Exodus 3:1-6
I Am the God
What you know influences what you do.
Who you know influences who you become.
I believe that is a true statement. What you know does influence
what you do. One reason why education has been considered essential
for the citizens of the United States for so long. A good education
was for many decades a means of building a better life for the next
generation.
But even more important that what you know is who you know. While
what you know may indeed determine your career, your hobbies, and
your income, who you know shapes who you will be. Your parents are
the greatest influences on your life. Then perhaps a other family
members: a brother, a sister, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle.
Then perhaps a pastor or a teacher. And so the list continues.
People who touch our lives influence who we become.
In one’s life time, there should be many influential people, but by
far, the most influential Person you will ever met is God. In this
chapter, we are reading about the day Moses met God.
Moses was a Jew with a limited Jewish heritage. He had been raised
in Egypt by Gentiles, Egyptians. He had been breed on false gods,
worldly pleasures, unseemly riches, and royal privileges. But he
turned his back on all of that, thinking he knew God and that God
knew him. God did know Moses, but Moses did not know God.
As we read this text, Moses was 80 years old and had never met the
true God. God Himself was correcting that oversight.
As Moses learns who God is, so can we. Let’s enter this event and
sit over to one side as God introduces Himself to Moses.
I. God is the One who initiated this meeting.
A. God got Moses’ attention.
1. God set a bush on fire. Interestingly, I read several
articles that said that is not unheard of in the deserts
of that region.
http://jaymack.net/exodus-commentary/Aq-Flames-of-Fire-from-within-
a-Burning-Bush.asp
2. However, this bush kept on burning and it did not burn
up. Verse 2 tells us why.
Ex 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto
him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a
bush….
3. God was in the bush.
a. And why was God in the bush?
b. God wanted Moses to come see Him.
B. There is a truth that some do not know.
1. God is always the One who initiates contact. Always.
a. There are many things with which I disagree with
Calvinism, but one thing I do agree with.
b. We do not seek God. God seeks us.
2. Why? Because the Bible makes it clear that it is not
in us to seek God first.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God.
3. So God always initiates the first contact.
a. For Moses, it was a burning bush.
b. For me, a friend asked me if I wanted to go to hell.
c. For some of you, it was a parent who prayed over you,
took you to church, read the Bible with you.
d. For some of you, it was an invitation to church.
e. But no matter what the means, it was always the
Master.
4. He always initiates the first contact.
C. I see two important truths.
1. How you respond to God is important.
a. Moses could have bricked the path to the bush.
(1) Brick and mortar is much like doubt and skepticism.
(2) Brick and mortar is much like sin and rebellion.
b. Moses could have just returned to the flock and
ignored God. I do not know what would have happened
but I am sure things would have been different.
c. I’m preaching to the choir today. You are here but God
did something to get your attention, but most of the
world sees the burning bush and walks on by!
2. The fewer people that respond to God, the fewer
opportunities there will be.
a. The fewer people who go to church, the fewer
churches there are.
b. The fewer churches there are, the fewer preachers,
soul winners, missionaries, evangelists, and
outreaches there are.
c. The fewer outreaches there are, the fewer methods for
God to use to make first contact with people.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world;
II. God is dictatorial.
A. That means God is the One who tells people what to do.
1. It is interesting: Moses met God and immediately, God
gave Moses a command.
Ex 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put
off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground.
2. To man’s arrogant ears, this sounds like treason of the
highest order.
3. Most people say that slavery is the worst from of bigotry
bigotry and prejudice.
B. Truth - God always gives commands.
1. God does not make suggestions.
2. God does not ask people to do things.
3. God does not consult on anything.
4. God does not negotiate with people.
C. Why is God this way?
1. It is because God created us to be His servants.
Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and
were created.
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man.
Is 43:21 This people have I formed for myself;
they shall shew forth my praise.
2. These are just a few verses.
a. There are more.
b. They say that God created man for His pleasure and to
serve God.
c. This is especially true for the New Testament
Christian.
d. Read through the New Testament and notice how many
times God refers to believers as servants or bond
servants.
b. Yet, God created all man to be His slaves.
c. That is one of the reasons man rebels so against God.
(1) We think we are too good to be a slave to anyone
else.
(2) Yet, this is our purpose. This is our function.
(3) And man in rebellion against God will never know
fulfillment or joy or peace.
3. Two more truths:
a. If you surrender to God’s authority, you will never
know more benevolent Dictator.
b. If you rebel against God’s authority, you will never
know a more fierce Dictator.
III. God is Holy.
A. This is taught Moses in several ways.
1. God plainly told Moses.
Ex 3:5 …the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground.
2. God pictures Himself to Moses as a fire.
Ex 3:2 …the bush burned with fire….
a. Have you ever considered how many times God
represented Himself as fire?
(1) Ex 13:21 - God was a pillar of fire.
(2) Daniel and John saw our Lord with eyes of
flaming fire.
(3) Ezekiel saw the presence of God coming out of a
whirlwind of fire.
(4) When the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 in the
upper room, He appeared as tongues of fire.
b. Fire is a picture of the pure judgment and wrath of
God.
B. God is without sin, pure.
1. This must be one of the first truths learned about God
for if this is not learned, we will never see God or
ourselves right.
2. As holy as God is so we are not.
3. God’s holiness and our sinfulness immediately put God and
man in conflict.
C. But God is also the fire of judgment.
1. A fire burns dried wood and brush, so the very nature of
God ignites to destroy the sinner.
2. Judgment need not be a conscience decision for God for
His very nature is holy.
Ex 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put
off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground.
a. Don’t get too close lest the fires of holiness singe
you.
b. Don’t come with your man-made shoes trying to hide or
improve what you are. Just come as you are.
IV. God is a Deliverer.
Ex 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out
of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them
up out of that land unto a good land and a large,
unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto
the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the
Hivites, and the Jebusites.
A. This is what God is best know as by most today.
B. Along with seeing God as our Deliverer, we also see the
nature of God that makes Him a natural Deliverer. (i.e. His
mercy, love, grace, kindness, longsuffering)
C. However, I must also point out something that it seem certain
Moses would have thought of.
1. God had been in no rush to deliver the children of
Israel.
2. We do not know how long Israel had been oppressed by
Egypt.
a. We know that they had been in Egypt 400 years.
b. We know that they had been oppressed for at least 80
years for the oppression was going strong when Moses
was born.
Ex 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt,
which knew not Joseph.
c. Many assume that was the very next king after Joseph
died. If so, that would be 300 to 350 years of
oppression.
3. Yet during all of those years, God had NOT sent a
deliverer.
4. That’s a long time.
5. I think it justifies the observation, God was in no rush
to deliver Israel.
D. Does that diminish God’s love, mercy, or compassion?
1. i don’t think so.
2. I think it teaches us a lesson.
E. When God does make contact, we’d better respond carefully and
thoughtfully.
And so should you today. God has made contact with you through the
preached Word today—maybe for the first time. Maybe for the 100th
time. Be careful how you respond to Him.
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