Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, we are looking at one of the most well-known moments in Moses’ life.

For us to understand where we find Moses in this story, we need get up to speed on what has happened.

When we left Moses last week, he was a child who was being raised as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son.

As he grew up in palace life, he would have been trained in reading, writing, leadership, combat, and more.

These were all skills that God was placing in him that he would eventually need.

However, at 40 years of age, he got ahead of God’s plan.

One day, he saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave.

He was filled with rage and killed the Egyptian, likely with a single blow.

When Pharaoh heard, Moses had to flee from Egypt and ended up in a land called Midian, where he settled for 40 years.

He went from being a potential heir to the throne of Egypt to a lowly shepherd, watching his father-in-law’s sheep on the back side of the desert.

Now, we pick up the story with an 80 year old Moses, and here’s where it gets good.

As we look at the choices Moses made in this passage, I want you to challenge you to choose to believe that God can use you to do the impossible.

What God was about to ask of Moses was impossible for Moses to do.

Yet, it was what God was capable of doing through him if he would let him.

As you and I move through our lives, we are going to find moments where God confronts us with something that he desires to do in and through us.

The choice we must make, as Henry Blackaby describes it, is the choice to go on with God or stay where we are.

It is unlikely that it will be another burning bush experience for us, but there will be a decision ahead of us that forces us to choose in light of the fact that God can do the impossible, and he may very well use you to do it.

It may not be even something that seems impossible as much as something that makes you uncomfortable.

It is a choice to obey God in a way that makes you nervous or scared.

It is in those moments that we see what we truly believe about God, and when we choose to go on with him, we see him do more than we could ever imagine.

That’s true of us as individuals, it is true of our families, and it is true of us as a church.

When confronted with that kind of decision, we may be tempted to ask some of the same questions Moses did.

Let’s look at them together as we go through this passage.

Start reading with me in ...

Moses’ first question is both reasonable and critical for us as we seek to join God in the impossible.

First, he asks:

1) What’s going on?

Moses noticed something unusual, and he turned aside to look.

He had been a shepherd for a long time, and I am sure he had seen brush fires, but he had never seen anything like this.

As he watched this one particular bush that was on fire, it just kept burning and burning, yet it never burned up.

That would make you stop and look, wouldn’t it?

When Moses noticed something unexplainable going on, he stopped what he was doing to figure out what was going on.

We may not get to see a burning bush in our lifetime, but at the same time, we can train ourselves to notice where God is at work.

Unusual circumstances and opportunities often are indications that God is at work in a unique way.

Let me give you a word of caution here, though: We are really good at connecting dots that don’t actually line up.

I remember as a teenager, there was a girl in the youth group that I really liked.

It was amazing to me how well I could convince myself that she liked me too!

“You know what, she parked next to me today.

That’s a good sign!”

“Oh man, she stood next to me when we were all talking after church.

She likes me, no question!”

It took some time, but eventually, I figured out that she didn’t like me like that at all!

In my head, though, I pulled together bits and pieces and convinced myself that things were different than they really were.

It is possible for us to have our heart want something so badly that we see things that seem to be coming together that really aren’t.

That’s why, as we see something extraordinary, we need to investigate them in light of God’s word.

In the study Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby mentions a number of things we find in Scripture that only God can do:

Draw people to Himself

Cause people to seek Him

Reveal spiritual truth

Convict the world of guilt about sin

Convict the world of righteousness

Convict the world of judgment

There is certainly more that God does than just that list, but those are key ways that only God can work.

When you see things that are out of the ordinary lining up around you, especially when they involve people being drawn closer to God who aren’t following him, then turn aside and try to figure out what is going on.

When God brings a fresh conviction into your heart about giving up an addiction or making a bold step to do what he is calling you to do, or your neighbor stops you for a conversation that seems to be heading towards spiritual things, slow down and investigate what is up.

When you are reading your Bible and a particular verse jumps off the page at you and helps you understand your life in a new light, or convicts you about a sin you have been committing, or reminds you of who God is, then recognize that God is at work and take a deeper look.

I remember as a teenager, there was a girl in the youth group that I really liked.

It was amazing to me how well I could convince myself that she liked me too!

In those big moments, when God seems to be doing something unique and he is preparing to do something unusual, we may find ourselves asking the next question Moses asked...

“You know what, she parked next to me today.

That’s a good sign!”

“Oh man, she stood next to me when we were all talking after church.

She likes me, no question!”

It took some time, but eventually, I figured out that she didn’t like me like that at all!

In my head, though, I pulled together bits and pieces and convinced myself that things were different than they really were.

It is possible for us to have our heart want something so badly that we see things that seem to be coming together that really aren’t.

That’s why, as we see something extraordinary, we need to investigate

2) Who am I?

Pick back up in 3:4-10.

Now, Moses gets a picture of what God is going to do, and it is even crazier to him than a burning bush.

God’s people have been in Egypt for over 400 years, and now God is saying that Moses is supposed to go and get them out.

Last time he was in Egypt, the Pharaoh wanted him dead.

Although that Pharaoh is gone now, Moses has certainly lost his edge.

After all, he is 80 years old!

He has been a shepherd for the last 40 years.

His next question makes sense.

Look in verse 11-12...

Wouldn’t you be asking the same question?

“God, who am I that I should do this?

What makes you think I am qualified to lead them out?

Don’t you know what happened the last time I tried to help?”

I love God’s response.

We could list all kinds of reasons why we think Moses would be a good candidate.

After all, having been raised in the palace, he would have learned everything he needed to know about how to lead a group of people.

Yet, that isn’t at all how God responded.

He didn’t start listing off Moses’ credentials and expertise; he simply assured Moses that he would be with him every step of the way.

When you are faced with a decision to choose to believe God can do something uncomfortable or impossible through you, you might ask the same question.

“But God, who am I? I can’t teach a Sunday School class.

My home isn’t nice enough to host a small group.

I can’t go on that mission trip or help in the nursery.

I can’t share the gospel with people at work, or there is no way we could foster or adopt.”

Who are you?

The simple answer to this is that you are the person God desires to use.

The simple answer to this is that you are the person God desires to use.

God isn’t giving you this opportunity because you are the best one for the job.

In fact, you may be able to list a dozen other people who would do better than you at it, and you might be right.

However, God’s choice to use you is like salvation: God didn’t save you because of anything in you.

It wasn’t because you are good enough to earn it or because he saw something big he could do through you in the future.

He saved you because he wanted to display his grace and glory by drawing you to himself and offering you salvation in place of your sin.

His choice to use you is the same.