40 Years of Purpose
This blog post is Part 9 of a series entitled "From Fear To Freedom" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN.
Message Date: April 7, 2024
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My love for boats really didn’t happen until around the age 9. It’s when my dad pulled up in the driveway one day with VIP 150 outboard open hull fish and ski boat. I remember it like it was yesterday! And there went the weekends for the next 10 years. Before then, our excursions to the lake mostly happened on foot. My dad loved to camp and before we had a boat, we would go to the lake, but we never got in the water past the swims we took next to the camping area.
I remember camping trips growing up with my dad. He would take us to Lake Ouachita to one of his favorite camping spots. We would get out of the car and load up our gear - sleeping bags and a large green tent. We too had an old Red Rider wagon we would load down with an ice chest and chairs and whatever else we needed. And we would take off walking down this trail to get to the campsite. I am sure the hike is actually much shorter than I remember it, but at the time it seemed like an eternity. It was an uncomfortable journey. I hated pulling that wagon over the Ouachita Mountain trail rocks and tree limbs that had fallen. Had I known then what I know now about Hilton Honors Diamond status that comes with free upgrades, room service, and access to the complimentary rooftop lounge, I might not have ever truly enjoyed those nights around the campfire. I am so glad I didn’t know about Hilton then!
One of the first things we would do when first arriving at our camping area was to hunt for firewood. I hated doing that. I wanted to lookout over the cliff; swim; have dinner. But without the firewood, there would be no fire; no dinner; no warmth at night. Now in full disclosure, today I would much rather stay at one of America’s 6,679 Hilton locations. But as a young boy, I loved to camp. Vacations were sleeping out under the stars around a campfire. My favorite thing about camping was the campfire. And if you have been to my house, there is a good chance we have had a fire out on the back porch… even in summer. I can close my eyes and I can see the flames rising, smell the smoke in the air, and even hear the crackle of branches burning in the fire. I too remember feeling the warmth of sleeping a few feet away from the fire under the stars. There too is nothing quite like mornings awakening to the smell of a fire. I remember my dad loved to cook buttered toast in a black skillet for us over that fire. In the same skillet, he would cook eggs and bacon for breakfast, and at night, he would often fry the day’s catch in that same black skillet. And then as the sun set, we would sit around the campfire and talk for hours - my momma, my dad, and us three boys.
I have been telling y’all for several weeks now that it was time for us to get to the burning bush, but as I began my time of study this week, I realized you can’t get to the fire without first making the journey. I also realized you can’t build a fire in the parking lot. In order for us to get to my dad’s favorite campsite, we first had to make the journey from the parking lot to the camping spot. The same is true for Moses. Before the monumental moment this man has at 80 years of age as he encounters the Creator of the world in a burning bush, Moses makes a significant journey that forever changes his life. Now, he obviously made a horrifically poor choice that put him in this position. But nonetheless, here he is. And, as we will see today, it’s a position of which we have each placed ourselves at one point or the other in our own personal journeys.
Exodus 2:11-25
I want to share with you five things I have gleaned from the journey Moses took from the palace to the burning bush. And I believe it is these five truths that will shape Moses for the rest of his life and potentially you and me if we allow for such.
1. The process is a part of the purpose.
Who here today doesn’t enjoy a really good vacation? I know I do! I presume you do too. What is the purpose of a vacation? I know for my daddy, it was our one week a year together as a family. My dad rarely took off of work while we were growing up. He just couldn’t. But that one week at the lake was a really great time for our family! I see now more than ever before that the purpose of that week for our family was for us to be together – together away from the “busy” of home life; together for my momma away from having to cook for four guys; together around the campfire.
But in order to accomplish the purpose of the time together, there first had to be a process – a process of planning the trip; a process of getting everything done at work for my daddy so that he could get away and enjoy the purpose; a process of saving to pay for the vacation; a process of packing the car; a process of loading up the Red Rider wagon and getting from the parking lot to the campsite. The process was an integral part of the moment in order to facilitate us getting to the “purpose” – the vacation!
The process is a part of the purpose… And there is always a purpose in the journey.
There is no way I will ever know for sure, but I feel confident in this fact: Had Moses not gotten ahead of God, there probably would not have been a need for the burning bush. One of the most enduring moments in all of Scripture happened because a man of God failed miserably. You see… Even when everything about my life feels out of control…God is still very much in control. Even when sin has lead me in a direction less than honoring to God… God still has complete control over me and the chaos I have made.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Meaning this…Before I misstep, God is already a step ahead of me. Now… this does not mean I have complete freedom to sin knowing that God still has me in His hands. Paul says,
I have the right to do anything, you say - but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything, but not everything is constructive. 1 Corinthians 10:23
Moses stepped ahead of God’s plans, and it sent him on a 40 year journey. But what we are going to see is that, even amidst the missteps: God still remains in control even when I have lost control. Because with God, the process is a part of the purpose.
2. Failure is inevitable.
I love Michael Jordan’s thoughts on success: To succeed, I’ve had to fail. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan, December 21, 2016
If I am expecting a stress-free, challenging-free, hard-free, and trouble-free life as a Christian, then I have been reading a different book than the Bible. At every turn, the Bible is full of stories that are full of personal wilderness journeys. And mostly every purpose in the Bible whose story of success we read today, is too marred with failure.
And we see time and again, the process is just as much a part of the purpose.
Exodus 2:12
What a difficult read for us. Let’s not quickly pass by this part of the story on our way to the Promised Land! During the reign of King Rameses III, there was an unsuccessful coup. Apparently, a minor Queen had attempted to dethrone King Rameses to make her son the King. It was during this time that the Pharaoh imposes the first death penalty in Egypt. So when Moses kills a man, the Pharoah has to act. It should be noted that, I presume, he did not want to kill Moses. However, Moses could not be exempt from justice in the Pharaoh’s position. Pharaoh had to enforce his authority, otherwise, the message would be sent that such a violation was not an act of defiance to the authority of the throne, and more important, to the powerful position of the King. Moses knew this. So he flees the attempt of Pharaoh to have him brought to justice.
I wonder how many here today can say that you too, on occasion, have taken into your own hands the attempt to do what is right, yet have found yourself doing the exact opposite of right? I know I have! We have already established that we believe Moses has already formulated in his heart the call God has placed on his life to be used by God to help free God’s people. We read this passage last week from the New Testament book of Acts where Stephen said:
Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. Acts 7:25
So, if Moses believed this, then how could he have done wrong? Well, I am forced to ask myself the same question: Why do I do wrong? I know God has placed me in this moment for this time to lead – to lead our church, to lead my wife; to lead our children; to lead you. Yet, I this very week, have done things I wish I had not! I presume in some way… so have you! Why? It’s simple. I am a sinner. We are all sinners… every one of us. And sin is often the easier of options before me. Rather than exercising restraint, it is often easier to act irrational. Rather than pause to gather my thoughts and actions, it is often easier to let my emotions or lusts or attractions or gratifications or feelings lead the way.
I do not know about you, but I am willing to admit this: I am really good at sinning! Are you? Again, it’s often easier. It’s often more fun. And it’s really easy to convince myself that I deserve it, or, I can get away with it. I am a sinner. And.. I have an enemy who pleasures himself on my sins.
A friend called me this week. “I literally felt the pull of Satan all over me!” I get this! I will tell you what I told him: What is important is what you do next!
Until I recognize a teachable moment from my moments of treachery, I will continually fail over and again at the same thing.
Failure is inevitable. What is imperative:
3. Once I fail, what I do next is what matters most.
Failure must lead to a process by which I learn to not continue failing. There is no such thing as a life without failure. And we are going to see as we continue in the From Fear to Freedom series, Moses makes some monumental failures moving forward – one such failure prevents him access into the Promise Land. What is important for me to understand moving forward: I can always derive a lesson from a loss. I just have to want it more than I want to continue failing.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. Psalm 119:67
The Psalmist goes on to say:
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Psalm 119:71-72
The simple of these two passages: “I used to live casually until I realized the errors of my ways. Now, I closely follow you Lord.” You see… again, the process is just as important as the purpose. Failure often leads you and me to a crossroads…And it is at this crossroads where we are faced with the decision:
Will I continue in my own way, or will I be determined to walk closely with Christ as I journey on?
I do believe this is another lesson for us and why it is so very important you and I stay close to scripture. I speak of this often. The more I'm in the word, the more the word gets into me. And it can be in these moments of post failure where I allow God's word to bring me back, start me a fresh, and help me chart a course for success as I move forward! Scripture reminds me here:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Psalm 33:11
Even though Moses royally messes up, God’s plan has not changed. God has called Moses to help lead His people from fear to freedom. And Moses’ mistakes are not going to change this plan! Notice what God does here? Moses kills a man and runs for his life. Yet… it’s what Moses does next that matters most. And in these actions from Moses, we see the heart of Moses on full display in the very next scene of the story:
Exodus 2:15-25
Moses takes a seat at a well in Midian. This was surely a low point in his life. The last time he sat down to truly relax, he was in line to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt. Now, he is sitting down at a well potentially hundreds of miles away from his people and his adopted people. All he has are the clothes on his back. And obviously he appears to be an Egyptian. The 7 daughters tell their daddy exactly this. But at a time when Moses could be wallowing in his failures, what he does next is what is most important:
Exodus 2:17
Moses comes to the rescue of the 7 daughters of the priest of Midian. And just like that, a new chapter in his life begins. What did Moses do for 40 years? Well, we know he married Zipporah. Moses had two sons with Zipporah during this time. One son, Gershom, was given this name of true meaning.
Gershom /Hebrew/ = Resident alien
How interesting. Once again, Moses finds himself as a foreigner in a foreign land. As a young child, he finds himself, rather than living among his people as slaves, he becomes royalty. And now, 40 years later, he once again becomes a foreigner, this time in Midian. But rather than living as a foreigner of royalty, Moses becomes a different foreigner altogether – one he has never been before. This is exactly what failure often teaches you and me… if we allow it… You see…
4. Failing often leads to serving.
First, Moses serves the 7 daughters of Reuel. He steps in to take care of them when the shepherds were obviously bullying them at the well. But this is not the only way in which he serves:
Exodus 2:21
What did Moses agree to? I presume it was an offer made by Reuel to stay and serve him by tending to his flock:
Exodus 3:1
Wow! What a change of scenery for Moses: From a palace to a peasant. From a Kingdom to a desert. From a position of being served to a position of serving. From royalty to obscurity. And for the next 40 years, he serves his father-in-law.
This June I celebrate 30 years of full-time ministry. I remember the very first full week of Student Camp at which I was hired to come preach. It was Fort Wilderness in Wisconsin. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I flew into a small airport and was picked up by the camp director. We drove several hours in the dark into this remote part of the Wisconsin forest. I slept that night in a really nice hotel style room. Little did I know, I would not have running water again for 10 days. The next morning, I was awakened by a college intern, Ryan, who drove me several miles into the forest to meet a group of kids. They were all wearing backpacks. I had no idea that I was going to spend the next 10 days hiking through the Wisconsin National Forest. The first night in my tent was super scary – especially when several bears made their way into our camping area. Several nights later I was awakened to the sounds of an animal sniffing. I never knew what animal this was! There too was a night on this trip when we all awoke to tents floating in water. This was the first of many humbling trips and interesting encounters.
I remember the day I spent behind bars sharing the gospel to several hundred inmates at a maximum security prison in Baltimore. I too spoke once standing behind chicken wire in a school in New Jersey. One time in Canton, OH, a teenage young man began to charge at me from the bleachers. There was the time in Haiti when I awoke to a tarantula hanging over my bed. And then the time I fell off of a stage in Miami. I too have told y’all of the time my car caught on fire at a gas station in Seaford, DE on the journey home after speaking on the Eastern Shore. There too was the night several years ago when, while preaching, my rental car was broken into in Birmingham, AL.
I also will probably never forget the night I killed 22 spiders in my room my first night at a conference center at Camp Berea in New Hampshire. And the crazy, crazy speaking event where, while in Nevada, the attendees thought I was a comedian. I was hired to speak at this make-shift Comedy Club! That’s the night I realized I am not funny at all! The crowd realized it too! And I am sure my three ladies will not soon forget the morning we awakened to itches from the fleas eating our leges in bed in Valparaiso, IN. One of the wildest adventures was in New Brunswick, Canada stayed at a B & B. A dog in the room next to me barked much of the night. The next morning, I walked the hallway to take a shower, and while showering, I saw a shadow. I proceeded to peek around the shower curtain to see an elderly man standing there in nothing but a towel awaiting his turn to shower!
In so many of these moments over the past 30 years, I often wondered, “God, what are you doing? Do you see the conditions in which I am living? Have my past mistakes condemned me to a career of nothing more than bears and flees and spiders and awkward showers? Do you see that I am spending a tremendous amount of time away from my family and my home and my comforts? Are you listening? Do you even care?
I presume in the 40 years that Moses spent serving his father-in-law in Midian that he too had some very similar thoughts.. Do you find yourself too wondering; questioning; possibly complaining; frustrated; in want of more; expecting something better…? If so… please remember this:
5. It is my faith that is the true catalyst to my freedom.
And this is where, as we end today, that I hope you will find these final words of Exodus 2 as comforting as do I:
Exodus 2:23-25
Moses, the man God is calling has ordained to stand before the greatest empire on the planet is presently taking care of sheep in “No-where-ville!” But do you see what is happening with God? He has not forgotten. He is not non-existent. He has not checked out! It may have seemed to Moses that God was unconcerned and inactive. But this was not the case.
You see…
God is doing what only God can do even when it appears He is not doing anything.
Moses did not know it, but God had not forgotten His people. God had not forgotten His promise to Abraham under the stars. And, in this season of obscurity, God too was preparing Moses for a most incredible journey of a lifetime. God hears the groanings of His people, and He is about to do the unthinkable for an entire nation. Remember what Paul said about Moses in Hebrews 11. Three times Moses is praised for his what? His faith!
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. Hebrews 11:24-28
Do you see for what Moses was remembered? First, he is praised for identifying with his own people. Second, he is praised for leaving Egypt. Thirdly, Moses is praised for keeping the Passover. Not once is Moses ever remembered for his failures. Not even once y’all! This is what God does, y’all.
God does not remember my failures. I too should not.
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”Jeremiah 31:34
Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back. Isaiah 38:17
Church, do you hear it? Can you smell it? Right up ahead… I can see the flames rising. I smell the smoke in the air. I can even hear the crackle of branches burning. The bush where God is awaiting is on fire. What a journey it has been.
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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.