God Wants You-Exodus 3-4

Exodus, Old Testament, Sermons

  • Sermon (10/17/21).
  • Have you met God? Describe when and how?
  • Do you know what God wants of you?
  • How do you understand being called by God?
  • Is it primarily to find fulfillment in life?
  • Is it dependent on your God-given gifts?
  • Is it optional or irresistible?
  • Is ministry a career decision or rooted in a sense of calling?
  • Isaiah met God when he strolled into the temple (Isa 6:1).
  • Jeremiah met God when he heard God speaking to him (Jer 1:4).
  • Ezekiel met God by a river (Eze 1:1).
  • Jonah met God in the belly of a fish (Jonah 2:1, 9).
  • Paul met God when he was knocked off his horse (Ac 9:3-5).
  • Peter met God while he was at work fishing (Lk 5:6-8).
  • Moses met God while doing his ordinary day job after 40 years (Exo 3:1-2). [Moses met God on an Ordinary Working Day.]
  1. How did God get Moses’ attention (Exo 3:2)? How did he respond (Exo 3:3)? How might his life be different if he ignored it (cf. Exo 3:4)?
  2. Has God sought to get your attention? How have you responded?
  3. Is anything keeping you from turning from your daily life to connect with God?
  4. How can you make it more likely that you answer God when He calls you?
  5. Do you find time every day to talk with God, to give Him your attention?
  6. Do you sense that God desires to meet you so that you can know Him?
  7. Why did God tell Moses to take off his sandals (Exo 3:5)?
  8. Why did God identify Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exo 3:6)? Why does He use their names? [God is all-powerful and personal.]
  9. What is God’s goal for meeting Moses (Exo 3:8,10,12,18; 4:23; 5:1,3)? For meeting you?
  10. What are 5 excuses Moses gives to God’s call [protests, objections, expressions of reluctance, unwillingness]?
    1. Who am I that I should go (Exo 3:11)?
    2. What if they ask the name of the God who sent me (Exo 3:13)?
    3. What if they don’t believe me or listen to me (Exo 4:1)?
    4. I am slow of speech and tongue (Exo 4:10).
    5. Please send someone else (Exo 4:13).
  11. What was every excuse focused on? [Himself, his background, knowledge, or skills.]
  12. What are the answers God gives to each excuse?
    1. Moses: Who am I that I should go (Exo 3:11)?
    2. God: I will be with you (Exo 3:12). [See Q. 9]
    3. Moses: What if they ask the name of the God who sent me (Exo 3:13)? [Who are you?]
    4. God: gives his name “I Am Who I Am” [I-Will-Be-Who-I-Will-Be] and His mission (to save them) and even a short message about how it will all play out (3:14-21).
    5. Moses: What if they don’t believe me or listen to me (Exo 4:1)?
    6. God: I will work miracles so they will believe (4:2-9).
    7. Moses: I am slow of speech and tongue (Exo 4:10).
    8. God: Am I not the one who made humans have mouths? I will help you (Exo 4:11-12).
    9. Moses: Please send someone else (Exo 4:13).
    10. God: No, but I’ll send someone to help you (4:14-16).
  13. What do God’s responses focus on? [Not on Moses, but on God. God says that He will be with Moses and that He is all-powerful.] What is God really asking Moses? Asking you? [To trust God, to be used by God.]
  14. Do you make excuses when God asks you to do something?
  15. What makes you feel inadequate?
  16. Is God’s promise to Moses enough to help you to overcome your inadequacies or reluctance?
  17. Is bringing the people out of Egypt [liberation from slavery] the goal of Moses’ success (Exo 3:12a)? What is the culmination of the exodus event (ch. 15) and the subject of the 2nd half of the book (ch. 20-40)? What does it mean to worship? [‘abad is translated “worship” and “serve.’] (Exo 3:12b; 4:23; 7:16; 8:1,20; 9:1,13; 10:3,7-8,11,24-26; 12:31; 20:5; 23:24-25,33; 24:1; 34:14).
  18. What are the 7 points that God gave Moses for the elders (Exo 3:16-22)?
  19. What are the 5 encounters after God responded to Moses’ 5 objections (Exo 4:18-20,21-23,24-26,27-28,29-31)?
  20. What does it mean to “harden/toughen” Pharaoh’s heart (Exo 4:21)? During the plague cycles notice the 3 different ways this hardness of heart is expressed:
    1. Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exo 8:15,32; 9:34).
    2. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened or became hard (Exo 7:13-14,22-23; 8:19; 9:7,35).
    3. God hardened his heart (Exo 9:12; 11:10; 14:8).
  21. Why might God possibly want to put Moses to death and how was it averted (Exo 4:24-26)?

Reference:

  1. James K. Bruckner. Exodus. New International Bible Commentary. 2008.
  2. John Goldingay. Exodus & Leviticus for Everyone. 2010.
  3. Robert Alter. The Hebrew Bible. A translation with commentary. The Five Books of Moses. 2019.
  4. Dennis Prager. Exodus. God, Slavery, and Freedom. The Rational Bible. 2018.

Exodus sermons:

  1. Slaves Need Liberation (1:1-14). Women Power–resisting the authorities (1:1-2:10). A Nowhere Man. A man with no home (2:11-24). From a guerrilla to a fugitive.
  2. God Wants You (3-4). Meeting God on an Ordinary Work Day (3:1-10). God has a Name. The 1st 2 of 5 objections/protests by Moses (3:11-15). 7 points for the elders (3:16-22). Moses’ last 3 protests (4:1-17). 5 short encounters (4:18-31).

 

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