The Wilderness Wanderer: Week Five - "Moses My Servant Is Dead"

Today we are going to be concluding the sermon series that we've been working on entitled, The Wilderness Wanderer - Lessons from the Life of Moses

We are exploring some key texts from the life of Moses. We’ll learn what it means to trust God, live in faith, and journey toward God’s purposes.  

Today, we are going to be reading the story of Moses passing. 

And we’re going to be learning about how the roles we play in life are more important than we think—even the ones where we can’t see the ending. 

I want you to think of at least three people in your life who incredibly affected you—but they never really knew how important they were to you.  

Let's have a couple of people share their story.  

What did they say or do that impacted your life so much? 

Have you ever felt like you’ve been that person?

WE ARE ALL PART OF A BIGGER STORY GOD IS WRITING

34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. 

Image of Mount Nebo

There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 

View of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo

4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

A moment of regret--Moses gets to see the Promised Land, but doesn't get to go into it. 

5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

There's mystery and theology (in the good sense) surrounding Moses' death.  

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[b] of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

He paved the way for his successor--Joshua

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

He was named a prophet--given a title that cemented his legacy. 

For all of the trials and tribulations he faced, he finally finds peace. 

Joshua 1:1-2 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.

"Moses my servant is dead" - the story of a sign. 

None of it is mine. But the moments I'm given need to be fully embraced.  

Ways We Can Embrace Our Part In God’s Story

1. The past is the past—you aren’t going that way.  

2. You are a role player in God’s bigger story, and it’s a good one. 

3. You never know when you could be someone’s Moses.  

4. You are not done until you’re done—God intends to use us up.  

WE ARE ALL PART OF A BIGGER STORY GOD IS WRITING