Scripture Passage
Exodus 3:1-12
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Sermon Script
In our journey of faith, we will always hear this word:
GO.
We see it appear throughout the stories in the Bible. This word came to Abraham.
The LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Genesis 12:10
Even though Abraham was old, his life changed when he heard this word from God. Similar thing also happened with Jonah.
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh…”
Jonah 1:1
Even the disciples heard this word after Jesus’ resurrection. It’s the famous verse.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”
Matthew 28:17, 18
The journey of faith is one of GOING. It doesn’t mean going wherever we want to go. Then we wouldn’t need God to speak to us. It means going where there is a NEED.
In today’s passage, God calls Moses to go to Egypt. Moses was hiding, avoiding his problems in the wilderness. God called to him and said—
So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:10
God saw a great need. God’s people were enslaved under a powerful ruler. God’s people were suffering and crying because of their situation. God heard and saw their misery.
And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Exodus 3:9
So God called Moses. God knew Moses had a heart for his people. God told him to go so that he could free the Israelites.
It isn’t always comfortable to hear this word, “Go”. Especially if it isn’t what we had planned in mind. It brings an unexpected change to our scheduled life. It forces us to step outside of our comfort zone. It makes us feel disoriented, confused, and uncomfortable.
I’m sure Abraham didn’t want to uproot his entire life. Jonah tried running away at first. Moses was afraid and full of doubts.
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3:11
Who am I? We say that about ourselves sometimes. I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I have enough time to spare. Someone else can just do it. Even though I feel like I should, I don’t want to go.
When God calls us to go, God is calling us to go where there is a need. But God doesn’t call us to go so that we can just do a ‘job’. God calls us to go so that we can BLESS those who are in need.
If God was concerned about getting a job done, he would do it himself. But God’s ways and thoughts are greater than ours. God wants us to help and bless each other. No one forgets the person who helped them when they were down. Through the way we fulfill each other’s needs, God wants us to experience his presence and his love.
God told Abraham to go, so that he can be a blessing to all the nations. God told Jonah to go, so that the people of Nineveh can hear God’s word and turn to him. Jesus told the disciples to go, so that they can be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. God told Moses to go, so that he can bring the Israelites to the Promised Land.
These are only a few examples. Don’t think that you have to go and change the world. That’s not the point. God calls us to go in different ways. Even if it means blessing one person, God still sends us.
This week, one member from our KSM Young Adults group who had recently moved messaged the group chat. She asked if anyone could help her move some furniture that was going to be delivered to her door on the weekend. Pastor James and I immediately replied and said we can help. Other group members also joined in one by one, saying that they can help out as well.
God will always show you wherever there is a need. By showing you, God will tell you to go. God will move your heart. It may scare you at first. It may make you want to look the other way.
See it as God’s invitation to share his blessings with others. That’s what some of you did for the Willowridge community during the Christmas holidays. Some of you became Execs or joined the Praise Team. Some of you decided to participate in the Youth Choir. There will always be plenty of opportunities in our community.
Simply go. Don’t overthink it. What matters is not the skills you have. What matters is your willing and caring heart. God will do the rest. Moses said he couldn’t speak well. But God gave him the words to speak courageously.
I didn’t start as a Hi-C pastor because that’s what I was looking for. I didn’t think I would be good with high school students. I just knew I wanted to serve at St. Tim’s. The only position that was open was the youth pastor position. There was a need for it at the time.
I had no idea how I was going to do it. But I trusted God and I went. God made it possible for me to do the Hi-C ministry. Because of you guys, I learned many things and grew as a pastor.
When you go, you won’t just be a blessing to those to whom you go. You will also be blessed by the experience of going. Through those experiences, God will stretch you as a person. You will become a bigger, kinder, more mature human being. You will be a witness to God’s abundant love and grace.
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