Knowing Our Weakness and God's Power
The sermon highlights the importance of humility and relying on God's power, even in the face of weakness, and the significance of brevity in expressing deep emotions.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the contrast between Moses' lack of eloquence and God's power, illustrating that God often chooses the weak and humble to accomplish His purposes. Despite Moses' self-doubt and speech impediment, it was he, not his eloquent brother Aaron, who led Israel and authored significant biblical texts. Tozer points out that true depth of emotion often results in simplicity of expression, as seen in the poignant brevity of 'Jesus wept.' This sermon encourages believers to recognize their weaknesses as opportunities for God's strength to shine through.
Text
Moses was not a fluent man. His words spoken to God must be accepted as being a sincere and fair appraisal of the facts: "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue" (Exodus 4:10). The Lord did not try to cheer up His doubting servant by telling him that he had misjudged his ability. He allowed Moses' statement to stand unchallenged. But He said to Moses, "What about your brother Aaron the Levite?
I know he can speak well." God gave Aaron an "A" in speech. He was undoubtedly an eloquent man. Yet it was the halting Moses, not the fluent Aaron, who faced Pharaoh time after time in defense of Israel; it was Moses, not the eloquent Aaron, who wrote the brilliant and beautiful story of the creation; it was Moses who penned the Book of Deuteronomy, one of the most poetical and moving books ever written. Was Aaron too fluent for God to use after all? I do not claim to know why, but whatever the reason, we have but few samples of Aaron's words in the Bible and countless pages of Moses'.
The reason back of all this is that great emotions rarely produce fluency of speech, whereas shallow feelings are sure to express themselves in many words.
We tend to use words in inverse proportion to the depth of our feelings. Some of the profoundest emotions of the heart utter themselves in a chaste brevity of words, as when John tells us of Christ's sharp grief at the grave of Lazarus. He says simply, "Jesus wept." With exquisite good taste, the scholars who divided the Bible into verses allowed those two words to stand alone. Nothing more is needed to reveal the mighty depth of Christ's love for His friend.
Sermon Outline
- I. Moses' Weakness and God's Power
- A. Moses' self-assessment of his speech
- B. God's acceptance of Moses' weakness
- C. The contrast between Moses and Aaron
- II. The Relationship Between Emotions and Speech
- A. Great emotions produce few words
- B. Shallow feelings produce many words
- C. The importance of brevity in expressing deep emotions
Key Quotes
“Jesus wept.” — A.W. Tozer
“What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well.” — A.W. Tozer
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should be mindful of our words and only speak what is necessary to convey our emotions.
- Humility and a willingness to rely on God's power are essential for effective service.
- Simplicity and brevity in expression can be a powerful way to convey deep emotions.