Part 3. The Call of God

God takes up unlikely instruments to do what only God can do. Exodus 3–4 shows the Lord seeing the affliction of Israel, hearing their cry, knowing their sufferings, and “coming down to deliver” by sending Moses. The bush burns yet is not consumed, and the angel of the Lord calls, “Moses, Moses.” The text sets the ground rule for any calling: the call of God is first a call to personal relationship. God initiates by name, establishes covenant heritage, commands holy reverence, and then promises, “I will be with you.” Heritage is not enough; personal knowledge is required. “Your hidden years are not wasted years. They are training years.” The God who met Moses in Midian intends to be known, not guessed at. He reveals his personal name, “I AM WHO I AM,” the Lord, Yahweh, the self-existent One, whose presence is power and peace. “One plus God is a majority in every situation.”

That personal knowing issues into purposeful obedience. God’s mission through Moses has two aims. First, it brings good to the people of God, delivering them from bondage and tending real needs. Second, it brings glory to the name of God, because the Exodus is ordered toward worship: “you shall serve God on this mountain.” The people hear that the Lord has visited them, bow their heads, and worship. True obedience always bends both directions, toward human good and divine glory, with the gospel as the deepest good.

The call then advances into powerful ministry, precisely because human weakness is on full display. Moses stacks up five objections, and God answers each with signs, provisions, and promises. A staff becomes a serpent, a diseased hand is healed, water turns to blood. Aaron stands beside the trembling envoy. The point lands: this mission is not about Moses’ eloquence or age or ability; it is about the sufficiency of the Lord. “Where he guides, he also provides,” so that no flesh may boast and God alone gets the glory.

The Name that flames from the bush steps into history. Jesus takes the divine Name on his lips, “Before Abraham was, I am,” and brings the greater Exodus, delivering sinners from slavery to sin into the joy and hope of God. The Lord who came down then has come down in Christ, and he calls a local church now. God intends to work in and through ordinary saints so that a watching world may know, “I am God.” The only live question is whether the church resists or surrenders.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s call begins with knowing Him God does not start with a task list; He starts with His name, His holiness, and His presence. Calling is relational before it is functional, covenantal before it is missional. Personal knowledge, not mere heritage, puts a person on holy ground ready to obey. The promise “I will be with you” is the call’s beating heart. [13:45]
• 2. God’s presence outweighs human ability Moses protests his inadequacy, yet God anchors the mission in His own nearness, not in Moses’ resume. The text invites a shift from self-measurement to God-awareness, where fear yields to companionship. “One plus God is a majority” is not bravado, it is theology. Sufficiency flows from proximity. [16:24]
• 3. Mission seeks people’s good and God’s glory Deliverance aims at human flourishing, yet it culminates in worship at the mountain. Mercy that never becomes doxology is incomplete, and worship that ignores suffering is counterfeit. The deepest good offered to the world is the gospel that turns rescued people into a praising people. Obedience bends outward to serve and upward to glorify. [31:02]
• 4. Weakness becomes the channel of power The five objections of Moses become five arenas for God’s answers, signs, and supplies. The pattern is steady: human lack, divine provision, and God’s name magnified. Dependence is not a hurdle to ministry; it is the conduit of it. The Lord chooses trembling voices so that His word is unmistakably His. [34:56]
• 5. Jesus brings the greater Exodus The Name from the bush is the Name on Jesus’ lips, and the deliverance from Pharaoh prefigures deliverance from sin. In Christ, God has come down again to set captives free and to lead them into joy. Every local calling nests inside His finished and future work. Ministry is participation in His ongoing Exodus. [37:36]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:29] - Unlikely hero: Magawa the rat
• [01:59] - God uses unlikely people
• [04:28] - Israel’s suffering and waiting
• [06:46] - Hidden years become training years
• [08:16] - Surrender to God’s call
• [09:54] - The burning bush at Horeb
• [11:06] - God sees, hears, and sends
• [12:00] - God’s name: I AM
• [14:25] - Call to personal relationship
• [28:07] - Call to purposeful obedience
• [31:02] - Exodus aimed at worship
• [34:07] - Objections met with God’s power
• [37:36] - Jesus and the greater Exodus
• [38:00] - God will use this church

1. In Exodus 3:14, God reveals His name as “I AM WHO I AM.” What does this name communicate about His nature and character?
2. Moses raises five objections to God’s call (e.g., “Who am I?” in 3:11, “What if they don’t believe me?” in 4:1). What specific concerns does Moses express, and how does God respond to each?
3. The sermon highlights that the Exodus was aimed at worship (3:12, 4:31). What actions or attitudes in these verses show the connection between deliverance and worship?

1. Why does God emphasize His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (3:6, 15) when calling Moses? How does this connect to the idea that heritage alone is insufficient without personal relationship?
2. God tells Moses, “I will be with you” (3:12). How does this promise address both Moses’ fears and the broader purpose of the mission?
3. The sermon states, “Weakness becomes the channel of power” [34:56]. How do Moses’ objections and God’s responses in Exodus 3–4 illustrate this principle?

1. Moses’ “hidden years” as a shepherd prepared him for God’s call [06:46]. What seasons of your life feel like “hidden years,” and how might God be using them to prepare you for His purposes?
2. God’s promise “I will be with you” (3:12) anchors Moses’ mission. Where do you struggle to trust God’s presence in your own challenges, and what practical step could help you rely on Him more?
3. The sermon says obedience bends toward “human good and divine glory” [31:02]. How can you balance serving others’ needs and pointing them to worship God in your daily interactions?
4. Moses’ objections focused on his inadequacy (e.g., “I am not eloquent” in 4:10). What insecurities or limitations do you use to resist God’s call, and how might His response to Moses reframe your perspective?
5. The sermon notes, “One plus God is a majority” [16:24]. What situation in your life feels overwhelming, and how would trusting God’s sufficiency (rather than your own ability) change your approach?