The CHALLENGE OF GOD's CALL-V—Exodus 3:1-22
Assistance/Availability/Discovering/Significance
Attention:
Whenever we travel to NC(where our kids live) I absolutely hate taking the interstate.
But because of that, we have to use the mapping programs on our mobile phones—& not really having ‘the big picture’ ahead of time, we are prone to take wrong turns or trust our ‘instincts’ rather than the mapping program.
I can remember one place in GA which is above Cochran...We were on GA 112 heading north—we had crossed I-10 & US 441—& the mapping program told us we were supposed to turn off to the right onto Long Branch Rd. We were in the ‘boonies’ & suddenly came upon Long Branch Rd. which bore off to the right on the outside of a curve among some trees so we passed it without realizing it until it was too late. We wrangled over whether we should turn around because to me, Long Branch looked like a cattle trail compared to 112...no traffic light or noticeable intersection, so we passed it. I thought, that can’t be the way. Well, we kept driving & trying to get our bearings, finally picking up a decent Verizon signal & discovered that taking Long Branch Rd. would have shaved somewhere around 15-20 miles off of our trek!
I faced the Challenge of listening to myself versus the truth!
All Christians deal with the realization that God’s Call presents a Challenge to our flesh! If we heed His call, then God can work in our lives. But if we trust ourselves rather than God, He is not working in our lives.
Exodus records the significance of God’s call to Moses.
Answering God’s call presents a significant challenge.
To What does God’s call present a challenge?
16 challenges of/to God’s call.
We have found earlier that,
God’s call presents a challenge to...
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our OBSERVATION(:2-3)
3. Our AVAILABILITY(:4)
4. Our APPROACH(:5)
5. Our AWE(:6)
6. Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
7—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our INABILITY(:10-11)
Explanation:(:10-11)
:10—“Come now, therefore, & I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.””
Moses is God’s solution to Israel’s need for deliverance.
Moses is told that he is being sent to the most powerful man/king/“Pharaoh” of all “Egypt”(~ the time of the Shang Dynasty in China) It will be Moses’ task to rescue(“bring out”) God’s “people” from “Egypt.” Such a charge, even though intimated by God Himself, is a daunting & fear inducing burden for Moses(:11).
God calls His servant after having offered them enough evidence to bring conviction to the one He calls.
“Come”(See :11, 16, 21—“Go”)—Kly yaw-lak’—Qal Imperative—1) To go, walk, come. Strong—a primitive root; To walk (literally or figuratively); causatively--To carry(in various senses).
“Now”—hte at-taw’—Adverb—1) Now. Strong—from te ayth;[Time, especially(adverb with preposition)--Now, when, etc.] At this time(whether adverb, conjunction or expletive). Used 9X.
“Send”(See :20—“let...go”)—xlv shaw-lakh’—Qal Imperfect—1) To send, send away, let go, stretch out. Strong—a primitive root; To send away, for, or out(in a great variety of applications).
“Pharaoh”(See :11)—herp Par`oh—Pharaoh = "great house”—1) The common title of the king of Egypt. Strong—of Egyptian derivation; Paroh, a general title of Egyptian kings.
“Bring...out”(See :8—hle“Bring up”)—auy yaw-tsaw’—Hiphil Imperative—1) To go out, come out, exit, go forth—1b) (Hiphil)—1b1) To cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out, 1b2) To bring out of, 1b3) To lead out, 1b4) To deliver. Strong—a primitive root; To go(causatively--Bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively, direct & proximal.
“People”(See :7)—Me `am—1) Nation, people—1a) People, nation, 1b) Persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men; 2) Kinsman, kindred. Strong—A people(as a congregated unit); specifically--A tribe(as those of Israel); hence collectively--Troops or attendants; figuratively--A flock. :11—“But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, & that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ”
Moses was a very unassuming man(Num. 12:3).
Num. 12:3—“(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)”
Moses sees himself as insufficient & unequal(low self-esteem) to the task— which he rightly is not. Unbeknownst to him, at this time(4:10-13), Moses is only able/equal to the task if God has declared it & only by God’s equipping & empowerment.
Moses has the correct approach to God in seeing himself as weak. Unfortunately Moses is on the verge of missing an opportunity to serve God rightly. Moses is tempted to make so much of his own weaknesses, so that he makes himself unable to be used of God. Such an attitude can actually be an outwardly inverted form of arrogance & means of control.
2Cor. 12:1-10—“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions & revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- how he was caught up into Paradise & heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
God’s equipping with its subsequent boldness does not take away from one’s innate personal abilities(intelligence, smartness, acumen, experience, comeliness, etc.) but rather empowers & subsumes those abilities & traits, transforming them for God’s use.
“Who am I”—“I am”...a person whom God has called out of all other people. “I am” a person in whom God has placed trust. “I am” a person whom God(in His omniscience & infinite wisdom) knows to be an integral part of His overall plan for this particular time & thus for all time.
“Who”—ym miy——Interrogative Pronoun—1) Who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever. Strong—an interrogative pronoun of persons, as hm mah is of things, Who?(occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also(indefinitely)--Whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix. Used 12X.
“Am I”(See:6)—ykna aw-no-keey'—1) I(first pers. sing.). Strong—a primitive pronoun; I. Used 3X.
“Should Go”(See :16, 21; & :10—“Come”)—Kly yaw-lak'—
“Bring...out”(See :8, 10, 12)—auy yaw-tsaw'—
Argumentation:
**Judges 6:11-16—“Now the Angel of the LORD came & sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, & said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us & delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Then the LORD turned to him & said, “Go in this might of yours, & you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, & I am the least in my father’s house.” And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, & you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
**Jer. 1:4-8—“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.”
**Lk. 1:31-35—“And behold, you will conceive in your womb & bring forth a Son, & shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, & will be called the Son of the Highest; & the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, & of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered & said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Deut. 7:6-8—“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, & because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, & redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
**1Cor. 15:9-10—“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, & His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
**Eph. 3:8-12—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
The Lord needs people who are ‘unable’ to do or be(apart from Him)!
**Jn. 15:4-7—“Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you.”
Illustration:
Our dog has an ability to smell things that I am completely unaware of!/As soon as she is let outside, her nose is working & she faces into the wind & follows it/I walked her the other day & she stopped in the middle of the street because she smelled that some other animal had crossed the road in that spot/She followed the scent trail from one side of the road diagonally to the other/I have no ability whatsoever to even recognize such activity/Our INABILITY
Bears in Alaska that fish the salmon-swollen rivers at spawning time(Chilkat, Yukon, Copper Rivers, etc.) are totally incapable of bringing the salmon up the river!/BUT otherwise they would starve to death!/Our INABILITY
Without God, we have no ability whatsoever to accomplish what He calls us to do!
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your INABILITY?
?When is the last time your INABILITY mirrored God’s?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge it?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Me choosing to miss Long Branch Rd.
Action:
God’s call presents a challenge to...
7. Our INABILITY(:10-11)
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our OBSERVATION(:2-3)
3. Our AVAILABILITY(:4)
4. Our APPROACH(:5)
5. Our AWE(:6)
6. Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
pt. 7 only Presented 02/01/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
