INTRODUCTION: This lesson records the call of Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. God sometimes skips over many generations of earthly rulers and kingdoms with a verse or a word. However, He takes two entire chapters to tell us of His encounter with Moses at the burning bush. In this lesson, God emphasizes His power as opposed to the ability of man. The bush burned supernaturally. But the power was not in the bush, it was in the God who caused the bush to burn. When God puts His touch on something, any old bush will do. Moses had to learn this lesson about himself. Forty years earlier, he had learned that he could not deliver Israel. Now, he had to learn that God could use him anyway.
I. THE BURNING BUSH – GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO MOSES (3:1-22)
A. The One to Whom God Reveals Himself (3:1-4)
1. One who is humbled (v.1; 2:22 with Acts 7:25)
2. One who is faithful (v.1; God calls those who are working)
3. One who is separated (v.1; Prov.18:1; Rom.1:1)
4. One who is seeking (v.3; Jer.29:13; Mt.5:6)
5. One who is submissive (v.4; Isa.6:8)
B. The Way God Reveals Himself – by Fire (3:1-4; see Gen.3:24; 15:17; Num.9:15-16; Dt.4:24)
1. He prepares the man (v.1)
2. He gets his attention (v.2-3)
3. He speaks to the man (v.4)
C. What God Reveals of Himself (3:5-22)
1. His purity (v.5)
2. His praise (v.6)
3. His passion (v.7-9; see 2Cor.3:18)
4. His appointment (v.10)
5. His presence (v.11-12)
6. His person (v.13-15)
7. His promises (v.16-18)
8. His power (v.19-22)
II. THE TREMBLING MOSES – HIS EXCUSES
A. His Lack of Confidence (3:11-12)
1. Moses: Who am I? (see Jer.1:4-10)
2. God: I will be with thee
B. His Lack of Authority (3:13-14)
1. Moses: Who shall I say sent me?
2. God: I AM THAT I AM hath sent you (see Mt.28:18-20; Jn.20:21)
C. His Lack of Influence (4:1-5)
1. Moses: They will not believe me
2. God: I will make them believe (see Ezek.2:3-7; 3:4-7)
D. His Lack of Ability (4:10-17)
1. Moses: I am slow of speech
2. God: I will be with your mouth (Phil.4:13; 2Cor.9:8)
3. Moses: Send someone to do the speaking (v.13)
4. God (now angry): I will send Aaron your brother but you will be sorry
III. THE ROD OF GOD – SYMBOL OF GOD’S POWER (4:1-17)
A. Self Examination – What is That in Thine Hand? (v.1-2)
1. Whatever he had was given by God (1Cor.4:7)
2. God starts with what He has given you (Eph.2:10)
B. Simple Repudiation – Cast it on the Ground (v.3)
1. He had to deny his own strengths and abilities (Phil.3:4-8)
2. He had to understand his own weaknesses [notice, that he ran from the serpent] (Jer.9:23-24; Jn.15:5)
3. In this way, the “rod of Moses” became the “rod of God” (see Ex.4:20)
C. Solid Determination – Take it by the Tail (v.4-5)
1. With your might (Eccl.9:10)
2. With your heart (Col.3:23)
3. In the Spirit (2Tim.1:7)
4. NOTE: The order is crucial. He was not ready to take it by the tail until he cast it on the ground. We are not ready to put our all into the work of God until we have surrendered our all to Him.
D. Complete Confidence – The Leprous Hand made Pure (v.6-9)
1. God holds the power of life and death
2. We must completely trust in Him (Ps.37:3-5)
3. God always has something else He can do (v.9)
E. Daily Surrender – I Will be with thy Mouth and with his Mouth (v.10-17)
1. Do not deny what God has promised (v.10-12)
2. God may send a second best (v.13-16)
3. Remember to take the rod in your hand (v.17)
CONCLUSION: Have you learned the lessons of the burning bush and the rod. In many ways, they are one and the same. The bush and the rod were not significant in and of themselves. They were about as plain and common as you can get. The power was in the God who used them. Are you willing to be used by God? Are you willing to cast your rod on the ground? Are you willing to take the work that God has given you by the tail?
MEMORY VERSES:
1. Exodus 3:14
2. Exodus 4:15
3. Exodus 4:2-4
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