The Burning Bush

Who Remembers where we left off with Moses?

-He was born where?

-What happened to him in Egypt?

-Why did he have to leave Egypt?

-How old was he when he left Egypt?

What was the place he ended up called? (insert pic again)

At 40 years old, he finds himself with nothing. At this point there is no indication he has a family, we know he has no job, he has no money, he has no food. He is a run away criminal. Midian represented a place Moses never wanted to me. A place where he never thought he would get to. He never thought he would be a murderer. Have you ever found yourself in a place like that? Where you did something you never thought you would do? Your at a place you never thought you would be, not a physical place, but a place emotionally or spiritually?

As Moses is sitting in Midian, by this well. He meets a woman who ends up being his wife. Moses lucked out. He went from being a homeless guy to finding a wife. His wife’s father in law allows him to work for him. Moses now has a place to live, a place to work, and now he has a family

Fast-Forward 40 years.....

How old is Moses now? He is 80 years old. And guess what Moses is doing? He is still working for his father in law. Not much has changed for Moses. At this point in moses life, I am sure he expected his life would soon come to an end. That he would spend the rest of his days, working with sheep that he would eventually inherit from his father in law and live happily ever after.

But God had other plans.

God’s plans and our plans are almost never the same.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 19:21 ESV

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

We have make all the plans that we want. And I think it is okay to make plans. To plan ahead. But always remember that God has the final say. He is the one that guides us and directs us. He is the one that knows what is best for us. He created us for a reason, and that reason is to follow the path the he has for your life. The only way you will find out the path that God has for you life is to follow him. If you follow after God he will direct your steps.

God reveals his plan for your life in segments!

Moses had no idea what was ahead of him. He had no idea what God was up to. Like i said he is now 80 years old. Spending 40 years in Egypt, and 40 years in Midian working for his Father in law. Learning what it takes to survive and thrive in the wilderness. Now at 80 years old, God calls Moses out to do what God had always planned for him to do.

Exodus 3:1–6 ESV

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your 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 at God.

Remember Where Moses is. Moses is out in the middle of no where. He found himself there because he murdered someone back in Egypt. He left Egypt running from his sin, running from his situation, running from his problem and his past.

Midian represented a place where Moses was alone. A place he didn't want to be but had to be because of what he did. It represented regret and sin, but even in Midian. GOD WAS THERE AND HE FOUND MOSES!

Just imagine being Moses, you see this bush that is burning but its not burning up. He gets a closer look and to his suprise the bush is talking and God is the one speaking. Talk about having a interesting day.

God tells Moses to take off his sandals because where he was standing was Holy ground. It was holy because God was there. Did you know that God can be with you even when it doesn’t feel like it?

Moses didn't feel like God had anything to do with him but he was standing on Holy ground and did not even know it!

Moses was so afraid the bible tells us that he hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:7–10 ESV

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

There are some things we can learn about God based on what he is telling Moses. First, God does not like seeing his people suffer. That doesn’t mean that we will never suffer because the bible tells us that Just because we are Christians means that we will suffer. But it means he will help us through it and overcome it. But God doesn’t like seeing you hurting.

He had no joy in seeing the Israelites be slaves in Egypt. God knew their sufferings it says in verse 8 and he had enough. He then tells Moses he prepared a place for them, and place flowing of milk and honey.

In verse 9, God tells Moses that he heard the cries of his people. God hears you. If you pray to him, God will hear you. He wants a relationship with you. He wants to help you and reveal his love to you. Moses felt forgotten, the Israelites felt forgotten, but God had never forgotten about them.

God wants to let you know tonight that he has not forgotten about you. You may say well my past hasn’t been so great, i have had some hard times in my life, things have not been easy for me. They were not easy for Moses either. They were easy for the Israelites, but God was still with them even when it didnt feel like it.

God can use your past!

God used Moses’ 40 years in Egypt and 40 years in wilderness to teach Moses how to lead those people out of Egypt.