Life Groups // Fall 2023 // Week 3
Posted September 22, 2023 — Lincoln Berean
The Plan of I AM // Exodus 3:1-22
Introduction
In Exodus chapter 3, God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush to inform him that He has heard the cries of the people of Israel, still in bondage in Egypt, and has resolved to send Moses back to make an appeal to Pharaoh for their freedom. In this chapter, we find themes of deliverance, identity (both God’s and Moses’s), and God’s relationship with His people.
To think through the main ideas in the sermon and prepare for your discussion together, we invite you to look over all the questions on the following pages and write your thoughts down before you meet with your group. Due to preferences over a wide range of groups, we do not expect you will cover every question each week.
Warm Up (Suggested time: 30 min)
1) If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
2) What are a few words your closest friend would use to describe you?
Getting Started
1) Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
a. For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
b. For the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in your lives
c. For grace to hear and apply what the Spirit says to you
2) Choose someone to read the passage aloud for the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
1) What were some key points that you remember from Pastor Jeff’s message this past weekend?
2) In Exodus 3:7-10, God acknowledges the suffering of His people in Egypt and declares His promise to deliver them to a new home, and He makes it clear that Moses will be His chosen instrument of this liberation. What do these verses tell us about God’s character, and the way that He interacts with His people?
How do these qualities of God take shape elsewhere throughout the Bible? (Feel free to go back to Genesis 15 if you need a place to start.)
What is one of God’s attributes that you personally connect with or appreciate? Why does it resonate with you?
3) Exodus 3:14-15 This is the first and only place in the Old Testament where there is any explanation of the meaning of the name YHWY. He is called by many titles throughout Scripture, but this name encompasses all that God is. What does the name I AM WHO I AM mean? Why is the name of God significant compared to all of God’s titles?
Moses asks God’s name so that he can tell the Hebrews who sent him to be their liberator. Why is it important for Moses’ actions to be backed up by the authority of the “I AM” God?
4) Moses approaches the burning bush with reverent curiosity, and even some fear when he realizes that the voice coming from it is God Himself. God even calls Moses by his name, expressing that He knows him, and therefore knows that Moses is the one to task with freeing the Hebrews. Identify one or two moments in your life when you’ve felt truly seen and known by God, and share them with your group.
Based on what we learned about Moses’ last attempt to deliver Israel (see Ex 2:11-15), why do you think Moses is wondering, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” (verse 11)
Put yourself in Moses’s shoes (or sandals). How would you react to being given such an important task?
Identity plays a key role throughout this chapter, both in identifying God and Moses. What makes identity such an important factor for God’s people?
Personal Spiritual Exercises
Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit—we invite you along each week to strengthen your souls with suggestions and prompts. Next week in Life Group, take a few moments to share how the Lord may have used this exercise in your life.
Scripture Focus: God gives all kinds of good gifts. One of them is the identity that He gives freely to each and every one of us. For Moses, it was the identity of the deliverer of God’s people. This week, search through the Bible for who God says that YOU are (Ephesians 1:1-14 is a great place to start). Write down 3-5 passages that you find and take time each morning to remind yourself of their truth.
Prayer Focus: God expresses to Moses not only His intimate understanding of Moses, but also His divine plan over his life. Consider praying the prayer below each morning as a way of asking God to help you trust in His plan for you.
Lord, here I am.
I come before you to be loved and guided,
To be transformed and given a purpose.
I want to trust in your plan for my life
And to see the path you’ve set before me
Even when I don’t understand it.
I praise you for being a God who sees me and knows me well
As you’ve seen and known all your people through the ages.
Let me put my confidence in your character and your plan,
Not in my own works or qualifications,
And allow me to rest in your glory
Knowing that you are He who was, and is, and always will be.
Prayer (Suggested time: 20 min)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. What did the message, working through the above questions or the discussion cause you to notice about your own relationship with Jesus? Would you be willing to share your prayer request with the group?