Excuses Excuses Series

Please open your bibles to Exodus chapter 3….

We noted in v1-6 of Exodus 3 how holy God is and wherever He is is holy ground. God is holy but He calls unholy people personally to Him. God, who has created everything, is to be approached with humility, respect, and holiness! God is the Creator; people are the created! God can actually do whatever He wants with people.

And in v7-10 of Exodus 3, we noted how God loves, promises, and sends for the manifestation of His love, wonder, and glory. God chose a people the Israelites, but they were enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt!

Moses believed in God! Moses saw and heard the love, the power, the glory, and the holiness of God! Moses was called to do work! How did Moses respond to God’s calling? Read again with me Exodus 3:10-22….

And so, we note again in v10: the Almighty God calls on Moses to go get the Israelites out of Egypt. Here’s a question: Would an Almighty God ask someone to do something which cannot be done?? Why or why not?

God states, nothing is impossible with Him! If God can not do everything then He is not almighty! God did not ask Moses something that could not be done; but Moses had a few excuses.

What was Moses’ first excuse about doing what God asked him to do??

v11: Moses had no self-worth!

And what was God’s answer to Moses’ excuse of incapability?

v12: God assured Moses that His powerful presence will be with him and he will be successful!

Now, based on v13, what were Moses’ next excuses about doing what God asked him to do?? There are at least 2…

a. Moses was claiming his ignorance of God! Really, it was just another excuse not to do God’s command because Moses made a silly statement; Moses basically said “God, I don’t know your name!”, but he was just told God was talking to him in v6 and Moses was actually calling him God!

And I think the other excuse is Moses’

b. fear of rejection; remember 40 years prior Moses tried to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and he was just laughed at.

God’s answer to Moses of course is really obvious,

v14: I, God, am sending you; but if you want a Name, simply IAM!

We noted last week that the story here in Exodus 3 should have ended at v10; God shared His love; God made promises; then God asked Moses to do work. Moses without excuses and questioning should have just done the work!

But God is also patient and answered Moses’ concerns in v12-14; the story again could have ended at v14! There is so much to talk about and apply to our lives that I am just going to highlight what God does in v15-22 and talk more in detail next week as we celebrate Communion.

God directly answered Moses’ concerns, then what do we note in v15-22?

God provided additional information and assurances for Moses! We’ll look into these additional assurances in more detail next week. What should we note today?

1. God will not ask us to do anything that can not be done! Nothing is impossible with God! but like Moses, many times we question God! but like with Moses,

2. God understands all our concerns about doing something He asks!

2 Peter 1:3 tells us….. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

How does God give us everything??

- through Jesus Christ

- through God’s Word

- through The Holy Spirit

- through prayer

We can sum all of these provisions by putting on what?? Are we putting on the Full Armor of God? Let us note in the list of the faithfuls in Hebrews 11, it does not state by faith Moses questioned God; it states that Moses was faithful because he did what God told him to do!

And also for us today, always remember that God is a loving God!

3. God does not just respond to our basic concerns and needs. God is love; God always gives us more than we need!

How’s our daily commitment to God? Our motto should be, “God said it, that settles it!”

And,

How thankful are we to our Almighty Creator God on a daily basis?