Acts 7:30

³⁰ “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

1. The Setting of Exodus 3

• Exodus 3 records one of the most pivotal moments in all of Scripture.
• Moses is eighty years old, living in obscurity and tending sheep on the backside of the desert.
• Forty years earlier, he attempted to deliver Israel in his own strength and failed.
• Now he is forgotten by Egypt, distant from Israel, and seemingly finished.

2. God’s Preparation Through the Wilderness

• For forty years, God allowed Moses to live in the wilderness.
• Moses roamed the Midianite desert during this time.
• God conditioned Moses by exposing him to the harshest seasons of life.
• During these forty years, Moses learned dependence on God.
• Only after this preparation did God call Moses for His purpose.

3. The Modern Parallel

• In today’s world, people have many choices.
• Even Christian believers often fail to obey God’s Word.
• Too many distractions cause believers to drift away from God.

4. God Uses the Obedient

• God uses men and women who are obedient to His Word.
• Jesus issued a sobering declaration in the Gospel of Matthew:
  • “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23)

5. The Warning of Matthew 7:22–23

• Jesus says that many will come on that day.
• They speak in the plural—“we”—showing a collective confidence.
• “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name…?’” (Matthew 7:22)
• Their works were impressive, but their obedience was lacking.

6. The Problem of Self-Centered Ministry

• For centuries, many who approach Jesus claim to be believers.
• Today, many preachers desire to plant churches, build ministries, and grow membership.
• Yet obedience to God’s Word is often lacking or missing.
• These are the “I” people:
  • I need to establish a ministry.
  • I need to serve in a foreign country.
  • I this and I that.
• It becomes about self: my ministry, my church, my mission field.

7. The Consequence of Putting Self First

• When we put ourselves before God, we dishonor Him.
• On that day, the Lord will reject those who did not put Him first.

8. Moses’ Assignment After Preparation

• God brought Moses to a point of complete surrender.
• Only then did He assign Moses the greatest challenge of his life:
  • leading the Israelites out of bondage.

9. Waiting on the Lord

• Anyone who desires to serve God must learn to wait on the Lord.
• Scripture promises strength to those who wait:
• But those who wait on the Lord
  Shall renew their strength;
  They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
  They shall run and not be weary,
  They shall walk and not faint.
  • Isaiah 40:31

10. Faithful Obedience in the Wilderness

• Obedience is required even when walking through the wilderness.
• Sometimes that wilderness lasts many years—even forty.
• Only those who remain obedient will be used for God’s purpose.

11. The Final Declaration

God does not recognize the “I” people—only those who truly know and obey Him.

To the false preachers and self-centered servants, Jesus will say, “Depart from Me.”

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!