In today’s conversation, we’re going to begin the trek into the third era of the Bible, the Exodus, as we follow the story of the man of God, the first deliverer of God’s people—Moses. Again, we’ll watch God be the ultimate Orchestrator of events, and we’ll be inspired by the courage and holy defiance of those behind the scenes in Moses’ early life. We’ll see how God places passions within us to compel us toward his will, often long before He plans to utilize those passions. And we’ll talk about the toe-stepping truth that arrogance and insecurity are two sides of the same coin of self-centeredness—or pride. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

Scriptures:

• Exodus1:15-22
• Exodus 2:11-15
• Acts 7:22-29
• Hebrews 11:24-26
• Exodus 3:1-19
• Exodus 3:10-15
• Exodus 4:1-17
• Acts 7:22
• 2 Corinthians 12:9
  
  

TEACHING & DISCUSSION:

• The HOLY defiance of the midwives!! The courage. Notice that they were called out and honored BY NAME when the Pharaoh wasn’t even named. That was purposeful in order to show them honor. Have you ever been in a situation in which you had to defy authority out of the fear of God?
• God is the sovereign, ultimate Orchestrator of events!! 
• Moses was prompted by God to visit his people and look upon their burdens. 
• Moses’ action to go to his people was simultaneously a refusal of Egypt and everything it stood for. It was choosing his people and choosing their God.
• There are times God tells us to move, and there are other times he compels us to move. 
• The passion often comes long before the action. 
• Just like he introduced himself to the others, so he introduced himself to Moses here. Personally.
• How awesome would that have been to be the person God reveals himself to BY NAME.
• “I Am” —from a Hebrew word that means “to exist” or “to breathe”—it means I am AND I will be—and is actually “Am Am” or “Will be Will be”—the double use is for emphasis, just like God said “Moses, Moses”
• “LORD” —the “Tetragrammaton” taken from four Hebrew letters (YHVH or YHWH—the discrepancy is in the two Hebrew words God used in these two verses, which is very complicated)—the transliteration of these Hebrew words is YAHWEH or JEHOVAH and also means “to exist” or “to breathe” (“am” and “will be”)
• God’s name speaks to so many things: That he always was, he is, and he always will be (“was and is and is to come,” “is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” “the alpha and the omega,” etc.). That all things have life (exist, breathe) in him and through him (“in him we live and move and have our being,” “through whom all things exist”. There are no constraints around who he is and what he can do
• Who are you? — “I Am”
• What if they don’t believe me? — “let me give you a sign” — “let me give you THREE signs”
• Pride and Insecurity. Compare Moses at the beginning of the story to the Moses now…pride and insecurity are two sides of the same coin of self-centeredness