X-alt May 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Moses

The next hero mentioned in Hebrews 11 is Moses.  You may have heard about him from films like this...

The problem is that the Hollywood image of Moses isn't what the Bible paints!  Moses is not an action hero.  He is basically a murderer who has been forgotten about, is getting on a bit, who can't speak clearly, and who makes excuses.  If you played "Testament Trumps" like we did, the real Moses would be a card you only used if you had to!  (Testament Trumps are available here for those of you who would like some).

Moses was an unlikely hero - he didn't have a whole lot to offer!

We read Exodus 3:1-14.  The core of the teaching for this session was nicked from Louie Giglio's talk at Soul Survivor a few years back.  If you want to borrow the DVD and hear the full thing then just ask!

Even though Moses had been forgotten about, God knew his name.  Even when we feel insignificant and unimportant we need to remember he knows our name - we are not insignificant to him!  Moses responds by saying "here I am" which is a pretty good response to make to God when you feel he is saying something to you!

God recaps the situation in Egypt with his people in slavery and says He's going to do something about it.  He's going to take his people to a land that has everything they need - even though it was occupied by the "ites" who were basically the worst people on the planet.  And then He drops a bombshell and says, "So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt.  Go!  Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!"

When Moses points out that this is a bit beyond him, God simply says, "I will be with you".  If you're not sure that you have what it takes to follow God then you need to know that God will be with you.  Through faith in Christ He is with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.  When God asks you to do something the wrong response is to ask "who am I?"  Instead ask "are you going?", because if God is going there's nothing to worry about!

Until then God was generally known as the Most High God.  He was far above and distant.  Moses asks His name, and He reveals it to be "I Am".  Or to give it the full version "I Am who I Am".  This may seem weird, but it is God's name, and it says in verse 15 that this will be the name by which God will always be known.

It is amazing that we can be on first name terms with God!  But if God is "I Am" then Moses is "I am not" - we share that name with him.  Hello, "I am not", pleased to meet you!

I am not God.  I am not in charge. I am not in control.  I am not the owner of anything.  I am not the centre of things.  I am not the saviour or restorer or rebuilder or all wise or the solution or the deliver.

God can say: I Am God.  I Am in charge.  I Am in control.  I am the owner of everything.  I am the centre of all things.  I Am the saviour.  I Am the redeemer.  I Am the restorer.  I Am the rebuilder.  I Am all wise.  I Am the solution.  I Am the deliverer.

Too often we get this mixed up and get our name wrong - when we think we are in control, or that we own something, or when we think it should all be about us, etc.

When we know we can't, we need to know that God can.  We can control and manage things, rather than depending on God.  But when we do get to a point of depending on him we can say this:

"I am not, but I know I Am.

I know, and hang out with, and talk to, and am on first name terms with I Am.  What is there in your life that is greater than that?

Jesus revealed himself as I Am, and his promise is that by his Spirit he comes and lives inside of us.

I am not, but I know I Am and He lives in me!  We need to remember that and live it too!