I'm turning now in the word of God to the book of Exodus, second book in the Bible, the book of Exodus, chapter two, and reading from verse 23. And it came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And my subject and title for this evening's message is The Burning Bush. This is such a significant event in the life of Moses, not only the life of Moses, but the life of the entire nation. How God would visit and encounter Moses in the burning bush. Well, previously we saw the amazing providences surrounding the birth of Moses. how he was so wonderfully preserved in such a dangerous and precarious environment, the Nile, with the alligators and so on. It was surely, from a human point of view, putting Moses to death. We learned in our previous study, according to Hebrews 11, that Moses' parents were moved by faith to do this, and their faith was abundantly rewarded. And we saw this in the previous series. And although it would be another 80 years from Moses' birth, when God would finally call Moses to be Israel's deliverer delivering them from Egypt, even though it would be long drawn out It would be yet another 80 years until God would deliver them yet Preparation was underway God had put faith into the heart of the midwives. We learned in chapter 1 God had put faith into the hearts of Moses parents. So although the deliverance had not yet come God God was very much planning and the His preparation was underway and God would continue to prepare Moses when he left Egypt in the desert region of Midian. And so this is where we come to in our point in our study, verse 23, and it came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage. uh cruel slavery and they cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Well, the king of Egypt had died, the pharaoh that had, who did not know Joseph, we read in the beginning of Exodus, and who put in place this cruel and barbaric policy of putting to death the Hebrew baby boys, he had passed away now, and maybe the Hebrew slaves were hoping that with the dying of this pharaoh, that the next pharaoh that would come to this road, well, maybe they would be alleviated from slavery, or at least their burdens wouldn't be so harsh. But no, it was just the same, if not worse. And it shattered their hopes, and they cried. They cried and they sighed, and God heard their cry. But as we come to the opening verses of chapter three, Decades had now elapsed after Moses had left Egypt, but this was when we read From chapter 3 40 years had now passed when Moses left Egypt. So this is where we are in chapter 3 And it says even it says this in verse 23 of the previous chapter it came to pass in the process of time The king of Egypt had died. This is the time when God would start to move and to call Moses for the great task of his life. Verse one, now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Moses had been in Midian now, in that desert region, mountainous desert region, for 40 years. and he was shepherding his father-in-law's sheep, and it couldn't have been a greater contrast to the life that he used to live. He used to, well, we learn in Acts chapter 7, he was taught all the wisdom of Egypt, he was skilled in many things, the hustle and bustle of Egyptian life, and being in the palace, and maybe understanding how the military worked and so many things. And also the concern of his people, how he felt for them. All of this was a very distant dream now. It was so different, the solitude and the pastoral life that he lived. It seems as though, and I think it's correct, that Moses had lost hope that he would ever deliver his people from slavery. He's now adapted to this quiet and pastoral life and these humble surroundings. But even though God's plan seemed to be delayed from a human point of view, Well, he would not tarry. He had promised, and now the time had come. God remembered his promises he made to the patriarchs, and his compassion and his sympathy for the people did not waver over that long period of time, even though our feelings, even as Christians, can sometimes waver and evaporate over time, God's does not. He did not forget his promise, and now he would call Moses. Well, Moses at this point in time, by no means an isolated incident, this is what he did, looking after his father-in-law's flock, and it was in the Sinai region, and there would have been some kind of vegetation at the back of this desert area, Maybe there would have been acacia trees or acacia bushes, and he would have led them there perhaps. But something strange catches his eye. He sees a particular bush on fire. And the thing which puzzles Moses is this bush is not being consumed. It's on fire, but the leaves aren't being consumed. Neither are the branches. It's clearly something that's not natural. And he's puzzled by this, so he goes to investigate. Verse two, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, intrigued by this fascinating sight. and see this great sight and why the bush was not burnt. And we're told in verse 2 that the angel of the Lord was in the bush, manifested himself. Many and most of the commentators say that this is Christ. This is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, a theophany, Christ appearing in the Old Testament. In fact, whenever you hear the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, that's almost a name of Christ in the Old Testament. And we know this to be the case, this surely is Christ, because even when Christ was disputing with the Jews in John chapter eight, and they were, well, the Jews were disputing with him, And he said to the Jews, well, Abraham would have rejoiced to see my day. And he did see it, and he was glad. And the Jews said to him, you're not even 50 years old yet. Abraham lived 2,000 years earlier. You're not even 50 years old, and you've seen Abraham. And then he says that great statement about himself. Before Abraham was, I am. He uses the very title that the Lord uses here in the bush. Am I am the one that appeared to Moses? He seems to suggest so this truth this we can take this for sure as a surety that this is the Lord Jesus Christ Speaking to Moses in the burning bush and Moses responds. He calls out to Moses. He calls his name and Moses responds and verse 5 he said draw not nigh hither and put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." So God explains that he shouldn't come any closer. He shouldn't attempt to come any closer. Take off your sandals. This is holy ground. And then he explains who he is, the God of your ancestors, the God of Isaac, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses is petrified when he realizes who it is, and he hides his face from him, but this had a tremendous effect upon Moses. It had such a transformative effect on Moses. Without this experience, Moses would not have been able to fulfill the great task of his life in being God's servant to rescue his people out of Egypt. This experience was absolutely essential. And the lesson we take from this in the opening verses is this is clearly a picture of our conversion experience. And every one of God's elect will experience a burning bush experience when they encounter God personally. If that's never happened to me, I'm not really converted. I have to encounter God personally. God moves in my heart. I'm not speaking about charismatic experiences, which you hear of these things sometimes, and people think they're converted because they felt a certain way. You hear all this wall of music, and they're moved by the music, and they're in tears and everything. No, that's engineered by men. We're speaking about a real encounter, a biblical encounter, where I'm deeply convicted by my sin. I have a sense of God's majesty, that he is holy and awesome, and I'm small and insignificant and sinful. I feel these things, and I'm deeply convicted. And I also experience the love of God as we will continue to read. But this is well and truly a picture of this. All of God's elect will experience will encounter God, will have this burning bush experience. All of God's elect will be called out of Egypt. just as Moses and God's people were called out of Egypt. I'm speaking, Egypt is well and truly a symbolic of the world, this fallen world system. And if I'm God's elect, if I'm God's child, I will be called out of Egypt, just as Moses and the people of Israel were called out of Egypt. Moses was given a commission. And so are we. I'm called out of this world to serve the Lord. I'm now in Christ's kingdom and I'm given a new commission. I'm just no longer drifting through life idly. No, I'm now serving the Lord. This is all that we learn here and much more. And Moses would never forget this experience. This experience would remain indelibly in his heart for the rest of his life. And we know this to be true because in Deuteronomy chapter 33, very soon just before he died, when he was blessing the different tribes of Israel, he says the following in Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse 16. He's blessing each tribe and he blesses in this verse, the tribe of Joseph or Manasseh and the others. And he says, for the good will of him that dwelleth in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. This is decades later, and it's still so vivid in Moses' mind. I remember that moment when I encountered my God. And we need to remind ourselves of our burning bush experience when the Lord first called us We're reminded often in scripture not to forget how the Lord has saved us When we read of God exhorting his people in the books of Moses, do not forget that you were called out of slavery It's a reminder for us as well. Don't forget how the Lord has saved you called you out of the world We need to refer to this our conversion experience often to encourage ourselves, to remind ourselves that we've been called out of this world to serve the Lord, to live for eternity. But this event, the burning bush experience, what Moses encountered, also has symbolic significance as well. As I'm sure you all know, fire is an emblem or symbol of God's judgment. We're told in Hebrews chapter 12 that God is a consuming fire. And yet the strange thing is that this burning bush was not consuming the bush. There's symbolic significance here. This is pointing us to wonderful gospel truth. What happened at the burning bush? The bush was not being consumed by God's holiness and his judgment. And this points to the fact that those who will be called by God, those who are undeservedly favored by God, and are recipients of His grace, will not be consumed by His holiness, because He has made provision through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has met the demands of the law on our behalf. The Lord Jesus Christ has suffered on our behalf, and also fulfilled the requirements of the law on our behalf. And just as the Hebrews because the slavery in Egypt is referred to as the furnace of affliction. And just as the Hebrews were preserved, despite the cruel bondage, they multiplied even, but they were preserved as a nation, even though they suffered the way they did. Well, that's also a picture. That's also what's being highlighted here. And this is the truth for all who are the Lord's people. We read in Isaiah 43, though thou walkest through the fire, I shall not be burned. If I'm in Christ, all my trials and my tribulations and difficulties will be sanctified. I will not be burned. I will not be led astray. I will not be deceived. I will not go back into the world indefinitely. because I'm kept by the power of God. And the flame will not consume me, but instead it will sanctify me. I'm justified and I'm sanctified by this wonderful grace. So this is what we learn here as well. We are preserved. We will not be consumed in God's judgment, but instead the fire sanctifies and doesn't consume. It's not the case for those who are outside of Christ, but it's a wonderful truth for those who are God's people. But we must move along swiftly in the narrative because there's more things we want to cover. Verse 7, and the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters. And what a wonderful, what a wonderful sentiment this is. I know for I know their sorrows and I'm come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land unto a good land and a large unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And he goes on to name the different tribes that are living there at that time. Verse nine, now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come unto me. And I have also seen the oppression where with the Egyptians oppress them. I see these things. I know their sorrows and difficulties. I know what my people are going through. And I will fulfill my promise I made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will bring them up as a nation into this land flowing with milk and honey. And that's a wonderful way in which the land of Canaan is described. a land flowing with milk and honey. The land then and now wasn't perfect. It had enemies which needed to be subdued. But nevertheless, it was a type, actually, that has a dual sense concerning the fact that it was a type. It's a type of the Christian life and the believer subduing his sins, God helping us, in our new Christian experience, but it's also a type of heaven. According to Hebrews chapter 11, the heavenly Canaan, how the land flowing with milk and honey, the type is never perfect, but it's a faint picture of the anti-type, the fulfillment and glory. There will one day be Land flowing with milk and honey a perfect place for God's people I will deliver my people at that time from the bondage of Egypt But this is typical of all of God's elect those who are called through Jesus Christ God knows The difficulties and sorrows that his people go through in this life he feels Our great high priest feels the pains and the struggles. He knows them and they're felt by him. And he is moved with great compassion. I know the sorrows that my people go through, but they will not last forever. Your enemies, and we do have enemies, we have Satan, and we have this evil world system and our own sin, your enemies, your sin, the opposition to the truth, all these things will be subdued. And one day you will be with me in glory. And one day you will see me face to face, your King and your Savior. And all the sorrows of my dear people will be forever forgotten. One moment in that glorious place, which we cannot even begin to imagine the glory and the wonder and the perpetual joy, which we will experience being in the very presence of our glorious almighty King and Savior. One moment will make amends for all the tribulations and sorrows and difficulties and oppositions that we face as God's people. But even in this life, we can derive the peace and the help of God, our Savior. I have overcome the world. In me, you can derive peace and help now in your troubles and tribulations. You don't have to suffer by yourself. I will be with you in the fire, and I will bless you, and I will so overrule in these things so that they are sanctified, and I am preparing you to meet me in the clouds and in the air. and as a bride preparing herself to meet the bridegroom. So I'm preparing you. I've overcome the world. We have every encouragement in the word of God. Why am I saying these things? Because we read here that God looked upon the people and he knew their sorrows and he was moved with compassion. And this is typical of all his people. This is how he feels for us. We're near and dear to his heart. We're the very apple of his eye. That's what we learn here in this narrative. And we read again from verse 10 come now therefore now god Puts his spotlight upon moses. He doesn't he doesn't see this coming and he's horrified Come now therefore and I will send thee unto pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of israel Out of egypt and moses said unto god Who am I that I should go unto pharaoh and I should bring forth the children of israel out of egypt I will send you to Pharaoh, God says. And Moses dreads the prospect. He's shocked by it, he's horrified by it. But that wasn't always how Moses felt. 40 years earlier, he thought that God would help him at that particular occasion. Again, according to Acts 7, Stephen's testimony, his wonderful brief overview of the history of Israel, Moses thought that The people of Israel would listen to him, his fellow people, and at that time God would deliver them. That's what he assumed 40 years earlier. He was willing to do it then, but he was greatly disappointed, and he was rejected by his own people then. His heart was in the right place, according to Hebrews chapter 11. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. His heart was in the right place, but apparently he had too much confidence in himself. God would use all these things. He would use the disappointment that Moses felt at that time, 40 years earlier, to prepare him. In fact, without this sorrow and this shattering of his self-confidence, he would not be equipped for the great task which God would call him to. By the time that God did call Moses, he had no more confidence in the flesh. He didn't think of himself, he fought himself altogether and unworthy. And again, I have to refer to this, in Acts chapter seven, we're told by Stephen that Moses was a man of great stature and ability and gifts. We're told he was a man who was mighty in word and deed, we're told by Stephen. So he had gifts, he had natural abilities, he was very skilled in his training. He was very able in many ways, but without this grace of God and without this divine training, he would be useless for the task, despite his gifts and abilities that he had. But this is the same today. When churches call ministers to be pastors, they can make a great mistake if they only look at the outward... That's a great mistake if churches only look at the outward credentials of a man that they're calling. This person has skills in different languages. He knows the Greek, and the Hebrew, and the Aramaic, and so on. And he knows Latin. He knows all these things. And he's trained at the most illustrious Bible college. And he's such a gifted speaker. His oratory skills are so impressive. Now, we don't despise these things. Of course we don't. But that's not all we look at. In fact, we were far more concerned about his testimony. This young man's testimony. Has he been proved? Has he served the Lord? Has he had a burning bush experience? And I'm not talking about conversion, that's a given, that's absolutely essential. But if someone is going to be called to a church, they must be called by God first. Have they had a burning bush experience? In other words, have they, like Moses, been humbled to the dust and crushed concerning their own abilities? They feel useless and altogether unqualified for the call, and yet they have that burden. Have they had that experience? So this also is vital. A passage like this is a vital study for those who would feel the call to the ministry or any service for the Lord, whether I'm called to teach Sunday school or reach out to souls. I look at a passage like this, I say, I really need to have the humility that Moses had. He felt unqualified. I can't do this, Lord. But this is the attitude that we must all have. Of course, he gave into doubt in chapter four, and that was sinful. So we'll look at that in our next study. But concerning his humble attitude and the fact that he didn't think any of his skills could qualify him for the call, well, that's the right attitude that he had. There's a wonderful irony here. 40 years earlier, Moses, thought that he was ready when he wasn't ready. But now that he feels altogether unequipped and useless, God says to him, you're ready because you're no longer depending upon yourself. You're no longer relying upon the arm of flesh. So this is God's unique school of training. Yes, it's important to go to seminary and study and so on, but that's only the half of it. I must be trained and I must be schooled by God himself, by God himself. So, but lest Moses should be crushed by the prospect of this colossal task of going to Egypt, the most powerful nation in the earth, and be crushed under the weight of this calling, Realizing that despite his abilities, they're ineffective without God and without his grace Well God and his typical sympathy reassures Moses that he will be with him first verse 12 And this is a comfort for all of God's servants and he said certainly this is the Lord speaking to Moses sympathetically Promising that he will be with him. Certainly. I will be with thee and this shall be a token unto thee you You will bring them out, and you will meet at this exact location. You will come to this very mountain with a nation, God promises. This will be the sign. And Moses asks God, well, what if the people ask for your name? How shall I address you? God responds, and Moses asks God this, and God responds, and God said unto Moses, I am that I am, and he said, thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent you. And God said, moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Isaac and the God of Abraham, Isaac and of Jacob hath sent me unto you. And he continues to explain these things to Moses and how he will put it into the hearts of the elders of Israel to take heed to what you're saying. They will listen. I am the God of your ancestors. I am that I am, that is the self-existing one, the one who has been and has always been, and we learn here that God, if I have that right frame of mind, realizing that I cannot do anything without his grace, and I am sincere, then God will be with me, and he will not forsake me, and he will go before me even. But notice, as we continue to read in this chapter, God doesn't hide the fact that there will be troubles. He doesn't hide this from Moses. Moses, there's going to be great opposition to this work. There are going to be many obstacles, Moses. There are going to be many challenges. And he tells Moses this. I can't cover all these verses, but we go down to verse 19. And this is what he says to Moses in effect. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go. No, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof. And after he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall come to pass that when you go, you shall not go empty. So Moses, I'm calling you to confront Pharaoh, to demand that he let my people go, the God of the Hebrews, but he will not listen. He will harden his heart. There will be challenges and difficulties, but I have purpose in this. He will resist. my command, but as a result of his resistance, I will reveal my wonders. The deliverance will be all the more spectacular. Because of his resistance, the deliverance and the rescue will be all the more wonderful and spectacular. And again, there's a lesson for us here. We're told in the New Testament, in the scriptures, that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, The demonic host is against us. Satan is against us. He blinds the minds of those in this world, those we're trying to reach. He blinds their minds. So there is real opposition for us as well. But as it was the case with Moses, God can turn this opposition that we face in our witness to opportunities. so that he can come in and demonstrate his power in our weakness, in our opposites. This is what we learn. This is an obvious lesson here in this passage. Despite the age of unbelief that we live in, despite the darkness of these days, we learn from this passage that we should not shrink away from the task that Christ has given us. We shouldn't. God encourages us, go on, reach out to souls. This is what we learn in this passage. Because what God did for Moses, he will do for us as well. He will use the setbacks and the oppositions. Well, this is what he did for Moses. The setbacks that Moses encountered actually paved the way to God to demonstrate his power. And he can do the same for us. If my faith transcends what I see, and I take God's promises at face value concerning fruit in his service, then in my extremity, God can come in and bless and usher in blessing. But I must believe in him and his power and his grace, despite what I see. And then when it does happen, and it shall happen, When it does happen, it'll be all the more obvious that this is the Lord's doing. This is His power. This is His grace. Not our labors, not anything that we have done. This is the Lord's doing. Or these are just some of the truths we glean from this wonderful chapter. Amen.