Moses and the call of God

Perhaps you can keep them open there at Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

We spent some time, maybe a couple of years ago now,

in the first 15 chapters of the book of Exodus.

We're going to return to Exodus, picking the story up in chapter 16.

But just to give ourselves a reminder of some of the key events

and some of the key themes,

we're going to look at some of these early chapters,

and especially, as Bob said, this hugely significant chapter,

Exodus chapter 3, where we meet Moses,

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

and he receives his call from God.

The story of Moses is one that captures the imagination.

It's one that has featured prominently through the years in film and TV.

So for some generations, they'll have been raised on Charlton Heston,

the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps you watch Christian Bale in a more recent one.

There's the DreamWorks, Prince of Egypt.

Even Netflix has got a new series on the life of Moses.

And it's really understandable when you think about how grand and epic his story is

and how God works through him bringing deliverance.

It makes for a great and gripping story.

It's also interesting to think about the life of Moses

in light of the modern interest in origin stories.

So now there's that great interest,

not just in who are our heroes as they're fully grown and established in their roles.

We want to know what is their background.

What is it that made them tick and makes them the people that they are.

Moses has one of those stories.

Sometimes God's people, they appear on the scene

and we don't know anything about their background.

We get just one or two brief details, perhaps.

But we have some chapters devoted to the early years of Moses.

So we learn about Moses' birth.

And we discover him arriving in history at this point of great tension

where the people of Israel, God's people, are under real threat.

There is a king, Pharaoh, who wants to destroy the people of God

by throwing the firstborn or the male children into the River Nile.

And so we meet Moses, God's chosen deliverer,

himself having to be rescued from an evil king.

And of course we fast forward in our minds to the life of Jesus

and we see a parallel.

Jesus too was threatened by an evil king, King Herod.

Jesus also was the rescuer who was himself rescued.

Also in chapter 2, we meet a moment of decision in Moses' life.

Raised in the palace, educated in the way of the Egyptians,

at one point in his adult life,

he chooses to leave the palace behind

in order to identify with God's enslaved people.

And again, that reminds us of Jesus

leaving the glory of heaven to become one of us,

to identify with us in order to save us.

And then we come to this chapter that we've just heard,

chapter 3, where Moses is called by God

to be his chosen mediator and deliverer.

Just as we understand that Jesus is God's chosen,

great mediator, deliverer for his people.

So as I said, our story is,

our series is largely going to focus on chapter 16 onwards.

But I want us to think about the call of Moses

because we see in this chapter themes

that will run through the whole book of Exodus.

So we discover as God calls Moses,

he comes to be personally present.

He announces his promise to save his people

and to reveal his purpose for the Exodus,

which involves freeing his people from slavery,

inviting them into relationships

so that they might worship.

So we'll think about those things together.

We'll see how this story connects with us today

and how this story connects with the story of God's Son,

the Lord Jesus.

But let's go to verse 1 to set the scene

and to think about God's presence here

in the call of Moses.

So the day starts like any other day.

Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law.

He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness,

came to Horeb.

Moses has had to flee.

He's on the run from Egypt.

He's got married.

He's now a shepherd,

which will prove excellent training for future service,

leading, guiding, protecting.

He comes to Mount Horeb,

which becomes significant in the story

because it is also known as Mount Sinai,

the place of meeting with God.

The day begins like any other day.

But then, verse 2,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him

in flames of fire from within a bush.

God is present.

How do we know God is present?

There are numerous signs along the way.

This burning bush and these flames

stand as a signpost for us.

As we read through the book of Exodus,

we discover that fire

is a sign of God's presence.

We have the pillar of fire

that guides them through the wilderness.

We have, when they arrive at Mount Sinai,

a mountain with fire and with smoke on the top.

And then, as the tabernacle is built

as a place to worship,

chapter 40,

as God's glory cloud comes down,

there is fire.

So there's the flames of fire

and there's the bush.

And Moses saw that though the bush was on fire,

it did not burn up.

Telling us some important things about God.

God who is eternal.

God who is self-sustaining.

God who is unchanging.

It is this God

who comes to be present,

who comes to speak

to Moses.

We know more about God

as we go on in our text.

In verse 4 and verse 5,

God called to him from the bush,

Moses, Moses,

and Moses said,

Here I am.

Do not come any closer,

for the place where you are standing

is holy ground.

So here's another theme

in the book of Exodus.

The people are being introduced

introduced to the reality

of a God who is holy.

A God who is separate from sin.

A God who is utterly pure.

A God who both makes

and declares

people and places

to be holy.

So there is nothing

particularly special

about the kind of scrubby

desert land of Mount Horeb.

But because the holy God

is there,

it becomes

a holy place.

And again,

as we understand

in the book of Exodus,

the fire

in itself

also speaks

of holiness.

And indeed,

Moses,

as he writes

the book of Deuteronomy,

draws attention

to that.

A couple of verses.

Deuteronomy chapter 4,

Deuteronomy 4:24

verse 24.

Moses is warning

the people here

about the danger

of idolatry.

They need to have

loyalty to God

alone.

And he says there,

for the Lord,

your God,

is a consuming fire.

A jealous God.

So that stands

as a warning

for God's people.

But let's hear him now

in Deuteronomy 9,

Deuteronomy 9:3

verse 3,

present it as a promise.

Be assured today

that the Lord,

your God,

is the one who goes

across ahead of you

like a devouring fire.

He will destroy them.

He will subdue them

before you.

So he warns the people,

you must stay loyal

in your worship to me

because I am holy

in a consuming fire.

But he gives this promise,

I will save you.

I will rescue

and deliver you

as your holy God.

And it's this God

who says to his people

then and now,

be holy

because I am holy.

And of course,

this creates

that sense

of tension.

How can

sinful people

draw near

to the perfectly

holy God?

As Moses

comes to understand

that he is dealing

with God,

we find him

at the end of verse 6

hiding his face

because he was afraid

to look at God.

And again,

the book of Exodus

is so helpful.

How is it possible

for sinners

to be in relationship

with God?

Well,

the book of Exodus

will introduce,

by God's grace,

the sacrificial system.

And so we are being

reminded that God

graciously provides

a way to make

atonement,

a way to make

reconciliation.

And we're being

pointed,

ultimately,

to the provision

of the Lord Jesus.

God who draws near.

God who draws so near

as to become

one of us.

Becoming one of us

to give his life

as a sacrifice

so that we,

by faith,

might draw near

to our God.

We also discover

that this holy God

is a personal God.

We already heard

the truth

that God speaks.

speaking to Moses

by name.

We don't worship

a force,

we worship

a person.

Verse 6,

then God said,

I am the God

of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God

of Jacob.

The one who is

speaking is the God

who is revealed

in the book of Genesis.

This is the creator God.

This is the God

who has made

covenant promises

to Abraham

and to Abraham's family.

This is a God

unlike

the false gods

of Egypt.

This is the true

and living God.

And that takes us

to

verse 14,

where this personal God,

the God who is holy,

also reveals

his personal

name

to Moses.

In verse 13,

Moses asked the question,

suppose I go

to the Israelites

and say,

the God of your fathers

has sent me to you,

and they ask me,

what is his name?

Then what shall I tell them?

God said to Moses,

I am

who

I am.

This

is what you are to say

to the Israelites.

I

am

has sent me

to you.

So here's a key verse

in this chapter.

Who is speaking?

It's the eternal,

unchanging

Lord God.

The God

of the covenant promise.

And what does he say

to Moses?

He says,

I will be with you

and for you,

Moses.

I will be with

and for

my people

in steadfast love.

Moses is full

of personal doubts

and fears.

God,

I don't feel

eloquent.

I don't feel

capable.

God sends

someone else.

And the answer

to Moses'

doubts and fears,

I am

who I am.

And that

invitation

to know

the God

who is

the God

of steadfast love,

that's the answer

to our doubts

and fears

also.

He draws near

to speak,

to reveal

himself

to us.

So the

holy and

personal God

draws near

to call

Moses.

And of course,

this is a

unique event.

But at the

same time,

there is a

pattern set

and true

for every

believer.

That we

too,

if we

know Jesus

as Savior,

we too

have a

personal

encounter

with the

true and

living God.

We too

are invited

to know

this

holy God

who is

awesome.

This

loving God

who graciously

calls us

into covenant

relationship.

To jump

ahead in the

book of

Acts,

Derek will be

preaching on Acts

2 next week,

but to jump

ahead to Acts

2,

how is the

Spirit sent?

If you

remember,

the Spirit

comes as

flames of

fire,

the sign

the holy

God has

come to

dwell.

with and

in his

people.

This is

God's

design.

Helps to

anticipate

the coming

of Jesus.

God

come

down.

The holy

God

who himself

puts on

sandals

so that he

might walk

among us.

The son of

God who

promises to

be with

us always.

When Jesus

was speaking

to his

opponents in

John chapter

John 8 · chapter mention

8,

he said

that he

was the

I am.

It's one

of the

themes of

John's

gospel,

those seven

great I

am sayings.

Before Abraham

was,

I am,

Jesus said,

saying to

his listeners

loud and

clear,

he is the

God that

met with

Moses.

God wants

people to

know him.

That's

clear that

God wanted

to know

and to

call

Moses.

That God

wants to

know us

and reveal

himself to

us is

clear in

that Jesus

became

flesh and

made his

dwelling among

us.

That as the

author of the

Hebrews would

say,

in the

past God

spoke through

the prophets

but now

he's spoken

through his

son.

And it's

wonderful to

think about.

It's wonderful to

think about the

truth that every

time we gather

together for

worship or

every time we

come to God

in prayer,

we're invited

to an encounter

with the

living God.

Of course,

it doesn't

always seem

dramatic.

We spoke

about that a

little bit

this morning.

We can't

control how

God works

and how the

spirit moves.

But again,

we know that

when we are

consciously aware

that he has

drawn near to

bless us,

to speak to

us, there's a

power, there's a

beauty, there's a

grace there.

The gracious

God loves to

meet with, to

strengthen, to

speak with his

people.

So that's

God's presence.

Let's think

secondly about

God's promise

that we have

here.

So where have

we got in the

story so far?

We have Moses,

the shepherd,

with his staff

in his hand,

with his shoes

off, with his

face down,

bowing before

God.

The eternal,

living, unchanging

God is speaking

truth to

Moses.

Moses is living

in exile.

Moses is

separate from

God's people,

yet we discover

wonderfully his

identity is

fixed by God.

His purpose is

given to him

by God.

When he hears in

verse 10,

so now go,

I am sending

you to Pharaoh

to bring my

people, the

Israelites,

out of

Egypt.

Moses had

tried to be

a deliverer in

his own strength

and it had

failed miserably,

but he now

hears God say,

I have come

down to

rescue them.

And this is

the great promise,

the great promise

at the heart of

the book of

Exodus, that

God will be a

savior and

deliverer for

his people.

Key verses

here, verses

7 to 10.

Listen to God

speak, the

Lord said,

I have

indeed seen

the misery of

my people in

Egypt, I

have heard

them crying

out and I

am concerned

about their

suffering.

What a

wonderful truth

about God.

He sees,

he hears,

he cares

about misery

and oppression

and injustice.

So I have

come down

to rescue

them,

from the

hand of the

Egyptians

and to

bring them

up out of

that land

into a

good and

spacious

land,

a land

flowing with

milk and

honey.

He's going

to transform

everything about

their experience,

taking them

from misery

to the land

of milk and

honey,

from slavery

to the

spacious and

good land

and of

promise.

One of the

things that

we see in

the early

chapters of

the book of

Exodus is a

conflict between

God represented

by Moses

and Pharaoh

and the

false gods

of Egypt

and here we

have in

anticipation

the reality

that God

is the

true king

and the

true king

will act

and act

decisively.

If you go

towards the

end of the

chapter,

verse 19,

I know

that the

king of

Egypt will

not let

you go

unless a

mighty hand

compels

him,

so I

will stretch

out my

hand and

strike the

Egyptians

with all the

wonders that

I will perform

among them.

After that

he will

let you

go.

And we

are led to

see that

Pharaoh,

the most

powerful king

on the

earth,

is no

match for

the true

and the

living God.

His mighty

hand of

judgment and

salvation

will reveal

the glory of

God to the

Israelites and

to the

Egyptians.

And he

will break

down Pharaoh's

resistance and

the end result

will be freedom

for the people

of God.

Exodus

presents us

with a

spiritual battle

and we

understand that

the battle

belongs to

the Lord.

And again

we see

anticipation

towards the

end of the

chapter.

The end

result is

that God

as he

reveals his

glory,

he's even

going to

turn the

hearts of

the Egyptians

to be

favorable to

their former

slaves so

that as

they leave,

they will

leave with

the spoils

of war.

there is

no contest,

no one

opposes

God's

will.

He has

said he

will save

and so he

is going

to save.

Verse 15,

it says,

God also

said to

Moses,

say to

the Israelites,

the Lord,

the God of

your fathers,

the God of

Abraham,

the God of

Isaac and

the God of

Jacob has

sent me to

you.

And in

that,

there is a

promise,

a promise

already given,

a promise

already given

to Abraham.

God was

not thrown

off course

in his

plan of

redemption

when his

people went

into slavery.

In Genesis

15 and

verse 6,

we find

God

telling

Moses,

it's not

verse 6,

is it?

It's verse

13,

the Lord

said to

Abraham,

know for

certain

that for

400 years

your

descendants

will be

strangers

in a

country

not their

own

and that

they will

be

enslaved

and ill

treated

there.

That's

the story

of Exodus

to date.

But here's

the promise

made 400

years before,

but I

will punish

the nation

they serve

as slaves

and afterwards

they will

come out

with great

possessions.

And now

what is God

doing for

Moses?

He's

restating

that promise,

saying now

the time

has come.

God's

promise of

rescue

is here.

And so

Moses is

called

and he's

given this

job to

be God's

mediator,

to be the

deliverer,

but there is

never any

doubt in

the whole

book of

Exodus about

who is in

charge and

who deserves

the glory.

It's not

Moses,

it's the

Lord God.

I have

seen,

I have

heard,

I have

come down.

The story

of Exodus

is the

story of

salvation

in the

Old Testament.

As the

New Testament

writers look

back on the

Old Testament,

they see

such powerful

pointers

to the

person and

work of

the Lord

Jesus.

Jesus who

before his

birth is

revealed as

Emmanuel,

God with

us.

God the

Savior present

with his

people.

The child

who is given

the name

Jesus,

which means

God saves.

Saving from

a greater

slavery than

political

slavery,

saving his

people from

slavery to

sin,

becoming the

lamb of

God who

takes away

the sin

of the

world.

As Jesus

would say

again in

John 8,

everyone who

sins is a

slave to

sin.

But if the

son sets you

free,

you are free

indeed.

And Jesus

is the

Lord,

the Lord of

the covenant

promise.

And how did

Jesus, our

Lord,

establish

covenant

relationship

with his

people by

his broken

body and

his shed

blood on

the cross.

Satisfying

God's

justice,

demonstrating

God's love,

bringing us

into

fellowship.

Jesus is

the greater

Moses, the

perfect

mediator,

fully God,

fully man,

a greater

Savior with

a greater

rescue.

you.

And so

the call

of God

to us

becomes a

call to

faith in

Jesus as

Lord and

Savior.

To believe

that when

Jesus died on

the cross,

he died for

me.

That I have

sinned and

broken God's

law, and

Jesus in love,

he died to

forgive me.

That though I

deserve death,

Jesus died to

give me

eternal

life.

The call

to faith,

to believe he

is the one

that we must

follow and

trust.

He is the

one who

leads us

from slavery

to freedom

and all the

way to the

promised land

of glory in

the presence

of God.

That's the

promise at

the heart of

this chapter

and the heart

of the book

of Exodus.

One last

thing to

see, and

it's God's

purpose.

I don't

know how

many of us

have seen

the movie

Shawshank

Redemption.

It's an old

movie now,

but there's a

character in

that movie

called Brooks.

So the movie

takes place in

a prison,

and Brooks

has been the

prison librarian

for decades.

Eventually,

as an old man

in his 70s,

he is released.

And he

writes a letter

back to his

friends in

prison.

It's a really

poignant moment

in the movie.

As he writes,

and we see on

screen how he

can't believe how

much the world

has changed,

and he struggles

to cope in a

world that has

changed.

He can't find a

place to fit in,

he can't find a

job, he has no

connections prison

had been, his

home and his

family, and he

writes of his

despair.

And we

discover eventually

he commits

suicide.

Brooks needed

more than

freedom, he

also needed a

purpose for

life in

freedom.

The story of

Exodus, and

this chapter helps

us to see this,

that salvation

is freedom,

but it's both

freedom from

slavery, and

it's freedom for

relationship with

God.

There is a

purpose to the

freedom that God

brings, and the

purpose ultimately

is worship, that

we would know and

enjoy and glorify

God.

We notice this in

two places in

this chapter.

chapter.

First of all, in

verse 12, as

God again looks to

assure Moses, he

said, I will be

with you, and

this will be the

sign to you that

it is I who have

sent you.

When you have

brought the people

out of Egypt, you

will worship God on

this mountain.

So when you are

set free, you will

meet with God, and

you will worship.

Verse 18, here is

the message the

elders of Israel are

to bring to

Pharaoh.

You and the

elders are to go to

the king of Egypt

and say to him,

the Lord, the God

of the Hebrews, has

met with us.

Let us take a

three-day journey

into the wilderness

to offer

sacrifices to

the Lord our

God.

Their message, we

have met God.

He has spoken

with us, and he

is calling us out

from this place,

calling us to

meet with him,

calling us to

worship him.

And so the

story of Exodus is

always something much

bigger than just a

political freedom

story that we see

portrayed in the

movies.

This is a deeper

freedom.

This is true

freedom.

Set free to know

God, the creator.

Set free to live

under his good and

loving rule.

Set free that they

might glorify and

enjoy God.

Set free to become

the people of God.

They will be my

people, and I will

be their God.

The goal, the

purpose, is that

they would become a

people who worship

their Savior God.

A wee preview that

Zach will remind us

of that on

Wednesday at 6.30 as

we think about what

happens when we

worship.

But the holy

personal God

calls us to

worship him.

It's a great

theme of this book.

Great theme for our

lives.

This is why Jesus

has come.

He is the one who

saves by

sacrifice.

The cross is the

victory of God

over all the dark

forces, securing

our spiritual

freedom.

He is the one who

both leads us in the

worship of God and

is the Lord we are

called to worship.

worship is the

great purpose of

our freedom.

It is the goal of

our discipleship and

our mission.

As followers of

Jesus, we want to

grow to know and

to worship our

God.

Why do we go on

mission?

We go on mission

not just to get

decisions for

Jesus, but to

create worshipers.

As John Piper

put it so

helpfully,

mission exists

because worship

doesn't.

We won't always

be doing the

great commission,

but we will for

all eternity be

worshiping our

God and

Savior.

So that's

Moses and the

call of God,

and it's a

chapter that

reveals, I

think, wonderful

truths for us

about the one

true and living

God, that he

is eternal, he

is unchanging, he

is personal, he

is holy, and he

draws near to

call people to

himself.

And this God has

sent his son

Jesus into the

world to be our

great Savior and

mediator to

represent us

before God.

God.

And we

discover just as

Moses, just as

Israel would be

called out and

then called in to

meet God and to

worship, so God

and his son Jesus

calls us out of

slavery and

darkness, calls us

to worship him as

king, confessing

Jesus Christ is

Lord.

Let's pray

together.

Father God, we

thank you for the

book of Exodus, we

thank you for the

story of your

dealing with Moses

and with your

people, Israel, and

we thank you for

the way it helps us

to understand that

you are a God

personally committed

to saving your

people, that you

are the holy God

who in grace

establishes a way

where sinful

people like us can

draw near,

by way of

sacrifice, by

way of your

son the Lord.