The Life of Moses
Sermon Notes
Intro
Now today we’re continuing our teaching series called The Story. We’re walking through the biblical narrative from the very beginning in Genesis 1 to the last amen in Revelation 22, and today’s text brings us to the story of Moses. It’s a story about finding security in God, when you’re struggling with insecurity in your life. It’s a story about relying on the power of who God is, when you’re struggling with how powerless you are. It’s a story about me and you, because we all struggle with certain insecurities and weaknesses in life...Do you sometimes struggle with feeling you aren’t a good parent?...Do you sometimes struggle with feeling you aren’t a good person or good Christian?...Do you sometimes struggle with feeling you aren’t smart enough for school, athletic enough for sports, equipped enough for your job, equipped enough for ministry? ...As you scroll social media do you sometimes compare yourself to others and feel you aren’t skinny enough, attractive enough, successful enough?...Listen everybody struggles with insecurity in life...Both skeptics and believers struggle with certain insecurities and weaknesses in life, and today’s text can help us with that. So let’s turn to Exodus 3 and get into it. You’ll find Exodus in the front of your bible, and we’ll start in Exodus 3:1-14, then work our way to Exodus 12. Title of today’s message is The Life of Moses, and the big idea is remember who God is, when you’re struggling with who you are...Remember who God is, when you’re struggling with who you are.
Context:
Here’s your context. Last week we finished our study on the book of Genesis by studying the life of Joseph. This week we’re transitioning into the book of Exodus, and the word Exodus means going out or departure. So Exodus records the time in history when the Hebrews depart from Egypt, it records the time when God saves them from harsh Egyptian slavery. It’s been over 400 yrs since Joseph’s family moved to Egypt, and the current Pharoah isn’t as welcoming to the Hebrews as the Pharoah during Joseph’s lifetime. Abraham’s decedents, the Hebrews, have now grown to over 2 million people, and this Pharoah sees them as a foreign threat because of their rapidly growing population. So in Exodus 1-2 he forces them into harsh slavery, and he tries controlling their population by ordering the death of all Hebrew male babies. But when Moses is born his mother hides him for 3 months, floats him in a basket down the Nile where Pharoah’s daughter finds him, and she takes him in as her son. When Moses grows up he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he defends the Hebrew, and ends up killing the Egyptian. Pharoah finds out and tries killing Moses, but Moses flees Egypt to save his life, and here’s what happens next.
The Word:
Exodus 3:1-14 states, “Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” The text says Moses was “shepherding” his father-in-law’s sheep, and the original Hebrew can translate as he’s continuing to shepherd the sheep. The implication is Moses has been hiding and wasting his life away. He goes from being adopted into the house of Pharaoh’s daughter, being raised in the luxuries of their royal home, receiving an ivy league education, having friends in high places...to being an 80 yr old who’s hiding and watching sheep. He was around 40 yrs old when he killed the Egyptian, and he’s now 80 yrs old, which means he’s been hiding for 40 yrs of his life. He’s wasted most his life, but God’s about to use his life.
Vs 2, “Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but it was not consumed. 3 So Moses thought, ‘I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?’ 4…God called out to him from the bush, ‘Moses!...6 I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...7 I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians...10 I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ 11 But Moses asked God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” Moses asks “Who am I,” which reveals he’s carrying some deep insecurities. Many scholars believe this question links to a question he’s asked in ch 2 when he breaks up a fight between two Hebrews, and they reject him as their leader asking this in Exodus 2:14, “Who made you a commander and judge over us?” They ask “Who are you,” and it appears he’s still asking that same question 40 yrs later. He’s asking “Who am I?” He’s been rejected by Pharoah, rejected by the Egyptians, rejected by his own people, and he’s been carrying these rejections with him for the past 40 yrs of his life. It’s caused him to feel inadequate as a leader, yet he’s the most qualified and equipped Hebrew there is to lead this! I mean he’s received training within the very house of an Egyptian Pharoah, which means he’s been educated in their language, their literature, their legal system, their leadership. He’s also been shepherding sheep the last 40 yrs in the exact region God wants to use to help the Hebrews escape, which means he knows the terrain and watering holes better than anybody. He’s the most qualified and equipped Hebrew there is for the job, but his past rejections created insecurities that are hindering him. They’re causing him to ask “Who am I?”
Most insecurities we develop in life come from past wounds, past things people said or did to us. They come from somebody rejecting us, they said something that’s stuck with us, they did something that deeply wounded us, and we’ve been living with insecurity or a false security ever since. When I say false security I mean some of us hide our insecurities very well. We’re great actors, great at putting up a front, great at giving the impression we’re confident and secure in who we are, but we’re really just overcompensating for our insecurities. We don’t want to face our insecurities or let others know about our insecurities, so we’re overcompensating to try and hide our insecurities. Either way we’re all like Moses, we all have insecurities we can trace back to past wounds, past things people said or did to us. Moses is asking “Who am I,” and it reveals the deep insecurities he’s carrying from his past rejections. But listen to how the Lord responds.
Vs. 12, “The Lord answered, ‘I will certainly be with you...’” Notice the Lord doesn’t try pumping up Moses’ ego, instead he shifts the focus away from Moses and onto himself. He shifts the focus away from being about who Moses is, to being about who God is. Moses is asking who am I, but God says “It isn’t about who you are, it’s about who I am...I know you’re feeling insecurity about who you are, but find security in who I am. Find security in knowing that I’ll be with you.” City Awakening the way to overcome your insecurities is to look upward not downward! It’s to look upward at the Lord, not downward at yourself. You’ll never be confident in who you are, until you’re confident in who God is. Your insecurities can come from past wounds, but they can also continue to haunt you if you aren’t confident in who God is. If you’re feeling insecure in a certain area of your life, it’s because you aren’t confident the Lord is with you in that area of your life. It’s because you aren’t looking upward, instead you’re looking downward like Moses.
So what’s your insecurities?...What’s some of your greatest insecurities, and what are some things in your past that have contributed to those insecurities?...Have you been allowing those insecurities to shape who you are, or allowing your belief in who God is to shape who you are?...Look upward not downward...Look upward not downward, and let the same words God spoke into Moses insecurities back then, speak into the insecurities of your life today! If you’re saying who am I as a parent? The Lord’s saying “I’ll be with you!” If you’re saying who am I as a student or athlete? The Lord’s saying “I’ll be with you!” If you’re saying who am I as a leader at work, as an employee at work, as a leader or volunteer in ministry? The Lord’s saying “I’ll be with you!” If you’re feeling insecurity, rejection, even guilt or brokenness over sin and you’re saying who am I? The Lord’s saying “I’ll be with you!” We need to remember to look upward, not downward. We need to remember that our hope, confidence, security can always be restored by looking upward at who God is, instead of downward at who we are.
Again vs. 12, “The Lord answered, ‘I will certainly be with you...’ 13 Then Moses asked God, ‘If I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your ancestors has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What’s his name?’ What should I tell them?’ 14 God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you’re to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” God repeatedly uses these “I AM” statements all throughout Israel’s history. In fact God uses “I AM’ statements over 6,500 times in the Old Testament alone, and most are used in times when Israel’s lacking or needing something like he’s doing here with Moses. For example...
· Genesis 22 = When Abraham faced a difficult situation and needed God’s provision, God says “I AM your provider!”
· Exodus 15 = When the Israelites were wounded and sick because of their sin, God says “I AM your healer!”
· Leviticus 20 = When God gave the people laws to live by, the people said they couldn’t live up to these laws. But God says “I AM your sanctifier!”
· Ezekiel 48 = When the people were scared and surrounded by their enemies, God says “I AM there, in your battle!”
Over and over again the Lord tells Israel the same thing he tells Moses. He’s saying “You aren’t, but I AM!...You aren’t capable of doing these things, but I AM!...” It’s what the burning bush is all about! Fires need fuel to burn and bushes get consumed by fires, but the reason the bush is burning without fuel and without being consumed is to show Moses that God’s power is self-sufficient. It’s to show that God doesn’t need anybody else’s fuel, anybody else’s power, because God has an everlasting power that can fuel Moses’ life without consuming his life. So the way he’ll lead the Israelites to freedom isn’t by pumping up Moses’ ego, it’s by teaching Moses to rely on him and his power. It’s by focusing not on who Moses is, but on who God is. The Lord says “You aren’t, but I AM!...” then he proves it by sending Moses and Aaron to Pharoah.
Now Aaron is Moses’ brother, he’s a gifted communicator, and God uses them both to tell Pharoah to let the Israelites go. It’s a different Pharoah than the one Moses knew, because the previous one died. Historians believe this one is Ramses II, who’s just as harsh and unwilling to let the Israelites go. When Moses and Aaron talk to him, his heart is hardened and he refuses to let them go. So in ch’s 7-12 God displays his power by sending 10 plagues on the Egyptians, and these plagues accomplish 3 things. They’re God’s judgement against the Egyptians for treating the Israelites harshly, they’re God’s salvation for the Israelites, and they’re proving God’s power. They’re proving God has the power to back up all his “I AM statements.” But Pharoah never lets them go, until the last plague. It’s the last plague that finally breaks him, and it’s in Exodus 12.
Exodus 12:1-13 states, “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 ‘This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal... 7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them.’” The “animal” the text is referring to is a lamb. They’re to take a lamb for food, but also to mark their doorposts with its blood, so the Lord will pass over their house when the 10th plague hits, which is the death of every 1st born male in Egypt. The Egyptians were killing numerous Israelite male babies, and it’s now becoming a plague of judgement against them.
Vs. 12, “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land...13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you. When I see the blood, I will pass overyou.” The night comes, the plague comes, and the Lord “passes over” everybody who’s door has the blood of the lamb. It’s the final thing, the final plague, that finally breaks Pharoah and causes him to let the Israelites go. They’re finally set free from their Egyptian slavery...Now fast forward about 1500 yrs, and Jesus comes as the sacrificial lamb to die for our sins on the cross...Jesus comes as the sacrificial lamb whose blood covers the doorpost of our soul, so we can have eternal life and freedom from the wrath we deserve for our sins. Just as his wrath passed over the Israelites back then, he promises his wrath will pass over us today. He promises to give eternal life, eternal joy, eternal security to anyone who puts their faith in who he is and what he’s done. The gospel isn’t about who you are or what you’ve done, it’s about who he is and what he’s done. 2nd Corinthians 3, “Such is the confidence we have through Christ...5 It isn’t that we’re competent in ourselves to claim anything coming from us, but our adequacy is from God.” Jesus is the lamb of God who came to die for your sins on the cross. He came to be the Savior you aren’t! He came to say “You aren’t, but I AM!”
o John 6 = I AM your bread of life!
o John 7 = I AM your living water!
o John 8 = I AM your light!
o John 10 = I AM your good shepherd!
o John 11 = I AM your resurrection!
o John 14 = I AM the way!...I AM the truth!...I AM the life!
Jesus is offering to be all these things and more in your life! He’s offering to be your
Savior, he’s offering to be the great I AM of your life. He’s offering you a chance to say “I AM NOT the Savior of my life,” so he can say “I AM the Savior of your life.”
The Big Idea:
The big idea of the message is to remember who God is, when you’re struggling with who you are...We all came in here today like Moses, carrying struggles and insecurities...We’re carrying struggles and insecurities as parents, as spouses, as children...We’re carrying struggles and insecurities as students, as athletes, as employees, as leaders...We’re carrying struggles and insecurities as Christians, or as skeptics...We all came in today like Moses carrying struggles and insecurities, but we can all walk out of here today with the strength and security of Jesus by looking upward not downward. By looking upward at Jesus not downward at yourself, and saying “I can’t, but he can!...I’m not, but he is!...I’m not a good parent or a good person, but he is!...I’m not powerful, but he is!...I’m not sinless, but he is!...I’m not a great savior, but he is!...So who am I?...I’m just a nobody who knows somebody named Jesus, and he’s the great I AM!...He’s the great Lord, the great Savior, the great I AM, even when me and you ARE NOT...