No Excuses
Exodus chapter 3:1-10
Introduction-
I want to talk to you about a God that desires to communicate with us every day.
We live in a society that believes that God is distant and uncaring and not wanting to be involved in our lives. That is not the God of the Bible.
The text in Exodus 3 is a familiar passage about Moses having an encounter with God.
We all say that if God showed up face to face with me, I’d do this or say this.
I want you to know that unless the Lord let you talk, you would not be able to say anything.
Exodus chapter 3:1-10
For Moses, this may of started out as an ordinary day, but it will not end up being ordinary.
Moses spent 40 years tending the sheep of his father-in law Jethro.
I am sure that it felt like any other day…..until God showed up.
He is in the field and notices that a bush in the distant is burning but not consumed. It was so unusual that he leaves where he is at and goes to check it out.
He approaches the bush and God calls him by name….Moses, Moses!
Moses acknowledges God- “Here I am.” Now every true prophet is called by God, but really, here I am? God in all his wisdom couldn’t see Moses? God could have said…No, kidding Sherlock! Here you are- todays language probably would be duh!
I am guessing that the bush speaking to him caught him a bit by surprise, and about the time that he is trying to get a grip on it, God speaks from the bush again and says, “Do not come any closer, take off your sandals for the place that you are standing is holy ground.”
I have to tell you when God speaks to you, it is a God moment!
It is life changing!
I said a while back that when you truly experience Christ and surrender your life to Him, you are never the same again!
Ordinary just became extraordinary.
The usual just became unusual.
All the preconceived ideas of what you are going to ask or tell God will be gone.
His presence dominates and you will be in awe of God.
(6)”At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”
For Moses everything changes because his encounter with God is a revelation of God Himself. The God he sees for the first time can only be described as a God of fire.
The bush that burns just keeps burning.
The God of the universe speaks from a bush and gets Moses attention.
By this time I expect Moses face down fearing for his life that a God of that power has just spoken to him.
The Lord identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses would have understood that.
Says that he sees the captivity and crying out of the Israelites in Egypt.
That God Himself has come down to rescue them and is concerned about them and He is going to bring them out and give them a land flowing with milk and honey
(9) “ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now Go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.
Go Moses! You are going to be the one that I use to bring the Israelites out of bandage and receive the promises that I have for them.
God will often get our attention by causing uncommon events to occur. (coincidence) we know that we have no coincidences in kingdom work. It is God’s Spirit moving, it is not chance events.
I believe that God has chosen to move upon this body of believers and desires for us to make an impact in the community that he has called us too.
God has a way of getting our attention.
God has a way of showing us it is a God moment and not a man made manufactured moment.
40 years Moses was content being the shepherd for his father-in law and God shows up.
40 years God was preparing Moses for such a moment as this- you are going to be the tool to do something that seems impossible. 400 years in bondage and you are going to the pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go!
What does the burning bush mean to Moses? What does it mean to each one of us?
It means that God wants to get our attention. He wants each of us to break out of our comfort zone and do the work that we were destined to do. (repeat)
Moses was never the same. Ever!
Some of you know exactly what I mean when I say that you have had an encounter with God and He has called you to do a task that was bigger and harder than what you can do yourself.
The best time for God to show up is unexpected.
God is working to do something fresh and new. God is tired of using the other guy, He wants to use you.
So many of us are hung up in our past that we cannot do what God is wanting to do now.
God is tired of the same old same old.
God tells Moses- I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The place where you are standing is holy ground, take off your sandals, and I the God of the universe have a job for you to do.
lead my people out of Egypt into the promised land.
“Don’t look back, we are not going that way!”
Like “David, Moses was called from tending sheep to shepherding God’s people
God got his attention by doing something not normal, and calling him to an extraordinary assignment.
Now Moses did what most all of us would do when faced with that overwhelming assignment.
We come up with excuses- Moses has it down pat- just like us!
1. “who me”
2. “By what authority”
3. “what if”
And when all else fails, plead with God to send someone else.
Excuses
I forgot
No one told me.
I didn’t know
Wait.
That is the way we have always done it.
It is not my job.
There comes a time where the excuses have to stop and obedience to His will has to step in.
A poor workmen will always blame his tools.
Moses felt in-adequate-
because he looked at his own abilities.
In that respect, he was in-adequate.
Doing things of God in our strength and ability is limited.
The Lord is looking for people who realize that the God who called you to a task will give you everything needed to accomplish the task given.
Moses felt in-sufficient- Have you ever heard me speak?
I studder…
I have not read all the manuals yet.
I need more time! God replies “I made your mouth”
is there anything that you could tell God about yourself that he does not already know?
I will help you speak and tell you what to say
I can personally say a big Amen to that!
Moses felt weak-
Can you imagine being told you will lead 2 million people out of Egypt.
I would have been crying out to God.
God you are going to have to help me.
“Not by might , nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!
That would have been me!
The last thing!
Moses was afraid of failing
Lord what if they don’t believe me.
What if they say it is not from you.
What if people don’t want change.
What if I cannot handle the pressure.
Abraham Lincoln-
“With God I cannot fail, without God, I cannot succeed.”
Closing
I Want to spend a minute here before we close.
Moses pleaded with God to send someone else.
The Lord is telling us that we are who he chooses to use.
Each one of you are where you are for a reason.
Everything you have- time, talents, money, is to be used in some way for the kingdom of God.
Each one of us is called to something.
We are not all called to be preachers, missionaries in other countries, but we are all called to achieve what God has called us to do.
I’m reading a book called amplified leadership. We are not called to do everything, but are all called to do something.
Each one of us is to establish influence, build people up, and impact people for the kingdom of God.
Satan loves it when God’s people are idle doing God’s work.
We are all busy, but all are not about God’s business.
Moses saw more of God in the desert than he saw when he was in pharaoh court.
The things God reveals to us, belong to us, we ought to investigate it and receive it.
Those that draw near to God will find him, find where they fit into the plan of God.
No selective hearing when God speaks.
Moses has a God moment! And the only way to have a God moment is to put yourself into a position to have a God moment.
Altar Call
