Ep. 13 | When We Ask The Wrong Question
Text: Exodus 3:4-12
4 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.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 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.
7 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, 8 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. 9 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. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Four things we need to know about God.
1.Know God’s PAST
2. Know God’s PARTICIPATION (the action of taking part in something. Or PARTAKING. PAR—alongside of/beside TAKE)
God cares about the details of our lives. He is not just letting things tick like a watchmaker. He is involved. He suffers with them.
3. Know God’s PROMISE (His Word)
4. Know God’s PRESENCE (He is WITH you—Immanuel)
JUXTAPOSE Moses the 40 year old and Moses the 80 year old.
40 YEAR OLD: Full of self-confidence | Who I am! | Considered himself a SOMEBODY | Had the answers. | Was headstrong | Willing, but not ready | Worked by FORCE | REACTED to life
80 YEAR OLD: Full of self-doubt | Who am I? | Considers himself a NOBODY | Has only questions | Is HESITANT | Ready, but not (as) willing | Walk by FAITH | RESPONDED to the LORD
FOR I AM WITH YOU! — Our identity is locked up in Christ.
Strips our ego. Strips our past, our future.
This is an ANTIDOTE for our ego (God is with us!) NOT a boost to our ego.
Two things don’t happen when God answers Moses:
We don’t see a REASSURANCE of Moses’ EGO
We don’t see God RATTLED by Moses’ ENQUIRY.
SONG: From CASTING CROWNS
Not because of who I am,
But because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who You are.
