“But...But...But…” 7-14-24
Overview
"But...But...But..."
The good news is comforting, assuring, and trustworthy: Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, became man, lived perfectly, shed His blood, died on the cross, and rose triumphant from the grave. All who believe in Him have eternal life John 3:16-17. This gospel makes it possible for us to face each day, secured by the blood of Christ and assured by the empty tomb. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Before ascending, Jesus charged His followers with the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" Matthew 28:19-20. That directive reaches us, too. As those claimed in the waters of baptism and saved by grace through faith, we are God's missionaries—whether CEO, pastor, parent, student, or anything else—placed in our particular time and place for His purpose and glory.
Yet we often respond like Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3; Exodus 4): but, but, but… "Who am I?" God answers: "I will be with you." "Who shall I say sent me?" God answers with His own self-existent name: "I AM WHO I AM." The same I AM who sent Moses sends you. "What if they don't believe me?" God provided signs—and reminds us that producing belief is the work of the Holy Spirit, not ours. We are not called to convince; we are called to proclaim. "I'm not eloquent." God, who made the mouth, promises, "I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." Paul echoes this: he came not "in lofty words or wisdom," but resolved to know nothing "except Jesus Christ and him crucified," so that faith would rest "not on human wisdom but on the power of God" 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.
So take a breath. God has not called you because you are strong enough, smart enough, or smooth enough. He calls you precisely in your weakness, that His strength may work through you. Don't mistake that weakness for grounds to object. The same I AM who commissioned Moses now sends you with His living Word and His Holy Spirit, and Jesus' promise still stands: "I am with you always, to the end of the age." Our answer is not but, but, but—it is go.
Transcript
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, 3s
but may have eternal life. 13s
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that 16s
the world might be saved through Him. 23s
The gospel. 31s
The good, new, the good, new, that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, was made 33s
man. 44s
Lived perfectly. 46s
Shed His blood died on the cross, rose triumphant over death, and the grave three days later, 49s
all that believe in Him have eternal life. 60s
The promise, the assurance that this is not all that there is. 64s
And what is too come is even greater than anything that our minds could ever imagine 73s
or conceive. 82s
This gospel, this good, new, is what we in the church know to be true. 85s
Praise God. 98s
This good news is comforting. 100s
This good news is assuring. 105s
And this good news is trustworthy. 109s
It is this good news that makes it possible for us to roll out of bed and face the day. 113s
And face whatever comes our way, because we have the promise from God Himself. 121s
Made sure through the blood of Jesus Christ, assured for us because the tomb is empty. 130s
We have the assurance that because you believe you are indeed saved. 140s
And there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 150s
Jesus made sure that you would indeed hear this news. 159s
He made sure that you would hear it because before he ascended to the Father, he told his apostles that they would be his missionaries. 164s
He told them that they would go out proclaiming this good news to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, 174s
and to the ends of the earth. 183s
That day would get to share the good news of forgiveness of sins. 187s
In Matthew, chapter 28, we find Jesus standing before he ascended to the Father with all of his apostles. 194s
And he tells them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 203s
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 212s
And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. 219s
His directive was for those whom he had called into faith, those whom he had called to follow him, 224s
not only way back when, but even today. 233s
We, as those who have been claimed through the waters of baptism, 240s
we who have been saved by grace through faith, we have been called by this same commission called to make disciples. 246s
You are called to be God's missionaries. 258s
But, but, but missionaries today, today our Sunday drive is going to take us to Egypt. 264s
Where an old man was was called to go to free the people of God. 281s
And this is where we begin our trip today. 291s
If you would please open up to Exodus chapter 3, this can be found on page 47 in the Bible of the, 294s
before we jump directly into our text for today, we're going to give a little bit of backstory on Moses for anyone who is unfamiliar with Moses and the life that he led. 311s
Moses was a Hebrew and Israelite. 326s
He was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and brought in to Pharaoh's household. 328s
This means that he would have received an education of the learning. 334s
This means that he would have been privileged as those who had lived in Pharaoh's household. 339s
And really, he would have been prepared for leadership in Pharaoh's council. 345s
And this, and so as he was growing and as he was raised for leadership, he decided one day to go and check. 353s
On the Israelite, the Hebrews, his fellow, 363s
Kinsmen, in verse, or in chapter 2 beginning in verse 11, we read one day after Moses had grown up, 367s
he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. 374s
He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his Kinsfolk. 378s
He looked this way in that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 382s
When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting. 389s
And he said to the one who was in the wrong, why do you strike your fellow Hebrew? 393s
He answered, who made you? 398s
A ruler and judge over us. 401s
Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? 404s
Then Moses was afraid and thought, surely the thing is known. 408s
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses led from Pharaoh. 413s
After Moses fled, he spent 40 years in Midian until one day as he was 423s
tending to the flock he encountered the Lord. He encountered the Lord in a burning bush which was not 431s
consumed and this is where we pick up with our text for today in verse 9, where we read the 440s
cry of the Israelites has now come to me. I have also seen how the Egyptians oppressed them. 447s
So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. 454s
For 40 years, Moses had led a rather ordinary life. He was a shepherd, he tended to the flocks. 463s
He was nothing special in the eyes of anyone around him. He had just an ordinary humble life. 474s
And to hear from God from the midst of this burning bush in front of him which was not being 482s
consumed to hear that he was being called by God to go and lead God's people out of Egypt. 488s
Well, quite frankly, that call from the Lord must have felt very overwhelming and perhaps 499s
was even a shock. Moses responds in verse 11. But Moses said to God, 507s
who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. God says, 516s
go and Moses says, but who am I? I am no one special in God's response. In verse 12, 524s
he said, I will be with you. And this shall be a sign for you that it is I who sent you. 541s
When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain. 549s
Moses didn't need anything, but God would be with him. And that in and of itself should have 557s
enough, Moses could have. Moses should have said, thanks Lord, I'll do as you ask. Let's go. 568s
However, Moses objected again, look with me, please at verse 13. But Moses said to God, 579s
if I come to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your ancestors has sent me to you and they 590s
ask me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? Now, it's very possible that the Egyptian 599s
practice of polytheism that is having several gods in hand probably or very likely crept into 608s
the Hebrew people and into their own practices. So the possibility that Moses raises here of 618s
the possibility that the Hebrews would ask him, which God is sending them, please tell us his name. 628s
That's a valid concern of Moses. It was reasonable for Moses to anticipate this question. And God 635s
responded to Moses in verse 14. God said to Moses, I am who I am. He said, further, thus you shall say 646s
to the Israelites, I am. Has sent me to you. God's name, I am. I am that I am. It removes God from 658s
any form or function that has a beginning or end. It removes any sort of limitation that one may 674s
put on a God. God's name is self-existence. There is no God before God because God was God is and God 686s
will always be. God, I am, has sent you. He tells Moses. And as the Lord expounds on his direction 699s
to Moses and what will happen, there's a verse that really should never go unnoticed in this exchange. 714s
In answer to the question, who shall I say, sent me, God tells the people, or God tells Moses 723s
to tell the people that I am has sent you. And in verse 18, he says, they will listen to your voice. 732s
He tells Moses directly, they will listen to you. But Moses responds. Look with me, please, 740s
a chapter four verse one, then Moses answered, but suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, 753s
but they the Lord did not appear to you. Even though the Lord had literally just told Moses that 764s
the people will listen to him, Moses objects again. He objects yet again to this call by asking 774s
what if they don't? What if they don't? Listen. And so God answers Moses. God answers Moses 784s
giving him three signs. Look with me, please, at verse two, the Lord said to him, what is that in 798s
your hand? He said a staff and he said, throw it on the ground. So he threw the staff on the ground 804s
and it became a snake and Moses drew back from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, reach out your hand and 809s
seize it by the tail. So he reached out his hand and grasped it and became a staff in his hand. 815s
So that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of 822s
Isaac, and the God of Jacob has appeared to you. So God gives him the sign by changing Moses' staff into 827s
serpent and then God gives him another sign by changing his hand that is clean into one that is 834s
lepros and then clean again and he gives him a third sign which he can show the Israelites 843s
by taking water from the Nile and the water would turn to blood. God gives Moses' signs 850s
that they would indeed believe him. Surely surely Moses would go now, right? 860s
But look with me at verse 10, but most of chapter four, but Moses said to the Lord, 877s
oh my Lord, I have never been eloquent neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to 886s
your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue when every objection failed, Moses gave 894s
a final objection. I don't speak so well. But again, God has a response. 905s
Look at chapter four, verse 11, then the Lord said to him, 917s
who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? 923s
Is it not I the Lord now go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak? 931s
God says go, Moses says, but each time that Moses object, Moses is overruled 943s
because God didn't go or didn't call Moses to go free the Israelites on his own. 960s
In Scripture, in Scripture you and I are given the call go, but how many of us respond, 970s
but but but but but but who whom I? My brothers and sisters, you are baptized children of God. 981s
You are baptized children of the Almighty and sovereign living Lord. You are put in the exact time, 999s
place and situation for God's purpose and for His glory, whether you are a CEO, whether you are a 1008s
pastor, whether you are a parent, a dog catcher, a student, you as a baptized child of the Almighty 1017s
God are called. We're going to go again to Matthew chapter 28, just as Moses was promised 1025s
God would go with him, God promises you the exact same thing. Matthew 28 verses 19 through 20, 1036s
Jesus says go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the 1046s
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. 1054s
And this is key here where Jesus says, and remember, I am with you all wait to the end of the age. 1061s
Just as God promised Moses that he would go with Moses, Jesus promised his followers, 1076s
that he goes with them. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity through his spirit, 1084s
goes with us as we go forth making disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the 1094s
Holy Spirit and teaching them all that Jesus had taught. Goal, but who shall we say, 1103s
sent us, you proclaim the good news that you bear on behalf of your creating Redeemer. 1119s
That is who sent you just as the I.M. sent Moses so long ago. It is the very same I.M. 1130s
that sends you to share this good news. The I.M. sends you just as the I.M. sent Moses. 1140s
Paul John Luther, it's the same self-existent God who sends you forth and he sends you forth with his own 1151s
living word and with his own Holy Spirit. 1161s
Goal! 1168s
But what if they don't believe me? Take a deep breath. 1170s
It isn't your job to make people believe you. That is the work of God. That is the function of the Holy 1182s
Spirit. It is God Himself who revealed the truth through you. You are not called to convince 1194s
anyone. You are called to go and to proclaim. 1203s
But Lord, I just don't speak so well. What if I don't know what to say? What if I get something wrong? 1212s
Well, I have good news here for you again. In second Corinthians the second chapter, Paul writes, 1222s
when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you 1231s
in lofty words or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1237s
And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my 1247s
proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the spirit and of 1254s
power so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. 1261s
God has not called you because you are strong enough, smart enough or smooth enough. 1270s
God has not called you for any of those reasons but God has called you because in your every fear, 1279s
in your every weakness you are keenly aware that you can do nothing in your own strength, 1287s
in your own ability but it is God alone working through you that gives you strength. 1296s
Do not mistake your own weakness for a reason to object or a right to object the call that God 1306s
has placed upon you as his missionaries. You have first been called through the waters of baptism 1317s
called to a faith in our Lord Jesus Christ secured for you over 2,000 years ago 1328s
through the death and the resurrection of Jesus. As a called child of the heavenly Father you are 1338s
called to share this very good news and it's through the power of the Holy Spirit that you are 1345s
and for to proclaim all that He has done for you and all that He has done for the whole of creation. 1353s
Go make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 1363s
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you Jesus says and remember I am with you 1369s
to the end of the ages and our response cannot be but but but instead our response is go 1378s
go 1397s