The Call to Intimacy and Ministry: Moses’ Journey

You know, getting our attention is more important to God than us feeling good, than us being happy, than us being well. Sometimes God uses difficulties and bad news. God allows illness and trouble just to get our attention. For Moses, God just gave a firework display, which is much better, isn't it? I mean, that's the way to do it. Just pay attention. Next time God tries to... Anyway, God speaks to Moses from the bush and he says, first words to Moses, Moses, Moses. That's great, isn't it? God knows who you are. God knows your name. [00:05:52] (53 seconds)  #GodGetsOurAttention

That bit about so you can't see my face and live, I think it's just that Moses knew that there was even deeper for him to go. There was even further for him to go in his relationship with God, even further for him to go in his knowledge of the Holy One, even further for him to go in his understanding of who Yahweh was. So God says, you can't see my face, even though you've been, we've been talking face to face. So you just stand behind that rock and I'll go and you can see my back. [00:15:49] (35 seconds)  #GodComesDown

I wonder if it's because if Moses went any deeper with God, if Moses got another depth of revelation of God that he couldn't possibly cope with the compassion in the eyes of God. He couldn't possibly cope with seeing the love in the face of the Almighty. But he couldn't possibly cope with experiencing that cross-shaped, Jesus-shaped empathy, compassion, and love that God has always carried in his heart and has expressed in his face. Maybe God's saying, need to wait. Need to wait for the cross for that. [00:16:37] (60 seconds)  #GoWithGod

God says, I've seen. Moses, I've seen it. I've seen the trouble that they're in. That's a word for someone this morning. God sees the trouble you are in. He says, I've noticed that. I've seen that. Don't think the fact that it's been four decades means that I don't care because I've seen all of that. And I have heard the cries of my people in Israel, sorry, in Egypt. I've heard their cries. I've not just heard their prayers. Of course, I hear their prayers. But I've heard their cries too. [00:19:07] (45 seconds)  #PartnershipInMinistry

I've heard the times when they've been wailing because someone was beating them up. I've heard the times when they've been sobbing because it hurts so much. I've heard the times when they've been crying out in anguish because there seems no hope. I've heard all of that. I have compassion. It stirred my heart. My guts are reacting to that. It's a gut-wrenching compassion in me that's pulling me into doing something, Moses. I have compassion on them. I care about them. I am moved by their plight. I need to do something about them. [00:19:52] (45 seconds)  #WhyMeFaith

So, Moses, I've come down. I've come down. I'm willing to get my hands dirty. I've come down. I'm going to rescue them. I've come down. We worship a God who gets involved, who changes circumstances, who messes things around, who messes his own hands up in order to adjust things for us. God sees. God hears. God's the compassionate. And God gets involved. It's not quite Advent, but isn't that the story of Advent? I've seen darkness. I've heard cries of hopelessness. I have compassion on my people. So, I have come down to rescue them. [00:20:36] (56 seconds)  #IllBeWithYou

And then God says in verse 10. Let me read it to you because it comes out better if I just read it. I have come down to rescue them. Verse 8. Verse 10. So, now, go. I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Agaba. God, you just said you were going to do it. God, this was your job. It's your heart. I'm sending you, Moses. And I just think that's amazing. That's incredible. That's wonderful. But God says, I'm going to do it. So, you go and do it, Moses. [00:21:49] (46 seconds)  #FaithInAction

That's not a sign, is it? I'm calling you to bring the people out of Egypt and the sign that I'm calling you to bring the people out of Egypt is that you'll bring the people out of Egypt. That's not a sign. The sign that you should start a youth group is the fact that the youth group happens, that young people come and they start to get discipled. That's the sign. The sign that you should start a prayer group at work is the sign that people get together and start to pray and the spiritual temperature in the whole place increases. That's the sign. [00:28:48] (35 seconds)  #HelpIsOnTheWay

Although, in fairness, that becomes the name that God is known by for the rest of Scripture and all through history. So even though Moses says, I don't know who you are, and God gives him this enigmatic answer that means he still has no clue who he is, he does get that. And then, beyond that, God starts to show him some more. He says, I'm the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Then he says, I'm a God who keeps covenant. I'm a God who is faithful. He says, I'm a God who has plans for you. He says, I'm a God who has strategy as well. [00:31:07] (39 seconds)  #BestDaysAndWorst

As Moses pursues the presence of God, as Moses continues the conversation, as Moses begins to obey later, he gets more and more revelation of who God is because that's how it works. So as we pursue intimacy, as we pursue ministry, we get to know who God is. But maybe that's your excuse. Maybe that's your excuse this morning. I don't know you well enough, God, to speak about you at work. Don't know enough answers to do anything online. I don't know enough to lead a small group. I don't know enough to lead a – you will know enough. You will know enough. You will know enough. [00:32:06] (45 seconds)  #GladISaidYes