The Exodus – Part 6 Signs for Moses

 The Exodus – Part 6

Signs for Moses

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook

 

This Document is a Sermon Outline. You may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on Facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church.

 

 

 

SERMON TIMELINE

·          The Book of Genesis

·          The Book of Exodus (Between years 2368-2448 or 1400 – 1320 B.C.)

·        Introduction

·         Israelite’s Oppression

·         The Birth of Moses

·         Moses Flees to Midian

·         Moses and the Burning Bush

·         Signs for Moses

 

INTRODUCTION

Last week we read about Moses seeing a burning bush afar off and going to examine it finding it was the Lord. The Lord instructs Moses to go to the Pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go from the bondage of slavery to Egypt.

 

You would think that Pharaoh would agree and say yes because they hated the Hebrews, however, they loved free labor and had the Hebrews build Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

 

In the previous chapter when God instructs Moses in what to say and to whom to say it, Moses only responds with negativity and doubt.

 

Exodus 3:11 “Who am I to go to Pharaoh?”, to which God answers, I will be with you.

 

Exodus 3:13 “What if they ask what your name is?” and God answers, I am who I am.

 

This is where we pick up in Exodus 4

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Exodus 4

“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

 

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

 

“A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

 

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

 

6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[a]—it had become as white as snow.

 

7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

 

8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

 

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

 

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

 

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

 

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 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. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE

 

I.                   GOD CALLS MAN AND MAN RESPONDS

a.      What if they don’t believe me

                                                             i.      What does this have to do with your obedience?

                                                          ii.      God didn’t tell Moses, make them believe.

 

 

b.     What if they don’t listen

                                                             i.      What does this have to do with your obedience?

                                                          ii.      No one can “make” anyone listen if they don’t want to.

 

 

c.      What if they say, The Lord didn’t appear to you

                                                             i.      What does this have to do with obedience?

                                                          ii.      Others doubts have no bearing on the reality and truth of God’s Word.

 

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus says in Matthew 13:3-9 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

 

Jesus then tells them what the parable means in Matthew 13:18-23

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

 We are called by God to obedience which unlocks all the blessings and benefits of God’s Kingdom including the gifts, fruits, Whole Armor of God, etc. What does or does not take place from us obeying is between them and God.

 

II.               GOD GIVES THOSE CALLED SIGNS

a.      Casting the staff to the ground it becomes a snake

                                                             i.      First, a sign to Moses for encouragement

                                                          ii.      Then, a sign to the Egyptians as proof that God sent Moses

                                                       iii.      This sign was Moses was going up against Satan and the powers of darkness. When he picked the venomous serpent up, it turned back into a stick.

1.      God was ensuring Moses that he would have power over the dark forces of evil and Satan’s powers.

 

 

b.     Draw your hand from your cloak it becomes leprous then healed

                                                             i.      Another sign to encourage Moses and later prove to the Egyptians God sent Moses

                                                          ii.      Putting his hand into his cloak was symbolic of man’s inner being revealed as leprosy, sinful in nature, and only curable by God returning us to “flesh”

                                                       iii.      Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,”

 

 

c.      Pouring water from the Nile onto dry land becomes blood

                                                             i.      Three assurances to Moses’ three doubts, and three pieces of evidence for the Egyptians

                                                          ii.      Moses resists God three times and is reassured three times

 In Matthew 26:31-35 we read about Peter denying Christ three times. The Lord responded to him three times in John 21:15-25 asking Peter, “Do you love me?”

 We have our doubts and fears, and when God calls us, commands us, instructs us, leads us, He is often met with these fears and doubts.

 Thomas was referred to as “doubting Thomas” because he couldn’t believe or wrap his head around how Jesus could be alive after being crucified. This is somewhat of an unfair title, considering doubting resurrection seems to make more sense than doubting or denying you know Jesus, or being told to do something and doubting it will work out, even though the Lord is the one telling you to do it.

 There is doubt and fear in every single man, woman, and child and we should all be called doubting Thomas’ but blessed are those who ignore their fears and doubts and trust in the Lord and His Word.

 Unlike Peter, who accepts the Lord’s three responses to his denials, Moses gets three responses to his doubts and fears but reiterates to the Lord his doubts and fears.

 The ONLY answer to Satan (the serpent) and the result of him (man’s sin state – leprous hand) is blood!

 The blood of Christ, symbolized here by the “pouring out”

 God was not really speaking to Moses and the Pharaoh as much a directly to Satan and his kingdom!

 Satan was ruling the world and corrupting man, keeping them enslaved to the bondage of sin, but the Lord was reminding Satan that the pouring out of His blood was coming soon and that bondage would be broken, and man would once again be made whole by the atoning blood of Christ Jesus!

 

 

III.            MAN IS FULL OF EXCUSES

a.      But I am slow of speech and tongue

                                                             i.      Who asked you to talk fast or eloquently?

                                                          ii.      It’s not like God couldn’t heal Moses of his speech or eloquence…

                                                       iii.      Those make no difference to the Truth.

                                                        iv.      I Corinthians 1:27 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;”

 

b.     Please send someone else

                                                             i.      Oh, we instruct God now? We tell the Creator of the universe what His best interest is and that He made a mistake calling you?

 

 

c.      Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses

                                                             i.      Moses would rather lean on his brother Aaron than God Himself.

                                                          ii.      Arron was not much of a help to him, remember, they day Moses turned his back Aaron made a golden calf

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Exodus 4:14b-17 “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 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. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

 

 

Your brother speaks well. I will help both of you speak and teach you what to do.

 

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.

 

The Lord is being sarcastic here. He is not implying Moses is God or a god, rather, “OK Moses, you be the middleman of speech then.”

 

NEXT WEEK

Moses returns to Egypt

 

 

This, and other Sermon Audios can be found for FREE at

 

https://www.ps127.org/online-audio-files

 

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CLICK HERE!

 

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The Exodus – Part 5 Moses and the Burning Bush

 The Exodus – Part 5

Moses and the Burning Bush

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook

 

This Document is a Sermon Outline. You may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on Facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church.

 

 

 

 

SERMON TIMELINE

·          The Book of Genesis

·          The Book of Exodus (Between years 2368-2448 or 1400 – 1320 B.C.)

·        Introduction

·         Israelite’s Oppression

·         The Birth of Moses

·         Moses Flees to Midian

·         Moses and the Burning Bush

 

INTRODUCTION

We began reading Exodus a few weeks ago and saw that at the time Moses was born the Egyptians and their rulers had forgotten about all the good Joseph had done for their nation and how the power of God worked through him.

 

The Egyptians hated the Hebrews and thought of ways of getting rid of them, including demanding all Hebrew boys be killed at birth by the midwives. When this didn’t work, because the midwives feared God more than the Pharaoh, he demanded all the young boys be cast into the Nile upon sight.

 

Moses’ mother placed him in a basket on the shore of the Nile where he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter. His sister, who hid in the bushes watching, asked the Pharaoh’s daughter if she should fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the Hebrew child, and returned with Moses’ mother.

 

After raising Moses to the age of weaning, he was returned to the Pharaoh’s daughter to live the rest of his life as her son. From this point, until Moses is an adult, scripture tells us nothing of his life. I believe it is because nothing of importance took place. Everything Moses becomes and achieves is because of God and nothing else.

 

We see the jump from Moses as the weaned infant in verse 9 to Moses as the adult man in verse 10. It is at this point we can infer from scripture and its tone that Moses was unhappy with his station. He longed for “his people” and felt for their plight.

 

So much so, that when he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he kills him. Thinking it was in secret it isn’t until the next day when he discovers two Hebrew men fighting that what he did was already known about. Fearing for his life, he fled to Midian.

 

This is where we learned last week of Moses, always the defender and righter of wrongs, find women being assaulted by shepherds at the Midian well. Coming to their defense and even watering their flock for them, the women’s father was so pleased he allowed Moses to marry one of his seven daughters.

 

In just a few short verses later, we see Moses and his wife Zipporah are married and have a child together, named Gershom, which is a play on words for “a foreigner there”.

 

This is where we pick up today with Moses and the story most have heard of, if not read many times in scripture about the burning bush.

 

So, let us look at Exodus 3, Moses and the Burning Bush      

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Exodus 3

“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,[a] 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[b] will worship God on this mountain.”

 

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

 

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

 

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[d] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

 

 

“This is my name forever,

    the name you shall call me

    from generation to generation.

 

16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

 

18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

 

21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

 

 TODAY’S MESSAGE

 

I.                   MOSES TENDING HIS FATHER IN LAWS FLOCKS

a.      Moses sees a strange sight in the distance

                                                             i.      This was the Angel of the Lord appearing in flames of fire from within a bush

 

                                                          ii.      Angel of the Lord simply means the Lord Himself, we know it is Him because of Exodus 3:4, “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

 

                                                       iii.      Why did God wait until Moses was 40?

1.      Firstly, 40 is the number of testing or trial

 

2.      Moses, the would-be king of Egypt is now humbled to the position of lowly shepherd.

 

3.      We MUST humble ourselves if we are to approach the Lord in any manner at all.

 

4.      Moses had finally reached a point in his life where the Lord could reach his heart

 

 

b.     Free will and the burning bush

                                                             i.      One thing we should take note of here is the fact that the Lord made the FIRST MOVE, making Himself appear and available at the burning bush

 

                                                          ii.      Moses was presented by this appearing with a choice, Moses needed to respond properly for this interaction to continue. So, he moved in closer to see what it was.

 

                                                       iii.      Verse 4 states, “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look…” this is the Lord acknowledging Moses made the proper response to the invitation.

 

                                                        iv.      God THEN calls to him from within the bush.

 

                                                           v.      The Lord still presents Himself today, and all those who see the fire must properly respond to it!

1.      Fire represents judgment, and when God’s judgment Is revealed to us in His Word, we MUST respond to it appropriately, going TO IT, instead of running away from it.

 

                                                        vi.      It is during this proper response to the fire that God “calls Moses”

 

 

c.      Moses finds the Angel of the Lord and responds in reverence

                                                             i.      What is the proper response when God calls you by name?

1.      Here I am.

 

                                                          ii.      And in verse 5 when God reveals Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

1.       Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God

 

2.      He showed reverence!

 

 

II.               GOD CALLS MOSES

a.      Moses’ response, who am I?

                                                             i.      God then reveals He has seen the suffering of His people and heard their cries.

 

                                                          ii.      Verse 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”

 

1.      Literally - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

 

2.      Allegorically

a.      I have come down to rescue them

b.     From the hands of the Egyptians (sin)

c.      And bring them up

d.     To a land that is good and spacious

e.      Flowing with milk and honey

 

 

 

3.      Luke 12:49 Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire to the earth…”

 

4.      John 6:38 Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

 

5.      What is the Father’s Will? – 1 Timothy 2:4 “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

 

6.      What land is truly “good”?

 

7.      Remember Genesis after creation, the Lord looked upon the creation and it was good. So shall it be again!

 

 

b.     God answers I am who I am

                                                             i.      God tells Moses He is sending him to speak to the Pharaoh and Moses fears

 

                                                          ii.      “Who am I to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites out of Egypt?”

 

                                                       iii.      God says, “I will be with you.”

1.      And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you:

 

2.      When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

 

                                                        iv.      What if they ask your name? What shall I say?

 

                                                           v.      God replies, I am who I am. I am has sent me to you.

 

 

c.      Moses trusts in the Lord and receives more instructions

                                                             i.      Those who are responsible with little will be given more

 

                                                          ii.      Obedience opens the door to blessings, promises, benefits, and protection of the Kingdom, but it also opens the door for God to trust you with even more

 

                                                       iii.      Jesus says in Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

 

 

III.            GOD ENCOURAGES AND INSTRUCTS MOSES

a.      Go to the Elders of Israel

                                                             i.      God instructs Moses to speak with the Elders and tell them what He has said.

 

                                                          ii.      God then says, “The elders of Israel will listen to you.”

 

 

b.     When they leave, they will not go empty-handed

                                                             i.      God then promises He will take care of the matter

 

                                                          ii.      Exodus 3:18-20 “Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.”

 

 

c.      The Egyptians will pay for their acts against Israel

                                                             i.      In many ways

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Exodus 3:21-22 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

 

So, God has called Moses to a great task but ensured him that God would be with him the entire time. God also tells Moses exactly what to say to Pharaoh, and what to say to the elders.

 

God states He knows that this will not happen unless a strong hand comes against the Pharaoh, so God Himself will stretch out His hand and strike the Egyptians with wonders, and after that, the Pharaoh will let the Israelites go.

 

 

NEXT WEEK

We will look at signs for Moses

 

 

This, and other Sermon Audios can be found for FREE at

 

https://www.ps127.org/online-audio-files

 

Want to learn more about Salvation?   

CLICK HERE!

 

Want to read more FREE sermons? 

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