The God Who Calls and Sends — Moses’ reluctant obedience

Exodus 3:1-12

The Call, the cost, and the crown of Discipleship

Last week: Abram’s call was sustained by the promise of God, showing how faith is not ultimately in the fulfillment of the promise made, but trusting in the promise maker.

This week: Exploring the call of Moses

A familiar story, and a surprisingly relevant story - one we find ourselves in easily. Showing that our strength to follow the call of God comes not from ourselves, but from God’s presence with us.

Abraham teaches us to trust God’s promises; Moses teaches us to walk in God’s presence.

The strength to follow Christ doesn’t come from within you, but fro the one who is with you.

Moses at the Burning Bush

About Moses: Raised a prince of Egypt; Seeing his own people oppressed, he acted/murdered/and was rejected by his own people. He went to Midian, and for 40 years was a shepherd.

Moses went from riches to rags, learning humility, weakness, and dependence. At 40, he was full of himself, confident, and ready to change the world; he would have told God who he was. But he is much different at 80.

God spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush

Notice what God says: I am the God of your fathers… I have surely seen the affliction of my people… I have heard their cry… I have come down to deliver… I have come to bring them up… I have seen the oppression… I will send you…

God is not reacting; but is acting out of covenant faithfulness. God is involved, God is responding, God is taking the initiative to deliver his people.

God’s call to Moses

Come - an invitation to draw near, to follow God.

I will send you to Pharaoh - to proclaim the name of God, to make God’s will known.

To deliver my people - out of bondage as slaves, that they may worship God as a people.

What does Moses say? Who am I?

He had no authority, no eloquence, no power. He would be rejected by Pharaoh, by his people.

They knew him, and they didn’t trust him.

After all that God said, Moses is still focused on himself. He knew himself, and didn’t trust himself. He knew he was insufficient for the task - send someone else.

Before we’re too hard on Moses, are we not the same today?

Consider the call that we have received in Christ:

Matthew 28:19, Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded.

Our is the same call as Moses: go into the world, proclaim God’s salvation, bringing the deliverance of the gospel. We are supposed to be “ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20), God making his appeal through us.”

What is our response? Send someone else. I can’t speak. I’m not qualified. I don’t have what is needed. I’m insufficient, inadequate for the task. I’m weak, I’m broken, I’m useless.

God’s Promise to Moses

What made Moses able to serve? What strengthened him for the call? The very presence of God with him. Moses asked about himself; God answers with Himself.

God’s promise to Moses, I will be with you: ehyeh ‘immak

A promise found throughout the OT

To Jacob in Gen 28:15 Behold I am with you… Zephaniah 3:15 the king is in your midst, Psalm 23, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, you are with me.

A promise often repeated to Moses.

Each objection Moses raised God answered with presence: I will be with your mouth, I will tell you what to say

When the people of Israel rebelled and worshiped the golden calf, God said he would not go with them lest he consume them in wrath. Moses interceded, but would not lead unless God was with him: My presence will go with you… Moses was not making demands of God, but revealing to God his utter dependency upon God.

Moses’ question was “Who am I?” God’s answer is: I am with you, you are mine! Calvin wrote, “It matters not who Moses is, or what his strength may be, so that God is with him.”

God’s promise perfectly fulfilled in Christ

Jesus is the very presence of God with us.

Isa 7:9; Matthew 1:23, call him “Immanuel - God with us.”

In the incarnation, God has come to dwell with us.

When you have Jesus, you have the fullness of God

Hebrews 1:3-4 and Col 1:15-20, He is the image of the invisible God, the radiance of his glory…

Jesus himself promises, “I will be with you…” Matt 28:20

John 14:23 He makes his home within us.

Eph 2:19-22 We are the temple, the dwelling place of God.

God is not just with us, but in Jesus Christ he is for us. John Owen, “God’s presence with us is covenantally secured in Christ’s blood, not our performance.”

The promise to Moses is for us as well.

Moses is standing there with a shepherd’s staff in his hand, a stick he had used for forty years to guide sheep. Nothing impressive. No royal scepter. No weapon. Just a staff.

Yet that same staff, in God’s hand, would confront Pharaoh, strike the Nile, part the Red Sea, and bring water from the rock.

The power was never in the staff. It was in the God who wielded it. And Moses himself was like that staff, ordinary, weathered, unimpressive, but in the hand of the Lord, used mightily.

Although our own weakness may alarm us, think it is enough that God is with us.

When we walk in the flesh, all we can see are obstacles; but when we walk in the Spirit, we still see the battles ahead, but we also see the God who goes with us.

2 Cor 12:9 - His power is made perfect in my weakness.

Living in the Presence of God

Walk Humbly on Holy Ground

All of life is holy ground for the believer. Moses was called to take off his sandals, he was on holy ground. This was a sign of submission, humility, a recognition that he was a creature in the presence of the creator.

Knowing God is with us, we walk humbly in this life. Quick to repent, ready to forgive, reverent in our worship, serious when dealing with our own sin, gracious in dealing wit the sins of others. A church that knows God is near does not treat sin casually.

Be content with God’s provision

Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Notice how God argues for contentment. He does not say, “You have enough.” “You’ll get more.” “Things will improve.” He says, “I am with you.”

God gives His presence as the reason for our contentment. Moses might have preferred resources, a strategy, a guarantee of success. Instead, God gives him Himself and that is the greater gift.

We often think: “If only my circumstances changed, I could be content.” But Scripture teaches: Contentment grows when we realize that if we have Christ, we already have the greatest provision. A little with Christ is more than abundance without Him. Contentment is not pretending life is easy. It is trusting that God is near even when life is hard.

Some of you are walking through seasons you did not choose: limitations you didn’t plan, burdens you didn’t expect, callings you don’t feel ready for. The comfort is not that God will remove every difficulty. The comfort is that He does not remove Himself.

Josh 1:5 Be bold and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you

Speaking often of Christ, and not being afraid to show others what Christ means to you. Serving when tired, loving when it is hard and you aren’t loved in return. Obedience when it is costly.

The battle is not yours, the victory is not yours, the armor is not yours; you are called to follow faithfully while the Lord works through you.

Hold on to these promises:

1 John 4:4 - for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Phil 4:13 - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Our call to follow seems overwhelming when we look at ourselves, but when we are rooted in the promise of Christ’s presence, we can follow where he leads.

Rom 8:39 - Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ

Moses feared being abandoned. The Christian is promised he never will be.

The God who met Moses in the bush met us in the Son and now dwells with us by His Spirit.