RJ - THE BUSH IS BURNING

(Expectation for the supernatural power of God)

Good Evening New Life Mackay

Honour Ps Craig & Ps Tuppy

Exodus 3:1–4:18 NLT

1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” 13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” 14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations. 16 “Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. 17 I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.” ’ 18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’ 19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.” 1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” 2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. 3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. 4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. 5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” 6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. 7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” 10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” 11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” 13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” 14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” 18 So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

We are in a time of the outpouring of God’s miraculous power, a time of signs wonders and miracles

God has heard the cries of His people

God is still motivated by compassion

He wants to bring people out of bondage

He sees, he hears

God is calling and rekindling the commission to the Church to function and move in the power and authority of Jesus, to be witnesses of Him!

God initiates a meeting with Moses on Mt Sinai

Theophany -visible manifestation of God - the glory of the Lord in fire within the bush

God began to speak when He saw Moses turn to look

God calls Moses by name “Moses, Moses” - so intimate - so premeditated - so full of purpose & potential

God Initiated this meeting - he had already chosen Moses

The most unlikely place can be the best place - Moses wasn’t in the palace, in fact he was herding sheep

Our building burning down was the best thing thats happened to us - the worst of things can be the best!

What was an ordinary place becomes an place of Holiness and the spot where Moses has the most important encounter of His life

God often meets us in the wilderness places, to placers where we wonder how we get here & changes the trajectory of our lives

Take off your sandals - this is Holy ground - This is a moment with you and me Moses

In that place God commissions Moses to be a witness to the reality and power of God

1. THE BUSH ALIGHT

Right now God is getting our attention!

He is moving in response to the cries of His people

We have to be interested in what God is doing - recognise that Holy Spirit is at work

Explain what we have been experiencing:

Miracles we’ve seen:

Sid - heart

Fiona - cancer growth

Cathy - eye healingEncounters with people - prophetic word from Joel

Joseph - Aldi

Drakes supermarket after Joels prophecy

Emma - Kel praying for her

Bron - speaking in tongues (prayer meeting in the environment of faith)

Cathy - Jaimee

Portia - after 4 years of applying & believing declined on Friday and job on Sunday

Kaumudi - healed of IBS - Lets have a buffet Mum!

Lyndel - free of cancer and follow up after 13 years

Lyndel - there has been a real awakening - It’s like there’s been a winter and I’ve been dormant - after years I feel the stirring of the Spirit again

We could just keep doing what we are doing - but as soon as we turn to inquire our whole life can change!

Turn and inquire — what is going on God?

God is looking from east to west & north to south for people who will turn aside and see

Holy Spirit movement - God is moving

Equipped, now let’s go - Activated

What is your burning bush moment? I’m

Oh cause the world needs it New Life Mackay…God wants to use you! Church vision statement - Reaching Thousands….if we are going to do that, we need everyone activated in the power of the Holy Spirit

2. YOUR SO ORDINARY

Which is great! God activates normal people for extraordinary purpose

Don’t let your “what ifs” affect your calling

Nathan: We are limited in who we are and what we can do, but God is not limited

MOSES RESPONSE:

Funny at the critical moment, Moses didn’t say… lets go!

His immediate response was to look at himself, rather than the all sufficient one

God was moved by compassion - Moses’s inward focus hindered him from initially seeing things from Gods perspective

We need the heart of God - We have to stop and inquire

I’m asking God - who do you want me to speak to Lord, Who do you want

Moses forgot the miracles of his own life

Moses’s whole life was a miracle, he was the product of faith - Hebrews 11 says Moses’s Parents Amram & Jochabed saw that God had given them an unusual child and by faith they hid him for three months

His mother wove a basket/ lined it with pitch, with great intention and pushed him out into an unknown future

Levite - qualified to lead Israel

Saved from a genocide

Raised in a palace

Hand of God on His life

And yet he let his perceived weakness limit His understanding of what God wanted to do through him

Put too much emphasis on his ability than the power of God

Moses’s Response - God’s Assurance

Who me?? I’m a nobody, I don’t have the ability! - I will be with you! My presence will be with you!

What will I say when They ask who sent me? - You will have the authority of my NAME

What if they don’t believe me or listen to me? - What have you got in your hand - I am about to take what you have and do a miracle with it!

I can’t speak very well - I will fill your mouth!

Please send someone else? In my grace, I will send another to stand with you

Praise God Moses stepped out in faith and we know the end result!

The Apostle Paul understood this:

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 NLT

1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

3. YOU HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED!

The truth is you are qualified & Equipped!

Born again & Baptised in Holy Spirit

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

GO …I am with you!

Matthew 10:7–8 NLT

7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Mark 16:17–18 NLT

17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

What I read out this passage of scripture is that it’s not pointing solely to a person on the platform with a microphone

These signs will follow ANYONE who believes!

In my name! You can call on that name, the name of Jesus!

John 14:12 NLT

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

These works & greater works

Expectation that you are equipped & activated to move on the power of Holy Spirit, to see people healed, set free, etc (add to this)

Acts 1:8 NKJV

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

120 believers tarried in the upper room and tongues of fire (FIRE) fell

Only this time it wasn't just one man raised up to deliver a nation, its every believer for all time for every person

We are the continuation of the early church

So you are called, appointed & activated! Full of the Spirit of God. Locked loaded and ready to fire!

Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17

Acts 2:17–18 NLT

17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.

It’s not our power It is Gods!

God is with us and God does the miraculous

God has a mission & purpose for your life

There are miracles God is wanting to do through you that are totally not dependant on you

Will you believe that God can work through you!

God calls normal people to do supernatural things

Just like Moses - God wants to use you to bring His people out of bondage