The morning text for the sermon is found in Exodus chapter 4 verses 10 through 12, Exodus 4, starting at verse 10. But Moses said to the Lord, oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou

has spoken to thy servant. but I am slough of speech and of tongue.

Then the Lord said to him, who has made man's mouth, who makes him dumb or deaf or seeing or blind. Is it not I, the Lord?

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. My goal this morning is to help us feel more trust in the use of our mouths in this church and in our neighborhoods and

in our places of work and recreation.

more faith in the God who made the mouth that we might dare to use it in all of our weakness and insufficiency for his glory so that we can deliver people from bondage.

Both people in this church who need words of liberation spoken to them and people outside the church who are waiting to be saved

through our witness.

Now let me give two illustrations why I think a word like this is necessary for us.

I remember when I used to sit in the pew and sometimes a sequence of thought would go through my Sometimes a First thought. Oh, thank you, Lord, for bringing a visitor to our church. May they feel at home. May they like our fellowship so much and find so much

encouragement here that they'll want to stay and even become a minister to us as we do to them.

Second thought, I should walk over there and say hello and get to know their name and strike up a conversation

to make them feel welcome.

Third thought, what if they don't appreciate it? What if they want to just keep a low

profile and kind of get in and get out and not talk to anybody. And what if they're members already?

And I just haven't met them yet.

They go to the other service

and they just happen to come to this one this morning.

Or maybe they're just relatives that are who go here their relatives

go here and they're just going to be here one day and so there's no possibility that they

could become a member and what if it turns out we don't have anything in common and then there's that awful awkward silence and I don't know what to say.

Four thought.

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