Called to Lead - Week 1:Moses
Today, we begin a new series called “Called to Lead.”
Over the next five weeks, we’re going to look at the stories of people God called to lead, men like Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and leaders in the early church. We’re going to talk about fear, insecurity, control, and calling. And we begin this series looking at God’s call on Moses' life to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
If you are not familiar with those moments in the life of Moses, I encourage you to read through Exodus in the Old Testament.
Here is a little context:
During a famine, the Jewish people relocated to Egypt and lived among the Egyptians. But as their population grew, Pharaoh made the Jewish people slaves, tried to slow their population growth, and tried to crush their identity. Because their population continued to grow, Pharaoh ordered that every male Hebrew baby be killed when he was born. But the mother of infant Moses was a rebel. She hid her pregnancy, and after Moses was born, she placed him in a basket and released him to float away on the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own.
Pharaoh’s daughter knew he was a Hebrew. Moses' biological mother knew he was Hebrew. So, in public, he was an Egyptian Prince from a palace...But he knew the people he belonged to were in chains because of who they were. As Moses grew up, he felt tension around his identity. And one day, when he saw a Hebrew slave being beaten by an Egyptian, the tension boiled over into anger, and he murdered the Egyptian. The news spread, and suddenly Pharaoh wanted him dead to prevent any other uprisings… so Moses fled Egypt.
He landed in Midian, far from the palace, far from influence, far from everything familiar. In the land of Midian, he married into a shepherd’s family, became a shepherd, and lived as one for decades. (That’s as short as I can make it!) The man who once had “status in a palace” now lived a quiet life taking care of sheep, cattle, and goats.
Then, God showed up…during an ordinary workday…and called Moses to Lead.
Exodus 3:1-15 (NLT2)
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. 2 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. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 4 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. 5 “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 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.” 13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” 14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.
Moses spent years on the run for murder, landed in Midian, married the daughter of a Shepherd, and became a shepherd himself. As he led livestock from pasture to pasture, I imagine he thought his best years had passed. I imagine he thought shepherding was now his life. No chariots. No palace. No riches.
That leads me to the first note about leadership:
Great leaders see obscurity as training, not punishment
Before Moses could lead the Hebrew nation out of Egypt, Moses needed to be trained to lead living things that wander, panic, and sometimes bite the hand that feeds them. He needed to be trained to defend, protect, and lead one step at a time. He needed to be trained to lead when the pasture was dry, when the days felt long, and when the food was scarce.
Right now, YOU may not LIKE the season you are in. You might feel like God has benched you, and you are sitting on the sidelines. Or, you might look at your life and think, “I should be farther along than this.” Some of you are retired and feel your season of influence and leadership has passed. Some of you are parents with a minivan full of Cheerios. You feel invisible. Everybody sees your children, but nobody sees you. You feel like you are just holding snacks and baby wipes. Some of you are young adults, and you already feel behind. You clock in, clock out, and scroll through everybody else’s highlight reel, wondering when your life will begin. You ask, “When am I going to get married?” “When am I going to get a real job?” “When am I going to have a family?”
Whether you are retired, a young adult, or a tired parent…If you often feel overlooked and wonder why you are in a season of obscurity…Please understand that obscurity is the dojo where God develops character. Some of the most crucial work God does in a leader happens when no one sees it.
You may feel hidden, stuck, unknown, or overlooked. You may feel like God has left your messages on “read” without a reply…I know this season feels slow, and maybe you often think you don’t matter.
You may be serving on the Parking Lot team here at the church. You might think that all you are doing is pointing people to open spaces…But… you are actually leading people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus! Last weekend, during our 9:30 worship service, out of 498 parking spaces, we had only 12 open spots. Without somebody to guide them to an open spot, guests and members will pull into the parking lot, and right back out and head to the Waffle House! We are grateful for those who serve, and if you want to join a team that is making a lasting difference, stop by Guest Central and let them know you want to serve on the Parking Lot team.
Sometimes, people don’t want to serve on that team because they don’t think they make a difference. They do. More than you know. And so do you.
See… as we see in the life of Moses, God develops leaders… slowly. Let God train, develop, and form the leader He is calling you to be.
The second thing I want to say about leadership is…
God assigns leaders to specific people in specific moments
God did not call Moses to a title. God called Moses to a people. God called Moses to wounded people. They had been slaves for generations. They carried trauma, fear, and doubt. They struggled to trust. They had been beaten. Abused. Oppressed for generations. And God asked Moses to lead them even though they were accustomed to leaders who abused them!
They did not trust him. They complained. They questioned. They doubted. The years of abuse taught them not to trust leadership. Yet, God called Moses to lead them in this specific moment.
The New Testament teaches us that every leader in the church has people God assigned them to lead and care for. When Peter wrote to church leaders, he made it clear to them that the followers of Jesus they were leading, God had actually assigned to them.
He writes:
1 Peter 5:3 (NLT2)
Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
God assigns specific people to specific leaders. And you are assigned, too. To the lifegroup you lead. To the third-grade students you teach...To the team you coach. To the construction crew you lead. To the kids in your kitchen who push every button you have.
If God placed you in a position of influence, He has prepared you to influence and lead a specific people in a specific moment.
The third thing we can observe about leadership…
Self-doubt is real; let confidence catch up
When God called Moses through that burning bush, the first thing Moses said was, “Who am I to stand up to Pharoah? Who am I to lead the Israelites out of slavery?”
Moses doubted himself. He only saw himself as a shepherd, a murderer, and a baby abandoned by his mother when he was born. He did not gain confidence by looking in a mirror and hyping himself up. But he gained confidence by stepping into his calling and watched as the power of God worked through him.
Moses watched his staff turn to a snake. He watched his hand turn leprous and then whole. He watched water turn to blood. He watched frogs swarm Egypt. He watched flies fill the land. He watched livestock fall. He watched hail strike. He watched darkness cover Egypt. He watched death pass over God's people and kill Egypt’s firstborn sons. He watched as Pharaoh backed down and released the Israelites. Over time, as Moses experienced God working through him, his confidence caught up.
By the time he stood at the edge of the Red Sea with the armies of Pharaoh zeroing in…Moses was not the confused man at the burning bush anymore. He had seen God move. He had watched God break chains, shake kingdoms, and keep promises. At the edge of the Red Sea, he did not shake and ask, “Who am I?” He boldly lifted his staff and watched the waters part. Feeling uncertain does not mean you are not called.
If you are called to lead, confidence in your calling may come later. It could come when you step into obedience, let God use you for years, then look back at your life and see how God used you to lead a specific people in a specific moment.
One day, you may stand in front of a “Pharaoh” that once scared you. Something or someone bigger than you. Something impossible. And you will confidently “lift your staff.” Not because you feel powerful, but because you have seen God be powerful in your life and leadership. Your confidence will catch up.
And the final thing I want to say about leadership today is…
Lead through God’s identity, not your feelings
Moses first asked, “Who am I?” Then he asked, “Who are You?” If God has called you to lead, leadership does not rest on your résumé, your experience, or your ability. Leadership rests on God’s Identity. When Moses asked, “Who should I say sent me?” God answered with the most self-sufficient name in the universe: “I AM WHO I AM.” That name can be translated, “I will be what I will be.”
Who GOD is has nothing to do with how we feel. He is constant. He is sovereign. He is self-existent. God doesn’t depend on anyone.
He lacks nothing.
He never fails.
His character doesn’t change.
His power doesn’t drain.
His presence doesn’t vanish.
His promises don’t collapse.
Moses found the courage to lead by discovering the GREAT I AM. And so will you. Don’t look inward for the strength to lead. Your confidence will not come from who you are. If God has called you, your own strength will never be enough. But the strength of the GREAT I AM will always be enough.
If you are called to lead, there will be moments in your calling when feelings betray you. You will feel small. You will feel unqualified. You will feel the weight of responsibility. You will feel like someone else could do it better. Those feelings do not define you.
When God calls you, fear does not get the final word.
I AM does.