We are a week away from beginning a brand new series
entitled, “Divine Exposure.” While any new series carries with it a large
amount of personal excitement, this series, in particular, provokes an added
level of anticipation. Some of the texts we will explore are old favorites,
others are less commonly known; but all of them will offer to us new and
challenging insights that are capable of propelling us to a deeper level of
intimacy with God. The exposures we will experience go both ways. Not only will
we see things in God that perhaps, we’ve never seen before; but we will
discover things in ourselves that have been hidden that are now exposed.
A few months ago Chris Ansell of Bellefield Church was with
us preaching on the text we have before us this week: Exodus 3:1-12. Here Moses
sees a bush that’s on fire, but it’s not consumed. He goes over to take a look
and the Lord speaks to Him out of the bush. And while Chris focused on the name
of God in verses 13-15, we will dig into the preceding verses to find four
lessons about God that undergird all that Moses will ever know about himself
and his God.
This Exodus 3 incident is a perfect prelude to our fall
series. It sets the groundwork for every subsequent time the Lord condescends
to encounter a man or a woman in the Scriptures. Indeed, what Moses discovers
about God here at the bush is what you and I must rediscover every day of our
lives.
The Reformers had a slogan to describe it. They said, “After
the darkness, light!” May that be our
slogan this week, as well as the weeks to come. May the Lord condescend to us
and drive our darkness away.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, “The Awakening”, you
may wish to consider the following:
1.
How does what Jesus says in John 10:1-10 relate
to our text?
2.
What is the Reformers Wall in Geneva,
Switzerland?
3.
Why did the Reformers select the burning bush as
a symbol of the Reformation?
4.
What does the word shekinah mean?
5.
Why is God’s name changed from Elohim to Jehovah in this text?
6.
What is the significance of God showing up at
Horeb?
7.
What is God saying about His identity in verse
6?
8.
What does verse 7 tell us about God’s compassion
and insight?
9.
What is the significance of God’s description of
Himself in verse 8(a)?
10. What
is significant to you about His promise in verse 8(b)?
See you Sunday!
