09 Jun Recap | Miracles of the Old Testament | The Burning Bush

Posted at 13:00h in Sermon Recap by

This weekend was the first teaching of our summer series on “Miracles of the Old Testament.”  Chris Curtis introduced the series by defining a miracle as “an unusual or extraordinary event caused by God’s power that we would ordinarily consider impossible.”  It is also important to recognize that miracles are not performed solely to be miracles. Miracles are signs that reveal who God is, acts that convince us of His power, and wonders that call for us to respond to Him.

We kicked off this series by looking at the story in Exodus 3:1-14.  This is the story of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. This miracle is the start of God’s rescue of the Israelites. When we pick up the story, Moses is in the middle of the wilderness, having spent the past 40 years as a farmer and herdsman. This is a humbling place for him to be after having been raised as a prince of Egypt. The life of Moses shows how God is not above humbling us in simple and extravagant ways. Moses needed to be humbled in order to be brought to a place where God could use him.

The burning bush in this story is a sign of God’s majesty and power. God is a god of fire, and His fire is purifying. Entering into a relationship with God means we have to conform to His plan, and His way. When we go to God, we have to give up ourselves.  In the case of Moses and the Israelites, God is in touch with the needs of His people and the pains they are suffering. As such, He is calling Moses and asking him to give up his life for the greater good of the Israelite people. God asks this of us today too. We are called to serve others in a way that costs us. We are called to do hard things that may cause our discomfort but are for another’s good. We are called to live in such a way that we realize our own ineptness and fully rely on God.

Moses realizes the enormity of the task that God is calling him to. He surely must have felt humbled, asking God, “Who am I to do such a task,” and knowing that the answer was that he was no one. But, God answers in such a loving way, telling Moses, “I will be with you.” God does not deny that Moses is no one, but He gives Moses the only thing he needs, Himself. By submitting to being used how God has called us, we are able to know God, the great I Am. His power and eternity can fill us and define us.

Another final piece to be learned from the miracle of the burning bush is seen in how God chose to appear. God became a bush, because the bush was where Moses was. God came to Moses to meet him where he was. And God does the same for us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. We can be confident in that.

-Carly Caldwell

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Worship Songs from the Weekend

  • I Am Not The Same: John 16:33, Psalm 107:13-15, Mark 13: 24-26, 1 John 5:4-5
  • The Name Of Jesus Christ: Philippians 2:6-11, Isaiah 45:22-23
  • God With Us: Joshua 1:9, John 1:14, Psalm 68:19-20
  • Song Of Moses: Revelation 15:3, Exodus 15:1-3, Psalm 28:7
  • In Christ Alone: Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 3:7-11, Acts 4:8-12, Romans 8:38-39
  • Stronger: Philippians 2:9-11, Romans 6:9-10
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