What Could Derail Your Journey?

Main Point: If you don’t fully surrender the broken areas of your life to God, they have the potential to derail your journey.

Moses loved and served God but his journey was derailed by a fundamental character flaw.

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. —Exodus 2:11-12

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. —Exodus 32:19

The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” —Numbers 20:7-8

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. —Numbers 20:9-11

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” — Numbers 20:12

God sets expectations for how we are to live and act. He does not waver.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. —Galatians 5:19-21

God will never let our flaws keep us from having a relationship with him.

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. —Matthew 17:1-3

Our flaws may lead us to encounter God’s discipline, but they will never exclude us from God’s grace.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9

Takeaway: Let God’s grace, not your personal flaws, write the story of your life.

Discussion Questions

1. Besides Moses, who are some other important people in the Bible who had fundamental character flaws?
2. How does God setting expectations for how we are to live and act make you feel? Do you ever feel inhibited by that? Do you find freedom within that structure?
3. Have you ever let your flaws and brokenness keep you from having a relationship with God? What do you now know that God says about that?

Table Discussion Question - Do you haver a fundamental flaw like Moses - a sinful tendency that you have really struggled to overcome? How have you tried to address it? How has it, or could it, derail your journey?