Called

Scripture:  Exodus 3:1-15

Subject: Calling

Central Theme: God’s calling

Objective Statement:  We should respond to God’s calling in our lives for three reasons.
Keyword:  Reasons

Points:

1. Circumstances: God can use our circumstances to lead to His calling. (v.1-6)
2. Afflictions: God cares about the afflictions of the people to which He calls us. (v.7-11)
3. Fears: God calms our fears and equips us for His calling. (v.12-15)

Introduction:

Connection:

• We all love a good story.
• You know how I know?
  • Art
  • Music
• Every one of these mediums are used for storytelling.
• The best stories have a problem to solve.
• There is something that must happen. There is a dragon to slay.  There is a damsel to save.  There are people to rescue.  There is a wrong that needs to be righted.
• There are characters.
  • There are heroes.
  • There are villains.
  • There are victims.
  • There are trusted advisors.
• There is a happily ever after.

Tension:

• I believe that this is a part of every good story because it can and does point us to God’s story.
• It points us to the fact that we are made in His image.
• Every story in the Bible is a part of this bigger story. His Story.
• And there are different ways to look at this.
• One way is to think of the people in the Bible as the heroes.
• The truth is that although there are people who do heroic things in the Bible, God is the hero.
• People are flawed. We are not perfect.
• There is no one, other than Jesus Christ, who did not need rescuing.
• David doesn’t really save the day. Daniel doesn’t really save the day.  Joshua doesn’t really save the day.
• Who saves? God does!  Jesus does.
• He is the hero.
• But one of the amazing things about God’s story is that he invites the rescued to be a part of the rescuing.
• The ones He saves are the ones He wants to use to be a part of the story with Him.
• He does this by calling them to be a part of what He is doing. We see this repeatedly throughout the Bible.
• In scripture we know that these people are flawed.
  • David committed murder and adultery.
  • Paul was a persecutor of Christians.
  • Noah was a drunk.
  • Peter was a mess.
• Yet, God used all of these people.
• And God wants to use us.
• He does this by first staving us.
• Then he calls us.
• And that is what I want to talk about tonight because that is what we see God do tonight in the life of Moses.

Body:

Objective Statement: We should respond to God’s calling in our lives for three reasons.

1.     Circumstances: God can use our circumstances to lead to His calling. (v.1-6)

Explanation:

Exodus 3:1-15

(1)  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

• How does Moses find himself here?
• He had been a prince of Egypt!
• He was brought up in Pharoah's palace by Pharoah's mother.
• He was Jewish. He came from the slave class in Egypt.
• When he was grown something notable happened.

Exodus 2:11-15

(11)  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.  (12)  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. (13)  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?  (14)  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. (15)  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

• What did Moses think about his life at this moment? Was it a high point or a low point?
  • He was third culture person. He didn't grow up as a jew even though he was Jewish, and he wasn't quite Egyptian either.
  • He was no longer welcome where he grew up.
  • He was a murderer.
  • He was on the run from Egyptian authorities.
• I'm sure living in the palace he had access to all the best that Egypt had to offer:
  • The best education, entertainment, food, living conditions... all of it.
• Now he finds himself in the wilderness.
  • He finds himself without the resources.
  • He finds himself doing menial work- the work of a shepherd.
  • He was married now. He worked for his father-in-law.
• He took this flock of sheep to the "mountain of God"- Horeb.
  • Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, a place where Moses would take the flock of Israel and receive the law of God.

(2)  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

(3)  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

• We are told that Moses sees two notable things on the “mountain of God” in this moment.
• First, he sees the “Angel of the Lord”.
  • We will see in the next few verses who this is.
  • This isn’t the first time in our reading plan that we have heard about the “angel of the Lord.”
• Secondly, he sees a burning bush.
  • What was notable about this bush is that it was burning hot but not consumed.
  • It’s hard to imagine what exactly that looked like- a raging fire that doesn’t completely burn up the leaves, twigs, limb and trunk.
  • Obviously, this was worth a second look. Surely, he got more than he bargained for when he went to see this anomaly.

(4)  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

• What an incredible thing to hear the voice of God!
• He called Him supernaturally, miraculously, and definitively.
• He called him by name. “Moses, Moses”.  Hold on to that for a moment.

(5)  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

• He says “draw not nigh hither”. What does that mean?
• Don’t come any closer.
• “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet”
• Why?
• “for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”.
• What made it holy?

(6)  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

• He was the God of his anscestors.
• He had made a promise to Him through His anscestors.
• Moses understood that later. He is the one who through the inspritation of the Holy Spirit wrote Genesis.

And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

• Was Moses awar

Application:

• So, think about Moses’ circumstances.
  • His name.
    • What did Moses’ name mean? It meant “drawing out” that is “rescued.
      • Who named him? The Egyptian princess
      • Who put her in the Nile river? His jewish mother.
    • What was “Drawn out” and “rescued” being called to do?
  • His upbringing.
    • Both Egyptian and Jewish.
    • His relationships.
    • His training.
  • His own exodus.
    • He was in the wilderness.
    • He was in a holy place.
    • He was ready to hear from God.
  • His Jewishness
    • Through the nation of Israel all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
  • If you were to interview Moses right before this calling He would have been blind to how all of what God was allowing and doing in his life would contribute to his calling.
  • The same can be true for us.
  • Maybe the circumstances of your life are not accidental.
  • Maybe the circumstances of your life can be used for what God is calling you to do.
  • The calling of God for us is no less miraculous. Peter says that we “have a more sure word of prophecy” to us.
  • God’s commission to the “ekklessia” is something to which we are all called.
  • There is hope.
  • Who is the person that often is called to help the addicted? The disabled?  The hurting?  A particular group?  Is it not people who have experienced and been prepared for these same people?

Transition Sentence:

• Why should we respond to God’s calling? Sometimes he uses our circumstances to prepare us for that calling.
• Why else should we respond to God’s calling?

2.     Afflictions:  God cares about the afflictions of the people to which He calls us. (v.7-11)

Explanation:

(7)  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

(8)  And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

• How do we know that God heard their afflictions?
• “I know their sorrows”.
• “I am come down to deliver them”
• “I remember my promise.”

(9)  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

• “I have heard their cries”.
• “I will send thee”

(10)  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

• What is my plan? Me working through you is my plan.

Application:

• One of the things we must understand is that our life is not ultimately about us.
• Life is ultimately about God.
• Moses isn’t the hero in this story.
• God is the hero.
• Moses doesn’t bring God’s people out of Egypt on his own.
• God is the one who does it.
• God cares about the affliction of His people.
• The reason that calling happens is that there is affliction.
• There are problems.
• God cares about people. How do we know?
  • He sent His Son to die for them.
  • He calls us to minister to them.

Transition Sentence

• Why should we respond to God’s calling?
  • Circumstances: He uses our circumstances to prepare us for His calling.
  • Afflictions: There are problems that He wants to use us to solve, and as rescued people he is calling us to a ministry of rescue.

3.     Fears:  God calms our fears and equips us for His calling. (v.12-15)

Explanation:

• Moses has one question: “Who am I?”

(11)  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

• Moses immediately went to the difficulty in the calling.
• What was the calling? I’m getting my people out of Egypt through you.
• What was the difficulty in that?
• Moses saw Pharoah as a pretty large obstacle to what God wanted him to do.
• Moses also saw himself in light of this monumental task. “Who am I?”
• Moses’s fear- Pharoah
• Look at God’s answer:

(12)  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

• God’s presence.
  • I will be with thee.
• Moses’ fear- the people.

(13)  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

(14)  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

• God’s answer:
• God’s identity.

(15)  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

• “I am”
  • Not “I was”
  • Not “I will be”
  • “I am”
  • The eternally self-existent one

Application:

• We do not have to be afraid.
• What God calls us to do he will equip us to do.
• When God calls us to go he goes with us.
• When God call us to go we go under His authority.
  • We do not have to worry about others being against us. Why? They are just lesser Pharoah’s.
  • Who is Pharoah?
  • “I am” hath sent us.

Transition Sentence:

• Why should we respond to God’s calling?
  • Circumstances: God uses our circumstances.
  • Affliction: God cares.
  • Fears: God equips and goes with us. Why should we be afraid?

Conclusion:

Application:

• There are some things I know that God is calling you to because of what the Word of God says.
  • Great Commission
• There are some things I know that God is calling you to because of your circumstances.
  • Parent
  • Spouse
  • Boss
  • Neighbor
• There may be some things that God is calling to you in the difficulty of your circumstances.
• There may be some things that God is calling you to through righteous desires.
• What is God calling you to do through His Word? In your role?  In your difficulty.

Inspiration:

• Imagine this: Imagine a church full of people listening to the call of God for their lives.
• Imagine a church full of people that say “Here I am” when God calls.
• Imagine what affliction in the world could be solved if God’s people responded to God’s calling.
• Who’s eternity could be impacted by our obedience to God’s calling? Who’s eternity could be impacted by our disobedience?