Answering the Call of God

Exodus 7:19, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and [that] there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in [vessels of] wood, and in [vessels of] stone.

If God has called you, you must answer his call, even if, as Moses, you have already tried to answer his call in your own strength and failed.  God has a call and purpose for every person he has saved.  What is that call and purpose for you?  You must discover that for yourself. 

This is the first time Moses was commanded to use his rod to perform a miracle when he knew God would perform a miracle, but Moses had to act before God would perform the miracle.  There were other times when Moses had used his rod, but didn’t know exactly what God was going to do (see below).  It is wonderful to understand that God will never embarrass his children in public, but will always instruct us in private, then he expects us to put into practice (in public) that which we have learned in private. 

1. Exodus 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
2. Exodus 4:20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 
3. Exodus 7:10  And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 

The principle here is that God always expects every person to come to him, before he will ever do anything for them.  This is because God expects us to come in faith, not in sight.  God expects every person to believe first, then act, not see God acting and believe.  Christ performed miracles to convince unbelievers he was the Christ, but those miracles did not convince anybody. 

Matthew 6:33 – Christ commands all people to seek the kingdom of God first, then he will add all these natural earthly things to them.  Some want to see what God will do, then they will obey, but that is not what God demands.  God wants us all to live by faith, not by sight. 

1. Luke 18:42  And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 
2. Galatians 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 
3. Hebrews 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 
4. Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

The lost must come to Christ when they are still lost, repenting of their sins and trusting Christ, then Christ will save them.  Any lost person who comes to Christ will be saved.  Any lost person will remain lost until they come to Christ in faith, believing and trusting completely in him to do what that which only he can do.  Any lost person who trusts in anything except 100% Christ will remain lost. 

Every lost person must come.  Those that refuse to come will not be saved. 

1. Matthew 8:2  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  Is this is the only leper in Israel?  No, of course not. But this leper is the only one who came.  All the other lepers remained in their leprosy, because they did not come.  Could Christ have healed them?  Of course, but they did not come. 
2. Matthew 21:14  And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 
3. Luke 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 
4. Luke 5:17  And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 
5. Luke 6:17  And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;