It is God Who Acts
A Sermon on Exodus 3:3
Originally preached March 7, 1954
Scripture
3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Sermon Description
Christians must be careful not to turn to God only when they are disturbed by an experience or to satisfy curiosity. This is what Moses did at the burning bush, but God arrested Moses’s cares and attention. In this sermon from Exodus 3:3 titled “It is God Who Acts,” Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones addresses this fatally casual approach to God. He states how often Christians address God out of exhaustion or need. He corrects this by saying that Christians must always begin with God as He is the root of all things. What a transformation would take place if Christians applied God to their experience rather than appealing their experiences to God. Indeed, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that the main business of Christianity is Christ’s death on the cross that brings His people face to face with God. God is so pure that He cannot look upon sin, but because of salvation the Christian can enter His presence. Not only this, but God’s plan for salvation is certain, as seen in this passage. He sees the Christian’s sorrows and acts as He did for the Israelites. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages turning to God in full attention as His purposes are good and He has cared for the greatest need so that His people might dwell in His presence rather than address Him only when they must.
Sermon Breakdown
- God reveals himself to Moses through the burning bush.
- Moses approaches the burning bush out of curiosity and a desire to understand the phenomenon. This is a dangerous attitude.
- God calls out to Moses to change his attitude. Moses must remove his shoes because he is on holy ground.
- God first reveals truths about himself to Moses. This is always God's pattern. He reveals his nature and character.
- God reveals his name to Moses - "I AM WHO I AM". This signifies his eternal, self-existent nature.
- God reveals his power, majesty, holiness, and righteousness to Moses. His holiness means he cannot tolerate sin.
- God also reveals his compassion, pity, and purpose to Moses. He has seen the affliction of his people and comes to deliver them.
- God reveals that Pharaoh will not let the people go at first. But God will strike Egypt with wonders and force Pharaoh to release them. God's plan will not be thwarted.
- This pattern of God revealing himself and his purpose and then delivering people from bondage is the gospel message. God sees our sin and struggle, knows our sorrow, and sends Jesus to defeat sin and Satan and set us free.
Sermon Q&A
What Is the Significance of the Burning Bush in Exodus 3?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon, the burning bush incident in Exodus 3 is one of the most significant and crucial incidents in the Bible. It reveals key aspects of God's salvation plan and divine revelation.
What is the central message of the burning bush incident?
The burning bush incident presents "what is, after all, the great and the central message of the scriptures, and that is God's way of salvation," according to Lloyd-Jones. It dramatically illustrates how God initiates contact with humans, not the other way around. The gospel is clearly visible in this Old Testament passage.
How does the burning bush incident demonstrate God's method of revelation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the burning bush shows several key characteristics of divine revelation:
- It always comes from God's side - "the Bible starts by telling you and by telling me this, that we are in such a state and in such a condition that we can do nothing about ourselves."
- It happens unexpectedly - "You never know when at any moment, most surprisingly, it comes."
- It occurs in unusual ways - "Moses undoubtedly had his ideas as to how God would reveal himself if he did. But he never imagined it was going to be by a burning bush."
- It involves mystery - "This bush is burning, and yet it's not consumed... Mysterious."
- It is miraculous - "The whole of salvation is miraculous from beginning to end."
What mistake did Moses initially make at the burning bush?
Moses initially approached the burning bush with mere intellectual curiosity rather than spiritual reverence: "I will now turn aside and see this great sight. Why the bush is not burnt." Lloyd-Jones warns this is "a fatal attitude" - approaching spiritual matters as mere phenomena to study objectively. God corrected Moses by commanding: "Draw not nigh hither... Put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
What does the burning bush teach us about God's nature?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that God's first message is about Himself. The burning bush reveals:
- God's eternal self-existence - "I AM THAT I AM"
- God's majesty and greatness - causing Moses to hide his face
- God's absolute holiness - requiring Moses to remove his shoes on holy ground
- God's compassion - "I have surely seen the affliction of my people"
- God's saving purpose - "I am come down to deliver them"
- God's power over all obstacles - "I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt"
Why is understanding God's holiness essential to understanding salvation?
Lloyd-Jones argues that many people struggle with concepts like atonement because "they've no conception at all of the holiness of God." He explains: "God cannot tolerate anything sinful in his presence. It couldn't live there." Therefore, before we can have fellowship with God, we need God's own holiness, which is provided through Christ's atonement.
How does this Old Testament story point to Christ?
Lloyd-Jones sees clear connections to Christ in this passage. When God says "I am come down to deliver them," he sees this as pointing to "Bethlehem, God coming down." The entire narrative shows how God initiates salvation for those in bondage, just as Christ came to free those in spiritual captivity to sin and Satan.
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.