Exodus
“The story of God’s presence”
Part 3
“What’s your excuse?”
Exodus 3:1-22---- Exodus 4:1-17
Excuses
We all have them
And
We have all heard them
And most of them are pretty lame
Kids
Got a bad grade on your report card
It was the teachers fault
Or the dog ate my homework
Late for work or school
The traffic was bad
Or my alarm did not go off
Or worse
Someone did not wake me up in time
Get a ticket
I was in a hurry
I was distracted
It was a speed trap
We all make excuses in our lives
When things don’t go the way we think they should
When we feel we have been wronged
When we know it was our fault that something came unbolted
Just make an excuse
That is the way of the world these days
Politicians going against the wishes of the voters or even the country
Make an excuse
Criminals breaking the law
Just make an excuse
Unfortunately
There is no part of our lives that breed excuses like our Christian walk
We tend to be very fast to offer excuses in this part of our lives
Excuses about why we don’t go to church
I’m too busy
I’m too tired
It’s too far
It’s too hot
It’s too cold
It’s raining
I’ll go when I get my life together
I’ll get more active when things slow down
Excuses about why we don’t give more
I can’t afford it right now
I’m saving for a????
The church doesn’t need my money
Someone else will take up my slack
Excuses
Excuses as to why we don’t get more active in discipleship programs
It’s too early
I’ll be there too long
I don’t really need it
Me and Jesus have our own thing going
Excuses why we don’t tell people about Jesus
They might not like me
They might think I’m weird
They might not listen
I’m afraid
Excuses
Or worse
Excuses about why you haven’t accepted Jesus as your savior
Some sound the same as the others
I’m too busy
I’m having too much fun
I’ll give my life to Jesus when-----?
We all make excuses
And we are not alone
Even the founders of our faith
The bible hero’s
Made excuses
Today we are going to continue in our journey through Exodus
Let me recap last week just a little then we can dig in to today’s study
Last week we looked at Jachobed
Moses’ momma
We studied about how she saved her child by giving him to God
And how by giving him to God she not only gave herself to God
But she gave him her hurts and disappointments
Her faith and her trust
In our round pen bible study
We took a hard look at how we often get ahead of God’s plan
And how we need to wait on his timing in our lives
How we need to be prepared for what he has for us
And how we need to be preparing
Moses tried to do things his way
He had been told that he was special
He had some idea of what he was called to do
But he
Took matters into his own hands
And
Killed a man
We know that all sin has consequences
And this sin was no different
He could not bury his sin like he buried the man
As a result
Moses lost the trust of his own people
He caused Pharaoh
And the Egyptians to hate him
Want to kill him
So
He split
He ran to Midian
Where he became a shepherd
Moses spent many years there
And he was being prepared
The whole time
And now
40 years later
God was ready to put Moses into play
Let’s read Exodus 3:1-6
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,[b] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
4 When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5 “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
God was ready to use Moses
So
He appeared to him
In a form that he could understand
If you have spent any time in church you know the story of the burning bush
It is important to notice that God did not speak from the bush
Until Moses turned to the bush
And then
God showed himself to Moses to get him doing what he wanted
Look at verses 7- 10 with me
7 Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
In these verses we should find great comfort
God sees us
He hears us
And he loves us
So he rescues us
But focus with me on verse 10
. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
I am sending you
Moses – You’re up- You’re the man
The time has come for you to do what you were made to do
Saved to do
Prepared to do
But
Moses flat ran backwards
He started with excuses about why he could not
Or would not do it
Moses’ made 5 excuses and God responded to each of them
Excuse #1
God who am I
Who am I to do this thing?
This is a very common excuse for us as well
We often feel so incompetent
Guilt
Shame
Hurts
Disappoints and despair
Can
Hobble us
We doubt our own worth
We doubt our own abilities
Moses struggled with the same things we struggle with
Verse 11
11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
Notice something with me here
God does not go into a list of all the reasons that Moses in qualified to do this job
He does not try to puff Moses up
He simply says in verse 12
12 God answered, “I will be with you.
I will be with you
Trust me, not yourself
You are right in your own self
You can’t do this
But with me
All things are possible
God is telling him
No excuses Moses
Don’t tell them who you are
Tell them who I AM
Verses 12-15
12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”
13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[d] Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh,[e] the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations.
Moses felt unqualified or at least underqualified
He felt inferior
And
In his self he was
But
God said
I’ve got his
Hang on Moses
Excuse #2
“I don’t know what to say”
“What will I say?”
We often use this one as well
I don’t know what to say
I can’t tell anyone about Jesus
Maybe I can invite them to church
But
But
I can’t present the gospel
I can’t tell them the good news
This was Moses next question and his next excuse
Moses ‘next big question was
“What should I tell them?”
So Moses asked first- What is your name”
So God tells Moses who he is
And to tell them
Who he is
Tell them I Am
It is important to know who God is
If you are going to tell a group of people that God sent you.
Saying “I heard a voice in a bush “was not going to cut it.
Moses wanted to go with God’s authority.
Verses 13-15
13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[d] Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh,[e] the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations.
Then he tells Moses to tell them who HE is- God
And to give them
His Message
Verses 16-22
“Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. 17 I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’
18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.’
19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him.[f] 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”
God told Moses to tell them His word
God told Moses that he was to go to the elders
And simply tell them what God had told him.
And here assures him that they will hear him
Verse 18
18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message.”
They will accept your message
Because it is my message
I will prepare their hearts
Just tell them Moses
Let me do the rest
Still Moses
Makes excuse
Excuse 3
“What if they don’t believe me or listen to me”
Wow
This one hits home as well
We often use this same excuse
What if they don’t believe me?
What if they won’t listen?
What if they remember my past?
Moses was struggling to understand that it is God that makes converts.
This is where we struggle also
It was not his job to save anyone
And it’s not our job to save anyone
It was simply his job to tell them
Deliver the message
And God would do the rest
That is our job as well
Just tell them
Verse 4:1
But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you’?”
God had a plan
Moses needed to trust that plan
God gave Moses some signs to show
And he gives us signs as well
God responded in His grace by providing Moses with three signs of God’s power:
First sign
Verses 2-5
Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.
3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the LORD told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
4 Then the LORD told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.
5 “Perform this sign,” the LORD told him. “Then they will believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”
Second sign
Verses 6-7
6 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease.[a] 7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the LORD said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.
Third sign
8 The LORD said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”
God assured Moses that he had this covered – that he was indeed in charge
He told him he would prepare the way and open the hearts of the Hebrews
He gave him three miraculous signs to show the people that he was indeed sent by God
He gives us a sign as well
The bible
Our salvation
our changed lives
The cross
The empty tomb
They are evidence enough that
Jesus is God
And that God is in control
The signs Moses was given showed that he had the power and authority of God
The signs we are given show the same for us today
But
Still Moses made excuses
Excuse #4
Verse 10
But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
There are many differing opinions on what caused Moses’ speech problems
A feeling of inferiority/shyness
Loss of a good grasp on the language after 40 years
A birth defect
An Injury
Who knows?
It could have been any or all of these or none of them
God’s word is not clear on the cause
Just the fact that he had trouble speaking
Whatever the cause
Moses doubted his ability to effectively deliver God’s message
But God responds with
Verses 11-12
11 Then the LORD asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
God says
Don’t worry about that Moses
I made your mouth and I will tell you what to say
Moses’ is more proof that
God uses less than perfect people
He does not need gifted speakers
He does not call the qualified
He qualifies the called
So
God called
And
Moses made excuses
God responded to his excuses
And still he called Moses
Then Moses
Out of good excuses
Even out of bad excuses
Makes one more attempt to not do what God wanted him to do.
Excuse #5
This final excuse was not so much an excuse as it was Moses’ desperate plea to pass the responsibility to someone else.
He was out of excuses.
Every one of his questions had been answered
All of his excuses had been shut down
Many after Moses had said
“here I am send me”
Isaiah
Jeremiah
David
John the Baptist
The disciples
Jesus himself
But
Moses
In a last ditch effort to skirt his duty
Says
Here I am - God
Send somebody else
Verse 13
13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
God responded with anger, but He was gracious here as well.
Verses 14-17
Then the LORD became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”
He gave Moses some help by sending Aaron
God knew his weakness
But God provided for that weakness
By giving him some help
We all make excuses
Some more than others
Excuse about why we don’t do what God has called us to do
Excuses about why we fail to step up and get the blessings that God has for us
Excuses about our service
Excuses about our giving
Excuses about why we are not growing in faith
Excuses about ?????
Excuses
For a believer
Making excuses means loss of blessings
Excuse mean a separation from God Kind of like a wedge
But
For an unbeliever
Excuses can make the difference between life and death
What excuses are you making this morning in regards to your salvation
What is keeping you from a life changing relationship with the savior of the world?
Excuses
Excuse won’t fly when your time here is over
Excuses won’t help when you face the judgment
God’s word says
In John 3:18
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
Excuses won’t cut it
1 John 5:12
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
No excuse will save you or let you off the hook
We all have to make a choice
Heaven or hell
Saved or lost
Forgiven or unforgiven
It’s up to you
Close from the heart
Pray
