Trusting God, Overcoming Fear

Exodus 3:13–4:17 (NASB95)

13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.

16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

17 “So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

18 “They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.

20 “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.

21 “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.

22 “But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”

1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

7 Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.

8 “If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign.

9 “But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

12 “Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”

13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

15 “You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.

16 “Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.

17 “You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”

INTRO: There are few things as scary as beginning a new phase of life. Perhaps it’s the uncertainty of it all. In my estimation, It begins probably as a teenager when you first start dating… I don’t know how young folks today feel, but when I was in middle school, girls were both fascinating and terrifying. It doesn’t get easier after that! You know, there’s that time when you leave mom and dad’s and you’re suddenly on your own, adulting as some call it! And let’s not forget about marriage, career changes, babies, middle-age, retirement, etc. These can all be scary times.

But then there’s the times when God calls you to do something new- something different than what you’ve known all your life. This hits different somehow. I know that when God called me to ministry, I was absolutely afraid. I had more questions than answers. Josh has shared how scary it is to leave a job to go to bible college. I wonder how many of us have heard God call us to a job, a ministry, or witness and we’ve been too scared to obey.

As we look back at Moses today, we see that he is wrestling with fear as well. Now, let me just paint the picture here: Moses heard the voice of God through a burning bush. God said, (3:10) “I’m going to send you to deliver the Hebrews from bondage out of Egypt.” There is no doubt that this is God’s call. Nobody else received this mission. Moses surely had no reason to believe that God mistook him for someone else or that this was a bad dream. This was a sure calling- clear as day.

But it was also a BIG calling. Deliver about 600k people from slavery and lead them to a land he hasn’t seen? Can you imagine?

ILL: I’ve watched some movies where a special ops team would rescue hostages or prisoners of war… we’re talking 5-6 highly trained tactical men with all kinds of gear and they only have to rescue 1 or 2 people. And this is a near impossible.

Moses had to be reeling a bit here- HOW in the world am I gonna do that?!!? This was a big task and a huge change for Moses. It was scary, no doubt! But, we all would probably agree that even though this was a BIG SCARY assignment, Moses should definitely trust God and do it, right?

[SMILE!] Good. Glad we all agree. So as we look at this passage today, I want you to think not just about how Moses worked through his fears, but ask yourself what fears are keeping you from obeying God’s call on your life.

Has God called you to lead a ministry? To witness to your neighbors? To be more involved in His church? How can you trust God with your fears?

Let’s look and learn together in the sermon titled “Trusting God, Overcoming Fear.” In our time this morning, we’ll be looking at 3 types of fear responses demonstrated by Moses, and overcome by God.

If you have a bulletin, I want to encourage you to take notes using the sermon guide on the inside flap. It’s my prayer that you will be encouraged through the proclamation of God’s Word today.

First,

God is a Personal God, We Can Trust Him With Our Doubts (3:13-22)

(READ)

Last week, Moses was asking the question, “Who am I?” - which, as it turns out, is the wrong question. The right question is expressed here. Who are You?

IOW, Moses had questions. He had never had an encounter with God before- How could he be sure that this was real? How could he go to the Hebrews and announce that their God spoke to him?

Now, you might criticize Moses a bit here- was that whole burning bush thing not enough for him? Well, Moses needed more than an experience. He needed more than a cool encounter, and actually he needed more than to know the name of God. And as he expressed his doubts, the God of heaven demonstrated that The key to overcoming doubt about the future is the presence of the One who holds all eternity.

God showed Moses that He is a personal God- not abstract, not cold and distant. The text reads, “I AM WHO I AM” - we can understand this statement to show Moses that the voice speaking through the burning bush is the same God who walked in the Garden with Adam & Eve, who commissioned Noah to build the ark, and who promised blessing to Abraham. It’s not just that God was, it’s that God is! And he spoke to Moses, personally.

Then, in v. 15 he gives the name YAHWEH (LORD), which he emphasized, is his name forever. IOW- God is eternal and everlasting. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He is, as the psalmist notes:

Psalm 46:1 (NASB95)

1 God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Moses was not just being sent while God waited back in some castle waiting for a report. No, God was going with Him! Look at what God told him:

I will deliver Israel (17)

I will bring them to an abundant land (17)

Pharaoh won’t listen, but look here, I will strike Egypt through MY miracles! (19-20)

I will give Israel favor and provisions as they leave. (21-22)

Moses had some doubts about the plan- it’s too good to be true! But GOD IS A PERSONAL GOD and friends when we are in His presence, we can be confident that His plans will succeed!

You know folks, we serve the SAME GOD. The same God who sent Moses has sent you and I to deliver those who are in bondage to sin with the message of the Gospel. You may have doubts about that plan, after all the Gospel is so good, it sounds unreal! But as we read in Matt. 28:20, As we GO, He will be with us.

And friend, the Gospel changes everything. If you are doubting this morning- maybe you’re doubting that God can save you or that God can use you... I want to invite you to bring your doubts to God and see for yourself- He is a personal God. He will meet you right where you are and overcome your doubts and fears.

As we continue to look at Moses here, we see that:

God is a Powerful God, We Can Trust Him With Our Excuses (4:1-9)

(READ)

Moses had excuses. “What if they don’t believe me? What if they all call me a liar; then what?” An excuse is a tactic for evading a fear.

How many excuses have you given when you are asked to serve? I’m not good at that- It’s not my gift. I am uncomfortable in front of others… How many times have we talked ourselves out of sharing the Gospel because we tell ourselves that they won’t listen?

Maybe you are afraid you won’t be successful or that you will miss out on something. Perhaps that fear is that you are insufficient… We all have excuses.

Moses was afraid that even if he was obedient, he would not be received well by his own people. Never mind that God told Moses they would listen… All Moses could think was “What if?” What if they remembered how he killed that Egyptian and don’t believe that he is sincere? What if they resent him for running to Midian?

I want you to look at how God responded here. Essentially, God tells Moses, “You let me worry about that; I’ll do the convincing!” And He did that through miracles.

First, he has Moses’ staff turn into a snake and back into a staff, demonstrating his power over nature. Then He inflicts Moses with leprosy and heals him, demonstrating his power over death and disease. Finally, he turns water into blood, perhaps demonstrating his power to bring judgment.

These miracles might make us uncomfortable- we are kind of skeptical nowadays. But I want to remind you that in this time and in the time of the early church, God used miracles to validate the message of the messengers.

This happened throughout the OT with prophets like Elijah and Elisha. In the NT, Jesus performed many miracles that testified of His identity as the Messiah, the Son of God. His miracles were not the focus of his time on earth, but they validated His words. The disciples likewise were given power to heal the sick and cast out demons- all to validate that their message was from God.

Moses excuses were fears that people would not take him seriously and God responded by demonstrating His power.

Today, we still wrestle with fears that people will not believe us or that they will not take us seriously if we serve God according to His call on our lives.

ILL: I confess that I wrestle with that- I’ve wondered the messages I’ve preached have been received or if people have just dismissed them. Sometimes I feel downright silly.

But God’s has not lost His power. He still uses miracles! I’ve heard of Muslims who have dreamed of Jesus and surrendered their life, sacrificing all they’ve ever known to follow the One True God!

God still demonstrates His power through His Holy Spirit to convince men of the truth. He testifies to the hearts of skeptics and unbelievers. I’ve talked with people who were once atheists, but now are sold out to Jesus!

You see, God’s power accompanies His messengers throughout the globe. Hey look, whatever excuses you may have as to why you can’t obey God- well, God says to you: Obey and let me worry about that. I’ll be with you!

We can bring our doubts to God, for he is a personal God. We can bring our excuses to God because He is powerful to overcome them.

Finally, we see that:

God is a Patient God, We Can Trust Him With Our Insecurities (4:10-17)

(READ 10-13)

I don’t know about you, but I am my own worst critic. I can think of a hundred reasons why God should pick someone else to do what He has called me to do. I’m not smart enough, I’m not a good enough speaker, I’m not attractive enough, I’m not the best example, I’ve made too many mistakes, I’ve got too much baggage...

I imagine that we all have insecurities that hinder us from serving God.

Moses had some insecurities too. He evidently had a speech impediment- perhaps a stutter or something. Moses had already expressed his doubts and gave excuses about the mission. Now, he’s no longer looking at the task, but at himself.

I can almost hear him saying, “God, this sounds great! But, I’m not your guy. There has to be a thousand other people who could do this much better than me. Please, use someone else. I’ll just mess the whole thing up and I don’t want to be an embarrassment to you...”

Can you relate to Moses here?

ILL: Men, let me speak to you for a second. I am convinced that we are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes. When I first came to this conclusion, it was weird. I didn’t feel adequate to lead my wife or kids in prayer. And you know what? I wasn’t.. I’m still not! But God is patient and compassionate and He meets me at my point of need and allows me the blessing of leading my family. I’m not perfect- far from it! But it’s not about me.

God was patient with Moses too. And even though Moses was throwing every possible fear before God, His response was to meet Moses in his needs, and overcome his fears. Look with me- (READ 14-17)

Now, I want you to understand the patient commitment of God here- God will not only give words to Moses, but He promised to guide his tongue and Aaron’s. Furthermore, He would ensure that Aaron, even though he’s older, will subject himself to Moses. Aaron will see that God is with Moses, and whatever insecurities that may remain would be overcome by the patient love of God.

Likewise, you and I can be confident that God’s Word is sure. God’s Word will always accomplish its intended purpose. And folks, God has given us His word so that we may study it and know it- that through it and the Holy Spirit, our lives would be transformed!

Think of how patiently God waited for Moses to be ready- 80 years- 40 in the palace, 40 in the pasture. I just want to tell you that God is patient toward you as well- you see, He has you here for a reason! You are supposed to hear His Gospel and respond. You are supposed to trust Him with your fears and obey.

Folks, I wonder what kind of insecurities you are harboring that are keeping you from following God’s call for your life. Maybe God has been tugging on your heart for some time about leading a small group or serving in some way and you have been praying and pleading with God- Send someone else!

Maybe you are afraid to commit to His plan right here at LRBC- you might have to give up some things!

Don’t let your fears keep you from the joy that comes through obedience to God.

This morning, I urge you to come and bring your fears before our God. His word reminds us that we are to bring all our fears and anxieties to Him- He is a personal God who loves deeply and He will meet you right where you are and overcome these fears.

[PRAY]

Discuss: What fears do you have about God’s plan? Do you believe that the Gospel is sufficient?

Discuss: What fears do you have about engaging unbelievers? Are they rational?

Discuss: What fears keep you from making yourself available for God’s calling? How can these fears be overcome?