James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.
TEXT: Exodus 3
TOPIC: The Burning Bush
THEME: How to impact our culture.
THE BURNING BUSH CONFERENCE
INTRODUCTION:
1. I want to invite you to the Burning Bush Conference. At this conference you will have a one-on-one confrontation with Almighty God.
2. Moses was schooled in all of the learning of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22).
He studied at the temple of the Sun. He learned reading, writing, trigonometry, geometry, science, mathematics, astrology, music, art, military science, and the religions of his day.
3. However, God took Moses to a brief, life changing seminar. It was the Burning Bush Conference. Moses learned more in a matter of moments, than all of the years of his life before. This conference changed the course of history.
T.S. I believe if we will journey to the Burning Bush Conference, to the Bush that is burning, but is not consumed, and learn and apply the absolute truths there, our lives will be changed forever.
I. GOD HAS A PASSION FOR US (Ex. 3:4)
Moses’ self confidence has been shattered. His ambition has been abandoned. He had ceased contending for the cause. He had surrendered to the adverse circumstances around him.
40 years earlier, Moses had risked his life for his people. Then, he was rejected by his people. Fear gripped his life and he fled from the wrath of Pharaoh.
He became a shepherd of his father-in-law’s sheep. Moses owned nothing. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians (Gen. 46:21). In the eyes of Moses’ world, he was now a failure.
When Moses first son was born, he named him Gersha ("driven, thrust out"). This expressed the feeling and beliefs of Moses. 40 years of failure, loneliness, desperation, exhaustion, and frustra- tion.
Suddenly, Moses saw a Bush that was burning in the desert. Moses went over to the bush. The first words, he heard from the bush were "Moses, Moses." God knew his name, address, location, and shattered dreams. God knows who you are, where you are, and what you are.
ILLUSTRATION: Robert Schuller’s Daughter
Lost a leg because of a horrible skying accident. Learned to walk all over again. After she returned home from the hospital, Schuller plucked a Rose from his rose garden and began to play He loves me and he loves me not with his daughter. Schuller had planned to end with he loves me. However, before he could finished, his daughter grabbed a rose and said this is to my heavenly Father, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me....."
II. GOD HAS A NEW POSSESSION FOR US (Ex. 3:2)
Moses has been in the wilderness for 40 years and he has seen a zillion Acacia bushes. These bushes are scrawny, ugly, snagley looking in the desert. They has distorted twisted limbs. There has not been one day that he has rushed home to wife, Zipora and said, " I have seen a Acacia bush."
The Acacia bushes were so ordinary and so common in the wilderness. They were insignificant to everyone. They were never the conversation around the table.
However, when the glory of God filled that Acacia bush, it was transformed into something extraordinary, a beautiful sight to Moses. That night when Moses came home he told his wife and family what he had seen in the wilderness that day. He told about the bush that was on fire, but was not consumed.
Our lives are ultimately insignificant in the world, until the glory of God fills our lives. You may feel your life is ugly, worth less, useless, and uninteresting.
However, I am here to announce to you if you will come to the burning bush conference and let God transform your life, you will make a eternal contribution for the Glory of God.
The world looks at the Church without God’s power. They say that it is nothing more than a thorn bush. We cannot build a building ornate enough, have music beautiful enough, land spacious enough, the grounds landscaped enough to attract the world to it.
However, when the Church begins to burn, but is not consumed, people will come to God. The ordinary becomes the extraordi- nary when God is in the middle of it.
Illustration:
III. GOD HAS A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR US (Ex. 3:3-5)
It has 40 years since Moses has been intellectually challenged. Moses believes that someone with high enough education could analyze and figure out what is going inside the burning bush.
So, Moses walks up with all of his educational degrees, plastered on his shepherd’s cloak. He tries to figure out the phenomena. Then, God speaks to Moses and commands him to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground. God de- manded a holy reverence for what God was doing even though a Moses could not explain what God was doing.
Even though Moses could not explain what God was doing, it was there he received fresh revival and revelation from God.
There are people who believe if one can not figure it out, rationalize it, put your mind around it or your hand around it, then it must not be God. These kinds of people run away from the blessings of God rather than embrace it.
Illustration: No Compass
In May of 1996, the greatest disaster in mountain climbing occurred on Mount Everest. The climbers stayed too long at the summit. A storm began to blow in. As they made their way down to an intermediate camp, they were engulfed in a full scale blizzard. The wind exceeded 60 knots. The chill factor was more than 100 degrees below zero. With the supplemental oxygen tanks running out and their head lamp batteries running down, they found themselves in the struggle for their lives.
Fortunately, there two experience guides with this party of eleven. Unfortuately, these two guides chose the wrong path back down the mountain. John Crackhour recently published a book entitled, Into Thin Air. He wrote: for the next two hours this group stagered blindly around in the storm, ever more exhausted and hyberthermic, hoping to blunder across the camp. One of the guides said that it was total chaos. People are wondering all over the place. I am yelling at everyone, trying to get them to follow a single leader. Finally, around 10:00 p.m., I walked over this little rise and I felt like I was standing on the edge of the earth. I could sense a huge void beyond. . . .The group had unwittingly strayed to the eastern most edge of the lip of a 7,000 foot drop, down the Cane Shung Face of Mount Everest.
The group decided to huttle up and wait for a break in the storm. They were without shelter and not much light and oxygen, and with confused leadership. Some of those climbers survived but others died. Yet, the tents of their camp were only 300 yards away from them. A distance they could have covered in less than 15 minutes. They had lost their way.
IV. GOD HAS A PROMISE FOR US (Ex. 3:6)
God chose to identify with Moses, his father, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God could have identified Himself in so many different ways. Yet, He chose to say that I covenant myself with people like you and me.
Abraham had his inconsistencies. Isaac had his inadequa- cies. Jacob had his improprieties.
God was saying to Moses, "In spite of their weaknesses and failures, I was still with them. The covenant that I made to them has now become your covenant."
V. GOD WANTS TO PARTNER WITH US (Ex. 3:7-10)
God says to Moses that I have heard the cry of people in Egypt. I am going to deliver them and bring them into a new land. This is going to be a divine deliverance by the hand of God. No doubt, Moses says to God, "That a boy, God. I am glad to see you getting on track. You know I tried to do this 40 years ago. I can’t hardly wait to see you reach down and defeat the Egypt tians and bring out the Israelites."
God says, "You have it all wrong Moses. You are not going to sit up on the mountain top while I do all the work. You are going to be my spokesman and my servant. You are to be involved in the work of God."
So many of God’s people believe that will send us a revival and all the they have to do is sit around or dance about and let God do all of the work. Revival does not happen that way.
At the Burning Bush conference we hear the voice of God telling us to participate in the deliverance of the lost.
VI. GOD HAS ENOUGH POWER FOR US (Ex. 3:11-14)
God calls us to do a task that we can not do. He calls us to heal the sick. We can not do that. He call us to cast out devils. We can not do that. We can not accomplish the task by ourselves. We must have the authority of Christ and the power of God in our lives.
God said to Moses, " I will certainly by with you." And Moses said, "Who are you God?" God said, "I am who I am." I am what you need for the circumstances you will confront in your tasks, and work for God.
CONCLUSION:
1. Are you willing to attend the burning bush conference? Are you open to allowing God to call you to a task that you can not do by yourself?
2. Do you believe that God will go with you to this lost and dying world filled with idolatry and inquity?
3. I challenge this church to come to the burning bush and allow God prove His passion, possession, perspective, promises, partnership, and power to you.
