"the Bush"

“The Bush” Exodus 3:1-15

• God’s Spoke in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8). God spoke from a mountain to all Israel on Mt Sinai, God spoke from the Heavens when Jesus was being baptized “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well Pleased”. God spoke again on the mount of transfiguration, Saul heard the voice of God “, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" and God spoke through a bush to Moses.

• The Burning Bush gets Moses attention its burning but never burns up. This was odd unique to Moses.

• God at times in our life’s present us with a moment we may see a burning bush - moments presented by God to grab our attention- and causes us to wonder and ponder what God is up to. When such moments occur, they should be to us as they were to Moses, "holy ground."

1. The Bush calls the unexpected Ones Moses is like us, we think God has this all wrong

• Moses saw himself as a backslidden sinner, murderer, a fugitive, a man with failures,

• a man with a past, a skeleton in the closet and a bumbling fool.

• "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (v. 11).

• Who Am I God that I should be the one to Speak up, speak out, speak for you, speak for the other, Speak for the oppressed, speak for the hurting, who am I God that I should Go

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2. Moses certainly believes the Bush has it all wrong Have you God considered my failures?

• Moses believes first no one will listen to him: "But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me ...?" (4:1). God responds by turning Moses' staff into a snake, and then back again.

• Moses tells God I have problems speaking: He says, “he has "never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now." He describes himself as "slow of speech and slow of tongue" (v. 10). God, use Aaron as his mouthpiece.

• God equips us when he calls us. He does not select us and send us to crash and burn.

3. Are we accomplished enough to do Gods work? We are not accomplished enough.

• Although we may not seem suited for God's service,

• God addresses us, invites us, challenges us and empowers us to do his mission in the world. ,

• God reassures Moses: "I will be with you" (v. 12). I will stand beside you. I will never let you go. The God of Moses' father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, promises to go with Moses right into the courts of Pharaoh and beyond.

4. The Bush reveals God himself has a personal name , "I AM THAT I AM."

• Moses, There's no one like me! I am the one with the power to create,

• I am the one who causes everything to be.

• I am the God who will be present in ways to make possible the impossible

• I am the very power of newness that will make new life available –

• I am the One who will bring you out of Egypt by a mighty strong hand

• This God, is the God of power, the God of faithfulness and I am the God of eternal presence.

5. This Bush Calls unexpected ones, the bush knows our failures, the Bush is identified as I am, and The Bush tells us “let My People Go”

• The Bush not only calls Moses but the Bush calls us to hear their crying, to see their misery and I am concerned about their suffering, 7The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I know their suffering.

• Our mission, like that of Moses, is to liberate people from bondage. To see misery, hear the cry’s, Know the others sufferings and anguish.

• The Bush says, “go tell Pharaoh”, “Let my people go!” Quote “Let my people go from racism, oppression, profiling, and unjust unfair law enforcement. Let my people go from the earnings between the rich and the poor, from unfair and unequal working conditions. Let my people go from unfair and unequal incarceration.”- Eric Anderson Let my people go. Let domestic violence cease, let hatred be removed, let the church arise, Let my People Go.