#2 (THE "5 EXCUSES OF MOSES" SERIES)
“WHO SHOULD I SAY SENT ME?”
TEXT: Ex. 3:13-22
INTRO: Moses’
first excuse failed, “Who am I?” ... so now he tries a second excuse,
paraphrased it is, “Who are you?” His point is simple, “these Israelites hardly know you Lord ...
if I go to them they are surely going to want to know how you are different from
the gods of
Lots of people know about God,
but this is not enough to get them to follow God as Savior and lord of their
lives:
ILLUS: A FAMOUS
GERMAN ATHEIST WROTE ABOUT CHRIST, “TILL
THE END OF TIME ALL THE SENSIBLE WILL BOW LOW BEFORE THIS JESUS OF
While these men knew something about
God, they did not know Him! Israel
knew about the God of their fathers, the God of the past, but what they needed
to know was the very character of God Himself!
How many people today know something
about God, but it is always the God of the past ... stories of what God did
thousands of years ago? This will never be enough for them to come
to God today! They need to see
the “I AM THAT
I AM” God, the ever present God of power and
might!
PROP.
SENT: The Bible teaches us that God is a
God of the present – and future, not just the past! “He is the same,
yesterday, today and forever.”
He who did great things before is ready to do them again and again, and
again! Do you know the living
God?
I. GOD’S
PRESENCE
A. Scared
& Reluctant!
1.
Moses tries hard to find a second excuse to not go back to Egypt to lead
Israel out of slavery ... this time he hides his fear and reluctance behind an
excuse that sounds pretty good, “How are you different God from the other gods of
a. Moses says, “What happens when I go to them and tell
them the God of their father’s sent me, a God who has done nothing in the last
4OO years!?”
b. Moses by this tactic is trying to
hide his fear and reluctance, by sounding reasonable and turning his excuse from
his own weakness (“who am I?”) to focusing on what appears to them
as God’s weakness … “Who are you?”
c. To them God hasn’t been around much
in the last 400 years, all they knew about Him is long ago stories about Joseph
who had died a long time ago. God
was the God of the past to them.
d. Moses’ excuse sounds strong, but it
is hiding the real issue.
ILLUS: KIND OF
LIKE THE MAN WHO WAS TALKING TO HIS FRIEND AND PRETENDING TO BE QUITE STRONG AND
IN CHARGE. HE WAS ASKED BY HIS
FRIEND FRED, “I HEAR YOU HAD AN ARGUMENT
WITH YOUR WIFE? HOW DID IT TURN
OUT? DID YOU PUT HER IN HER
PLACE?” TED: “OH SURE, WHY SHE CAME CRAWLING TO ME ON HER
HANDS AND KNEES!” FRED: “NO KIDDING! WHAT DID SHE SAY TO YOU?” TED: “SHE SAID, ‘COME ON OUT FROM UNDER THAT BED
RIGHT NOW AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!” — Source
Unknown
e. Moses was attempting to sound brave
and sure, but he was really trying to hide the fact that he just didn’t want to
go!
2.
The only way
a. This would not be enough for faith
in the present much less the future!
b. 4OO years of slavery required
something fresh and up to date!
c. Lots of people today know
stories about their parents and grandparents’ faith, but they have little
experience that is fresh about God in their own lives
now!
B. Supreme
Ruler!
3:14-15
1.
There were many gods already available to
a. Hapi
was the
b. Heqt
was the frog goddess of fertility.
(Sexuality and procreation)
c. Seth
was the earth god, which in one of the plagues was covered with
lice! (Mother
earth)
d. Uatchit
was the fly god.
(Pantheism – god in nature)
e. Apis
& Mnevis were bull gods, Hathor was the
cow goddess, and Khnum was the ram
god, these were all livestock gods. (Pantheism – god in
nature)
f.
g. Serapia
was the god of the locusts, he was supposed to protect
h.
Ra was the sun god, the god of
light.
(Astrology)
i. and finally, the first born son of Pharaoh was considered a god
too!
(Humanism)
2.
You will note that each of these Egyptian deities was struck down by
God in the ten plagues that were sent, they were all impotent against the true
God!
3.
Moses’ excuse indicated that he might have feared
4.
God’s answer was very simple and
very powerful – He is very different!
a. “I am that I
am” has sent you!
Literally in Hebrew: “the self
existent one.”
b. God was not just the God of their
fathers; He is the God of the present generation too, and all future ones to
come!
c. He is not just some Sunday school
story of the past; He is the very present God of
power!
d.
5.
This name does not just reveal a God of the present, it reveals the very
character of God in a way that would be remembered in every generation: “I am that I
am” demonstrates a supreme position, nothing is
greater!
a. He is not like the gods of
b. But God is over everything, there
are no other gods before Him!
c. No other name could sum God up
better than “I
am!” Jesus acclaimed
Himself this when He came.
d. This was the fullest revelation of
God possible by name! There will
never be a generation that would find Him just a God of the past or just a God
in the future!
II. GOD’S PROMISES!
3:16-17
A. Sacred
Revelation
1.
Moses is to start with
a. They needed to know that the God of
the past was available still in the present, but that this is no new God, just a
new look at Him, one that brings Him into their present
circumstances!
b. It was no new God, just a new
understanding of God!
c. Perhaps 400 years of slavery had
made them wonder if God was only a God of the past; they had the stories of
God’s working in their father’s lifetime, but only slavery to look at in the
last 400 years!
2.
This would be a necessary revelation if they were to believe that this
same God had the power to do today what He had done
before!
3.
The point of all the stories of the past was to inspire their faith to
trust God in the present; HE IS THE SAME TODAY!
ILLUS: REMEMBER
THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES, THE 6 YEAR OLD BLACK CHILD WHO SERENELY FACED AN
ANGRY, VENGEFUL MOB DAY AFTER DAY TO INTEGRATE THE
4.
Are we successful today in bringing the God of the past to people and
then helping them also see that He is the God of the present and future as
well?
a. Do your friends and neighbors know
that God is the same today, that He still performs the miraculous like He did in
times of old?
b. Do our actions and lives reflect
this knowledge and faith in God, is He more than just stuffy doctrines handed
down for generations?
c. Does your life reflect the
revelation of God that He is the “I am that I am!”?
d. This is a sacred
revelation!
B. Sure
Reward!
1.
If Israel would embrace this revelation of God — that He is ready today
to work in their lives, then they would experience the very best of God’s
blessings!
a. It would no longer be great stories
of the past; they would experience a promised land
too!
b. God had good things in store for
them, but only if God came alive in their present
experience!
2.
First, they would find that their slavery would end if they embraced the
God who is ready to move now!
3.
God promises to bring them up out of slavery, something they could not do
for themselves — neither would the gods of Egypt be able to stand against the
true God!
4.
God always finds a way to rescue His people who know Him as the God of
the present!
ILLUS: A
GRANDFATHER WAS VISITING HIS DAUGHTER’S HOME FOR CHRISTMAS AND HEARD HIS
GRANDSON SCREAM FROM HIS PLAYPEN, “GET ME OUT GRANDPA!” JUST AS GRANDPA WAS ABOUT TO RESCUE THE
BOY FROM THE PLAY PEN HOWEVER, HIS DAUGHTER CAME IN AND SAID, “NO JOHNIE, YOU
CAN’T GET OUT … LEAVE HIM IN THERE DAD, HE IS BEING PUNISHED BY HAVING TO STAY
IN THE PLAY PEN!” THE BOY BEGAN
CRYING AND A SAD GRANDFATHER JUST LOOKED --- AS THE MOTHER LEFT THE ROOM
SUDDENLY SHE REALIZED THE BOY HAD STOPPED SCREAMING! CURIOUS AS TO WHY HE STOPPED SO QUICKLY
SHE RETURNED TO THE ROOM TO FIND GRANDPA IN THE PLAYPEN WITH THE CHILD HAVING A
GREAT TIME! HE EXPLAINED “YOU SAID
HE COULDN’T COME OUT, SO LOVE FOUND
5.
God was going to save them from slavery, this is still His mission
today!!! He saves us from the
slavery of sin! This is not
something He just did in Biblical times, He is still actively seeking us out
today!
a. Have you embraced the ever present
God yet?
b. Do you know this God of power and
might today, have you been set free!?
III. GOD’S PROGRAM! 3:18-22
A. Striking
Rebels
3:18-20
1.
God’s program of deliverance begins in this verse, go tell Pharaoh “the God of the
Hebrews has met with us.”
(Emphasis mine)
a. Meeting with God is where we begin
... this is how the God of the present begins to move in our
lives!
b. Unlike the gods of
2.
The second part is significant too “let us go and
worship Him!”
a. God is to be worshipped, not as
something of the past, but in the present!
b. However, the god of this age — in
this case Pharaoh, will not listen and let them go, it will take a mighty hand
to move him!
3.
God has a plan, since it will take more than mere human power to move the
dictator of the age to let them go ... God Himself will move him with His own
mighty hand!
a. The term here in Hebrew, “wonders” refers to
miracles!
b. It would be the plagues that God
would send that would finally break Pharaoh’s control over
c. Just like today, all the human will
power in this world will never destroy evil; it will take the power of God in
Christ to change hearts!
4.
Only after God’s own power is displayed will Pharaoh let them go, it
won’t be the stories of the past that will move Pharaoh’s heart it will be the
present activity of God that will move him!
a. We need to experience God’s power
today in our lives!
b. The same God that moved through
Paul, Peter, John, Moses, and others is available to move in our lives
too!
c. He is the “I am that I
am.”
5.
As long as we stay in the middle of His will we are safe, no other place
is safe!
ILLUS: THERE ARE
PECULIAR STORMS IN THE
6.
7.
The plagues would destroy all the gods of
a. This contest was both for
b. To
c. It all depended on which side of
the true God you were on as to whether it was a WONDER or a
PLAGUE!
8.
God is anxious to demonstrate to His people and the world that He is very
much still doing wonders!
a. In the end, God’s ways will be
vindicated as the only wise way!
b. The ways of this world will be
shown to be foolish one day!
9.
God is still at work in the world today, what are “plagues” to the world is sometimes
demonstrations of God’s power against sin.
a. Like the frog goddess Heqt that
represented sexual prowess, sex is still worshipped in this world and look at
what has happened to our society and sex today!
b. The gods of
B. Securing
Remuneration
1.
God is still in the business of delivering!
2.
He was not only the God that brought Abraham out of Ur into a land of
promise, He was the same God today that was going to bring them out of
a. They would not have to go anywhere
to find God; He would meet them where they were at, in
b. The 400 years of slavery was not
wasted time without God’s activity, He indeed had allowed this time to pass in
order that they might multiply into a nation of 3,000,000
plus!
(1. Had they grown up in the promise land
they certainly would not have grown this large, the land was full of violent
groups of people who over this 400 year period had constantly warred against
each other, thus keeping their own numbers fairly low.
(2. This is why these nations so feared
c. Those 400 years were part of God’s
plan to strengthen them and multiply them in
d. God had not neglected their service
either, though they had been slaves for so long He had kept track of the pay
they deserved – and in their leaving they would get their back
wages!!!
3.
They did not leave empty handed!
The Egyptians gave them gold and silver, all kinds of food and
clothing!
a. In the end all the accounts will be
made proper!
b. This will be true someday for us
too ... no matter how much you seem to suffer now, God is keeping track and we
will get our rewards someday!
4.
They would plunder the Egyptians, everything they needed was right
there under their very noses, and God would use what was available all around
them to bring them out!
a. They didn’t need an army from
somewhere else...
b. They didn’t need a famous person
from another land to come and lead them.
c. God had a Moses already prepared,
one of their own to lead them out!
ILLUS: AN ANCIENT
PERSIAN MAN NAMED AL HAFED OWNED A VERY LARGE FARM AND WAS QUITE CONTENTED AND
WEALTHY. ONE EVENING A BUDDHIST
PRIEST WHO WAS VISITING HIM TOLD HIM OF THE SPLENDOR OF DIAMONDS WHICH ARE FOUND
IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE WORLD, AND OF THE RICHES THAT CAME TO THE MEN WHO FOUND
THESE JEWELS. AT ONCE AL HAFED
BECAME DISCONTENTED WITH WHAT HE HAD AND HE IMMEDIATELY SOLD HIS FARM TO FIND
HIS SHARE OF THE WORLD’S DIAMONDS. HIS SEARCH CARRIED HIM ALL AROUND THE
WORLD, UNTIL FINALLY DISCOURAGED AND PENNILESS HE ONE DAY THREW HIMSELF INTO THE
OCEAN AND WAS DROWNED. IN THE
MEANTIME, THE MAN WHO HAD PURCHASED HIS FARM HAD NOTICED ONE DAY IN THE BROOK
SOME SPARKLING ROCKS IN THE STREAMBED THAT TRAVERSED THE FARM. HE REACHED DOWN AND SCOOPED UP A
DIAMOND, ONLY ONE OF MANY THAT WERE FOUND ALL OVER THE FARM IN THIS BROOK. THERE WERE LITERALLY ACRES AND ACRES OF
DIAMONDS ALL OVER HIS FORMER FARM!
IF ONLY HE HAD LOOKED RIGHT WHERE HE HAD BEEN, HE DIDN’T NEED TO TRAVEL
ALL OVER THE WORLD TO FIND THE TREASURE, IT WAS RIGHT UNDER HIS FEET! HAVE YOU FOUND THE TREASURES OF
SALVATION WHERE YOU ARE? -- Source Unknown
5.
All this time that they had thought about the God of their fathers He was
right there waiting to work in their lives too!
a. Moses would indeed have a name to
bring them, one that would open their eyes to see the very present
God!
b. God is very much interested in
getting across His present reality!
c. He would do for them what He did
for Abraham, and even more!
6.
This is the same God we serve today, when the world asks us who this God
is can we answer that He is the “I am that I am”... the
God who is very much active now!
a. Does our life reflect this
belief?
b. Does our actions show the God of
power?
c. Is our worship fresh and
real?
d. Does our values demonstrate that
God is on the move today?
* Or are we afraid to go and tell the
world, do we try and use an excuse not to go like Moses tried to
used?
CONCLUSION: Many Christians today believe
God did great things in Biblical times but they do not see the God of power
today! They don’t go forth to do
great things for God because they don’t think anything will happen as it did in
the days of God’s power yesterday.
God’s revelation of “I AM THAT I AM” however lets us know He is just
as active now! He is always the “now” God! We can and must go forth in His name to
challenge this world ... no
excuses!