Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream
Moses faced danger and insecurities from the time he was born, and later, when he spoke with a lisp.
But Moses, reluctantly, placed his faith in God to earn him a place in the Bible's Hall of Faith.
“He throws a bunch of red flags, (saying) ‘God, use somebody else," Illuminate Community Church pastor Jason Fritz told students during Monday's Chapel service at Global Credit Union Arena. “I am not qualified to be the authoritative voice in the Nation of Israel.'”
Fritz, who participated in Friday’s 23rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., returning just before winter storm Fern descended, shared how he and Moses had to overcome speech issues.
“If you were to tell me that I will be preaching Chapel at GCU for the fourth time, I would say you are insane,” Fritz said. “The apostle Paul says that God chooses fools, the things that are unseen. God chooses all the time. God chooses unseen people in order for others to see Him.
“And this is why Moses is one of my heroes. And I'll tell you this, God does not call you because you are ready. It’s because he is ready.”
Fritz reiterated that “faith is trust,” and he cited examples of Moses’ transformation from self-doubter to believer of God to illustrate that saying.
It starts shortly after Moses’ birth, as the Israelites are beginning to populate Egypt and a fearful Pharaoh tries to thwart the threat of an overthrow by declaring every male baby be tossed into the Nile. So Moses’ parents place him in a basket in the weeds near the Nile, trusting that God’s sovereignty would prevail over the rulers.
Pharoah’s daughter hears Moses, draws him out from the Nile and brings him to the palace to be raised as her son.
“By the way, that’s the meaning of the name Moses, 'to be drawn out,'” Fritz said.
Hebrews 11:24 states that, by faith, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter and elected to be mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
“You better relent, because my God is about to show up,” Moses warns Pharoah, displaying he has no fear because of his faith in God.
In Hebrews 11:28, “By faith, he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch Israel’s firstborn.”
“Bottom line is, God speaks, Moses acts, and he experienced the pleasure of God on his life,” Fritz said.
Moses’ doubts resurface after God asks him to lead the Israelites. Moses insists he’s not qualified.
God responds by telling him, “It’s not about you. It’s about what I’m going to do through you.”
To prove his point, God tells Moses to throw a staff (a wooden rod representing authority and support) on the ground. The staff became a serpent, causing Moses to run.
God tells Moses to grab the serpent by the tail, and it became a staff in his hand.
In Exodus 4:6-7, God tells Moses to put his hand in his cloak before taking it out. The hand becomes leprous (diseased). After being told by God to put his hand inside his cloak and then pull it out, his hand returns to normal.
If the Israelites remain skeptical, Moses is told by God to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground, which became blood.
Fritz said that God’s “bizarre scenarios” are His way of showing others not to fear limitations because, “I’m going to work through your fears.”
To illustrate God’s point further, He addresses Moses’ fear of public speaking because he struggles to pronounce consonants. God tells him that He would teach him what to say.
Moses pleas with Him to send someone else to speak, causing an angry God to summon Moses’ brother Aaron, the Levite, to visit so Moses can tell him what to say to the people while he gestures with a staff.
Fritz knows what Moses experienced.
"I preached three services on Sunday,” Fritz said. “By the end of the third service, (the lisp) starts to come out. And in elementary school and in junior high school, you have to admit, students can be just brutal. So I was constantly reminded of this impediment, and it was a struggle. I avoided public speaking all the time.”
But by the time Moses arrives in Egypt, he speaks with more conviction and becomes the sole authoritative voice in leading the people of God.
“And God was gracious to give him what he needed in his moment of insecurity, speaking right where it happened,” said Fritz, adding that Moses preached up to his death.
Fritz cited other examples of those who overcame fear, such as David, who rose from a shepherd overlooked by his family to become king; Mary’s ascent as an ordinary, unknown girl in Nazareth who God used to carry the Savior; and Peter, a fisherman who spoke before he thought but became the foundational leader of the early church.
“So here's the thing, GCU. Faith does not start with eloquence or anything that you and I bring to the table,” Fritz said. “Faith is trust. Faith starts in the very ordinary things -- what is imperfect, the scared, the hesitant places in your life. God meets you where you're at. Can I ask you this morning, what is your insecurity? Be real.
“… You are not here by accident. God has some calling on your life. I don't know what it is, but it is, in some way, it is service to Him. But there's something in your life where you might be saying, ‘not me.’ You might be saying, ‘not now,’ and God is saying, ‘I hear the excuses, but you're right where you need to be.’"
Next Chapel speaker: Josh Watt, North Mountain Redemption, 11 a.m., Feb. 2, Global Credit Union Arena
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at Mark.Gonzales@gcu.edu
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