God’s solution

The Call of Moses

Key scripture: Ex 3:1-2

Hymns :

Scriptures reading: Ex 3:1-15

I.                   Intro

A.                 A view of our world as of 2008

1.                  Violent deaths and accidents

a)                 1,277,734 traffic

b)                 937,404 suicides

c)                  187,709 war

2.                  Crimes

a)                 17, 045 Murders

b)                 92,515  Rapes

B.                 Does God have a way to reach into this broken world

1.                  A important question maybe “how”

2.                  A very Jewish passage which answers this question  Ex 2:23-3:6

II.               The background

A.                 The Situation

1.                  Overall Exo 2:23-25

a)                 Surround by Paganism

b)                 Where was God

2.                  Prophesied Gen 15:10-13

III.            The Call  Exo 3:1-2

A.                Moses going about life v.1 וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה הָיָ֥ה רֹעֶ֛ה

1.                  We are often negligent f God during our daily life

2.                  God calls us in the midst of our regular life

3.                  God call interrupts our daily life

IV.             The Revelation Exo 3:2-7

A.                 The Angel of the Lord v.2

1.                 God Himself

a)       וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה

b)                 The Great question of Judaism

(1)      Gen 22:12 מִמֶּֽנִּי

2.                  The flame  v.2

a)                 Associated with God’s presence Gen 15:17

b)                 One commentator points out it is associated with Judgment

3.                  Moses decides to investigate v.3

a)                 Our will and choices are part of the process

b)                 Certain theologians may negate man’s part

(1)              Denying genuine human response in receiving of the Gospel

(a)              Augustine

(b)              J I Packer in “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God”

(2)              Clear intent is indicated by the use of the Hebrew construction (2 cohortives)

V.                God call  v.4-7

A.                 God calls Moses by Name

B.                 By his name

1.                  Personally

2.                  Empathically

VI.             God refuses to affect his world apart from using us

1.                  In relation to Israel Ex 19:6

2.                  His body I Cor. 12:12-20

VII.         Application

A.                 Being His body I Cor. 12:12-20

1.                  Be Submitted  Eph 4 

a)                  Submitting to one another

b)            Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ,

(1)               It is possible to start a new paragraph here and regard ὑποτασσομενοι [hupotassomenoi] as an independent participle like an imperative. [1]

(a)              Difference for others ideas

(b)              Acceptance of others vision

2.                  Be serving

a)                 As  ears are we hearing

b)                 As eyes are we seeing

c)                  As hands are we doing

----

[1]Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Eph 5:21). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.