SERMON SUMMARY
Last week we began a brand new series about the life of Moses. We covered the story of Moses’ birth and how, through God’s provision, he became a part of Pharaoh’s family, inadvertently rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter. At some point during his upbringing, he was made aware that he was in fact a Hebrew, and he began to consider how he could help his people who were under oppression by Pharaoh. In a tragic turn of events, he murdered an Egyptian who he witnessed beating one of his countrymen. When he discovered that the news of his crime had reached Pharaoh, he ran away to the wilderness to escape punishment.
This week we will pick up the story during Moses’ 80th year. He has been living as a shepherd for a long time since fleeing Egypt, and is most likely thinking about how he will quietly finish his life. But, God had other plans for Moses. In Exodus 3 God speaks to Moses and provides him a vision of what could be rather than what has been. At 80 years old, Moses was given a new purpose and mission— a fresh start and a chance to have an impact for the Lord. God provided Moses with some critical tools for his new beginning.
Moses received a fresh view of God. Verse 4 tells us that Moses turned aside to look at what God was doing, and that’s when God spoke and declared His holy presence. Today, He still calls us to stop looking into the past and look forward to what He can still do through us, in His power.
Moses received a more accurate view of himself. Moses was arrogant for much of his life because of his privileged upbringing, his superior education and physical strength. He came to the end of himself because of that self-focus. Yet in the wilderness, his self-focus turned into an inferiority complex. Today, we often go through a similar progression of: “I can.”, “I can’t.”, and ultimately, “I can do all things through God who strengthens me.” This last part is where we need to live.
Moses received a brighter view of the future. God gave Moses a vision of how he would be used to lead some three million people out of Egypt to worship God at His holy mountain. Today, God calls us to obey Him up front, trusting that He will work things according to His plan and will bless us in our obedience. He calls us to believe in His bright future.
APPLICATION / CHALLENGE
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ…
- Get a fresh view of God.
- Get a more accurate view of yourself.
- Get a brighter view of the future.
- Get into action and serve God! Impact your community, your nation, your world.
TAKE ONE STEP
Each week, write down one doable concrete step of obedience, small or large, that you will put into practice this week. (James 1:22: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”)