Sermon Snippet – The Third Third
INTRODUCTION – The lengthy life of Moses provides numerous lessons for us. His 120 years break down into three roughly 40-year periods. We will touch upon all three, with emphasis on the third third.
1. GOD’S PROTECTION AND PREPARATION ARE FOR US, TOO
Moses should have been killed as an infant, per the decree of a pharaoh who “knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8, 22). Instead, he was adopted into the royal family (Exodus 2:1-10) with his own mother hired as his nurse. Thus, Moses received the best of everything, including the best of education, available at that time while being sheltered from Egyptian paganism through the constant and consistent influence of his godly mother. We should often review what God has done for us, and we should grow in our appreciation of His sheltering solicitude (Psalm 90:1). We should also recognize that God’s preparation of us is never wasted, even if circumstances seem to indicate otherwise, as we find in Exodus 2:11-15. Was the potential, the promise, of Moses lost forever? No, not at all, as we will see. The first third of his life mattered.
2. GOD’S PLAN INVOLVES PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
The second third of Moses’ life was spent as a shepherd in the sparsely-populated region of Midiam (Exodus 2:16-3:1). His usefulness to God and to the people of Israel appeared to be over. We can imagine his sense of personal failure, of what might have been. In fact, this lengthy period was building character in Moses. Shepherding requires patience, for herd animals need careful attention. Hour after hour, day after day, year after year, Moses had to perform the same tasks; he needed to be persistent. A work of God may not happen quickly; we need to develop patience and persistence as we wait for His plan to unfold. We can be certain that He is far more patient and persistent than we are; His choice of Moses is just one example of His longsuffering love.
3.GOD’S PURPOSES ARE NOT NECESSARILY OUR PREFERENCES
Moses did not want to return to Egypt to lead the people of Israel out of slavery (Exodus 3:11). It is easy to understand his feelings of inadequacy (remember, he was an obscure shepherd), but God promised to be with him (Exodus 3:12). Perhaps, also, Moses was more comfortable leading animals than people. I can appreciate his concerns about directing 2-3 million complaining, whining, petulant people; there is a reason that they were called “the children of Israel”! Which role would you prefer? I would definitely choose to spend the third third of my life in the open expanses of Midian – except that I would want to follow God’s will. Too old? No, none of us are. We may not begin an ambitious new program as Moses did, but we have opportunities for meaningful service. This is a time of instability, and we may be the sole spots of stability in the lives of others. We know what matters, and it is our privilege to convey the truth to others by our steady and sturdy examples.
CONCLUSION – I have spoken of the third third rather than of the final third, for the end of this life is entrance into eternity, either nestled securely in the presence of God in heaven or separated from Him in hell (Matthew 25:46). Through faith in Jesus, God the Son, we are assured of “life eternal” with Him. If we instead reject His miraculous offer of salvation, we are certain of existence separate from Him forever. It is that separation that constitutes the “everlasting punishment” of hell. May each one of us be sure that we have called upon Jesus as Savior; if you are not certain, cry out to Him today. None of us know when the third third will end; that is why Scripture states that “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).