Exodus

Am I willing to risk failure?

God's call to action

If God calls you He will be with you

• Try to imagine being in this situation. What if God asked you to do something similar to what Moses was asked to do? How do you think you would respond, and why?
• God often calls people to take action because of hurt, pain, or sin; in this situation, God’s people were held in slavery in Egypt. What obstacles or challenges facing people in our world might God call you to take action against?

• God told Moses, “I will be with you.” What do these five words communicate about God’s character and how we ought to respond to God’s calling?
• Elsewhere in Scripture, God promises to empower people who are called for his purposes. How does this truth make it easier to respond and obey when God calls you to take action?

"Both Moses and Jesus knew it's not about surviving a particular battle or crisis, it's about seeking God in the face of whatever we are facing." -James McDonald

"Yes, I am aware."

God's ability is more powerful

than our excuses

• What’s the lamest excuse you’ve ever given your parents, teachers, or some other authority figure because you didn’t want to obey, take a risk, or do something that pushed you beyond your comfort zone?
• Look at verse 11. What do you think Moses was really saying? What fear or anxiety was behind the excuse Moses gave God?
• What excuses do we sometimes use in not making the most out of the blessed life God has given us?
• What happens when we respond to the opportunities God gives us? What happens when we don’t?

Review

• Name one person we talked about.
• Tell the main story line of a character we talked about.
• What is one concept or theme that we've discussed that stuck out to you?

"But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Wiping Out

Three reasons for suffering: my bad choice, another person's bad choice or we live in a broken world.

• Out of all of us, who do we think might stand the best chance of actually getting through a course like this?
• These contestants were all trying to win money. Would money be a good enough motivator for you to try these stunts? Why or why not?
• Think about the last real challenge you faced—it does not have to be a physical challenge, but maybe something that stood in your way emotionally, spiritually, or relationally. What motivated you to try your best to overcome this challenge?

2-3 people to discuss & pray

Right now, are there areas in your life where you’re offering excuses for not growing?

If so, how can you make changes in this area?

What kinds of prayers might you offer, asking God to help transform your attitude or actions in this area?

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.”

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

Not about if we wipe out, but the God who is with us in the wipe outs.

Exodus

God Calls Moses