“THE BURNING BUSH”
TEXT: Exo 3:4 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.
B.R.: EX. 3:1-4
INTRODUCTION: As I read in our bible passage, we find Moses keeping his father-in-law sheep. The bible says that he led the sheep to the backside of the desert and came to the mountain of God.
In the life of every individual upon the face of this earth, one finds themselves looking for a deeper meaning in life. Moses led his flock to the backside of the desert, even to the Mountain of God, Mt. Horeb, which is also called Mt Sinai.
Sometimes God has to get us alone so we can listen to what he has to say.
All the hustle in bustle of this life.
Work
School
Children
Bills
Family
Relationships
Sometimes situations get in our way and separate us from getting our spiritual house in order. The Lord is trying to turn us aside to let us know that if we seek Him with the full heart, that he will put all the other things in order.
The bible says in Mat 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Moses came face to face with the angel of the Lord in the burning bush. God knows how to get our attention. Moses stopped in his tracks because he had never seen a sight like this before….a bush burning but not being consumed.
So, in verse 3 here in Exodus, the bible says: And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Think back in your life. What is it that the Lord is doing in your life that is trying to turn you aside to get your attention to turn toward Him. People are looking for a sign to let them know what God wants from their life. Sometimes, when they get the sign, they overlook it or brush it off.
The Lord gets our attention by:
Sending people our way; Saved people, a real preacher.
Circumstances
Problems
He jogs our lives to let us know…”Hello, I am still here waiting for you to get the picture.”
So Moses turned aside. The bible says in verse 4: And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called him….”
God is waiting and watching to see if you will turn aside and investigate what is going on.
Why are these things happening in my life?
When you turn aside and look further into it, the Lord will speak to your heart.
The Lord does this in everyones life. That’s how he gets people attention. Sometimes, when God gets people attention, they get scared and run from God. God directs them to do something and they run from the responsibility that the Lord has for them to do.
They quit coming to church.
They stop reading their bible
They stop praying
They try to do avoid everything that has to do with God…..but they can’t get away from the call of God.
Moses turned aside and looked closer at the burning bush of fire and God called his name out of the burning bush. He said: “Moses, MOSES!! God called his name twice. Maybe Moses thought he heard something and shook it off. But the Lord doesn’t give up that easily. God called him a second time. God is not going to give up on people.
Just like he called Moses out of the burning bush, He is still calling men and women out from the world. He has turned men and women aside into a church service like this this morning to give them a burning bush experience.
Moses answered the Lord. He said in verse 4………Here am I. In other words……..he was saying “I’m listening.” Moses was looking for God and he found Him. Psa 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
God is not hid from those who seek Him with the whole heart.
When a man or woman turns aside and answers the Lord in a affirmative way, God does not hesistate to let them know what He wants done.
First thing the Lord does is establish who He is. He says in verse 5: “Draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”. In other words he said “Stop, don’t come any closer”. Take off those dirty shoes. Don’t you know you are walking on my ground….”HOLY GROUND”!!!!
First thing God does is make us look at ourselves in relation to Him. When a man or woman comes to God, he lets them know first that He is Holy.
Everything about Him is Holy.
We must treat him Holy.
We must serve Him Holy.
So Moses takes off his shoes and God tells him who He is in verse 6. He said: Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Moses could not even look God in the face because he was afraid. Many times in this life, people are not afraid of God. They do not reverence Him the way they should. That’s because of pride. “Who is God”?? There are a lot of people that say this not only with their life, but with their Words:
Jay-Z: Jesus can’t save you, life starts when the church ends.
Marilyn Monroe: “I don’t need your Jesus”
John Lennon: “We are more popular than Jesus”
We all need God.
