10 Jan Encounter with God

Exodus 3:1-12

 

[Intro – What’s the problem? Our contemporary cultural context]

The story of the Burning Bush

• One of the most famous stories coming out of the Bible
• The problem with familiarity…
  • We become indifferent
  • We become apathetic

 

Perhaps, one of the reasons many of us have grown cold in our with Jesus is

• Because we take the story like the Burning Bush for granted
• It’s just another Bible story

 

OR

We don’t really understand the significance of the story

We don’t know what to do when it is happening to us

 

[Summary – What’s the passage about?]

To be a Christian is to encounter God — to have a burning bush experience.

For without such an encounter, there is no Christian, at least not one with a sense of purpose and mission.

 

Whether or not you are a Christian, IF you want to live an exciting life, one with purpose and mission, you need to encounter God like Moses in the story of the burning bush.

 

How do we encounter God?

 

1. The Condition
2. The Response
3. The Outcome

 

1. The Condition

If you have ever done any gardening before, you will know that different plants need specific conditions to grow well.

 

The story of the burning bush is showing us the condition for encountering God.

 

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

(Exodus 3:1 ESV)

 

Moses perhaps was raised to be the future king of Egypt. What was he doing looking after sheep?

 

Before we can understand this, we must look back…
“One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.”

(Exodus 2:11–15 ESV)

 

Moses’ identity

• Even though Moses grew up in the palace, he never lost his sense of identity
• He knew deep down that he is a Hebrew
• When he saw injustice done to his people, he stood up for them
• It was a good thing what Moses did, wasn’t it?

 

What went wrong there?

a) Humility

The first condition (for an encounter with God) is humility.

• Moses thought, I am the future king
• Look at all the skills I have learned growing up the palace
• Surely, I can do this

 

The very mistakes we also often make as Christians.

• I am a good Christian, why?
• Because I am educated
• I know my Bible
• I read my Bible
• I serve God in church
• I have been a Christian for many years
• I am this… I am that…

 

God needs to humble Moses before He can use him.

What did God do?

• God detours Moses’ life
• Takes him from the comfort of palace to the heat of the desert (in the land of Midian)

 

Like Moses, we may be a Christian, who still thinks God can use me because “I am this…” “I am that…”

• Perhaps, God is also detouring your life right now
• You expected the comfort of a palace
• But, life is more like a desert right now
• Ask yourself,
  • “Are you a good Christian?”
  • “Why is that?”
  • “What makes you a good Christian”

b) Timing

The second condition is timing — specifically, God’s timing.

 

Moses knew deep down in his heart, that he is called to do something for God’s people and takes the matter into his own hands, when the time is right for him.

 

• One thing people lack these days is the art and skill in waiting (patience)
• We live in a culture of everything need to be quick, instant if possible
• Parents, one of the best things you can train your children in is delayed gratification
  • Moses lived 40 years in the palace
  • He lived another 40 years in the desert before he is ready

 

When you became a Christian, you think your life is going to change 180° for the better

• In one sense, it has changed 180° for the better — you are not alive spiritually
• In another, you are still on a journey of growing that will take you a lifetime to master
  • You will learn to trust in God’s timing
  • You will learn that God is in charge

 

That is the reason God takes Moses on a detour.

• From human’s perspective, by human’s standard, palace to desert is a downgrade
• It’s like paying for First Class for a flight on an aeroplane, but upon checking in they said to you, “Sorry our First Class is full, we have to put you on Economy seat”
• Moses thought, to be on mission God, means life will be upgraded
• Instead, he experience a “downgrade”

 

Does your life seem like a downgrade to you?

Don’t run away from your detour?

 

Don’t run away from your desert.

Because you might well exactly be where God wants you to be.

 

This leads us to our second point…

 

2. The Response

How did Moses respond to this downgrade?

 

“And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

(Exodus 3:2–6 ESV)

 

When Moses seems to have accepted his life in the desert when God first detoured his life, God appeared to Moses.

 

In the first two chapters of Exodus, God has been working behind the scenes.

• Now, God is about to take the centre stage
• This is how Chapter 2 closed:

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.”

(Exodus 2:24–25 ESV)

• God saw
• God heard
• God remembered

 

When Moses seems to have settled in life as a shepherd in the desert, God came to detour his life yet again.

• Moses saw a burning bush but it’s not consumed
• I have a fireplace at home — the key to start the fire you need dried twigs, wet ones won’t work
• I can imagine the bush in the desert are dry, once it caught fire, it will be consumed
• In Australia, we have all witnessed the devastation of bush fire during the dry and hot summer season

 

a) Turning Aside

Moses saw the burning bush, he decided to “turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”  (Verse 3)

 

Interesting, isn’t it?

• God detoured Moses life — from the palace to the desert
• Moses adapted, accepted his life as a shepherd in the desert
• Moses could have said, “Nope, nope, nope. I ain’t’ going to take another detour!”

 

When God detoured Moses’ life the first time, what did Moses do?

• Moses seem to embrace it quite well
• But how about the second time?

 

Moses turned aside, to check it out, to check out: What is this fuss all about?

• God spoke to Moses —

“Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””

(Exodus 3:7–12 ESV)

 

Did you see? Those same words again, to tell us the reader, that God is about to take the centre stage!

• “I have seen the affliction”
• “I heard their cry…”
• “I know their suffering…”
• “I have come down to deliver them…”

 

When Moses thought that he had finally got his life back together… God says, “Let’s go Moses!”

 

Moses replies,  “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  (Exodus 3:11)

 

Before the first detour of his life, when life was good in Egypt — Moses couldn’t wait to step in and take the stage. That didn’t end well.

Now, God wants him to step in, take the stage, Moses said, “Wait a minute, hang on here… I cannot do that.”

 

Things have changed for Moses!

Life in the desert has shaped Moses.

He has learned about humility — that he is not in control, that he is not great

 

[Heart – What do we do? Why don’t we do it?]

After a period of hardship, perhaps, your life is now too like Moses in the desert of Midian.

You look back at your life, you can see how God’s hands were all over it.

BUT you are now happy with where you are, you are comfortable.

God showed up one more time — burning bush — but you refuse to “turn aside”.

 

Don’t you see? The first detour was involuntary…

• Moses must learn from God in the desert, it was unpleasant…
• But after that, the burning bush, on the other hand, in a way, Moses must agree to this detour!
• God showed up, but Moses must turn aside to Him

 

One of the reasons we are joyless, seemingly without a purpose or mission, is because we refuse to turn aside to God.

 

Christians, without a mission we are no Christian at all.

• We must turn to God.
• We must experience an encounter with God.

 

Non-Christians, when life throws a detour in your path…

• Don’t ignore it
• Don’t brush it off, “Ah that’s life!”
• No! God wants your attention
• Turn aside. Look. Investigate.
• And see who will you find

 

3. The Outcome

“And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.””

(Exodus 3:2–5 ESV)

 

If you read the book of Exodus, you will know that Moses will have many more conversations with God.

• They are mainly complaints !
• But every time, God seems to give what Moses asked
• Why?

 

That’s a picture of God’s mercy and grace

• We don’t have to read the rest of Exodus to see that
• We can see it here in the burning bush

 

First, God said to Moses when he turned aside to investigate the burning bush, ”Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (verse 5)

• Moses wasn’t about to step onto holy ground
• Moses was already on holy ground
• Tim Keller says, “Moses was in the fatal zone.”
• Moses should be dead, but he wasn’t
  • A sinful human cannot encounter a Holy God, otherwise he will be consumed completely and instantly
  • That is a picture of the burning bush that is not consumed
  • It should be consumed, but it is not

 

I love our relaxed and chilled culture here in Australia.

You come to church, dress as you would normally dress.

 

But, our culture has a disadvantage also, in that we have taken this relaxed and chill posture also when we encounter the Holy God.

• The reason we do that is because we are okay
• We are not consumed
• The lightning didn’t strike us

 

The question is, Why not?

• The answer is here!

 

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)

 

The burning bush wasn’t consumed because of the presence of the angel of the LORD.

You and I, we are not consumed because of the angel of the LORD.

 

In the Bible, there are many angels, but many of these angels are created beings, like you and me.

But, sometimes, in the Bible, there is this angel of the LORD, who is different. He is not a created being, but God himself.

 

Here, in the burning bush, the angel of the LORD mediates between Moses and God.

• Moses was in the fatal zone, yet Moses isn’t dead
• The bush is burning, yet it is not consumed

 

All because of the angel of the LORD.

 

 

[Gospel – What’s the good news? How did Jesus do it?]

Do you know why our attitude of indifference toward God has not consumed us?

It’s because of the angel of the LORD.

 

Do you know his name? Jesus!

 

Jesus was consumed when came to us two millennia ago so that you and I are not consumed.

How? On the cross Jesus was consumed.

 

Have you encountered this God?

 

If you have, like Moses, encountered God, this is what God said,

“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10)

 

There’s a call and a mission.

 

God sends those who have encountered Him.

He sends them, who have experienced the burning bush.

 

[How should we now live?]

When we live our lives on mission with God, we can do it with both humility and confidence.

• Humility — knowing that it was God’s grace and mercy that enables us
• Confidence — knowing that not only that God will go before us, He has sent his own Son, Jesus who has gone before us

 

““But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””

(Exodus 3:12 ESV)

 

When you encounter God, you will become that burning bush that is not consumed.

When people see your life, they will be amazed, because they see a burning bush that is not consumed.

When life gives you lemon, you remain joyful.

Suffering comes, you remain solid.

 

People will have to turn aside and look, they will say:

• “Boy, you are burning, but why are you not consumed?

 

You will say,

• “It’s because of Jesus, who was consumed on my behalf.”