Exodus Series, Part 4 | The Burning Bush | Randy Garcete

In the meantime, open your Bibles up to Exodus, chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

This is part 4 of my sermon series on Exodus and I have no idea how many parts will actually be to this, to this whole series.

It's going to take us a while to get through this, but we're just going to be.

Last time we had covered, over a month ago, I had preached a sermon with the joint service, with Cornerstone, on God meeting Moses at the burning bush and revealing his name to Moses, and that was in chapter 3.

We're going to do a little bit of review and then we're just going to work through all the way to the end of chapter 4.

So a lot of ground to cover, but there's some really, really good stuff in here for us this morning.

Yeah, sorry, dude, I should have done this earlier.

But thank you, berlin, appreciate it.

All, right, perfect.

So just to backtrack real briefly.

We saw Jacob's family come into Egypt, settle into Egypt and, as a result of God's blessing on their lives, his children and their children grew exceedingly, so much so that the king of Egypt became frayed that they would actually just sort of take over and that, as a result, he enslaved them and then ended up actually trying to kill all the Hebrew baby boys that were born.

We saw in chapter 2, birth of a man who would come to be the deliverer of the children of Israel.

We saw his birth, how he was rescued, adopted into the family of Pharaoh, pharaoh's daughter.

We saw him, his sense of justice and almost like anger at the oppression that he was seeing on his own people.

He ends up killing the Egyptian that was beating a Hebrew slave, one of his own people, and we see him identify with the suffering of his people.

He's grown up in courts of Pharaoh, but he knows deep down these are his people, he's one of them, and this causes him to act out in this way.

As a result of this, he flees into the wilderness, into the land of Midian, because obviously Pharaoh found out about this and was trying to kill him.

In Midian he meets his future wife, his wife, and then at the end of this, god hears people's cry, he hears their groan and he says God, and that's the moment when we see God step into this story and this is the moment that God starts to act.

The very next chapter, then chapter 3, we looked at last time, moses is in the wilderness.

He's taking care of his sheep shepherding his flock, and God shows up in the form of a burning bush and has a conversation with Moses.

We focused heavily on just the revelation of God's name I am, who I am and his call to go back to Egypt.

Today I want to spend time focusing on this conversation that God and Moses had together.

So you and I have we've read the whole Bible.

We've read the whole.

We know we have a good sense of who God is through the way that he's revealed himself throughout Scripture.

But if we were coming to this story for the very first time, we have not yet seen any of God's laws given.

We have not seen him spell out.

The only thing we know about God, if we're looking at Genesis and Exodus for the very first time, is that what we learn from him is what we see and how he interacts with the people.

Here in this book we know we've learned God cares deeply about the oppressed, about his people.

He cares deeply about his people.

He wants to have a people.

But in this conversation, we're going to see more and more of God's character revealed, more and more of God's character revealed, and we're going to learn about how we'll learn about, I think about through Moses and his response to God in this conversation.

We see we're going to see, I think, a reflection of same things that you and I struggle with and wrestle with.

And the beauty of the Bible stories in the Bible is that so often the people that we read about the stories they're just like us.

They're like you and me.

They had the same questions that we have.

They had the same fears that you and I have.

They have same temptations and failures that you and I have, and so there's a lot for us to learn here.

So let's pick up in verse seven, chapter three.

I'm not going to read this whole passage, I'm just going to work my way through it and what I want to note and the structure of, I guess, how I want to structure this sermon this morning is in this conversation.

So we have God's initial call for Moses, god's call to go back to Egypt, and then we're going to see Moses bring up five objections or questions or objections to God's call, and then we're going to see God's response in this conversation with Moses.

So we have God's initial call in verse 10.

And then we have a series of objections by Moses, five specifically and then we have God's response.

And in God's response we're going to see a long list of his promises and his impim yeah, his promises to Moses of how he's going to work this out.

So let's restart with verse seven.

Then the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt.

So he's seen the affliction, says he's heard their cry because of their taskmasters and he knows their suffering.

So he's seen, he's heard, he knows their suffering, he identifies with their suffering, 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.

So it's like I've seen it and I've come down to deliver them.

But we all know that God uses Moses and that's what this next, what this chapter is about.

Here he says he will bring, he's heard the cry, seen the oppression.

Verse 10, then, is the initial call of Moses and this is where, where Moses work all sort of stems out of come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Come, I'm going to send you.

And he just got done saying I'm going to come down and deliver the people of Israel.

And so all of a sudden, it goes from like I'm going to do this, but it's like okay, no, moses, I want you to go.

I'm going to see God empower Moses.

We're going to see God equip him.

We're going to see him use Moses to work in the in in this story.

So how does Moses respond?

This is the first objection, the first question.

It says but Moses.

And I think there's something really intriguing here, because it's like this.

You and I know what this is like.

There are moments when God got more I guess more about this calling, and there are moments where God has called all of us as his followers to live out his mission in the world, this mission of reconciliation, reconciling all of humanity back into himself.

Like Moses, he's called you and I to do that work.

Jesus came down to earth, died for us and was resurrected to reconcile mankind back to God.

But you and I are the ones who are called now, and what so often happens is we have the same response as Moses does in verse 11.

But Moses, it's like we have a call and then it's like but Moses?

And this whole conversation is going to be like this Is Moses trying to understand how and why God is using him.

So I'm going to actually just make a list, just so you guys can all see.

Here I'm going to move this over a little bit because I think this is going to be really important for all of us.

I think you'll see why at the end, but I'm just going to, like, on this side here I'm going to write down Moses' objections or questions or objections.

I feel like I misspelled that.

It's actually hard to write from this angle.

Anyways.

So objection number one in verse 11, he says but Moses said to God who am I?

Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring out the children of Israel out of Egypt?

And that's his first question is, or objection is, who am I?

I'm just going to write that down.

And this has to do with Moses' identity.

He's been the shepherd, like.

He grew up in the courts of Pharaoh.

He fled that.

He identifies with his people and now he's the shepherd.

He's gone from royalty to being a shepherd.

It's like going from like being the vice president to being like a garbage man I don't know, maybe that's too drastic, but like.

And he's wondering, he's like God, how in the world are, who am I that you would use me to do what you're asking, what you're asking me to do?

I am in no position to do that and this has to do with his identity.

In other words, he's asking who am I?

Why me God?

Why?

Why I'm not qualified?

I don't have what it takes.

And what's interesting is that the way that God responds is that he doesn't even try to.

He doesn't try to come and pump Moses up and say you've got this, moses, believe in yourself, think positive.

He doesn't even respond in that way.

He's not even saying he didn't even respond to that question.

He says this in verse 12, but he said but I will be with you.

It's all about God here.

There's nothing to do with like, like, who you are or aren't Moses.

It's about who I am and how I'm going to work through you.

I will be with you and this should be the sign for you that I have sent you.

When you've brought out the people of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

That's God's response.

It's interesting, he didn't even respond to his directly answer his question.

So Moses question was who am I?

And God responds with two promises.

And on this side I'm just going to keep a list of God's promises, and we're just going to keep a running list of this because I think this would be really important towards the end.

So God's promises is what was the first promise?

I'll be with you.

I'll be with you.

What was the second one?

In the inverse 12, I believe, he says this will be the sign that once I've led you out of Egypt, then what You'll worship on this mountain.

He's saying this is what's going to happen, like I'm going to send you and this is what's going to happen.

So it's like God's promise revealing more and more information to Moses Worship mountain, okay, not well, not mountain, but on mountain, okay.

So, moving on, those are his promises I will be with you and you will serve God on this mountain, all right.

So it's interesting, this conversation keeps going.

It's not like like Moses says okay, that's, that sounds good, I'll go.

It's like the rest of this chapter is Moses just like?

But Moses a lot of buts in this chapter here, the picking up in verse 13,.

Then Moses said to God and this is the second objection here If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the God of your father says sent me to you and they ask me what is his name?

What shall I say to them?

And here, first in here, god is.

Moses asked God, who are you?

Who are you?

Question number one was who am I?

That I should go?

And now, now Moses asks who are you?

What do I tell your people that you are?

So, second question who is God or who are you?

And as we work through these questions, keep in mind I think we often or at least myself, I've viewed Moses questions and objections as him trying to get out of God's call of him, trying to make excuses and actually like be disobedient.

But I actually believe, now that I've studied this and I could be wrong, but I believe that Moses is actually trying to understand, and he's actually trying to understand how God is going to use him and why God is going to use him.

He's trying to understand that and that's what he's asking.

The questions that you and I would ask we would be asking these very same questions if we were Moses tending sheep in the wilderness, like this is how we would respond.

And so I think Moses is asking, out of a good faith, these questions.

So how does God respond?

He says God, and this is where God reveals his name to him.

He says I am who I am, and that's where we get the translation of Yahweh and we're not going to dig into that today.

We did that last time and he said Say this to the people of Israel I am, has sent me to you.

God also said to Moses Say this to the people of Israel the Lord or Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.

This is my name forever, and thus I'm to be remembered throughout all generations.

This is who I am, god.

You ask me, who are you, god?

And he says this is who I am, and the God of your fathers, I'm Yahweh.

I am that I am.

It says go gather the elders of Israel together and say to them the Lord, god of your fathers, god of Abraham, isaac, jacob, has appeared to me saying I have observed you and what you've done, what has been done to you in Egypt.

And here God is telling Moses summarize what.

Tell the people of Israel what I've told you.

I've seen your reflection and I'm going to take you out of Egypt into this land flowing with milk and honey.

And so another I guess one promise here that we have in God's response is that I am has sent me to you.

He's telling Moses go tell the people that I, the Lord, have sent you, so I send you all right, picking up in verse 18, and then God describes what's going to happen after you reveal this to them.

He says and they will listen to your voice and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us.

Now, please let us go three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord or God.

There's another promise there in verse 18.

He says they're going to listen to you.

You don't need to be afraid.

They're going to hear your voice and they're going to respond.

They're going to listen to you.

So I'm just going to write that down again to you They'll listen to you.

The reason we're working through this is because God asks you and I.

You and I have very specific callings in this world.

All of us are called to be a witness and to be the hands and feet of Jesus here on this earth, but more specifically, we have very individual callings of ministry in this world.

So some of us are.

I've been called to be a preacher, a minister of the word at church.

There are some of you but I also have the calling of working with my hands and doing gutters.

Some of you are moms.

You have a very specific calling to your children.

Some of you are our businessmen or work with the land as farmers, or our teachers or in the medical field.

Like we all have specific areas of life that God has called us to and there's moments where we don't know.

When God asks us to do something where we're not sure exactly how it's going to work out, and he doesn't reveal that to us, but he asks us to act.

Here with Moses is like God is completely showing him exactly what he wants to do and what he how it's going to work out.

He's giving him all the information here.

So that's what this list is all about.

Okay, back verse 18, actually verse 19,.

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.

Here again, he's revealing more information.

So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it.

After that he will let you go.

So more promises here.

Egypt's Pharaoh is not going to let you go, but I'm going to move and I'm actually going to compel him to let you go.

After that he will let you go.

Another promise and I will give this people favor in the side of the Egyptians.

And when you go you shall not go empty.

But each woman shall ask of her neighbor and any woman who lives in her house for silver, gold, jewelry, for clothing.

You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters.

So you shall plunder the Egyptian.

Okay, so you read that and just like I'm not sure I like that word plunder in there, it's just like God calling the Israelites to plunder the Egyptian or plunder the Egyptians.

It's just like this.

Just me, maybe.

But God tells Moses don't worry about the logistics.

I will take care of that.

I will move on your behalf.

You don't need to figure all of this out.

This is how I'm going to do it and this just trust me and just follow my call.

Be obedient.

I'm going to take care of these details.

You and I often don't have the luxury of seeing all those details.

We're just called to follow, and there are times when God reveals the details to us, like this is how it's going to work, and and that those are, those are wonderful times Most of the time.

God does not do that here.

God does, and we're just going to see Moses Moses how he deals with this.

Okay, so I'll let you go, or I'll.

The Egyptians will let you go, egyptians will let you go.

Okay, moving on to verse, to chapter four.

Now, then Moses answered and this is Moses third objection, or his third question in the series of objections.

He says but behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say the Lord did not appear to you Makes sense, right, like you, and I would ask that, like we would say that, and we do, like we're called to share the gospel to the world around us, and one of the greatest things that keep us from doing that is, while they're not going to believe me, we're, and this has to do with with, with Moses fear of rejection, of Moses being afraid of being rejected.

So, objection number three they won't believe me.

This has to do with Moses fear of rejection, and this is a real fear and it's a fear that drives most of us often, if we allow it to.

But how does God respond?

Here again, god continues to give Moses the information and the resources and the equipment that he needs.

And in the next, in these next verses, we're going to see God give him three specific signs, three specific tools that he can work with.

Sign number one he asked Moses what's that in your hand?

Moses says it's a saff.

And God says throw it, throw it down on the ground.

So Moses throws it down on the ground and it turns into a snake.

And now picture this is like Moses.

He's at this time, I think, around 80 years old.

He throws this thing down.

I like a picture like a little white haired man with a white beard, a shepherd, throws his staff on the ground and becomes a snake and it says so I threw it on the ground.

It became a serpent and Moses ran from it.

Like I'm not sure that mind picture for me is just so.

I think it's just, it's just amusing, it's just funny, it's like a picturing this happen.

I don't know it's it's great Lord said to Moses put out your hand and catch it by the tail.

So he, he goes, he catches this thing by the tail.

It's a snake, I'm like it.

Yeah, catches it by the tail and it turns back into a staff.

So this was sign number one a staff that turns into a snake.

And there's something really interesting here, I think, and I think I hope something that we can apply to our own lives is that that Moses staff, it's a shepherd staff and it was, it was like it was with him constantly.

It's what he used to correct his sheep, to keep them from danger.

It's, it was like it was his, the tool of his trade, and he's been using it every day to do his job.

And now God takes what Moses is already using and being faithful in and he he turns it into something that God can use as a symbol, the primary symbol of, of his power to the Egyptians and to the Israelites.

Like this staff will go on, like we'll see it throughout the rest of Exodus.

This staff shows up in multiple ways and just as a powerful display of God's power.

And I think there's something here for us that I would ask you all.

This is like what is your shepherd staff?

What is your shepherd staff?

What is the thing that you are?

You are that God has called you to right now, as a, as a carpenter, as a, as a nurse, as a, as a teacher, like, and I'm curious to hear from you guys what are your?

What is like the, the one tool of your trade that is sort of like defines your trade.

I'll go, I mean, I'll just say one thing.

It's like for myself, it's, it's a de-walled impact, it's a drill, it's like.

I use that thing every single day, well, except for Sunday and Saturday, sometimes Saturdays.

It's like it is the thing that almost defines my, my, my trade.

I'm curious to hear from you guys like what is your shepherd staff?

Your microphone, okay.

Anyone else.

Put put people to sleep?

Okay, anesthesia, anesthesia Okay, that's scary.

Anyone else?

Coffee some days?

Okay, that's for all of us, I think.

Anyone else.

For some of you maybe it's a truck Johnny, I think of you, you truck and trailer.

That's like that is your shepherd staff.

For some of you it might be a pen or a computer, for some of you it's, it's yeah.

There might not be one specific thing, but the idea that I want to bring out from this is that God took what Moses was using and being faithful with, and he, he took that and he turned it into a powerful symbol for his power.

You see, and jumping forward to chapter or to verse 20, this is really cool.

I should have to verse 18.

This is after Moses decides to go back to Egypt.

Actually, yeah, verse 20 says so.

God took his wife.

Moses took his wife and sons, had them rile and donkey went back to the land of Egypt.

And it says this and Moses took the staff of God in his hand, took the staff of God.

Like we started off with, like this was Moses staff.

All of a sudden it's described as the staff of God in his hand.

I think there's something really powerful there for us that what seems ordinary to you and I can be.

If we allow God to use, use, it can be a powerful tool in God's hands.

Okay, the second sign then was was in moving down to verse six of chapter four said put your hand inside your cloak.

So he put his hand inside his cloak and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

We heard about we heard about leprosy this morning.

And so Moses did that.

He put, put his hand inside his cloak, brought it out.

It was leprous.

And when he put it back in it, god said put it back inside your cloak.

And when he did that his hand was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

We read these stories so often and we're just like we sort of lose the impact of it.

But this would have been I think this would have been a powerful sign to anybody who saw it.

Because the two things about leprosy or about about this type of disease in the Old Testament or in the ancient world Number one is that that disease was often viewed as a, as a curse or as as judgment from God.

It wasn't just something that, oh, you went out and and it was a thing of nature.

There was something almost spiritual about it that was, there, was, there was like judgment of God or some sort of like power of God there, and to be healed from disease was often viewed as as the working of the gods.

You know God's power, so so Moses does that, and what this has to, what this sign has to do with, is that it's like the power of God is going to be revealed to the Egyptians in a real way.

Okay, number three he says if, if they don't believe you, then this third sign take up, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground and the water will become blood on the dry ground.

The Nile was a source of all life for the Egyptians.

It was where it was, it was worshiped.

Actually, it was almost like a deity.

For the Egyptians is where where all of life came from, and one scholar says that in the Egyptian lore apparently, that there was an Egyptian lore that held that if the not there was blood in the Nile, it was a sign of, it was a bad omen of things to come Like.

It was just like something bad was about to go down and that's what's happening here, I think.

So all of these three signs got us, equipping Moses to do the work, to convince his people to come out of Egypt.

Okay, so verse 10, we have the Moses fourth objection.

He says but Moses said to the Lord again another, but here.

But Moses said to the Lord oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.

Okay, and this objection has to do with with with Moses, like limitations, like physical limitations, like this was a real thing and it's something that that you and I can can identify with.

He's slow of tongue, speech and tongue.

It's like maybe he had a speech impediment, maybe he was just really nervous in front of other people, but I think you could read this, as there was an actual speech impediment.

Maybe it was a stutter or he just couldn't speak loud.

This was his objection I can't speak well.

This was his fourth objection I can't speak well.

And I love how God responds to this Cause.

Again, he's saying Moses, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

What matters is that you're willing to be use of me, and this is who I am.

This is how I'm going to work through you.

Again, god gives him more promises, verse 11,.

Then the Lord said to him who has made man's mouth Like I am?

I created your mouth, moses, Like I am the creator.

Who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind?

Is it not I, the Lord?

So, like, all of these responses like comes back to who God is.

It's not who Moses is, it's about who God is, is it not I, the Lord?

Now, therefore, go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.

The first objection God answered to Moses back here was who am I?

God said I will be with you.

Now, god, it says I can't.

Moses says I can't speak.

Well, god responds with I will be with your mouth, I will be with your mouth.

Seriously, you guys, I can't even read this, but it's like.

I hope the marks will at least illustrate what I'm trying to get at.

Therefore, go, I will be with your mouth.

And then Moses responds with this chapter 13.

This is his last and final sort of objection question to God.

Up until now, moses has been trying to understand how God is going to work, why he's using him, and now and up until now, he's been asking God questions how are you going to do this?

Who are you?

Who am I?

I can't speak.

Well, like all these legitimate things and Moses last objection, there's a marked change, there's a distinct change in this response Because all of a sudden, moses goes from asking God a question, all of his fifth response.

He goes from asking a question to telling God what God should do.

After all this back and forth, after all the promises that God has given, after all the information that God has provided, moses goes from asking God, how are we going to do this?

To saying please send someone else.

No, thanks God, please send someone else.

And all of a sudden, moses' response is no longer coming from a heart that's trying to understand.

It's coming from a heart who's heard all the information, who's heard all the promises, who knows how God's actually going to do this, and he says no, no, thank you, please send someone else.

And all of a sudden he responds from a heart that is no longer surrendered to doing what God wants to, doing what God is asking him to do, and God responds Like I imagine I would respond if I was God.

Verse 14,.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and it's interesting this little word play here is that in the first of the chapter 3, we saw this burning bush picture of a fire being kindled, and now God's anger is being kindled at Moses' response.

And I've asked myself why did God become angry?

Why was he angry?

And I think it's because of this is that Moses was no longer willing to follow God's calling?

Moses was no longer willing to follow God's calling.

Sometimes there are times when God calls you and I to very specific things and there are times where he shows us clearly how he wants to do that and he gives us all the tools that we need the resources that we need the information that we need, but most of the time he doesn't.

He calls us to follow him, like Abraham.

When Abraham left his home country, god asked him to leave and they didn't have this long conversation.

It was like Abraham just went.

He had faith and he moved, and God took care of the rest For us.

Most of the times, god doesn't give us all the details, but what God wants of you and I is to follow him anyhow, to trust that he's going to work out all the details, to trust that he's going to move.

What he wants of us is a heart that is willing to go, a heart that is willing to follow God no matter what.

And I don't think it's wrong to ask questions.

It's okay to ask questions.

We're human and we struggle.

Who am I?

I have a speech impediment.

We had these same struggles that Moses did.

But what God wants for you and me is that we are willing to follow God's calling despite all of that and allow God to work out those details.

So Moses, so God again responds with this, and this is where it's like a picture of God's.

His mercies are new every day.

He his anger, was kindled, but he again gives grace.

It's like that's God's way with us.

We can mess up, we can, we can do so many things wrong, but God continually gives grace and extends mercy.

He says, okay, is there not Aaron, your brother the Levite?

I know he can speak well.

So all of a sudden, god equips Moses with his brother Aaron.

You shall speak with him, put the words in his mouth.

I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and I will teach you both what to do.

He shall speak for you, for the people.

Be your mouth and you should be as God to him and taking your hand to staff with which you shall do the signs.

So God again equips Moses with more information, with more resources, with more promises.

So I see the time is up here and I was hoping to work through.

I say we're just going to go through the rest of the chapter here and I'm not going to spend a lot of time on here.

I'm going to summarize briefly the story here, verse 18 through 20,.

If you look at that, moses decides to go.

All of a sudden, like Moses like, okay, I'll go, I'll go Like I don't.

It's almost like he's like what's the point of saying no to you.

God, like I'm like, yeah, he goes, returns to Egypt with his, his, his wife sons.

They head back to Egypt.

Moses takes the staff of God and verse 21 through 23.

Again, God gives him even more information.

It's like all the people that were chasing you were following you, trying to kill you.

They're gone now.

And this might actually have been Moses' fear is like there were people trying to kill me.

Maybe this was his primary fear, I don't know.

God says just yeah, they're taken care of, just go back.

And verse 24 through 26 is a really odd little little story.

We're not even going to get into this because it is like it is.

It is.

It is odd.

There's a ton of disagreement around this.

I might come back to this at a later date when we when we look at the laws of circumcision and what circumcision means.

So basically, just read over that and if you're interested in studying that more deeply, come talk to me.

I yeah, it's, it's interesting.

27 through verse 27,.

Aaron is sent into the wilderness to meet Moses.

They meet at the mountain of God, they kiss and then they go together back to Egypt and Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord has spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.

And they go back and they do what God has called them to do.

And the response I guess my final point in this is that when, when you and I, when we obey God's calling on our lives, you know obedience from a heart that surrendered, despite the details.

When we follow in obedience, god moves and he acts in the world Like he actually affects change in the world through you and me.

Powerful response here.

And we see the outcome of of of Moses and Aaron surrendered to God, working on his calling verse 31.

Yeah, verse 31 to close the sermon here.

And the people believe, god move.

The people believed.

And when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel here again it's like this is this is all about God.

We don't.

We don't read much about Moses and Aaron here.

In this last verse we read about what God's heart is.

When they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

They bowed their heads and worshiped.

That is so rich because it's it's it's it's a picture of what God does when he uses us, when we're surrendered.

God brings people to worship him, he brings people into relationship with him, and I think that's what I want to want for us to take home today is God wants to use you and I to affect change in the world, but we have to be willing to do it and to follow him, even when we don't know the details.

And when we do that, god does respond.

He does move and act in the world.

Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, we come before you in Jesus' name.

We are so grateful to you for your mercies that are new every day.

Thank you, lord, that you're you're a patient God and a God who is long suffering, and that you understand our struggles, our weaknesses, even our hearts that are sometimes not surrendered to you, but you continually have mercy on us.

Lord, I ask that you would help all of us to to live out the calling on our lives in obedience, even when we don't know all the the full picture, even when we don't know all the details, but that we'll be faithful and that you would work through our lives just like you did with Moses.

Bless everyone who is here today.

May you go with us.

In Jesus' name, I pray Amen.