In his book, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Os Guinness reviews the theology of calling and reveals what it means when one is called of God.
Guinness describes the call of God as "the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do and everything we have is ... lived out as a response to his summons and service." There are two dimensions to the call of God, the first being our essential role as a disciple of Jesus, and the second being the call to function in the church and the world using the gifts God has given us. When we are faithful to these two callings, God is glorified.
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The next few weeks we study our obligations to Christ and His Church. The first obligation is to answer God’s call in our lives; first as disciples of Jesus, second as laborers for Jesus.
2. In the OT text of the morning, God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, where they are slaves under Pharaoh—a story so familiar we risk dismissing Moses’ call in the larger context of the Exodus (Gk. ??????, departure).
3. Moses shows no particular strengths for the role God gives him—at least not by human standards. He is an adopted orphan; murderer; fugitive; shepherd; man of no charisma, not a gifted speaker.
A. Extra biblical writings suggest his training in Pharaoh’s household 1s similar to that of other privileged boys in bureaucratic circles. His education likely began at an early age and continued twelve years. This appears however, to be of no interest to the biblical narrator.
B. God’s selection and subsequent call is not about Moses’ ability. In fact, the only noticeable quality Moses possesses is compassion for the oppressed.
4. In this brief passage we want to consider God’s call of Moses, and his call to us today; OYBT Ex 3.
[For the church to fulfill her mission and purpose, it must be made up of disciples and workers; there are no spectators in the work of Christ.]
II. DIVINE UNDERSTANDING (vv. 7-9)
1. I have seen their misery…heard their cries…I am concerned…
A. The Israelites are suffering immensely. Pharaoh (king of Egypt) treats them worse than animals; God notices their cries and responds by coming to their rescue.
B. Sometimes we dismiss God’s call, claiming there is no need for us to be involved. It’s covered; God doesn’t need me to do that; he has plenty of others already engaged in that work.
C. We see in verses 7-9 that God has a very clear understanding of that which must be done; it is not as though he is blind to the needs of the world. He is quite specific in his awareness of the Israelites plight and suffering. He is, in fact, omniscient (all-knowing).
D. When God calls you to a ministry, he’s already established the need exists; SS teacher, Bible study leader, small group organizer, youth worker, missionary, or pastor. No matter what his call, we can be sure the need exists—if we will but respond.
III. DIVINE EMPOWERMENT (vv. 10-12)
1. So now I am sending you (Moses) to deliver my people. Wow; there’s a tall order! God’s awareness of the problem has no value without a solution to the problem.
A. God sees the need, chooses the solution and selects the one who will carry out his perfect will by, in this case, redeeming his people. How wonderful to know that when God calls us, we are not responsible to find a solution to the problem; we are merely instruments of his solution.
B. Moses doesn’t see it that way at first. He says, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” His question is reasonable; he is hardly in a position to pull this off. After all, he is the same nationality as the slaves, and though the Pharaoh who once pursued him is now dead (v. 23), some may recognize him and cause him trouble; perhaps even putting him in harm’s way!
C. I love God’s response: I will be with you. God responds to Moses’ doubt by affirming it! You’re right Moses, you can’t; but I can; I will be with you. God is, in fact, omnipotent (all-powerful).
D. You’ve heard it said, “whom God calls, he also equips”. His promise to Moses demonstrates that truism. God selects workers by his criteria, not ours. Before he calls you he has equipped you. He told Jeremiah he knew and chose him as a prophet before he was in his mother’s womb!
[For the church to fulfill her mission and purpose, it must be made up of disciples and workers; there are no spectators in the work of Christ.]
III. DIVINE RELATIONSHIP (vv. 13-15)
1. Moses asks another question before conceding. “Suppose [I do this]…whom, shall I say to the Israelites, sent me? [What shall I tell them is your name]?
A. This is significant. It implies that until this time, the relationship the Israelites had with God was hierarchal; they revered and even worshipped him, but did not have an intensely personal, intimate relationship with him.
B. Using one’s name implied intimacy in the ANE (as it does today). It was of greater importance to know and use the name of a deity, because the pagans around them had no such a relationship with their gods.
(a) The naming of pagan gods was an exclusively human enterprise: God now tells Moses his nameYAHWEH(defined as “the proper name of the one true God; knowledge and use of the name implies personal or covenant relationship; the name pictures God as the one who exists and/or causes existence”)
C. Yahweh tells Moses that his name (specifically its use) is his name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation (i.e., all of time).
2. God promises to be with Moses throughout his life as God’s instrument. He promises to be with the Israelites no matter where they are or what their plight. He will be present with them always. He is, in fact, omnipresent (present everywhere). This is Moses’ assurance that in God’s service he is never alone.
IV. CONCLUSION
1. If you spend time in the Word, you know how God worked through Moses as he led the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.
2. God understands the plight of his people; he saw their misery, heard their cries, had compassion on them and came to redeem them; a sign of His omniscience.
3. God empowers Moses to lead the Israelites from Egypt to the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He did not select Moses because of his abilities, but rather in spite of them, a sign of his omnipotence.
4. God has an extraordinary relationship with his people, revealing himself by name and promising to be with them no matter where they were; a sign of his omnipresence.
V. APPLICATION
1. God has high expectations for the church (i.e., body of believers). He calls us with a two-dimensional call: the first dimension is a call to discipleship; entering a personal relationship with him made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. The second dimension is a call to service in the church and the world. In this way, we carry out the work of Christ until he returns.
2. What is God is calling you to do? He calls everyone into service, not just a few.
3. Do you obey him or offer excuses for your disobedience? God knows the needs of 21st century people; he wants to empower you as his instrument in the church and the world; he wants you in a special relationship with him, reserved for those who live in absolute obedience to him.
[For the church to fulfill her mission and purpose, it must be made up of disciples and workers; there are no spectators in the work of Christ.]
