Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Exodus 4:1 "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee." We often remember Moses’ great feats and forget his doubts. At the burning bush, after forty years in exile as a shepherd in Midian, Moses questioned his own qualifications. He was convinced the Israelites would reject him: “They will not believe me.” God had already promised, “I will be with thee,” and even guaranteed that the people would one day worship on this very mountain (Horeb/Sinai). Yet Moses still feared he lacked credibility. Raised in Pharaoh’s court but absent from Egypt for four decades after killing an Egyptian, he had no shared suffering with his people. To them, he was a stranger returning with a bold claim of divine authority. His hesitation was realistic. After generations of brutal slavery, the Israelites were demoralized and hopeless. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a prophet needed clear si...

Exodus 3:12 "And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." This week we examine one of the Bible’s most pivotal callings: Moses. After forty years in exile as a shepherd in Midian, God met him at the burning bush. When God commissioned him to confront Pharaoh and deliver Israel from slavery, Moses replied, “Who am I?” His question was not rebellious but born of humble self-doubt. After decades as a fugitive, he felt deeply unqualified—acutely aware of Pharaoh’s power, the enormity of the task, and his own past failure in Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15). His response highlights the striking contrast between human weakness and divine mission. In today’s verse, God answers Moses’s inadequacy with a powerful promise: “I will be with thee.” Success would not depend on Moses’s strength or ability, but on God’s presence and power. God also ga...

Exodus 3:10&11 "10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" We are all called to serve in God’s plan; to love Him and love our neighbors. While few are called to be a Moses or an apostle, every believer has a part to play. This week we examine one of the Bible’s most pivotal callings: Moses. Saved from the Nile, raised in Pharaoh’s court, he later killed an Egyptian, fled into exile, and spent forty years as a shepherd in Midian. Then God met him at the burning bush. Drawn by the miraculous, unconsumed flame, Moses turned aside. God used that simple moment of human curiosity as the doorway for divine revelation, showing that He always initiates, yet often responds to a receptive heart. The repeated call, “Moses, Moses,” carries urgency, intimacy, an...

Exodus 3:4 "And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I." We concluded our Easter studies with the resurrection appearances in Matthew’s Gospel—public events witnessed by people from all walks of life, including more than 500 at once.  As the accounts spread, no one refuted them. Instead, the testimony was confirmed. The apostles, the primary eyewitnesses, sealed it with their lives, suffering persecution and martyrdom for a message they knew was true. These accounts remind us that we are all called to serve in God’s plan—to love Him and love our neighbors. While few are called to be apostles, every believer has a part to play. This week we turn to one of the most pivotal callings in the Old Testament: Moses. Saved from the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in Egypt’s royal court, Moses later murdered an Egyptian and fled into exile. After forty years in the wilderness,...

1 John 1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" We studied the events of the first Easter morning in Matthew’s Gospel. The women were the first to proclaim Christianity’s central truth: “He has risen from the dead.” From that moment, the Gospel spread rapidly. Jesus appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. That evening, He showed Himself to the Ten in a locked room, displaying His hands and side and eating broiled fish to prove He was no ghost. Eight days later, He appeared to Thomas. By the Sea of Galilee, He met seven disciples, provided a miraculous catch of 153 fish, restored Peter, and recommissioned him with the words, “Feed My sheep.” Finally, He appeared to all eleven disciples and more than 500 others, issuing the Great Commission. Over the forty days before His ascension, Jesus made numerous public appearances witn...

Acts 10:39-40 "39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly;" This week we studied the events of the first Easter morning in Matthew’s Gospel—marked by a violent earthquake, an angel shining like lightning, Roman guards paralyzed with fear, and an empty tomb. The women were commanded by the angel to “Go quickly” and tell the disciples the central truth of Christianity: “He has risen from the dead.” As they hurried away, Jesus Himself met them, confirming the angel’s message with undeniable proof. From that moment, the Gospel spread like wildfire. The women reported to the disciples. That same day, Jesus appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. That evening, He appeared to the Ten in a locked room, showed them His hands and side, and ate broiled fish to prove He was not a ghost. Eight days later, He appeared...