Rest in the I AM

I don’t know if you’ve seen many Popeye cartoons but they are pretty much all like that. Popeye is this tiny little sailor man, and Brutus is this huge guy that Popeye should have no chance of beating to save his girl Olive. He loses to Brutus for moment every time until he gets to eat his spinach and then he is untouchable. What we are going to see tonight as we study the Scriptures is that we are a lot like Popeye. On our own we don’t have a lot to offer but when we are filled with the power of God, there is nothing that can stop us from accomplishing God’s will.

Turn with me to Exodus 3

Tonight we are continuing in our series “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (Review)

After God used Joseph to save Egypt, all of the Israelites settled there. At first it was great, they lived like kings, but over time Joseph was forgotten and a new Pharaoh was intimidated by how many Israelites lived in Egypt. So, they made the Israelites their slaves to try and keep them from taking over their land. But, even though they were enslaved, the Israelites kept having more babies and so their nation kept growing and the Pharaoh got more nervous. He decreed that all sons born to Israel would be thrown in the Nile when they were born to try and curb the population, but one hid her son when he was born. When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she put him in a basket in the Nile and it floated down the river where the Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and decided to have it raised in the palace like an Egyptian.

The baby’s name was Moses and when he grew up he went out to check on the Israelites working for the Egyptians because he knew they were really his people. He found an Egyptian man attacking one of the Israelite slaves and Moses ended up killing the Egyptian. He was scared of how the Pharaoh would retaliate so he ran away and ended up living in a place called Midian. He became a shepherd in Midian and settled there with a wife and kids.

Exodus 3:1–6 NET

Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked—and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed! So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Extraordinary God Shows up in the Ordinary Lives of Broken People

Moses was just living a normal day and God showed up in an extraordinary way

God knew Moses by name. He knew he was calling to a murderer who ran away. He knew he likely has a lisp. He knew every one of his flaws, and yet he invited him onto holy ground.

Exodus 3:7–10 NET

The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

God Invites Us Into His Miraculous Plans

God knew exactly how he was going to rescue Israel from Egypt and he invited Moses to be a part of it.

So this is the plan God had for Moses, what mission does he invite us to be a part of?

Matthew 28:17–20 NET

When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

God could have saved the Israelites without Moses, God could save the lost without us, but he invites us- ordinary, broken people to be a part of his miraculous work.

The thing is alot of the time when we think about being invited into God’s plan we get intimidated rather than excited, and that is what we see in Moses.

Exodus 3:11–14 NET

Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He replied, “Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

Our Power is Found in the I AM

Moses says “Who am I?” he is gearing up to give a whole list of excuses for why he shouldn’t be the guy for God’s plan in chapter 4.

He’s like God don’t you get it? I wasn’t raised with my people they don’t know me like that why would they listen to me? God don’t you get it I am a murderer what right do I have to save anybody? God I have a lisp so people won’t even be able to understand me? He ends up in chapter 4 just begging God PLEASE SEND ANYONE ELSE.

These are the lies of the enemy that we fall into so easily. He convinces us that our past disqualifies us. He convinces us we don’t have the right tools. He smothers us with fear, and instead of boldy running towards God’s plan we cower and give him a list of excuses for why anybody else would be a better choice.

But then, God reminds Moses who he is dealing with, he calls himself ἐγώ εἰμί, egō eimi I AM. He is saying he exists by his power, he never changes, he is eternal he just is. If he can will creation into existence, he can empower me to do what he has called me to.

After this moment, Moses does go to Egypt and God sends the plagues and the parts the red sea and rescues all of the people of Israel by his power and Moses gets to be a part of the miraculous work of God not because he had something to offer, but because the all powerful God held him. And our power is even greater than Moses because we have the Holy Spirit because of the blood of Christ.

Acts 1:8 NET

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”

We have the power of God living in us equipping us, there is nothing to fear, there is no reason to shy away.

Discussion Questions:

What stood out to you about tonight’s lesson?

What does the story of Moses being called by God tell us about God's knowledge of our personal struggles?

What is the mission God invites us to be part of? What does living that mission out look like in your life?

What was Moses' initial reaction to God's call, and how does that reflect our own responses when called to serve?

What does God mean when he calls himself “I AM”? How should God being the I AM effect how we live?

How can we overcome feelings of inadequacy or fear when we feel God is calling us to do something?