Good morning, Three Rivers Grace. Good morning. Good morning. It's good to be here. Amen. Praise the Lord. God is good. All the time. And all the time, God is good. Amen. All right. Always a pleasure to come and worship here with you. I'm with Three Rivers Grace. And like Ken said, I've been been blessed to be able to come and fellowship and worship with you for several years. I met Pastor Ben some years ago, probably at least 10 years ago now, if not more, and we established a friendship and I bring you greetings from Eternal City Church and my church doesn't meet until five in the evenings because we use another church's building. So it gives me a chance to come and visit other churches in the city because I just like being in church on Sunday morning, you know, it's just church. So and this is one of the places that I would come on Sunday mornings over the years and so as a result of that, like I said, me and Pastor Ben and became friends and and so he's always been a great friend and and and and confident and encouraging and I appreciate that as a church as a whole as well and so I appreciate that and so I'm humbled to be able to come to be invited by him him and the other elders here to come and preach and like Ken said, it's not my I'd never take this kind of thing for granted. When a pastor allows somebody else, another pastor, into his pulpit, that says a whole lot. Because you can't just allow anybody up here. Amen. You can't allow anybody up here. You have to know the people who come and speak before you and know their doctrine and know their person. And so I appreciate that. And so that's very humbling to me and I'm honored to do that. So again, we're going to be in the book of Exodus chapter three, starting in verse one. I'm going to break down the verses. I'm going to start, we're going to be going through verses one through 12. I'm going to break them down in sections. We're going to start starting in verses one through three, the call of Moses in verses one through three. And it reads as such. 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. 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 was not consumed. So Moses thought, I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn't the bush burning up? All right, so let's go back to the first couple of verses. 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 the horror of the mountain of God. And Mount Horeb is the same as Mount Sinai. And it's the site where God appears to Moses in all of Israel, which we're going to look at later in Exodus chapter 19. But it's where God appears to Moses in all of Israel in Exodus chapter 19. And if you notice, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. So Moses was just living his normal life. He was just serving in a normal way in everyday activity. And God called him right from where he was at. So he wasn't doing anything special. He wasn't even praying to God about this. He was just living a normal life and he noticed this burning bush. But God called him out of the normalcy of his life. And God will do that. God will call us out of just our normalcy of everyday life. He doesn't wait for us to be in a specific or special position to call us. God calls us from where we are. And he called Moses to leave his comfort zone. And that's where God calls us to leave our comfort zone. And it's called a comfort zone for a reason. Because we're comfortable there. And we don't like to leave comfort. But God often calls us out of our comfort zone. And it says he was leading, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law. And he was doing the gift, God had already gifted him to do that. And God, Already given up and given him the gift to do to do that and so he called him Right in the gift where he was that and we see that a lot in the Bible people who are already have who? Already had a gift God called him Moses. I mean a David was a shepherd He called him while he was shepherding the flock and then he called him to shepherd the children of Israel as well. So God often calls us and uses the gift that he's already given us and And so that's what we see here with Moses. He was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness. And as we're going to see later, he shepherds the children of Israel out of bondage. And then it says, and then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame, in a flame of fire within a bush. The angel of the Lord, the Hebrew was Malak, and it's called a theophany, and it's an appearance of a pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament. And we're going to look at a couple of these in the Old Testament. But there are several theophanies, pre-incarnate appearances of Christ in the Old Testament called the angel of the Lord. And it says, the angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel mainly had a saving and protective function, the angel of the Lord, mainly had a saving and a protective function in the Old Testament. And if you notice, the angel spoke as God and not simply for God. And that says something about who the angel is. And it says, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire, but was not consumed. So Moses thought, I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why is the bush burning up? And as you see, like I said, the angel speaks as God. So let's look at a couple of examples of the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Genesis chapter 16. Now, this is the story of the woman that Abraham's mistress who he kicked out after they had an issue with Sarah and she's out alone in the wilderness. And then the angel of the Lord said to her, I will greatly multiply your offspring and they will be too many to count. Then the angel of the Lord said to her, this woman, you have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael. for the lord has heard your cry of affliction now she's out like i said abraham has kicked her out um through the encouragement of sarah his wife because of that whole situation all right this man will be like a wild donkey his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand will be against him now imagine now this is an angel of the lord speaking to this woman about her son and this is what she said about the son that she has given birth to he says This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him. He will live at odds with all his brothers. That's not very encouraging to me, that your son, ain't nobody gonna like him. He's gonna be at odds with everybody. He will be at odds with all his brothers. So she called the Lord who spoke to her, the God who sees. what she said the angel of the lord is speaking but listen to what she calls him she says the god who sees for she says in this place have i actually seen the one who sees me that is why she named the spring a well of the living one who sees me is located between kadesh and and and barrett but the angel of the lord that's the angel of the lord and she referred to him as god because like I said, the angel of the Lord, our Old Testament pre-incarnate appearances of Christ himself. So he is God in the flesh. Let's look at one more, Deuteronomy chapter 33. He said about Joseph, now this is Jacob blessing his sons, right? He's blessing all of his sons and this is what he says about Joseph. He said about Joseph, may his land be blessed by the Lord with the dew of heaven's bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath. with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, with the best products of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the eternal hills, with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of him who appeared in the burning bush." Did you see that? With the favor of him who appeared in the burning bush. He's saying to Joseph, this is how I want God to bless you. But he says, with the favor of him who appeared in the burning bush. May the may these rest on the head of joseph on the crown of the prince of his brothers So the angel of the lord is referred to here again as god So the angel of the lord is god in the flesh in the old testament All right, and that's who moses that is dealing with at the burning bush as well The angel of the lord appeared to him. All right, and then it says appeared to him in a flame of fire fire is a sign of god's presence in the in the bible normally it's one of the signs of god's presence is fire we see um uh uh with with elijah being taken up in the charity of fire um even on the day of pentecost the tongues of fire appeared so god's presence is often uh symbolized by flame by fire and so this flame of fire in the burning bush the burning bush moses would have ignored something normal because he was he was he was a shepherd so he saw burning bushes all the time That wasn't what was odd to him. But what was odd was the bush that was burning was not consumed. That was the difference. So if it was consumed, he would have just ignored it. But God got his attention because the bush was not burned up. So he would have ignored something like there was no crackling, no charcoal on the bush, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame of fire in the burning bush. And obviously, that would have got anybody's attention. If we see fire on a bush and a bush is not concerned, we would do the same thing. Why isn't that bush burned up? So God knew how to get his attention. God knows how to get your attention. Something that will cause you to say, wait a minute, what's going on here? Whether it's something miraculous or just something that doesn't normally happen. Why is this happening right now? God knows how to get your attention. He knew how to get Moses attention even as a shepherd Moses saw burning bushes all the time But I'm gonna do something different with this bush. I'm gonna allow the bush to burn but not because not be burned up That's gonna get Moses's attention. And so whatever it is in your life that God will use to get your attention. Don't ignore it Don't ignore it verses 4 through 6 when the Lord saw that he had gone over to look and God called out to him from the bush, Moses, Moses. And he says, here I am, he answered. The Lord saw, and he called him out of the bush. And Moses says, here I am. And that's an indication of openness to hear and obey. When he said, here I am, he wasn't just saying, OK, I hear you, God. But he's saying, Lord, here I am. I hear you, and I want to obey. And that ought to be all of our response when God calls us. When God gets our attention, in whatever way he chooses to do that, when he calls you, we ought to say, okay, here I am. Isaiah said, here I am, Lord, send me. And that'll be all of our response when God calls us and gets our attention. We ought to say, here I am with the willingness and the readiness to obey. All right, he says, here I am. And then he says, do not come closer. He says, remove the sandals from your feet For the place where you are standing is holy ground. Do not come closer. The place where you are standing is holy ground. This shows a gap between a holy God and sinful man. God is holy. And I think in the church, we don't talk about that enough, about the holiness of God. Separate he's unique Isaiah said he's high and lifted up and separate and distinct from everything that he created He's holy. He's righteous. There's nothing wrong with God Holiness there's nothing wrong with him. And so because we are so unholy We don't have a tendency to to even acknowledge or respect holiness at all or even holy things But he says Take the shoes off, for where you are standing, the place where you are standing is holy ground. And like I said, it shows that a gap between a holy God and sinful man, because God is so holy and we are so sinful, there's a gap between us, there's a separation, all right? And then he says, remove your shoes. And that was a sign of respect and reverence, and also a sign of Moses' personal defilement. Remove your shoes. We are not become so familiar with God that we dishonor his holiness. Because we're so familiar with God. Yeah, I know God. I'm a Christian. I go to church. Yeah, yeah, yeah, God is holy, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it becomes kind of cavalier to us. And that ought to never be cavalier to us. God's separateness, his holiness, his distinction from us, all right? We don't want familiarity to breed contempt when it comes to God. All right. And it also represents God's, Moses' unworthiness to stand in the presence of holiness. Take your shoes off, Moses. You're on holy ground now. Know whose presence you're in, Moses. Know whose presence you're in when you come to worship Three Rivers Grace. Know whose presence you're in. Know who's the God that we worship. recognize his holiness, his perfection, his distinction from us. Also, in some cultures, removing the shoes was a sign of being at home as well. And even some people say, when you go to their home, they tell you to take the shoes off. And some people do that and some don't. But we understand that whole thing about taking your shoes off. But in some cultures, removing the shoes was a sign of being at home at the same time. And so Moses was rejected by the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the Midianites. The Hebrews rejected him when he tried to defend the Hebrew. When the Egyptians killed him, the Hebrews said, who are you to come? Who are you to? Wait a minute. They rejected him. The Egyptians rejected him and tried to kill him. He was raised in an Egyptian home, but they rejected him. The Midianites rejected him. When Jethro asked, who saved you? How did you get this food so quick? And they said, some stranger. They didn't even respect him. So Moses was rejected by everybody. So at the same time, although removing his shoes is also a sign of all those other things, it can also be a sign of being at home. And so Moses could have finally found a place at home with his ancestors in the presence of God. And we'll look a little bit at that later. Alright, so he says remove the sandals from your feet the place where you are standing is holy grub is holy God He continued God is in one sense unapproachable. He's transcendent Right. He's unapproachable. Um, but in another sense, he's very near to us. He's intimate You know, I was a draw near to God and he will draw near to you So in one sense, he is unapproachable in the sense that he's transcendent and holy But at the same time in another sense, he says draw near to me and I'll draw near to you It's almost like a paradox. In one sense, unapproachable, but in another sense, he says, come, let us reason together. Come talk to me. Draw near to me and I'll draw near to you. Even though I'm holy and separate and distinct, I'll make a way for you to come into my presence, even in your unholiness. That's an awesome God who will allow us to come and approach him. even though he's, in one sense, unapproachable and transcendent, but he says, I love you. Draw near to me, and I'll draw near to you. That's the God we have. That's the God we serve. And look at what he says. He says, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He says, I am the God of your fathers. Moses' identity is traced back to Abraham. He's part of the covenant And Moses would have known about this covenant, even though he grew up in an Egyptian home, he would have known about the covenant. And so God assures Moses, listen Moses, you're part of this covenant. I'm the God of your ancestors, your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He lets him know where his identity really lies. I know you were raised in an Egyptian home, but you're a Hebrew, Moses. You're one of my people. You're part of the covenant I made with your ancestors. And I'm sure that was very encouraging to Moses, to know that this God is saying, listen, Moses, you're part of my family. Jesus dealt with the same thing. We I am the God of Abraham. I got Jacob Matthew chapter 22 Jesus dealt with the same Same same verse the same day some Sadducees and this is Jesus talking you say there is no resurrection came up to him and questioned him and they said teacher Moses said if a man dies having no children and His brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. It's called a levered marriage. If a man died and he had brothers, his brother was to marry his wife and continue the family line through his brother. That's weird to us, but that was back then. That was normal, okay? Moses said, if a man dies having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now, there were seven brothers among us. Now, they're trying to trap Jesus with this question, by the way. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. The same happened to the second also, and the third, and so to all seven. Then last of all, the woman died. And I guess I'll have to be married to seven men. That would kill any woman. Okay. Then last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? that's the quote-unquote trick question all right mr messiah okay they all died whose wife she gonna be now answer me that jesus trying to trap him for they all had married her and jesus answered them you're deceived because you don't even know the scriptures or the power of god jesus know how to shut people up he said you don't even know the bible shut up you think you know what you're talking about but you don't He said, you don't know the scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, which is really what you're asking me about, haven't you read what was spoken to you by God? I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. He says, I am the God of Abraham. Now, they've been dead for years. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have been dead for years. He didn't say, I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He says, I am to this day. I'm still their God. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he told Moses, Moses, listen, I am still the God of your ancestors. the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. So the covenant belonged to Moses as well. I'm the God of the living, not the dead. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive as far as God was concerned in his presence. And he's telling Moses, you're part of that same lineage, Moses. And then it says, go back to the verse, yes. Keep going, go back to the verse, verses four through six. In Exodus. Okay, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Now, in the presence of God, God shows up, and obviously Moses is humbled, you know, says Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. An Asiatic custom, hiding your face was an Asiatic custom of avoiding contact with the superior. And in this case, God was Moses' superior, all right? Moses recognized his sinfulness and unworthiness. So in that custom, that was a sign of avoiding contact with the superior. In this case, God. So God is our superior. So we can understand Moses hiding his face. Every time people came into contact with God in the Old Testament, they always did that. They always fell down in worship and hid their face because of God's presence, God's holiness. God is our superior, not another man. During slavery, the slaves, black men in particular, were not allowed to look at the slave master and face to face when they talked to him. They had to hold their face down. because they saw them as inferior and so you don't look at me you're not my you're not my equal you don't look at me i'm so you i'm your superior so you don't look at me when i talk to you for men in particular that was inappropriate because another man is not my superior amen god is though in this case this was appropriate because God is our superior. And so, in that custom, Moses fell in line with that custom. All right, now, Moses also recognized his sinfulness and unworthiness. Listen, if you get into the presence of a holy God, that's the first thing you're going to recognize, how sinful you are. That's why Isaiah said, woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. And I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips. He said, when he got into God's presence, he said, I'm a sinful man. Peter did the same thing. When he recognized who Jesus was on the boat, he fell. And he said, don't. He said, I'm a sinful man, Jesus. You will always do that in the presence of holiness because we are so sinful. Sometimes people think that if they saw Jesus a lot, they would give him a high five or something. Oh, Jesus. No, you're not. No. You will fall flat on your face because of who he is. because of his holiness, and that's appropriate, because he's your superior. All right, now, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Okay, verse seven of Exodus. All right, now, the Israelites cry for help, has come to me, and I have seen, okay, there we go. Then the Lord said, I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt. and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. This is what God says. He says, I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the territory of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hittites, and the Jebusites. The Israelites cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. All right, go back. to the beginning all right yes all right now he says i have observed the misery of my people in egypt and i've heard them crying out because of their oppressors and i know about their sufferings god sees their affliction he identifies with them by way of his covenant with their fathers notice he says my people even in their in their affliction in their bondage into slavery they are still god's people he says I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. He calls them my people. He observed, he knows, he heard, and he knows. And it's the same thing with you. Whatever your situation is, God observes it, he's heard, and he knows. Don't think because he hasn't done anything yet that he won't. God's silence doesn't equal his approval. Don't forget that. God's silence doesn't equal his approval. He was silent for years with them. He didn't say anything while they were in bondage. But then he says, I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and I've heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. The book of Isaiah, chapter 63. I will make known the Lord's faithful love and the Lord's praiseworthy acts. because of all the Lord has done for us. Even the many good things he has done for the house of Israel and has done for them based on his compassion and his abundance of his faithful love. Listen to that, his compassion and his abundance of his faithful love. He said, they are indeed my people, children who will not be disloyal. And he became their savior. Listen to this. And all their suffering, he suffered. He identified with them. He says, and all their suffering, he suffered. And the angel of his presence saved them, that angel of the Lord, and the angel of his presence saved them. He redeemed them because of his love and compassion. He lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past. And all of their suffering, he says, he suffered. God identifies with us as his people. When we cry, he cries. When we're suffering, he identifies with that. He suffers too. even though he may not do anything immediately, he identifies with us and he loves us. We see God's motive in all of this too. God took notice of their sorrow, their cries. He's separate, but not distant. He's separate from us, but he's not distant from us. We see God's purpose. but to transfer his people and to rescue them from slavery to worship. He told Pharaoh, let my people go so they can come and worship me. We're gonna talk more about that later. He transferred his people to rescue them from slavery so that they can worship him. God doesn't want us in bondage because it hinders our worship. God wants us to freely be able to worship him. Not bound by anything, physical or otherwise, emotional, psychological. He doesn't want us bound by anything to hinder our worship. Not because he's arrogant and prideful, but because worship does something for us. It benefits us. And we ought to be free to worship God and not hindered. Moses is to go. God is a sending God. He determines the end and the means. Now he told Moses, go back. He says, uh, uh, I've come down to rescue them from the power of Egypt and to bring them to the land of Floyd with milk behind the territory. Okay, keep going. Um, therefore he says, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh. Now, wait a minute. God said, you said you were coming down to rescue him. And then he told Moses, okay, you go. Well, wait a minute. I'm sure Moses wasn't, wasn't, you know, didn't plan on hearing that. He said, God's gonna rescue us. Yes, praise the Lord, God's coming to rescue us. Okay, now Moses, go. Wait, what? God is ascending God. God accomplishes things through us a lot of times. He said, you go, Moses. God is ascending God. And he said, I'm gonna rescue them from the power of the Egyptians. All right? In Genesis chapter 30, go back, where do I want to go? Yes, yes, okay, yes. Rescue them from a land flowing with milk and honey. Go back a little bit, I'm sorry. Yes, yes. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the territory of all those people. The Israelites cry for help has come to me and I've seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore go I am sending you to pharaoh So that you may lead my people the israelites out of egypt and moses led them out of egypt and not into the promised land If you notice if you remember and that's the whole of the story, but he led them out of the problem now, um A prosperous and fruitful land He says he sent him to a land flowing with milk and honey and god told him about this in the book of genesis chapter 13 After a lot had separated from him. The lord said to abram look from the place where you are Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land through its length and width, for I will give it to you." He promised him that land years ago. then a famine and a grace, okay, I'm not there yet, okay. All right, now, the land is occupied, though, if you notice. The land was occupied with all those people, all right? Idolatry was in the land, immorality was in the land. Their enslavement was predicted, but the land was occupied. A lot of times when God gives you something, you have to go and possess it, and you have to go and take it. He said, I've given you the land, and you go and look at the land, and say, well, wait a minute, there's people over there. Yeah, I know. There's giants in the land. Yeah, I know. But I've given it to you already. And that can be intimidating when you have to fight for what God has given you. Sometimes we have to fight for what God has already given us. You know, in the book of Numbers, when they sent out the two spies to go and spy out the land that God had promised them, you know, they sent out 12 spies. And 10 of them came back with a bad report. Only two came back with a good report, Joshua and Caleb. The other people was like, listen, there's giants in the land. We need to find another land. And Joshua and Caleb were like, listen, we got this. We can take this land. through our God, we can take this land. And because they seen more than the giants in the land, they seen the God of the giants. And sometimes it can be intimidating when God gives you something, you have to go and take it. And you say, okay, this is not gonna be, this is gonna be a fight. This is gonna be a fight. And that's okay. But God fought for them and with them. And the same thing with us. When God promises you something, listen, when God promises you something, it's yours. I don't care who's in your land. Who's in the land? If God promised it to you, it's yours. And sometimes we have to go and possess it. Fighting under the power of our God. All right, now, their enslavement was predicted. God told them they're gonna be in slavery for 400 years in Genesis chapter 15. He told him, you're gonna be in slavery for 400 years. All right, now, now the covenant is still valid. Even though they're in slavery for all these years, the covenant is still valid. So what took God so long to free them? Because that's a legitimate question. I've come down to rescue my people. So, okay, God, okay, not to be disrespectful, but what took you so long? Why did you wait so long to come and free us? All right? Acts chapter 7. Now, this is Stephen explaining the history of the Jewish people. He's explaining their history. And he says, then a famine and a great suffering came over all over Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find no food. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors the first time. This is about Jacob and his 12 sons and the famine in Egypt. And Joseph is king in Egypt. All right? Their brother, Joseph, who they think is dead, is king in Egypt. And so they're going down to Egypt to get food. They heard there was food in Egypt. They're going down to Egypt to get food. The second time, Joseph was revealed to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. joseph then invited his father jacob and all his relatives 75 people in all 75 in all and jacob went down to egypt he and our ancestors died there they were carried back to shechem and were placed in the tomb that abraham had brought for some of silver from the sons of hamer and shechem as the time was drawing near near to fulfill the promise that god had made to abraham notice that there was a time frame as a time drawing near to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham. The people flourished and multiplied in Egypt until a different king, who did not know Joseph, ruled over Egypt. Listen to that. Until, as a time drawing near to fulfill what the promise God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt. 75 people in Egypt initially. By the time they leave Egypt, they're like a million and a half strong. Different and people say anywhere between six hundred thousand two million people left Egypt So originally it's only 75 people. So God said I need more than 75 of y'all So keep having babies just keep having babies and I'll tell you when it stopped So all those years God was multiplying them to make them into this great nation That was going to leave Egypt millions of people the people flourished and multiplied in egypt until a different king who did not know joseph ruled over egypt the the original pharaoh has died by now he dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them leave their infants outside so that they wouldn't survive at this time moses was born and he was beautiful in god's sight he was cared for His father's home three months and when he was left outside Pharaoh's daughter adopted and raised him as their own son So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions but God waited because he needed two people to multiply and flourish and become a great nation and Also to humble them and to teach them and to and to be ready for Moses when he showed up But the covenant was still valid. They multiplied. And he says, go. Moses was to lead Israel out of Egypt and out into the promised land. And Moses sending reveals a few things about God. That God is personal, he's faithful, he's compassionate, and he's sovereign. God is personal. He's a personal God. I am the father. The God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He's faithful. Even though he's on a timeframe, God is faithful. Don't think that because he hasn't done anything or said he's not faithful to you. God is faithful. He said he would rescue them years ago, and he did. He's faithful. He's compassionate. He had compassion on his people, as we've read already. And he's also sovereign, which means he can do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it, who he wants to do it to. Moses, go and talk to Pharaoh. Don't worry about Pharaoh. I'll deal with him. I'm sovereign. Just obey me. Go and tell Pharaoh to let my people go. Yeah, but he's going to say, no, I'm sovereign. Trust me. He's personal, he's faithful, he's compassionate, and he's sovereign. Okay, but the reason, my point was, he waited because 75 people weren't enough. He had to wait for them to multiply and flourish and become this great nation. Verse 11. But Moses asked God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Great question. I would have asked the same thing. Me? Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? For he answered, I will certainly be with you. That's the best answer Moses could have gotten. When you ask God, who am I? And he says, I'll be with you. That's the best answer he can give you. Because we are all unqualified and unfit. And Moses, you know, Moses had some legitimate questions. He did. I was listening to Crawford LaRitch this morning. Speaking on the same thing about you know One thing with Moses talking to her burning bush and God tells him to go and then he says who am I? But after God speaking to him out of a burning bush, what kind of question is that? You're talking to God, you know, who am I he said the bigger question is who is God? that he would call me. That's the better question. Not who am I, but who is this God to call me to go and tell this Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the nation and possibly the world, to go and sell him to let my people go with nothing but a staff in my hand? Talk about intimidation. You want me to go to Pharaoh? It's like going to Kim Jong-un in North Korea and saying, let the people go with a wrench in your hand. really but moses asked who am i that i should go to pharaoh and that i should bring the israelites out of egypt he answered i will certainly be with you and this will be the sign to you that i have sent you when you bring the people out of egypt not if but when you bring the people out of egypt moses you you're going to bring them out i know you're questioning but you're going to bring them out when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain. That's gonna be the sign. You will all worship God at this mountain. All right? So, first of all, Moses, who am I? Moses is aware of his history. He's aware of his history. His 40 years in Egypt, his 40 years in Midian, his speech impediment. Moses was humbled. After all he went through, he was humbled. You know, earlier, from his patriotic stance, when he killed the Egyptian, he's like, you know, I'm your man. Moses thought he knew who he was. And they were like, well, who are you? He's like, wait, what? Moses thought he knew who he was. Now he's asking, well, who am I? From this earlier patriotic stance, I'm a Hebrew, I'm an Israelite. God has sent me to free us. And they're like, who are you? That's the top of busting somebody's bubble. When you think that the people are going to understand that God sent me. God sent me. I'm the one God chose. And they're like, who are you? You're just like us. And you grew up in the Egyptian house, so how can we trust you, Moses? Didn't you grow up with the Egyptians and our enemy, the people that enslaved us? Didn't you grow up in that house over there, that big mansion, Mo? Talk about humbling. And then Moses kind of shrinks back, and it's like, okay. He thought he knew who he was. But the bigger question was, not who am I, but who is God? So now, when God says, go, and then he's like, okay, well, I tried that once, Lord, and they shut me down real quick. That was before I, that was before me, Moses. You were trying to do this on your own, your own power. I didn't send you, I'm sending you now. I didn't send you then. That's why. And sometimes we can try to do things on our own before God calls us. Sometimes we can have a sense of what God wants us to do and try to go do it before the time. God is a God of timing. And this is what happens when you try to go before God. But God assured Moses of his presence. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt. I will certainly be with you and this will be the sign. God brought them back to the mountain to worship. Exodus chapter 19. In the third month, on the same day of the month, the Israelites had left the land of Egypt. All right, now they're out of Egypt now. They entered the wilderness of Sinai. After they departed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain. Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain. This is what you must say to the house of Jacob, and explain to the Israelites. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings, and brought you to me. You've seen what I did for you to the Egyptians. You've seen what I did to Pharaoh, all the signs, the parting of the Red Sea. You've seen all of that, all right? Now, if you will listen to me, carefully keep my covenant you will be my own possession out of all the peoples although all the earth is mine and You will be my kingdom and priest in my holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites Okay, now they're out of Egypt out of slave out of bondage This is what you tell him Moses if you will listen to me and carefully keep my covenant the covenant you will be my own possession out of all the peoples and you will be my own possession out of all the peoples of the world you israelites i'm choosing you you will be my own position out of all the peoples although the whole earth is mine everybody's mine but i'm choosing you and you will be my kingdom a priest and my holy nation first peter to talk about the same thing we are a holy nation a royal priesthood the bible says in first peter 2 And you will be my kingdom of peace in my holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites God brought them back to the mountain to worship chapter 6 verse 16 On the third day when morning came there was thunder and lightning a thick cloud on the mountain and a loud trumpet sound so that all the people in the camp shuddered then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God and and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Remember the fire, the presence of the Lord's fire sometimes? The smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain shook violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder. So God brings it back to Mount Sinai after bringing the slave out of bondage to worship. One last thing and I'm done. We see a pattern in the Bible, the book of Exodus in particular, a pattern of redemption, righteousness, and then worship. God redeems them, then he gives them his righteousness. In the next chapter, chapter 20, he gives them the Ten Commandments. He gives them, this is how I want you to live. Now that I redeemed you, this is how I want you to live as a people. Redemption, then he makes them righteous. And then later on, he gives them the tabernacle. This is how you worship me. Redemption, righteousness, worship in that order. Same thing with us. You can't be righteous until you're redeemed. And you can't worship until you're righteous. Did you hear what I said? You can't be righteous until you're redeemed. You can't be right until God saves you and shows you how to be righteous through his word. You can't be righteous. And then you cannot worship God unless you are righteous. Worship that's not rooted in righteousness is rejected. Abel's offering was rejected because of what it rooted in out of a righteous heart. That's why his offering was rejected. In the book of Amos chapter five, God is scolding the Israelites for their lack of righteousness in relationship with him. And they're still trying to worship him. And he says to them in chapter five, he says, I don't want it. He said, don't sing another song. I don't want your music. I don't want your, none of your offering, none of your sacrifice. I don't want anything until you get right with me. He told them that in Amos chapter five, because their worship was not rooted in righteousness. They weren't treating each other right, they were in sin. And he said, I don't want none of your worship. Redemption, righteousness, and then worship. Same thing for us. We get God redeems us, and then he teaches us how to be righteous. First of all, we have the position of righteousness because of Christ. He is our righteousness. He's also given us his word to teach us how to be righteous. And then now, that you're righteous, now you can worship me. God doesn't want worship that's not rooted in righteousness. So there's a pattern to the book of Exodus. He redeems them, then he makes them righteous, and then he says, okay, give them the tabernacle, now here you can worship me. So Moses, in his call, with all his excuses and all of that, which we can understand and relate to. But the purpose was to bring his people out of bondage, to make them righteous. And then he took them to the mountain to worship. Don't forget that order. Don't forget that order. Redemption, righteousness, worship. God always wants that order. See, because you... God hates unrighteousness, especially in His people, from His people. And all through the Old Testament, the Israelites were scolded over and over and over again for their sin and their rebellion. And they were still trying to worship God. And God rejected it every time. Because He wants worship that's rooted... He wants us as a redeemed people to be grateful And one of our ways of showing how grateful we are is to live a righteous life. To live righteously. God, I'm so grateful of what you did for me. I want to live for you. That ought to be our heart once we get saved. That ought to be the motive for living right. Not because, you know, for any other reason other than because God is just, I'm just grateful. The least I can do is live right. because of what he's done for me. He redeemed me from the power of sin. So the least I can do is live for him. And then once I can do that righteously, I can freely worship him and God will accept my sacrifice. The Bible says, present your body as a living sacrifice. My whole life as a life of worship from this God who redeemed me from sin. And so he chose Moses to go tell Pharaoh, let my people go so they can come and worship me. They can't worship me in bondage. They can't worship me in slavery. We can't worship God in bondage, in slavery. So set them free, Pharaoh, so they can go and worship me. So as we leave this place, let us go. Be mindful of the order, redemption, righteousness. and not worship. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We bless you for just being who you are. Thank you for being an awesome God. Thank you for redeeming us for yourself, making us righteous in Christ Jesus, and allowing us to worship you in spirit and in truth. Thank you for your word. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Bless us as we continue on our day. Help us to remember what you've done for us. And Lord, we'll give you all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. Lord God, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you.