addressed? We just need to determine what that is – what creates the eruption.
I was talking to some parents - struggling with anger. I told them – getting angry does not make you a bad parent! Getting angry means you have an anger problem! Good parents who give themselves to raising children in the fear of the Lord – if they have an anger problem – they will get angry! No matter how much you love your spouse – if you have conflict resolution issues – you will have conflict resolution issues.
Moses had an anger outburst issue – he murdered at the beginning – and at some point it crept back in.
Numbers 20: 12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to show me as holy before the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained among them.
What we see – God comes to Moses and Aaron – and says – you did not trust me enough to show me as holy. The source of Moses’ failure lies in his relationship with God. The source was not the rebellion of Israel. There was a flaw in his relationship with God. In the Old Testament, Moses had one of the best relationships with God. We’ll look at that in a minute – but there was something about this – you failed to trust ME in this. It tells us we need to work on trusting God. Philippians2 – we are to work out our salvation with trembling and fear because God is at work.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…
We need to work on continually transforming! Even at 110 years old – Moses needed to continue to be transformed. We need to allow God to work in us – and the moment you stop that – you have lost! The moment you stop allowing God to work – like a marriage – the moment you stop working on it, the relationship goes south!
It doesn’t take long for something to get in to steal that relationship. This is a serious situation here for Moses – as a result of this – he is not allowed to enter the land. There are consequences. And if you think about it – the punishment seems too severe for the crime. He has dealt with all their rebellion – and all at once – just this one mistake – and his opportunity is gone. What did he do? He failed to trust and show God to be holy. He disobeyed a direct command – God spoke clearly to him – he could not have been confused. Speak to the rock! In Psalms, it says that Moses spoke harshly to the people. He misrepresented God to the people – as a mediator and deliverer. God is trying to demonstrate grace, and Moses demonstrates judgment. We misrepresent Christ who is trying to demonstrate grace.
What Moses does – in one sense – he ruins the gospel – because the rock represents Christ and the water represents the life that comes from Christ – and he turns Christ into judgment rather than salvation. And he takes this rod, which has shown to be the power of God – and abuses the spiritual power and authority to intimidate the people. There is a whole lot more here than just losing it and getting angry.
The very end of Moses’ life:
Deut. 34:1 Then Moses ascended from the deserts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land—Gilead to Dan, 2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it, but you will not cross over there.”
True story – a kid snuck into his parents room – and discovered his presents for Christmas – and they never gave him his presents! That is what this feels like.
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him in the land of Moab near Beth Peor, but no one knows his exact burial place to this very day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull nor had his vitality departed. 8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the deserts of Moab for thirty days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended. 9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him; and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face. 11 He did all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, 12 and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel.
There was a bigger promise. Moses has learned – that is a great land – Moses knew – that is a great land – but I have something better – I have this face to face relationship with God. Moses had learned to love the Giver – and not simply the gifts He gives. And that is what God is calling all of us to – to be content with HIM whether we receive all the other things or not. Let’s pray…