Turning Your Warm Twig Into A Burning Bush

Turning Your Warm Twig Into A Burning Bush

November 17, 2002 (1 of 1)

Exodus 3:1-12 FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker

TEXTUAL SERMON

Introduction:

A Show clip of "The Ten Commandments."

a Burning Bush

b I want that! I’m no Charlton Heston. More like a pre-mortem Chris Farley.

*You don’t have to be like Charlton Heston to be like Moses.

*Look at Moses as a Plain duck wandering the desert.

*Ducks don’t belong in the desert. We’re going to see how this duck got out of his desert today.

B Today’s message is "Turning Your Warm Twig Into A Burning Bush"

EX 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. [3] So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." [4] When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." [5] "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." [6] Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. [7] The 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 am concerned about their suffering. [8] So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. [9] And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. [10] So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." [11] But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" [12] And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

a God worked through a plan duck in the desert like Moses. (ETS)

b God wants to use plain people like us to do an awesome work in Chester. (ESS)

C I want you to make yourself available to service to God. (Objective)

a What would have happened if God wouldn’t have sought out Moses? Would Moses have ever left the desert? Led the Israelites out of Egypt? Climbed Mt. Sinai?

b What’s keeping you in the desert? (Probing Question)

T.S.: Let’s look at two sparks that can ignite your warm twig into a burning bush.

I The first spark that can ignite your warm twig into a burning bush is...seek His purpose.

A God had purposed more for Moses than raising sheep in the desert. (vv:10)

[10] So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

a God said, "Moses, I didn’t build you to stay in the desert with a bunch of smelly, unappreciative, and stubborn sheep."

-"I built you to stay in the desert with a bunch of smelly, unappreciative, and stubborn people."

*God built Moses to go into Pharaoh’s Palace (the enemies command post) and demand that the captive children of Israel be set free.

b God has purposed great things for you!

*God has built you to go into the Pharaoh’s Palace (enemy territory) to demand that the enemy set the captives free.

[34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [35] Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. -John 8:34-36 NIV*

B Who was seeking who in Exodus 3? Was Moses seeking God or was God seeking Moses? (vv:2/3)

[2] There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. [3] So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."