The Staff Of Moses by Brother Curtis Hansen

         This morning's scripture will be out of the book of Exodus chapter 4. We will begin reading with verse 1. Our subject this morning is about the staff of Moses. In life, we rely on objects to see, feel, and touch as a way to reach the Lord. The thing to understand is God doesn't want the object to connect to you as some conduit. God wants you and you alone.

        And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

        2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

        3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

        4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.

        5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

        In verse 5, the "they" are the Israelites. Moses was in a better position at this point in life, while his people were still enslaved in Egypt. Moses had concerns that the people will not believe him if he were to return.

        The rod was a symbol that God provided to build Moses' faith and overcome his doubt. The power came from heaven and not the object.

        Let's talk a few minutes about 2 groups. The Pharisees and the Sadducees. There were differences between these two groups in the gospels. The thing you need to be mindful daily is that people are complex and multifaceted. You can stereotype them into a category, but that may be just a part of them as a whole. Some days you walk in your faith with conviction. There are other days you can barely get out of bed as your faith is concerned.

        So, there is a group out there in today's day who are a modern day version of a Pharisee. Who are they? They love scripture more than people. They would sooner give some little known verse to a person in need rather than a hand. They have grace, but only for other pharisees. They look the part of what the world considered holy. If you don't love people, your doctrine is off.

        What is a modern day Sadducee? Their doctrine is more loose and easily persuaded. They say there's no authority in the letters of Paul and only believe in the red print attributed to Jesus. They turn their cheek, but, it's to sin.

        Moses staff is and used for God. You can walk with it. A staff helps and supports you. It is a physical object that is a manifestation of authority. Every believer will find a support to lean upon. Pharaoh had a scepter. There are many things which are the why for the faith. Moses' staff represented knowledge that he had spoken with God. The staff represents vertical power. A miravle is an externalization of authority.

        God can use you where you are without any support. Moses' staff represents the modern christians walk. It's a symbol of what you cling upon, similar to a cross necklace. It can be knowledge in what you have read. It can be spiritual. It can be prayers. We can smack it to get people line out how we think. 

        If you get the time this week, read Numbers 17. That chapter has the account of Moses striking the rock twice to produce water for the Israelites. Moses had disobeyed the command of God but God still delivered the miracle. Jesus wants you to speak and not just be solely dependent on the object. Speak an order, a prayer, a word of faith. 

        In the old testament there was animal sacrifice and in the new testament there was speaking. If you don't love God, you won't follow his commands.

        Today we have more knowledge at our fingers, yet we are losing understanding. It can be symbolic. Just because you wear a cross doesn't mean you have a hedge of protection.

        We treat God worse in life. We often question him if it requires us to work on ourself, clean up our life. God is not asking you for the bare minimum. Evaluate your life. Where's God moving and what is he not? Ask yourself what am I missing?