When God Calls Your Name: Moses, Moses

note: this is the manuscript I prepared for Sunday's sermon. I delivered a bit different sermon, as I felt that God was really calling me to do so. Here's the outline of what I preached.

1. God called Moses twice because of Moses' inactivity. He was brought up in the house of Pharaoh to be a leader, and here he was, tending sheep.
2. God gets Moses in a place where he will hear Him. For us, times of prayer and fasting are such places where we can hear God.
3. God calls Moses to a postition He had prepared for him. He has something prepared for you, too. God doesn't just call the equipped; He equips the called.

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. 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. "This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it."

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. I am the God of your father—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. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt."

Exodus 3:1-10

What do you do when God calls your name? I am a firm believer that God calls people even today – sometimes God calls people to full-time ministry, but more frequently, God calls each of us to follow Him in unique ways. Some of you might hear His voice easily, but for others of us, well, it’s more of a "call by 2x4."

Today we are starting a new sermon series called "When God Calls Your Name." We will be looking at some of the calls by 2x4 in the Bible. Specifically, we’ll look at some people who God had to call twice.

Our first subject is Moses. We find Moses living in exile, tending sheep. I love this scene. Imagine it – you’re a veteran shepherd, and all of a sudden you see a bush that’s on fire but not burning up. I can imagine Moses’ response wasn’t just a ho-hum "I must go have a look." In fact, if you think about it, I’ll bet he watered down his response when he told about it – he probably said something that we wouldn’t repeat in polite company.

Then God called Moses’ name… twice.

It wasn’t enough to have a burning bush speak to Moses, but God needed to call his name. And that wasn’t enough, so He had to call him twice.

I think God called Moses’ name twice because He really wanted to get his attention. It’s like when we call our kids by all three names. I knew my Mom really wanted to get my attention when she called me "Brian Edward Vinson." And Moses knew God wanted his attention as well.
Moses came closer, and God told him what was up – that he had a special mission for Moses.
I want to bring something to your attention. Did you notice where Moses was when God called him? This was the guy who was saved as a baby from a death decree. The Pharaoh’s daughter brought him up right in the Pharaoh’s palace. He was destined for greatness from his birth! Yet here he is, tending sheep. And why was he doing this? He was afraid of his call.

Exodus 2:11-15 tells us the story: Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. "Why are you beating up your friend?" Moses said to the one who had started the fight.
The man replied, "Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?"

Then Moses was afraid, thinking, "Everyone knows what I did."

And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.

I believe Moses knew for a long time that he was destined to do something. Yet he was threatened with death, and he fled, not only from Egypt, but also from his call.

In my experience through seminary, through the supervised years program, and looking around the conference, I see a lot of second career pastors. Some didn’t hear God calling them until later in life. But many ignored or ran from that calling. It wasn’t until God called their name twice that they finally listened.

I want to tell you a little bit about how God called me. God didn’t first call me to the pastorate. God called me to a prayer group. It was in that prayer group that I heard God call me to Russia. And it was the Russia experience through which I heard God call me to seminary and into the ministry. Before I joined that prayer group, I was figuratively tending sheep in the desert. I was studying German in college instead of preparing for ministry. I had never led a Bible study or prayer group when I went to Russia, but when I came back, I was ready to do both.

When God called Moses, Moses didn’t think he was qualified to lead God’s people. To the outsider, this looks silly. Of course he was qualified. Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household. He received all of the education that a son of the Pharaoh would have received. For him to be unqualified would be like me saying I was unqualified to coach soccer here because my only coaching course was given in Kentucky. Duh. But there’s a saying that’s appropriate to this conversation: God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.

I believe we sometimes don’t hear from God because we don’t listen to God, and, like Moses, we don’t believe God when He calls us.

I’m convinced that we don’t listen to God calling us, so God has to call our names twice. I think you’re more like Moses than you may know – one thing’s for certain; when it comes to certain tasks, we’re reluctant leaders.

It’s coming time for Nominations Committee to start finding leaders for next year, and every time I’ve been a part of nominations, there are some jobs that are extremely hard to fill. How’s this for an idea: if we don’t have a leader for an area, maybe we shouldn’t work in that area. I once had someone tell me, "I can’t help in that area because it’s too important a job." Guess who I got to help in that area? Nobody. I guess it was so important that going without it was better than having someone step up and allow God to work through them. Can you imagine God letting Moses off the hook? I can’t see God saying, "You’re right, Moses, it’s too important to lead my people out of Egypt, so you go back to tending sheep."

Think about this – I’ve been trying to start up Bible studies and discipleship groups, but I’ve had a hard time finding leaders. Lots of people have told me, "I’d like to be in one," but I haven’t had anyone tell me, "I’d like to lead one."

I’ll be in a Bible study… but don’t ask me to lead it!"

By not leading one – which doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly got to be the expert, by the way – you’re in effect saying, "It’s not important enough."

Likewise with other areas of ministry. God will equip us to do mighty things, if only we agree to serve Him in whatever capacity He asks of us. Here are some specific ways you can answer God’s call.

• I am starting a leadership study group in October. We will read through Erwin McManus’ An Unstoppable Force and will meet on Thursday evenings to discuss it with specific reference to our church and how we can better mobilize to reach our area and the world for Jesus Christ.
• There are lots of you who want to be in a Bible study – is anyone brave enough to tell me right now that you’d like to host it? If you’ll tell me that, we can get one started this week, probably with people right here in this room. I can get materials to you.
• Is God calling you to help in the nursery during Sunday School or Church?
• Is God calling you to substitute teach the high school class?
• If you aren’t serving in some way, what is one way you can work for God’s kingdom right here in this church?

Leading God’s people out of slavery was important enough for God to call Moses twice. God had already prepared Moses to lead His people out of slavery. I believe God has prepared each of you to follow Him and to answer His call. Will He have to call you twice?