Sermon Series: Making Disciples…Life to Life: Loving God

Sermon Title: Acknowledging God’s Greatness

Sermon Number: 1
Date Preached: January 6, 2008
Central Thought: Our worship begins by acknowledging the greatness of God
Key Text: Exodus 3

Introduction: 1997 State Swim Meet Opportunity illustration as it relates to my

gratefulness for this new preaching opportunity

For those of you that have ever traveled out West or to another part of the world and
visited a desert, the images you saw probably have stayed with you. I’ve been out west
once in the states, and being struck by the lack of greens and blues. I’ll never forget
going swimming out west, getting out of the water, and w/o grabbing my towel, I was
completely dry in about 2 minutes…the air being so dry.

I remember being in the middle of Egypt at the top of Mt. Sinai, looking out for miles,
and only seeing rock. No trees, no rivers, no plants, no life. Just dirt and rock.

Deserts are interesting to visit, but I’ve always been glad to come.

The sad part about it is, there are some people that live their entire lives in the desert.
And I’m not talking about the Sahara or the Mojave. I mean there are people living in
emotional and spiritual deserts, and they may be living right next door to you. Millions
of people are living in the desert today…and there are a lot of reasons why: some are
running from something, some have experienced some sort of tragedy in their lives and
don’t know how to bounce back from it, some are rebelling against truth, against God.

Glynn Wolfe knew something about desert life. Glynn was an unusual man. He held
the Guinness world record for the most wives: 29. That means that 29 times he was
asked to pledge his faithfulness, to hold, honor, and keep her, and 29 times he said I
DO. But for whatever reason it never worked out. Over the years, he had children,
grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. Yet when Glenn was 88 he died. And no
one came to claim his body. The city of Los Angeles had to pay to have him buried in
an unmarked grave. Glynn knew something about desert life.

Brad Pitt knows something about desert life. A few years ago in an interview with
Rolling Stone magazine. Brad Pitt reflected on his lead role in the movie Fight Club,
which is about a man who has the American dream and yet remains unsatisfied:

Pitt: Man, I know all these things are supposed to seem important to us—the car, the
condo, our version of success—but if that's the case, why is the general feeling out
there reflecting more impotence and isolation and desperation and loneliness? If you
ask me, I say toss all this—we gotta find something else. Because all I know is that at
this point in time, we are heading for a dead end, a numbing of the soul, a complete
atrophy of the spiritual being. And I don't want that.
Rolling Stone: So if we're heading toward this kind of existential dead end in society,
what do you think should happen?
Pitt: Hey, man, I don't have those answers yet. The emphasis now is on success and
personal gain. [smiles] But I'm sitting in it, and I'm telling you, that's not it. I'm the guy
who's got everything. I know. But I'm telling you, once you've got everything, then you're
just left with yourself.

You could probably ask ________________ about desert life and they’d tell you about
it. Desert life is not a good life.

Have you ever lived in the desert? Are you living in the desert right now?

There was a man named Moses who was living in the desert. In Exodus chapter 3 we
find Moses many days after he was relishing life in Pharaoh’s palace. If you remember
the story, Moses, a biological Hebrew, had been sent as baby down the Nile River,
which was an attempt by his mother to save his life. All Hebrew babies had been
ordered killed by Pharaoh, but his mother made a basket and sent Moses away, just
hoping that someone would see the basket and protect her baby. And that’s exactly
what happened. Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket and ended up raising the baby
Moses in the home of her father, the king.

As Moses grew, he was able to experience all the riches and comforts of being part of
the Egyptian royalty. Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was
educated at the temple of the sun. And because of that, he had an education in
mathematics and astronomy, in chemistry, in hieroglyphics. He had the best education
that the world of that day could offer.

When Moses came along, riding in a chariot, there were guards who would run ahead
and cry, "Bow the knee! Bow the knee! Bow the knee! Moses is coming!" When he
floated down the Nile River, it was in a special barge, with strains of beautiful music.

Josephus tells us that when an invading army came into Egypt, the Egyptians were
losing until Pharaoh put Moses in charge of the troops and then the fortunes of Egypt
were reversed under the authority and the might and the wisdom of Moses. Josephus
also tells us that Moses was even scheduled to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt. Moses
had it all.

But then the day came when Moses saw an Egyptian man beating up a Hebrew and
Moses killed the Egyptian, hoping that no one had seem him do it. The next day he saw
two other men fighting, and one of the men revealed he had seen Moses murder the
Egyptian the previous day. News about all of this got to Pharaoh, Pharaoh tried to have
Moses killed, and Moses fled………………………to the desert. Left everything he had
experienced and ran as far away as he could. We read that while in the desert, Moses
married, began a family, and started a new career as a shepherd.
GOD, HOPE YOU DIDN’T MIND, BUT I’VE GOT OTHER PLANS NOW.
GOD, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SAVING ME WHEN I WAS A BABY, BUT EGYPT
TOO CRAZY AND SO I’M OUTTA THERE.
GOD, THANKS, BUT I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE.

And for centuries, people who were once a part of God’s plan, who were once enjoying
God’s blessing and abundance, who were once obeying God and following his lead,
have been coming up with the conclusion that they don’t need God anymore. That they
don’t particularly care for his plan, for his laws, for his blessing, and that they can do a
better job on their own. They feel like they can do just fine without him, yet after time
goes by they find themselves right in the middle of a desert. Maybe there’s a reason
Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert.

I want to be clear: I am not suggesting that Moses completely abandoned his faith or
began worshipping some other god. But I am suggesting that Moses ran from what
God had originally destined him to do…that was to save the Hebrew people.

The Hebrew word “Desert” means “to speak”, and it was in the middle of the desert
where God chose to speak to Moses.

(PRINCE OF EGYPT VIDEO CLIP)

Thankfully, there is a God who looks for people in the desert. Look at Deuteronomy
32:10. It says, “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He
shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.”

God had a greater purpose for Moses than desert life and he has a greater purpose for
us as well. But something greater is found in who He is. But who is He? Well, Exodus
3 tells us first that God is a HOLY GOD.

The very presence of God demands a reverent, respectful, almost fearful preparation for
those that desire to meet with Him. Being holy means that God is separate from us. He
is set apart. He is distinctly different from his creation because he is perfect. He is
sovereign—he has authority over all things. He is the God of gods, the King of kings,
and the Lord of lords. Psalm 47:8 says, “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on
his holy throne.”

And so to teach Moses this lesson, God required that he take his sandals off. Because
God was present, what had been ordinary had now become holy ground and set apart
for a specific purpose. And I think that’s a good reminder for all of us that use this
building as our worship venue. You know this room is used for all kinds of things
(expand). But on Sunday mornings, we use this room primarily to seek and honor a
holy God and because of that, it should mean that we enter this room with a different
attitude, a different respect, a worshipful spirit. God is Holy and He demands our best.
As we keep reading in Exodus, we also see the God is an UNCHANGING GOD.
Through the bush, God says in v.6 (read) that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. Moses was familiar with the creation account; he knew about the way that God
had provided for Abraham and the covenant that he had made with him. And God is
saying, “Look, before we get goin’ here, let me remind you of who I am. I am the same
creative, promise making, providing God that your ancestors knew, and I am going to
continue to do powerful things in the lives of my people.” And by hearing that, Moses
must have been awed, but he must have been comforted as well.

It’s easy to forget that the same God that appeared as fire in the bush, is the same
exact God that is in our midst today. He is here. He is alive. He is listening. And he
always will be…He is an unchanging God. And this unchanging God sees the
challenges of our lives and says to us…Don’t forget: I created the world. I parted Seas.
I raised dead people back to life. And if I can do all of that, I can do great things in your
life too. He doesn’t change.

If we keep reading, we learn that our God is a DELIVERING GOD. Now we’re going to
get into this at length more next week, but for now we can’t possibly ready Exodus 3
and not take note of what God says in 7 & 8. Read vv. 7-8. God hates to see his
people in trouble. God hates to see his people when they are hurting and struggling.
The few verses before Exodus 3 paint this beautiful picture of God troubled by what was
happening on the earth: read Exodus 2:23-25. And God was so concerned that he
informed Moses he would be coming down to rescue and deliver his people out of
bondage in Egypt.

And friends that’s exactly what happened at the cross. God knew that because of our
sin we were bound to an eternal punishment in the pit of hell. But instead of ignoring
us, instead of letting us experience what we deserved, God came down, his name was
Jesus Christ, and through his death, we might know the end of suffering, the end of
slavery, the end of death. He is delivering God.

The last part of our text reveals to us that our God is also a PERSONAL GOD. Notice
the very human characteristics of God that are revealed in our text. Verse 7 shows us
that God has seen the Israelites’ suffering; and he has heard them crying; he knows
and is concerned about their suffering; and so he is coming down to save them.
Deists believe that God was a creator, but that after he created he left the world to its
own doing and was not involved anymore, like someone winding a clock and setting it
aside and letting it run on its own. Now after reading this text, how can you believe
that? Our God is a living person who can and does follow the stream of human events
and who can and does at times directly intervene in human affairs.

This was the God that Moses encountered through the burning bush. Do you believe
today that this Holy, Unchanging, Delivering, Personal God is the God that lives today?
I believe that this is the same God that we worship today, the same God that is in this
gathering this morning, the same God that wants to move and work in your life this
week.
And you can say to God: I don’t need you, I’m tired of you, I don’t want to understand
you. Or you can say, YES, God, I accept you and I worship you and I love you. And
the way we love him means making Him FIRST. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When
we make Jesus first, we make him first in 5 areas:

We start by making him first in our FOCUS. Everybody close your eyes for a minute…
quickly, ask yourself what’s the one thing in your life that you can’t live without? Open
your eyes. If the first thing that came to your mind was anything except your
relationship with Christ (TV, books, even a relationship), then FOCUS is what you need
to work on this week. Our relationship with Christ must take priority over everything
else that the schedule of the week demands. If that means setting your alarm clock a
few minutes earlier this week to give you time for some prayer and devotional time, do
it. If it means going to bed a little bit later to find some quiet time with God, do that. But
if we’re not focusing our lives around Christ, then we’re really not making him First.

Secondly, we can make Him first through our Income. I know we talk about this a lot,
but in our culture, money is the thing we have more of than anything else. And in order
to show God our love and our worship to Him, we must be willing to let him be the
master of our money, through our tithing, through our saving/stewardship, by being
generous to those that are in need.

Third, we make him first in our Relationships. Perhaps nowhere else can we honor God
more than through our relationships. Because it’s in our relationships when we can best
model Christ-like behavior. In Christ, we see a man who obeys and honors his parents.
In Christ, we see a man that submits to every type of authority. In Christ, we see a
humble servant to his friends, an empathetic listener, a welcomer of children. And if
we’re truly serious about loving God, then we must also learn to love people.

Fourth, we make him first in our Security. And what we’re talking about here is what do
you put your faith in? If you knew that 1 year from now you would be dead, where
would you be putting your faith? Some people would put more into the stock market.
Some people would be mending fences with people they’ve wronged or hurt. Some
would work on their houses to get them ready to sell…they’d have a garage sale to get
rid of their stuff. None of those are bad, but those are temporary issues, but where is
your eternal security found? Hopefully, we find ourselves resting in the peace of Christ
and depending on him to secure our souls. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid.” Be secure in Him.

Lastly, make him first in your Time. I don’t have to tell you today that we live in a busy
culture—we’re all living in it. But what part of your day planner is dedicated to God?
The goal is not 15 minutes in the morning, or a lunch break so you can catch up with
your devotional study. The goal is for the entire day to be God’s…you may start or end
your day with a time set aside just for personal study and devotion. But our ultimate
goal is for God to be glorified through all occasions of our lives, in all appointments, in
every meeting, in every down time. That God is exalted and worshiped.

Today in America, it is not easy to make God FIRST. It’s not en vogue, it’s not popular,
in fact, it’s often laughed at. But as we continue to do our best to make Him first, our
hope and our prayer should be that the Greatness of God will be revealed more and
more, and that when people find themselves in the middle of the dry and meaningless
existence, they will come to the conclusion that God alone is the solution for desert life.