Exodus 3:1-10
New Living Translation.
Moses and the Burning Bush.
3:1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.
He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.
2 There, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
Moses stared in amazement.
Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.
3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself.
“Why isn’t that bush burning up?
I must go see it.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses!
Moses!”
“Here I am!”
Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned.
“Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.
I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers.
Yes, I am aware of their suffering.
So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.
It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
9 Look!
The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them.
10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh.
You must lead my people, Israel, out of Egypt.”
You cannot have the presence of God in your life and not experience a life-altering experience.
“Anything his presence is upon will be changed or preserved”, “Our God is a consuming presence”, “Our God is a consuming fire”.
The presence of God will cause you to do the impossible.
The presence of God will cause you to do the impossible.
We are going to back up!
Genesis 37.
“Jacob was 90 years old when Joseph was born.”
“The Presence” has been with Jacob; now it was upon Joesph.
“The Presence” made Joesph an exceptional man; in the Old Testament, he is a type of Christ; you find no place in the Bible that charges him of Sin.
God used his life to preserve the Israelites from a devastating famine that had spread throughout the land of Israel.
Joseph was an important Egyptian official who was given the responsibility of storing and distributing food to people who were in need.
Joseph was not only an important government official; he was also a worshipper of God, and his life was dedicated to this end.
“Joseph’s name means to “add to” or to increase or double”.
“His life was a testimony to this definition.”
In Genesis 37, “The Presence” moves Joseph through the process to Egypt, where he would die, his lifelong appointment.
Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph’s early years and how Jacob favored him over his brothers.
Joseph also told Jacob whenever his brothers did wrong, and when Jacob made Joseph a special coat, his brothers would not speak a kind word to him.
In Genesis 37:5-7, Joseph tells his brothers about a dream where they would bow down to him, and this dream infuriated them.
Eventually, Joseph’s brothers took him, threw him into a cistern (or well), and sold him into slavery.
The slave traders took him to Egypt, where he ended up in the service of an Egyptian official named Potiphar.
Joseph eventually learned the Egyptian culture, customs, and language while he served under Potiphar.
God was with him during this period of his life, and eventually he was placed in a leadership position within his home.
Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph because he was a handsome man, but he refused her advances.
She lied and had him arrested for attempted rape.
Joseph spent many years in jail, where he was placed in charge of the prison because “The Presence” was with him.
Whatever Joseph did in Potiphar’s house and the prison was blessed by God.
He “added to” the organization and efficiency of the operations of these places.
Eventually, the pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker ended up in prison, and Joseph interpreted their dreams.
The Baker lost his life, but the cupbearer was spared, and though he forgot Joseph, he eventually remembered him when Pharaoh had a troubling dream.
Joseph was taken from prison to interpret the pharaoh’s dream, and he warned him about an impending famine.
He also told the Pharaoh what he must do to avoid disaster.
His advice was well received, and Pharaoh made him second in command over all of Egypt.
These events take place in Genesis 41.
“The Presence” will add to your life and be a blessing to anyone who accepts it.
“The Presence” makes some miserable because they fight it.
But to those who will receive it, it will bring prosperity.
Joseph had increased the holdings of Pharaoh’s grains during the prosperous period before the famine.
Once the famine arrived, there was more than enough food stored away to feed many people.
Soon, his brothers and fellow countrymen came to Egypt looking for food (Genesis 42).
Joseph hadn’t seen them in many years, and he reconciled with them.
He realized over time that God had used them so that he could gain the position that he held as second in command over Egypt.
Through Joseph’s efforts, knowledge, and faith in God, he was able to increase the Egyptians food while preserving the Israelites and the Egyptians (Genesis 45:5-7).
Once again, Joseph’s life was a living testimony about the meaning of his name.
“THE VIDEO”
You cannot get saved and not have “The presence.”
The conscious presence of God will always be in your life.
“Some of us have learned to live with “The presence,” while others will depart because they will not surrender to it.
The consuming fire of “The Presence” will cover your life.
Can I pray for you today?
“The Presence” is a consuming fire, and it will change you or your situation.
At Pentecost, it sat upon them with cloven tongues of fire, and the third person of the Godhead took up residence in the hearts of men.
“The Presence has a voice!
God’s Holy Spirit is your life force.
What you fear is what you need the most: “The Presence”.
