January 17, 2021

THE CALL OF GOD
January 17, 2021
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Have you ever been approached about a job or a commission, that—for whatever reason—you really didn’t want to do? You made excuse after excuse, to no avail! What happened?

Open:

As we read through the Bible over the next few months, our sermons will relate to a portion of that week’s text. This past week our chapters contained the stories of Moses, a great and respected father of the Jews. As we delve into his story, though, we see Moses nearly missed God’s call upon his life as he tried his best to resist God’s mission for him. What about you? Has God asked something of you that you have no desire to do? Let’s see what happened to Moses.

Focal Passage: Exodus 3:1-22, 4:1,10-11.

Never Ignore God’s Call

  • Read Exodus 3:4. During the forty years prior to our passage, how had Moses lived? When he saw the bush burning, do you think he was curious, or did he think it was an act of God? Why?
  • Did the Lord speak to him before he had turned aside, or after he come near the bush? What lesson can we learn from this verse?
  • How do you think Moses recognized God’s voice? What did God tell him to do (vs. 5)? What was his response (vs. 6)?

Never Question God’s Call

  • Read Ex. 3:10-11. Did God ask Moses if he would go bring the Hebrews out of Egypt, or did He tell him to? How did he respond? 
  • After Moses exclaimed that he was not qualified (vs. 11), what were the other excuses he used? What was his final plea?
  • Read Isaiah 6:1,5,8. How different was the reaction of Isaiah in being willing to serve God, versus Moses ? How was Moses like Jonah?
  • What had God promised Moses each time he protested? We tend to think he did not want his calm life shaken up, but what might have been other reasons he did not want to go back to Egypt?
  • We read this story based on our own experience and knowledge of God: had Moses been raised to know God’s nature? If he had been, might it have caused him to serve God more gladly?

Never Doubt God’s Power

  • Read Ex. 3:12a. God is omnipotent! What does that mean? What are some of His works?
  • Growing up as a “Royal” in Egypt, do you think Moses would have had much contact with the slaves, or known he was kin to them?
  • Why would Moses have doubted God’s power to strengthen him?
  • Do we make excuses to say no to God when He reveals a mission He wants us to do?

Always Trust God’s Heart

  • Read Ex. 3:14. Moses had argued with God one time too many!  What happened? How could it have turned out differently?
  • Do you have any fear of making God angry? Why or why not?
  • What do you know about God that would cause you to say ‘Yes’—or possibly ‘No’—to His call for you to go on a mission for Him?

Close:

When you were young, did you ever raise your hand in church, signifying your intention to do something with your life for the Lord? Perhaps you were willing to be a missionary, a pastor, a nurse, or enter some other ministry—only to let the vow slip through your fingers when you were an adult.

Many of us greatly desired to have a vocation that would serve and glorify God, only to allow it to crumble. Would you have fought for it if something in your life had been different? Possibly. Possibly not.

At this time in the life of Moses, he was eighty years old. We hope by that time we will have done great things for God! What if we have let the “What if,” or “No,” or “Later” excuses fill our lives? We can turn to Matthew 21:28-31 to see this illustrated by Jesus: “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ‘The first.’”

Moses, albeit very hesitant to obey God, went with Aaron, his brother, and became a mighty leader of the Jewish nation. If we have said Yes to God but then pulled back, we see that God counts as obedience the one who does His will. Let us rededicate our lives to do whatever God tells us to do, having learned from these chapters that He believes the best of us—not because of our weakness but because He equips us with His strength.

/by