Three Essential Elements Required in Serving God!
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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight and throughout the rest of December, I am going to bring a few thoughts from different Scripture passages. There is no series. Each message will be different message. My reason is we are done with James. We will also be going to a different Sunday evening format in January. Therefore, I decided to just preach some different messages as we close out this year.
I want to direct your attention to the book of Exodus and to the life of Moses. Over the past few weeks and in several of our studies (i.e, 1 Corinthians, James, as well as the Names of God), there has been a focus on our service to the Lord. Even the message this morning focused on Mary and Joseph’s willingness to be useful instruments for God. That focus continues this evening with this thought?
Outside of faith and obedience, what is needed when it comes to serving the LORD?
I hope to answer that question by taking a look a the moment God revealed Himself to Moses and enlisted Moses to serve Him.
Our text is Exodus 3:4-5
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Most of us here tonight know that this the burning bush story. Moses, whose name means “drawn out,” was drawn from his duties as shepherd when he saw a bush on fire but not being consumed by the fire. The story of Moses’ life is well documented in Scripture.
Moses was born of Israelite parents in Egypt. His father’s name was Amram according to Exodus 6:18
18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.
His mother name was Jochebed.
20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
His family was a slave family as were all the Israeli families at the time of his birth. Times were difficult and quite perilous for the Jews. In fact, at the time of his birth, Pharoah issued a royal edict ordering the execution of Israeli males at birth. As we know, when Moses was born, his mother took extreme measures to hide him. Later when she could no longer keep him quiet, she made basket of reeds, placed him in it, and committed him to Jehovah as she placed in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him in. She also secured a Hebrew woman to nurse him. Unknown to her, the Hebrew woman chosen was indeed Moses’ own mother. Isn’t God great and gracious? Moses spent the first forty years of his life in Pharaoh’s court.
When Moses became an adult, he began to reconnect with his people. As he did, he saw the oppression they were suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. He observed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. Moses, in anger, slew the Egyptian and tried to hide his crime. Later, he came across two Hebrews arguing. As he tried to intervene and make peace, one of them reminded him that he had killed the Egyptian. The words of Numbers 32:23 “23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.” came true for Moses. Knowing that his crime was not hidden and knowing that Pharaoh would seek justice, Moses ran and fled to Midian. He then spent the next forty year in seclusion as a lowly shepherd. While there, he found favor in the home of Jethro and he also found a wife of Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah.
All of which brings us to our text. Moses is still shepherding. He is with his sheep on the backside of the desert right near the foot of Mount Horeb. It is then that he sees the burning bush and turns aside to admire its spectacle.
It in this miracle that we find three essential elements for serving the Lord. Here is the first.
Revelation from God is NECESSARY for Serving Him!
Revelation from God is NECESSARY for Serving Him!
Look at Exodus 3:2
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Obivously this bush and the fire caught his attention. Once it did, Moses stopped to observe it more closely. He eagerly investigated it as he was quite curious to the reason it was not being consumed. As he did, note several things God revealed about Himself to Moses from the burning bush.
God Revealed His Power
God Revealed His Power
The fact that God used fire should not be lost on us. God often used fire as symbol of His great power. In fact, what power is demonstrated here. Fire is destructive. Anything touched by fire turns to ash. Yet, here is the bush (no doubt a very dry bush being it was located in the desert) on fire, yet not destroyed. From Moses’ vantage point, something more powerful than fire was happening here. What could it be? Well, as we know, it was God.
As I said before, this was not the only time God used fire to reveal Himself to men.
Later, as God leads Israel out of Egypt, what does He use?
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Then, when all of Israel stood before Him at Mount Sinai we read the following.
18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Fast forward to King Solomon and we find this.
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.
3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
He did the same for Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1. I will not read that account due to time. However, we see God revealing Himself to Daniel utilizing fire as well.
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 12:29 tells us...
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
You see one of the things we must never lose sight of is the awesome and mighty power of God. There are so many examples from Scripture of God’s great power. Yet, for some reason, we often think God can’t do this or do that. Yet, we know that God can do anything. We just need to be reminded. Moses got a great glimpse of God’s power in that burning bush, but as he committed to serving the LORD Moses went on to see even mightier works. From the plagues to the parting of the Red Sea and on to so many other great miracles, God demonstrated again and again just how powerful He is. Folks, there is no reason we should be afraid to serve the Lord. He is our God and He is a consuming fire. If He be for us, who, may I ask, can be against us.
Here is the next thing God revealed to Moses.
God Revealed His Holiness
God Revealed His Holiness
Look again at Exodus 3:5
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
What kind of ground was Moses standing on? It was Holy Ground. What was it holy ground? It was the same ground God was standing on.
Let me pose this question to you to ponder for a moment.
Are we, as believers, not standing on holy ground each and every day of our lives? The answer is yes.
We have God’s Spirit residing within us. If that is case (and it is), then are we not standing in the presence of God each day and, thus, on holy ground? I believe we are often too quick to forget that fact.
What was it that God instructed Moses to do as he stood on that holy ground? He told him to remove his shoes. That is interesting thing for God to tell Moses to do. I mean when you consider that fact that shoe protect you from dirt and briers. Yet, here God says remove your shoes. The removal of shoes in the presence of another is an act of humility. It is known historical fact that in ancient times and cultures, servant wore no shoes. They worked and served barefooted. Even today, in many Asian cultures, it is customary for a people to remove their shoes before entering a person’s home. Such an act is an act of reverence, honor, and recognition. Moses removing his shoes demonstrated his humility as he stood in before God. It showed God the proper honor and reverence due to Him.
However, there is one other important thing related to removing shoes. Remember when Christ washed the disciples feet. Christ’s act of washing feet was not an unusual action. It was quite customary for people to remove their shoes and wash their feet when entering a home. The host would often provide what was necessary for their guests to cleanse their feet from the dust, gravel, and sand from walking through the dirty streets. The only unusual thing about Christ doing it was the fact in most rich homes it was the slave or servant who would wash the guest’s feet. But here is the thing that I want you to see. The custom of washing the feet was essential in removing the dust and dirt from their feet. Thus, as Christ demonstrated, the pulling off of shoes along with the washing of feet is a symbol of washing away the pollutions gained by walking in sin.
Here is the point. If we are going to serve God properly and effectively, we must see God has Who is. He is holy. He hates and despises sin. Therefore, He desires that we, as His servants, be free from dirt and filth of sin. We cannot be used of Him if our lives are filled with sin. It just will not happen. For that reason, we must be people who know Him as holy, understand His desire for holiness in our lives, and seek to get rid of any sin stains by utilizing 1 John 1:9 each time we step into the dung-heap of sin. As we do, then we become useful instruments for Him.
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Here is the next thing God revealed to Moses.
God Revealed His Grace
God Revealed His Grace
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Grace is unmerited favor. It is all about receiving what we did not earn or deserve. Note that God saw their affliction and heard their cry.
Now, let me ask you question? Was God under any obligation to see or hear the Israelites and do anything about it? He was not. Some might argue that He had to answer due to His promise to Abraham. I contend that is not true. God could have fulfilled His promise to Abraham in many different ways. In fact, at one point after leading Israel out of Egypt, God was ready to destroy the entire lot and make Moses the path of fulfillment. Moses, however, pleaded with God not to take that path. God can do whatsoever God desires to do because He is God.
Having said all that let me now say this! God will only do what is in accordance with His nature. In other words, God does not operate outside of Who He is. Thus, as He is a gracious God, He saw their affliction and He heard their cry. As a result, He sought out Moses to be His spokesman as He delivered them from their sorrow.
Praise God that He is gracious and full of grace!
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
4 The Lord is in his holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men.
Those are just a few verses that extol the grace of God.
All of us who are saved are recipients of God’s wonderful grace.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
His grace is the very thing that enables us to serve Him. If it were not for His grace, none us would be assured of our place in Heaven. If it were not for His grace, we would have no Bible to read and learn how to live and serve Him. If it were not for His grace, we would be helpless not having His Spirit and His Power at our disposal. The very fact that we can serve Him is due to His grace.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea,
Higher than the mountains,
Sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me,
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame;
O magnify the precious name of Jesus,
Praise HIS NAME!
Now note thing God revealed to Moses.
God Revealed His Eternal Existence
God Revealed His Eternal Existence
He is the God of the Past
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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 upon God.
He is the God of the Present
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
He is the God of the Future
10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.