Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to our online audience. I'm Stephen Feith, lead pastor, glad that you are all here today and, as I was just mentioning, we are in the second part of a series called Guided by God. If you missed the first part, it is up on YouTube, it is on podcast. And then what I started doing this year is converting my manuscripts, or rather my transcripts, so, with the voice recording today, editing that into a blog post, and so, if you're someone like me and you prefer reading, those are available only on our website. But Guided by God, we're talking about recognizing God's voice in the midst of chaos in our lives, and I know a lot of your lives are chaotic. You probably felt that some of you this week, and when it is chaotic, it's like God, where are you in the middle of all of this? I mean, that's for a lot of us. That's the question we're asking and it's such an honest and earnest prayer God, where are you? And it can be frustrating when we don't hear from God. We're like God. I'm asking what you want. Why aren't you telling me what you want?

Speaker 1: 1:03

Last week we talked about Eli and Samuel, and Samuel listened to God and through his example, we were reminded that when we're trying to hear from God, the very first thing that we need to do is to listen. We come to God with prayer and we have our to-do list, then our wish list, then maybe it's like the list of things I'm not happy about and I'm going to complain about. But how often in our everyday lives do we just sit down and say God, this time is your time? We saw Samuel did that. Jesus tells us in John 10, 27,. My sheep listen to my voice, and Samuel's story challenged us today to listen to God. But Jesus doesn't just say my sheep listen to my voice. He continues. He says I know them, jesus knows you and you follow me. So we begin when we're talking about how do we hear from God. We begin by listening, but we don't just listen, we respond, and that's what we're going to talk about today. Hearing from God is the first step, but following where his voice directs us is the next step and that's the point where faith becomes action.

Speaker 1: 2:11

And, let's be honest, following Jesus. It is not easy. It is not easy, and some of you might have gotten into this whole faith thing. You were at a crisis, you were at a low point, you visited a church you encountered God. Things got better, and that does happen. I'm not trying to be dismissive of that experience, but then, since you've followed Jesus, you might've recognized it gets better and worse at the same time. The good parts of life get better and then sometimes things get more challenging and more difficult and it's easy in those moments to think I must be doing something wrong. God must not be happy with me. And that's not the case, as we're going to see today.

Speaker 1: 2:53

We're going to Exodus, chapter 3. If you want to follow along, that is the second book in the Bible. We're going to explore the story of Moses and we're going to see how he wrestled with doubt, with fear and reluctance. These are struggles I believe you all know very well. They're very human things and even when Moses felt weak and Moses felt unworthy of the call that God put on his life, god did not give up on him. And what we're going to learn today is that God will not give up on you. Moses' journey shows us that following God is challenging. It's going to feel challenging and through the challenge, god is still there, working through our weaknesses, our hesitations, to fulfill not our purpose but his purpose. God's call can be uncomfortable, and God's call does stretch us beyond what we think we can handle, and sometimes it is beyond what we can handle because God is doing something in, through and around us that only he can accomplish. But it's in these moments, where it's all chaotic and we don't know what's going on, that we find purpose in our lives, a purpose that you can't get elsewhere. And so, as we explore this story, I'll just ask you to open your heart to what God might be calling you to, and I want you to see yourself in this story. Put yourself in Moses's sandals or he takes them off at some point but put yourself in Moses' place. What might God be saying to you this morning and what he wants you to do after you leave here?

Speaker 1: 4:37

Picking up in verse 2, moses encounters God there. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement, and though the bush was engulfed in flames, it did not burn up. Well, this is amazing, moses said to himself. Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it. And when the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, god called him from the middle of the bush.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Moses, moses and his response should remind you of last week's response with Samuel. Here I am, here I am Now. Megan, my wife. She made me promise to not tell any jokes about a burning bush. She says they're shallow, they're not funny, so I will not make any jokes about drugs and burning bushes. And maybe that's what encouraged Moses to say I will not make any jokes about drugs and burning bushes. And maybe that's what encouraged Moses to say I will not make any jokes about sexually transmitted diseases and having anything to do with a burning bush, because it's shallow and nobody's going to laugh.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Okay, it was in the moment of his mundane, everyday, ordinary life that Moses comes face to face with God. He's out in the quiet wilderness tending sheep. This is his day job. He's been doing this day after day, week after week, month after month. For those of you who have had a long career, you know what it's like. All the days blend together, right, the weeks are long but the years are short, or something like that. And that's what he's doing. He's just going about.

Speaker 1: 6:09

And then something unusual happens, something that catches his attention and says I want to go check that out. But notice how God meets him. It's pretty ordinary, if you think about it. It's not this big angel that overwhelms him. It says don't be afraid, though calm down. That's a popular scene in the Bible. It's not in a throne, rather, it's a bush, a humble bush in the wilderness. It's just there, and that reminds us, I think, that God meets us in surprising places, that we do not expect to see him. Well, that can't be God. That's too ordinary, that can't be God. That's too regular. When God is going to speak to me, he'll write it in the clouds or it'll be some big, profound in-my-face moment. And what we actually see here in Moses' story is it was kind of subtle and Moses had the option to keep walking, didn't he? Was kind of subtle and Moses had the option to keep walking, didn't he? He could have said, oh, a fire, cool, I want to go home, my shift's almost over. But he said I'm going to check that out. And then the bush calls out to him, and at which point I think a lot of us would say, yeah, I really have to go home now. But he says here I am, here I am.

Speaker 1: 7:24

And for Moses, this is the beginning of a new chapter. His years of being a shepherd learning, patience, care, perseverance have unknowingly prepared him for a greater purpose, for where God is leading him next, a role that will demand both faith and courage. He used that mundane and ordinary career that Moses thought just getting through my everyday life, for something pivotal. This encounter reminds us God doesn't wait for perfect conditions to call us. He meets us where we are at, using your everyday experiences for something new, for something new For Moses and us. An open heart to God's call will transform even the most routine moment into one filled with purpose. So when we approach God and hopefully from last week you're approaching him and you're saying here I am. So when we approach God and hopefully from last week, you're approaching him and you're saying here I am. When we approach God, we open ourselves up to something extraordinary that only he can do through us.

Speaker 1: 8:33

Now you might think, if you don't know the story, like how would Moses respond? It's quite the honor that the God of the universe comes to you and says Moses, moses, well, he knows my name. Here I am. But I think Moses' reaction is probably like most of us in the room today. When God has called us, we read in verse 10, god says go, I'm sending you to Pharaoh and you must lead my people out of Israel. That's the mission, that's the job.

Speaker 1: 8:58

But Moses protested to God who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt? And God answered I will be with you and this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain. The place you are at right now is the place you will return, but it'll be different, but it's still the same place. It's an overwhelming mission. I mean, think about this Moses, a shepherd doing his everyday life.

Speaker 1: 9:36

God pops up. Hey God, what do you want from me? I want you to go to the highest ranking human being in the world right now, the Pharaoh. I want you to go to this massive world power and I want you to go to him and tell him to release all of the slaves. That's overwhelming. That's I mean. You can understand why he responds with this. He's like who am I? Like, don't you want to ask someone else? I don't know, maybe his second in command, I don't know. Maybe you just want to go talk to Pharaoh himself, like, why me? Who am I? But I want to point out it's not just whether or not he's qualified.

Speaker 1: 10:14

Moses is asking a question I know many of you struggle with. It's about self-doubt who am I? I'm not worthy. Who am I? It's about my identity. I can't possibly do the thing you're telling me to do, because I don't know if you know this God, but I know me and I can't do it.

Speaker 1: 10:36

Now notice what God, how God responds. He doesn't say no, moses, you're great, you're charismatic. He doesn't say, no, moses, you're great, you're charismatic, you're funny, you got this. He actually doesn't do any of that at all. Moses is like who am I? And God says who am I? So it's not about you, who am I? God says it's not about who you are, it's about who I am. God says I will be with you. That's the part that matters. I will be with you and this assurance places the emphasis not on Moses's identity, but God's.

Speaker 1: 11:19

This morning, if you're somebody and you struggle with your identity and doubt and how God is using you, it's not about you, it's about the God in you. When we face doubts, when we feel unqualified for what God calls us to do, we are reminded. It's not about our capabilities alone. God's presence is with us and that makes all the difference. And just as he invites Moses to look beyond his fears and to trust in God, he invites you today to step forward, to not just rely on yourself, but the one who equips and empowers and walks with us. Now you might think, pretty good argument. God checkmate Moses is going to go, but he doesn't Be a short talk.

Speaker 1: 12:10

Today we read go, chapter 4, verse 10. Moses pleads he's begging God now. Four, verse 10. Moses pleads he's begging God now. Oh Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been and I'm not now. Even though you have spoken to me, I get tongue tied and my words get tangled. And then the Lord asked Moses who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? By the way, these are all rhetorical questions. I'm sure Moses was just taking it all in. He changes gears a little bit. He said go, now go. I will be with you as you speak. I will instruct you what to say.

Speaker 1: 13:01

And here what we actually see is Moses goes from questioning his identity to something deeper. It's a fear rooted in insecurity. It's not just who am I, but it's not. I'm afraid of failure. I'll go there and Pharaoh will kill me or tell me to go away and I'll fail. It's because Moses is convinced he is a failure already. See, if you don't know this about Moses, he already had kind of everything given to him. He already lived in Pharaoh's house. And one day he goes off and he kills some people and he has to run or he'll be killed. And so for the last 40 years he's been in hiding, probably worried every day that the Egyptian government is gonna find him, bring him back, hold him accountable.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Moses isn't just questioning his identity. He says my identity is a failure, my identity is a murderer, my identity is not worthy and you cannot possibly be calling me to do this big thing. Moses has ruled himself out. And again I want to point something out this moment isn't about his abilities. It's about him not trusting God. It's about him not trusting God. His vulnerability highlights his humanity. It does. It shows us a man who feels woefully inadequate. He's a reluctant shepherd, but most of all, he doubts that God can do what God is telling him he can do. You might be a big, powerful God, but I'm a big, powerful screw-up. He's doubting it. And God reminds Moses and us I am the source of all strength, I overcome limitations. Moses is like I can't, I'm not very articulate. God said I made your stupid mouth. What do you think is harder you finding the right words to say or making humans? It's a good point and it's a powerful reminder to us today.

Speaker 1: 14:55

God doesn't wait for us to be perfectly prepared. He prepares those he's called. If you're in the room right now and you feel like God is calling you to do something and you're like I just got to wait one more week, one more month. I just got to finish my education, I just got to get this promotion, I just got to pay this off, I just got to resolve this. We're putting off what's inevitable, this. We're putting off what's inevitable.

Speaker 1: 15:18

God says I'm here and if I've called you to it, I'll get you through it. And you might feel hesitant, your weaknesses disqualify you, but God, don't you know who I am? Don't you know who I am? God values our trust over our ability. You might not be able to do it, but can you compensate with your ability and your lack of it with trust? God doesn't expect you to be flawless. He knows you're not. He just desires that you take the next step of faith. He will equip you beyond what you can imagine. You might look at the scoreboard and say woefully inadequate, but we serve a God who says I'll get you through it. I'll get you through it, and this morning you were invited to move forward despite doubts, leaning into God's promise that he will empower you and he'll teach you on the way.

Speaker 1: 16:16

We want the plan. This isn't in my notes. Moses is probably wanting a plan. Okay, god, so I'm going to go tomorrow. I'm going to go to Egypt, and then I knock two times. So I knock three times. I walk in. Who am I going to talk to? What's their name going to be? And, god, what's the script? Can I read it and then maybe give you some feedback? And God doesn't say anything. He says go that way, and once you get there, I'll tell you what to say. We can relate to this A lot of us. We don't want to move until God prints it out and gives it to us and says step by step, go this way and once you get there, I'll let you know. It's hard.

Speaker 1: 16:58

Now we keep reading in verse 13, moses's reluctance reaches a breaking point. Moses again pleaded Lord, please send anyone else. So it's like God is arguing with him, he's engaging with him. And then finally, moses is like all right, fine, like I'm not going to win this argument, there's got to be someone else in the world, literally anyone else. And this is when we read.

Speaker 1: 17:19

The Hebrew does not do this justice. It says the Lord became very angry with Moses. He was pissed off, he was mad as hell, his blood was boiling. Up until this point, god has been engaging with Moses like no, bro, I got you, it's going to be fine. And then finally, moses is like I'm not doing it. No, god, I won't. And then that's when God gets mad. No, god, I don't think I will. Now, it's not about hesitation. Now, it's not about doubt, it's refusal. His feelings of insecurity are greater than his faith. No, I don't think I will.

Speaker 1: 18:01

The Hebrew actually talks about his anger. Burning is what it talks about the Lord's anger burned. And some of you have been in that point. Your blood is boiling, you're so mad. And that is how God is. And yet we keep reading God sort of provides for Moses in the moment. He says how about your brother Aaron. He's pretty good, right, and that's ultimately what gets Moses to say okay, fine, if my brother Aaron will go with me and you're going to use Aaron. This moment reminds us that even when God gets angry and God does get angry God is still patient and God still provides, even when he gets angry, and it's through people, it's through resources and sometimes it's through encouragement.

Speaker 1: 18:49

Moses' story shows us a God who doesn't just understand our limitations. He meets us where we are at and he provides for us. He doesn't abandon us. He sticks it out with us. He's a relational God that says I won't quit on you, I'll keep having the conversation, I'll keep sitting at the table, and he equips Moses with everything he needs. God's plan remains steadfast, but his approach was still compassionate.

Speaker 1: 19:21

His journey, moses' journey, shows us something powerful God's call isn't just about what we're being asked to do. It's about how we see ourselves and, ultimately, how we see God. What is God calling you to do? Where is God calling you to go? And have you ever considered? It might not be about the destination, it might not be about the activity, but it might be about you. How do you see yourself? And it might actually be? How do you see God? Maybe God just wants to see if you'll actually do it. Do you trust me, do you believe that I can overcome all things For Moses to do what he ended up doing, which is to free the Israelite people, the Hebrew people, from Egypt?

Speaker 1: 20:04

He had to move on and focus on God's strength, not his weakness. But you can imagine, as he's taking that walk, he goes to bed that night, I don't know. He wakes up the next day. All right, I guess I'm going to Egypt. You have to imagine that on the long road, before iPhones, bluetooth speakers, he's just walking, just him and his thoughts. Did I really see that last night? Did I really talk to God? Should I really be doing this? He has all of these doubts and yet what's he do? He has to remind himself. I imagine nope, no, that really happened, that really happened.

Speaker 1: 20:39

And he takes step after step and day after day and I'm sure at times he felt really alone. I'm sure at times he really doubted. I'm sure at times he questioned did God really speak to me? But he did, and the shift that he had was to let go of self-doubt and to interrupt those thoughts. I'm not enough. No, stop, moses, don't think like that. God's enough. I can't have the right words. Nope, god is the creator, and if he called me to it, he will get me through it.

Speaker 1: 21:09

It was a renewal of thinking, the same as for us today. And it starts here. I am Lord, speak to me. But then it begins. The next step is to walk. If God's going to speak to you, act. Let God reshape your fears, your insecurities, your assumptions.

Speaker 1: 21:29

As we reflect on Moses's journey, there's a thread throughout all of it God calls us not just to hear his voice but to respond. He's not calling up for a little chit chat. He's probably got a lot of people he'd rather talk to more. That was mean. He's calling because he sees you, he loves you, he values you, he has something he wants to do in and through and around you. He put you on this planet for a reason. Let's do it, and we begin by releasing our insecurities. So a few thoughts as we walk away from today. One let's seek God with intention. That's going to be a common theme throughout this whole series Seek God with intention. Just as Moses turned aside to investigate the burning bush, let's take a step closer to God by intentionally setting aside time in our lives to listen.

Speaker 1: 22:21

In a world full of noise, we need quiet moments to recognize God's voice, and for some of us, it might be to relearn God's voice. Ask God to reveal a burning bush in your life, those everyday moments where God might be actually meeting you, talking to you every single day, but you're expecting something big and he's like but I'm right here. Can you see that? Shift your focus from yourself to God. Moses hesitated because he was focused on his inadequacies, wondering if he was enough. And, like Moses, many of us often allow self-doubt to keep us from following God fully.

Speaker 1: 22:56

This week, challenge yourself. Turn the focus from your limitations to God's promises. When doubts arise, interrupt it. Remind yourself. God doesn't call the perfectly prepared. He prepares those who are willing to respond. And three allow God to transform your thinking. Allow God to reshape your mind. Like Moses, we're invited to let go of worldly patterns of fear and even self-reliance and instead embrace a mindset that is rooted in God's truth.

Speaker 1: 23:29

Identify one specific thought or habit where you need God's renewal each day. It might be your fear. It might be your obsession about a limitation that you have, or you perceive it might be an area you're holding back. You're like God, you can work on this, but leave this alone. I got this, and maybe that's the very thing God wants to work on. Maybe God said I'm not going to worry about any of that until I get to work on this, and you're in a stalemate with God. So take a step of faith with God this week. Identify a specific decision, a step of obedience, a scary one, a big one, something you felt like God has been nagging you to do for a while. Maybe it's big, maybe it's not, but can you take the step of faith? It could be something as big as a relationship choice, a career move. It could be something small, like reaching out to someone saying hi, I miss you, I love you, I forgive you, I'm sorry.

Speaker 1: 24:24

Just as Moses had to move forward despite his fears, we are called to follow where God leads us, trusting Jesus' promise to guide every step along the way. And every time you take a step, and every time you release doubt or allow God to renew your thinking, you're going to grow in your ability to hear his voice, which is what we want. Right? That's the series. That's what we want.

Speaker 1: 24:48

It requires us we start taking steps, and so, as we get ready to enter into our time of communion and we do communion every week at Madison Church because it's this moment in which we reflect, we listen. What has God been saying the last 45 minutes and what are you going to do about it? Let's remember God is always with us, not just the last 45 minutes, not just today, because it's Sunday, but God will be with you tomorrow morning, monday morning, he'll be with you Wednesday afternoon, he'll be with you Friday night. He'll be with you in the mundane, the ordinary and the boring. He is always with you. But as we reflect during communion, what do you need to say yes to? What's the step, what's the direction that God is telling you to go? And maybe it's time to stop saying no, I can't, I won't, I don't, and to just simply say here I am.