October 27, 2019 / Exodus 4:1-17

Sermon Series: Freedom!

“The Patience Of God”

Sermon Notes  

 

Bibles out…  

Recommended Book: “New Morning Mercies”  

Sermon Series: Freedom

Through the opening 2-3 chapters we have learned the following: 

1.     Slavery is an awful experience

2.     So often we are enslaved by something / someone else

3.     We need something / someone to save us—we need a deliverer

Reminder: Context [Mt. Sinai]: Exodus  3-4 are one story    

Bridge

There are certainly different ways we can read the Bible…

One way to read the Bible is to think a bridge: How is the message in this passage going to get from roughly 3500 years ago until now?  

Moses: Exodus 3-4

“Who am I?...” (Exodus 3:11)

“Who are you?...What’s your name?” (Exodus 3:13)

“What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (4:1) ·      

“Pardon your servant, Lord. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (4:10)

“Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (4:13) = “No, God” = “No thank you, God”    

What [“simple” thing] Is God Asking Of You—What Are You Avoiding?  

 

Yahweh [“The LORD”]: Exodus 3-4

1. [Yahweh] Seeks and meets Moses in “the ordinary” (3:1)

2. Burning bush (3:2)

3. Speaks to Moses from the bush (3:4ff)

4. “I am who I am” (3:14)

5. “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (3:6,15,16; 4:5)

6. 1st sign: Staff becomes a snake (4:2-4)

7. 2nd sign: Hand becomes leprous (4:6-7)

8. 3rd  sign (future): Water turned to blood (4:8)

8. “I made your mouth” (4:11-12)  

 

The Patience Of God!  

 

“Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (4:13)  

“Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses… [can we blame God???]

And then, amazingly, even in his anger…God is providing, God is merciful:  

…and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well… He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him” (4:14-16)  

 

Bertrand Russell: “There is not enough evidence”

So much evidence / pointers for us…

 

Moses not willing, Jesus is willing:

“No one takes it from me, but I [willingly] lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18)  

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22)    

 

“So here’s what the Story is all about:   a willing Saviour is born to rescue unwilling people from themselves because there is no other way.   Jesus was willing to leave the splendor of eternity to come to this broken and groaning world.   He was willing to take on human flesh with all its frailty…   He was willing to go through the dependency of childhood.   He was willing to expose himself to all the hardships of life in this fallen world…   He was willing to do his Father’s will at every point…   …He was willing to serve, when he deserved to be served.   He was willing to be misunderstood and mistreated.   He was willing to endure rejection and gross injustice.   He was willing to preach a message that would cause him personal harm.   He was willing to suffer public mockery.   He was willing to endure physical rejection.   He was willing to die.   He was willing to rise and ascend to be our constant advocate.   Jesus was willing.” (Paul Tripp, Come Let Us Adore Him, pp. 19-20)  

 

Communion…        

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