August 24, 2025
The Call of God #
Exodus 3:1-6
1 Timothy 1:12 - “12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;”
Introduction
What is the call of God? I mention that I was called by God when I was thirteen years old. I sometimes say, I surrendered my life to God when I was 13 years old. I have a definite time, when I know God was working on my life, and calling me to preach. There was no burning bush like Moses, there was no bright light in the sky or voice from heaven like Paul, there was no voice of God calling my name like Samuel, there simply was a certainty that God wanted to use my life! No voices, no visions, just me and God.
I want to look at an OT call of God. God used signs and miracles in this passage. You don’t need signs and miracles today, we have the completed Word of God. God doesn’t need to prove it is him through those means. He has given us the KJ Bible.
I. God Initiated the Called (4) #
A. God Divert’s his attention (2-3) #
i. Moses was working, doing his job as a shepherd. #
• God usually finds people who are workers!
• The ministry is not for lazy people… God deals with this in Proverbs, be a worker!
ii. Moses attention was drawn to God! #
• God has a way of getting our attention!
• He used a bush that burned, but was not consumed here.
◦ For Paul he used a bright light in the sky, and called him by name
◦ For Samuel he called him in the night.
◦ In our day and age, God speaks through the preaching of his Word!
1 Corinthians 1:21–24 - “21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
B. God Directs the call “Moses” (4) #
i. God’s got your name! #
◦ He knows your number, he knows your house address, he knows your work/school address!
ii. This was a personal call! #
• If you are called of God, you will not be happy in other things!
iii. Moses response: “Here am I” #
C. God’s Directives in the call his holy, sacred position (5) #
i. “Put off thy shoes” #
• Entering into the presence of God, requires us to get rid of somethings!
Colossians 3:8–9 - “8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
ii. God had made the ground holy where he was! #
• Dirt is dirt (the dirt where our church is). Concrete is concrete, dry wall, paint carpeting, chairs… those things don’t make this place holy… GOD does!
iii. God reveals himself (6) #
• There was no better way to describe himself than the association with his people!
• Moses’ response… hid his face!
◦ When man gets in the presence of God, he realizes his own unworthiness.
II. God’s Intent in the call (7-9) #
A. Distress of his people (7, 9) #
i. “I have surely seen” #
• This was a specific calling for Moses, because God had witnessed the affliction of his people!
• God doesn’t miss what is going on.
ii. I “have heard their cry” #
• These people were crying unto God, because of their affliction!
• It would do us good to cry to God because of the wickedness of our nation
iii. “I know their sorrows” #
• These people were broken hearted because of the oppression they were under
B. Deliverance of his people (8) #
i. Take them out of the hand of the Egyptians! #
ii. Bring them unto a better land! #
C. Deliberate Choice (10) “I will send thee” #
i. God chose Moses for the Job #
ii. Moses was supposed to go to Pharaoh #
iii. Moses was to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt! #
III. Moses’ Insufficiencies in the Call #
• The first thing man does… whoa Lord, you got the wrong Guy!!!
• Moses did that, Gideon did that, Jonah did that,
A. No Authority - I’m nobody (11) “who am I” #
i. Raised by the world! (raised in Egyptian wealth). #
ii. Not a good representative for God to Pharaoh. “that I should go unto Pharaoh” #
iii. God’s response (12) - #
• “I will be with thee” - we have his promise and assurance!
◦ People are scared of what could happen.
B. No Authority - They won’t believe (Ex 3:13-15, 4:1-9) #
i. Their quiz, “What is his name?” (4:1) #
• Moses was convinced he would have not authority with them.
ii. God gave him 3 miraculous signs: 1. Rod changed to serpent. 2. Hand turned leprous, 3. Water from the river turns to blood (2-9) #
C. No Ability - I can’t speak (Ex 4:10) #
i. You don’t need abilities to serve God #
• God needs availability, not abilities… make yourself available to God!
1 Corinthians 1:26-29