OBJECTION!

Exodus 3-4

If we're too comfortable in our comfort zones, we probably need to get out of them more.
If we're feeling uncomfortable in our comfort zones, God is putting the fire to our feet to get moving.

Exodus 1:8 tells us that a new king took power in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph, the Israelite under whose wise administration and leadership had saved that nation from unduly suffering from a seven-year regional drought.

The king felt threatened by the descendants of Joseph and his brothers who still lived in Egypt. He made them the targets for his hate and fear, and the Hebrews were ruthlessly oppressed into slave labor.  They cried out in their suffering to God, and God heard them.

His answer was Moses.  It probably always had been.

Moses.  He was born a slave and raised to be a prince of Egypt. He became a fugitive after killing an Egyptian overseer who was beating one of his relatives.  A man on the run, he fled Midian where he made worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law.

And maybe Moses knew he wasn't where he should be, that there was something he should be doing, because he names his son, Gershom, because he had been a stranger living in a foreign land. 

What follows, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is lesson for us all.  No matter how fast and how far we have been running or

matter how securely we've locked ourselves into the safe rooms of our comfort zone, God is going to be there, doing what God has to get our attention, relentless in God's call to service and mission.

For Moses, it was a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames.  Well, that's not something folks see everyday, and Moses had to check it out, and when he did, he was frightened and overwhelmed by what God was asking him to do.  He was convinced that he didn't have the qualifications, the credibility, the skills and the confidence to return back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites out of slavery and into the land God had promised his ancestors.

Objections!

Exodus 3:11-12 – Lack of Qualifications

Whether Moses is qualified to be the deliverer of his people, is not an issue. The freedom of the Israelites depends solely on the character and power of God, not on Moses strengths or weaknesses. God’s presence with Moses is all Moses needs. When Paul questioned his own adequacy, Christ’s response was, “My grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Through our human weaknesses, Christ’s strength is made known.

Exodus 3:13-15 – Lack of Credibility with His Peers

Moses’ credibility is not based in his past actions and achievements. It is based on the continuity of God’s relationship with his called people and what he has done on behalf of the Hebrews, generation after generation.

We sometimes refuse opportunities to serve in the church based on what we believe people do or will think about us. While we may not know the Bible by chapter or verse, we do know the stories of what has done on our behalf and the good he has worked in each of our lives. These stories, not information, is what moves people’s hearts.

Exodus 4:1 – Lack of Credibility with Those in Authority

Moses and his crime is well known to the King and his court. Why would they believe a common criminal comes to them with the authority and power to make demands of them.

First of all, God is the highest authority. He gives Moses a staff, a symbol of authority. Secondly, Moses receives the ability to perform three signs of power to prove he has been sent by God. So, too, we are authorized and empowered by God for the ministry God calls us to, and part of the ministry of the church is to equip, empower and authorize disciples for service.

Exodus 4:10 – Lack of Skills

God answers Moses’ lack of eloquence, with this promise, ““Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.”

1 Corinthians 12 teaches us that when we don’t have the skills needed for a ministry, God, through the Holy Spirit, gives us “gifts,” the abilities we need to be successful.

Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we received through our faith in Christ as our Savior, Christ’s presence is always with us. We never go forth in the name of the Lord alone.

Exodus 4:13 –“I Don’t Want to Go”

Because of his fears and doubts, Moses begs God to send someone else, but God knows he has the right man. “What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad.” (Exodus 4:14)

Often, when we’re unsure of our calling, it will be confirmed through our friends and family as well as those in the Body of Christ, the church. When in doubt, pray for confirmation, and ask others to support you through prayer as you discern your call.

In addition to empowering us through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God also provides the resources we need to carry out ministry. In Moses’ case, the resource he needed as Aaron, another person to help him.

With our relationship with God through Jesus Christ comes the call to participate in the mission of God and carry on the ministry of Christ in our own context according the our unique set of experiences, passions, abilities and gifts of the Holy Spirit.  If you've noticed the smell of burning wood in the air, it might not be the wild fires in Montana or your neighbor's fire pit.  It may be time time to stop, check it out and listen to God.

It may be time to surrender your objections and trust that God has it covered.  So, take that step of faith.