Text: Exodus Chapter 4
1And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 2And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Title: “Overcoming My Three Greatest Fears”
Moses was not looking to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. He simply turned aside to look at a burning bush. God had a “calling” upon his life.
God has the same calling for your life. You are to "deliver" those who are in bondage. We need to “set people free" with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God would give to Moses three signs. I am convinced that these three signs were given, not just to make Pharoah a believer, but to make a believer out of Moses as well. Moses was filled with fear as he argued with God about going to Egypt. Each one of these signs would be helpful to Moses to overcome his three great fears.
(2 Tim 1:7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Fear number one: SATAN
3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
When Moses threw down the rod it became a “rod-long” snake. Even though Moses had forty years of wilderness experience, he knew enough to run from the snake. God told him to stop and grab it by the tail. Now that takes faith!
The snake has always been a symbol of the Devil. Moses must have known the power of the Devil was real in Egypt. Remember how “powerful” the magicians were in the land of Egypt. They too, could many of the signs and wonders. Moses needed to know that the God within him was greater than the Devil. His snake would swallow up their snakes! God used this sign to show Moses that he could provide for all of his “spiritual need.”
1 Pet 5:8,9) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith...
(1 John 4:4) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Fear number two: SICKNESS
6And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
Moses was eighty years old. I can only wonder, "What was God thinking when he asked an eighty year old man to travel to Egypt and set the children of Israel free?"
God used this sign to show Moses that he could take care of all of his “physical need.”
People live in fear of their health. Most of us are insured in ten different directions. The greatest fear of most people eighty year of age is that of "falling down." Who is going to help me back up if I should fall? The "I AM" will!
Do you remember the testimony of Moses and his health just prior to his death. His natural strength had not abated. His eyes were not dim. God woul provide for him, and two millions Jews, in the wilderness for forty years.
(Mat. 6:25,26) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Fear number three: SIN
9…Take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Moses must have been afraid of the failure of past memories. The last time he was in Egypt, he had murdered a man. He knew what it was to have his picture placed on the post office wall. He knew that he was a “sinner.”
God knew that too. With this sign, he tells Moses that when he pours the water of the Nile River unto the ground, it would become blood. Blood speaks of the forgiveness that we have in Christ. God would use this sign to help Moses overcome his “emotional need.”
There are many people that would serve Christ, but are afraid to say anything to others because of there fear of being reminded of their past failures.
God sent Moses the Pharoah to tell him about who “HE” was. The message that I am to give the world is not about myself, but about "God’s Amazing Grace," and of His power to save to the uttermost.
It is because of the grace of God, I am in the ministry today!
(1 John 1:6-10) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Conclusion: When I preached this message at one of our local prisons, I asked the inmates, “Which one of you guys has been the biggest “sinner?” At first no one responded, then, one by one, they began to argue with one another over who was the biggest sinner! Each claimed that he was "worse" than the other.
Finally, I choose a big fella by the name of "Brian" to represent the worst sinner of the lot. I asked him who his best friend was five years ago. He said, “Rick.”
I then asked him, “If I were to talk to Rick today, and tell him that you had given your life to Christ, and that you were now a devoted born again Christian, do you think that he would believe him?”
Brian said, “No way.”
I then used his life to illustrate the entirety of the message, I said, “Brian, you are just like the snake that God told Moses to pick up and it turned into a rod. The snake became a rod for God!"
God can change lives. God wants to use your life for his service. He can help you to overcome your greatest fears.
Let me encourage you to walk away from this "Burning Bush" message with a heart set on fire to do a mission work of God!
Prayer:
“Lord, help to walk in the light of your strength. May I see myself, as you see me, robed in your righteous love. May I hear the heart cry of others still in the bondage of their sin. Through the message of your glorious gospel, may you use my life and witness to set them free!”
