God at the Burning Bush
Exodus 3
May 19, 2024
I’ve had a few moments in my life which were mountain top experiences, some spiritual and some which were part of normal life. I don’t remember the day I accepted Jesus, since it was a long, thought out process in my life. Yet, quite possibly the most transformational or mountain top day in my life occurred on August 26, 1995.
That’s the day I married Debbie. I was a nervous wreck. I knew I was doing was the right thing, but I was still this nervous and anxious guy.
I’m standing up front with the pastor, waiting for Debbie to make her entrance with her dad. The doors open and here comes the bride. And she was absolutely gorgeous! And to make matters worse, she was as cool as could be. She’s walking down the aisle, smiling and waving at the crowd. In the meantime, I’m crying!
Most every time I perform a wedding, I now become tearful. I keep tissues in my pocket for me and for the couple. It’s a reminder of the power of love and the commitment between two people. It always moves me.
I’ve had those mountain top experiences with God as well. Times when I felt God was so close to me that I didn’t need to question His presence or purpose in my life.
How about you? Have you had moments in your life that were mountain top experiences? Maybe it was spiritual, maybe not. Maybe it was winning something, or someone said something amazing to you which you’ll never forget, or it could have been the birth of a child, a job offer, a letter of acceptance to college. The power of God made very real in a very important moment. There’s lots of possibilities.
I want to look at a story from the Old Testament, it’s a story most of us have heard, but as I considered the story, there’s a thought that came to me as well.
There was a guy named Moses. He had this amazingly crazy life. He was born to Jewish parents, but because of the law in Egypt, all little boys were to be killed. So, after hiding him, his mom put him in a basket and in the river.
It just so happened, it’s a God moment, that pharaoh’s daughter was bathing in the river and she found Moses in the basket. She ended up having Moses mother nurse him, and then returned him to pharaoh’s daughter, which had to be difficult for his mom.
Moses grew up with all of the advantages of a son in the palace, yet, there was something different about Moses, he was a Jewish male. He knew it and his family knew it, and I’m sure rumor spread throughout the region that this privileged kid was a Jew.
Eventually Moses runs away, becomes a shepherd, and gets married. It appears life is moving along at what seems to be a normal pace.
That’s a quick snippet of the beginning of Exodus. Then in Exodus 3, we read ----
1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,
and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then God said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
6 And He said, “I am the God of your 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 at God. - Exodus 3
Can you imagine that moment for Moses? There’s a fire burning in a bush, but the bush is not being consumed by the fire. That’s so surreal. And Moses did what most of us would do as well. He approached the fire to get a better look at what was happening. It was God calling Moses to begin this new journey.
He hears God calling out to him, then God speaking directly to him. This never happened in his life, it’s not an everyday occurrence. And here was God having a conversation, like they were neighbors talking to one another.
I mean, how often does that happen in your life? Usually, it’s one way conversation. We talk to God and don’t audibly hear God speaking back to us.
Yet, as we move through this story, there’s something that God said to Moses which is striking. He told Moses that where he was standing was holy ground. I kind of struggled with this passage, because the question I want to ask you is one I ask myself, and I didn’t have a really good answer.
Where is our holy ground?
Do you have that in your life? Is there a place where you go which is sacred? It could simply be a chair that you sit on when you read the Bible and pray. It could be a spot in the house where you go when you need to have a one on one with God. Maybe it’s somewhere outside - - - - a place where you experience God’s power and presence.
You see, too often we talk about the rush of life. I’m referring to many of you retirees who tell me you’re busier than ever. I’m talking to you mom’s and dad’s of little ones who are exhausted by the end of the night. Yes, you empty nesters . . . oh and don’t forget about the young adults, even you kids! Yes, all of us . . . .
Where is our holy ground? Where is the place that when we walk to that area, our heart settles down, our pulse slows down . . . . or maybe it quickens, because of the excitement and joy of coming into God’s presence. It’s the prospect that you are stepping onto holy ground!
I’m not not talking about the feeling of going to a concert or a ball game or movie or anything like that. I’m talking about meeting God.
It’s what Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, you know how much I love that verse. Because for me that represents a holy moment, it’s holy ground - - - -
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. - Revelation 3:20
I have always loved the sense of intimacy in this passage. Jesus wants to eat with me, and He wants me to eat with Him. There’s this mutuality.
As I was thinking about this, the thought that came into my mind was that this is really a perichoretical relationship. It comes from the word perichoresis, which is a Latin word used by the church fathers beginning in the 600's.
It was used to describe the Trinity. It was the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There was this idea of free flowing from one to the other. The word that was used is INTERPENATRATION.
And that’s what I see Jesus wanting with us in Revelation 3:20. It’s Jesus flowing into us and us flowing into Jesus. That’s the closeness and intimacy Jesus wants us to have with Him.
There’s an intimacy in eating together. And it’s the promise that Jesus is going to come to me and I will come to Him. But the caveat, as always, is this . . . He’s knocking, but what am I going to do about it? Will I let Him in. Or will I be to busy?
Yet, this is a holy moment. It may not be a huge moment in the course of life, yet, it’s God and me, communing together.
You see, I have to open the door to allow God in. He’s knocking. Jesus is ALWAYS knocking, but are we too busy to open the door to our lives, to our hearts?
So, what happens? I get frustrated that God isn’t showing up for me. Yet, when I read all the passages in the Bible I continuously see God calling me to come to Him. Consider this - - - - Jesus said - - - -
28 COME to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “COME.” And let the one who hears say, “COME.”
And let the one who is thirsty COME; let the one who desires TAKE the water of life without price. - Revelation 22:17
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him COME to me and drink. - John 7:37
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 DRAW NEAR to God, and He will draw near to you. - James 4
And finally - - - -
1 “COME, everyone who thirsts, COME to the waters; and he who has no money, COME, buy and eat! COME, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
LISTEN DILIGENTLY to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 INCLINE your ear, and COME to me; HEAR, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, - Isaiah 55:1-3
Isn’t this the call of God? It’s constant. It’s God knocking on the doors of our hearts, spirits and minds. And the question is . . . . what are we doing to draw near to COME to God?
I can’t just assume it’s going to happen. Nothing happens if I just sit and do nothing, expecting God to come to me.
He’s calling you and He’s calling me. It’s a daily calling. Yes, most of us have accepted that initial call of believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But what comes next?
What came next in my marriage? Was it really my transformational moment in life, where I’ve cherished Debbie every moment of every day!?!?
Sadly, I have to say NO!! I’ve messed it up. I have not done as well as I could have.
What occurs to me is the fact that these moments in life should change us. I should be different! When I meet God, it should change me. It should lead me to become that new creation, maybe a newer creation today than I was yesterday.
That old person is more and more disappearing, and that new man in Christ is emerging all the more.
Don’t tell me that doesn’t happen to you or it won’t happen to you. That’s baloney! You are no different than me and I’m not different than you. I’m His child and so are you.
You have the same rights and privileges that I do. You have the same Jesus that I do. We have the same God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We’re family, part of God’s family.
So the opportunity to experience the power and presence of God is always real and it’s always available.
God has called me. He calls me His child. He loves me, passionately loves me. His love is so passionate that He was willing to die for me, even while I was and remain a sinner.
That’s true for you as well. He’s constantly calling you to that BURNING BUSH moment. That moment which radically changes your life, again and again and again.
That moment, where we take one more step of faith.
That moment where we risk a bit more, because we’ve had our time at the bush with God and you can’t help but be changed.
It’s because of that moment, and others like it, where I can claim those last words in the verse from Isaiah 55. God calls me and when I come to Him, He is making with me ----
AN EVERLASTING COVENANT!
A covenant that will never perish or fade or expire! It’s everlasting! Think about! Feel it! Let it sink it! God’s not going to abandon you!!!!
He calls me His child! I’m chosen, I’m holy, I’m dearly loved, I’m worth dying for, I’m valued and have value in the kingdom.
It’s true for you. But you and I need to draw near to God - - - - come to God and experience those moments with Him. Moses had many more moments with God. This wasn’t a one and done.
When I read the stories of the Old Testament prophets, they had many, many encounters with God. Why them and not us?
As I wrap up, we’re going to talk a bit more about this next week and keep moving forward with this passage from Exodus 3, fleshing it out a bit more so that we see the urgency to come to God and seek those moments of holiness.
This week, I want to give you an assignment. It’s not really difficult, but it will take a little work on your part.
I want you to take the time, on more than one day . . . . and look around you, and examine your relationship with God.
Is it kind of stale - - - no holy moments.
Are there those rare, very rare occasions where you kinda sorta think God’s somewhere in the neighborhood.
Are you meeting with God regularly? No doubts, no worries, you know . . . . He’s there!
Would you take the time to make a place for God this week? Wherever it is, in the house, out of the house, He’s there. He won’t abandon you. He’ll show up! But you must make the time and you must come to Him.
Imagine if Moses saw the burning bush, and said to himself, “WOW!! That’s cool!” Then he turned and went on his way to take care of the sheep. Think of what he would have missed in his life.
Now consider yourself and the burning bush God is placing before you . . . . when you see it, will you COME, will you draw near to God and experience His life transforming power and grace? Or will you turn and go the other way.
Maybe you’ll post about what you saw like we did the northern lights a couple of weeks ago, but it won’t mean much.
So, stop! COME to God and when that happens, send me a text, call me, send me an email and tell me about your God sighting.
Tell me about a new experience with God. Tell me that you just very simply and profoundly had a moment with God! A very holy moment!
