Skip to main content

Ask Rewind

Sign in to ask Rewind about this sermon — answers are grounded in the actual transcripts.

The study, discipleship, and teaching platform built on your church's own preaching.

Product

How it works
Pricing
What's new
Churches on Rewind

Solutions

For churches
For teaching teams
For groups
For seminaries
Agency partners

Company

About
Contact

Legal

Trust & your data
Terms
Privacy
How we use AI
Accessibility

© 2026 Rewind

When God Calls Will You Answer? | Cornerstone Church | Pastor Brent Hatchet · Rewind

Cornerstone Church

60 min

Brent Hatchet · Feb 24, 2026 · 4 min read · 60 min listen

The big idea

When God calls you, will you answer — because He wants you, wants to use you, doesn't care about your excuses, and wants to show you who He is?

In this message

The big idea
Point 1 of 7Moses did not know who he was, and neither do many of us
Point 2 of 7God wants you, no matter your past

Point 3 of 7God wants to use you — your yes matters more than you realize
Point 4 of 7Running from God never works out
Point 5 of 7God doesn't care about your excuses, only your obedience
Point 6 of 7God wants to show you who He is — the great I AM
Point 7 of 7A new identity in Christ replaces shame with acceptance
Take it into your week
Transcript

Ask Rewind about this message

Sign in to ask Rewind about this message

Scripture in this message

Exodus 3:1-4
Exodus 3:4-6
Exodus 3:7-10
Exodus 3:11-12
Exodus 3:13-15
Romans 10:9-11

Rewind AI drafted the Big Idea and some point headings shown here from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Brent Hatchet · Feb 24, 2026 · 60 min watch · 2 min read

When God Calls Will You Answer? | Cornerstone Church | Pastor Brent Hatchet

In this message

Big Idea
Key points
Application

Scripture in this message

Exodus 3:1-4
Exodus 3:4-6
Exodus 3:7-10
Exodus 3:11-12
Exodus 3:13-15
Romans 10:9-11

Big Idea Key points Application

Big Idea

When God calls you, will you answer — because He wants you, wants to use you, doesn't care about your excuses, and wants to show you who He is?

Moses was a man who didn't know who he was — a murderer on the run — yet God called him at the burning bush and gave him a brand new identity. The same God is calling you today, and the only right response, whatever your past, is to stop running and answer yes.

Key points

1
1Moses did not know who he was, and neither do many of us
Pastor Brent opens with a story of his 11-year-old son admitting mid-conversation, 'I don't know who I am,' and connects it to Moses, who was born a Hebrew but raised an Egyptian, unaware of God's call on his life and living day to day making questionable choices, including killing an Egyptian and running from the consequences.
2
2God wants you, no matter your past
Pastor Brent teaches that the enemy's trick is convincing people that a sinful past disqualifies them from God, but God is holy (separate) without wanting people to stay apart from Him. He traces this through Moses the murderer, Jacob the trickster, and Saul the persecutor turned Paul, each given a brand new identity, and shares his own testimony of surrendering at 16 in a Pontiac church.
3
3God wants to use you — your yes matters more than you realize
Working through Exodus 3:7-10, Pastor Brent shows God telling Moses He has heard His people's cries and is sending Moses to deliver them. He challenges listeners to consider whose life is being impacted because they haven't yet said yes to God — a spouse, child, parent, sibling, coworker, or neighbor.
4
4Running from God never works out
He points to Adam and Eve hiding after sinning and Jonah being swallowed by a great fish as examples that fleeing God's call only leads to worse consequences, urging listeners to surrender rather than run.
5
5God doesn't care about your excuses, only your obedience
When Moses protests, 'Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?', God simply answers, 'I will be with you.' Pastor Brent notes Moses later brings up his stuttering, but reasons that a God who made a donkey talk (Balaam's donkey) is not stopped by a speech problem — God wants obedience, not excuses, especially since we're in a spiritual battle for kids, marriages, and families.
6
6God wants to show you who He is — the great I AM
Pastor Brent unpacks God's name 'I AM WHO I AM' as meaning God will be whatever His people need Him to be, within His will. He traces Moses experiencing this at the Red Sea (staff splitting the sea, dry ground) and in the wilderness (manna, quail, clothes and shoes not wearing out for forty years) as proof God is faithful from generation to generation.
7
7A new identity in Christ replaces shame with acceptance
Returning to his son's story, Pastor Brent describes leading him through Romans 10:9-11, especially verse 11 that anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced. He explains that quoting scripture is not the same as scripture being written on the heart, and that true identity comes only from personally accepting Jesus, not from growing up in church.

A story from life

Story about a difficult conversation with his eleven-year-old son about identity and a poor decision

Application

Pastor Brent frames the whole message as a phone call from God that you can either keep dodging or finally answer.

Answer God's call instead of running
Stop dodging what God has been asking of you and give Him your yes this week, whatever excuse or past has kept you running.
Establish your identity in Christ, not just church familiarity
If you've grown up around church but never truly surrendered, examine whether you've actually accepted Jesus into your heart rather than just knowing about Him.
Say the prayer of surrender
If this message named your situation, pray to repent, confess Jesus as Lord, be filled with the Spirit, and ask Him to establish your identity in Christ, as his son did at home and as many did at the altar call.
Seek prayer and connection this week
Whether new believers heading to the lobby or longtime believers who've been running, come forward for prayer or text the prayer line so you don't walk this out alone.

Take it into your week

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Sign in to ask Rewind about this sermon

Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“It says, 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”
Read the whole chapter →
From the transcript
“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”
From the transcript
“Then the Lord told him, I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress”
From the transcript
“but Moses protested to God. Let's see how this works out. Who am I to appear before pharaoh”
From the transcript
“but Moses again protested. If I go to the people of Israel and tell them the God of your ancestors has sent me to you”
From the transcript
“if you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Sign in to track your progress through this devotional.

Day 1

Pastor Brent opened with his 11-year-old son admitting, mid-conversation, "I don't know who I am." It's a startling thing to hear from a child, but if we're honest, plenty of grown adults are carrying the same quiet question. Moses was, too. Born a Hebrew, raised an Egyptian, and now tending sheep on the far side of the wilderness after killing a man and running, he had every reason to think his story was over. Then an ordinary bush caught fire and didn't burn up, and God called him by name. Notice where God found Moses: not in a temple, not cleaned up, but out in the middle of an ordinary day doing ordinary work. That's often how God works. He doesn't wait until we have ourselves figured out before He speaks. He interrupts the routine and calls us by name. Wherever you are today, whatever you're less than proud of, the God who saw Moses sees you. The invitation this week isn't to first become someone impressive. It's to turn aside, like Moses did, and pay attention to the One who is already speaking.

For reflection

Where in your ordinary routine might God be trying to get your attention right now?

Pray

Pray for eyes to notice where God is already speaking into your ordinary days.

Day 2

Related passage

Pastor Brent named a lie many of us have believed: that our past disqualifies us, that God couldn't possibly want someone with our history. He walked through the evidence against that lie. Moses was a murderer. Jacob was a trickster. Saul was a persecutor who became Paul. Each was handed a brand new identity, not because they cleaned themselves up first, but because God reached toward them where they were. Yes, God is holy, meaning He is set apart. But Pastor Brent made the point that God's holiness never meant He wanted us to stay far off from Him. The distance was never His idea. Paul puts it plainly: "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (NLT). Not once we were respectable. While we were still sinners. That's worth sitting with, because the enemy's whole strategy is to keep you convinced you're the exception, the one too far gone. You aren't. If God made a leader out of a fugitive shepherd, your past is not the last word over your life.

For reflection

What part of your past have you assumed puts you out of God's reach?

Pray

Pray for freedom from the lie that your history disqualifies you from God's love.

Day 3

Here God tells Moses something remarkable: "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries... So I have come down to rescue them" (NLT). Then comes the turn. God's rescue plan runs straight through a person: "Now go, for I am sending you." Pastor Brent pressed on this gently but honestly. Whose life might be waiting on your yes? He named the people close to us: a spouse, a child, a parent, a sibling, a coworker, a neighbor. It's a sobering thought, not meant to pile on guilt, but to help us see that our obedience is rarely just about us. God certainly could have freed Israel without Moses. He chose to work through a willing person instead. That's still how He tends to move. It's easy to assume God only uses the gifted or the polished, and that someone more qualified will surely step up. But the call at the bush wasn't to a hero. It was to a shepherd who almost talked his way out of it. If you've been waiting to feel ready, consider that someone may be waiting on you.

For reflection

Is there a person in your life whose story might be connected to your obedience?

Pray

Pray for the people God may want to reach through your yes.

Day 4

Related passage

Pastor Brent reminded us that running from God never actually works out. He pointed to Adam and Eve hiding among the trees after they sinned, and to Jonah, who heard God's call and promptly bought a ticket in the opposite direction, only to end up in the belly of a great fish. The pattern is old and familiar. When God asks something of us that feels too big, too costly, or too exposing, the reflex is to flee, to distract, to go quiet, to book passage to anywhere but Nineveh. And here's the honest thing: running feels like relief in the moment. It feels like we've solved the problem. But Jonah's story shows that fleeing God's call doesn't shrink the consequences; it enlarges them. The storm found him anyway. This isn't a threat so much as a mercy. God pursued Jonah into the deep, not to destroy him, but to bring him back. If you sense you've been dodging something God keeps bringing up, the invitation is to stop, turn around, and answer. You won't outrun the God who loves you enough to keep calling.

For reflection

What has God been asking of you that you've been quietly avoiding?

Pray

Pray for the courage to stop running and turn toward what God is asking.

Day 5

When God's call finally lands on Moses, his first response is an excuse: "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?" (NLT). God doesn't argue Moses into feeling more qualified. He simply says, "I will be with you." Pastor Brent noticed that Moses keeps reaching for reasons, later raising his stumbling speech. And he made a wonderfully down-to-earth observation: a God who once made a donkey speak is not going to be stopped by a stutter. The point wasn't to mock our fears. Our sense of inadequacy is real, and God takes it seriously enough to answer it, not with flattery about how capable we are, but with a promise about His presence. That's a kinder answer than "you've got this," because it doesn't depend on us. Notice too that God never actually addresses whether Moses is enough. He reframes the whole question. The real question was never "Who am I?" It was "Who is with me?" If you've been holding back your yes until you feel adequate, that day may never come. But the promise God gave Moses still holds: not that you're enough, but that He will be with you.

For reflection

What excuse do you tend to reach for, and how might "I will be with you" answer it?

Pray

Pray for trust in God's presence to be greater than your sense of inadequacy.

Day 6

Moses asks God for a name to give the people, and God answers, "I AM WHO I AM." Pastor Brent unpacked this as a promise that God will be whatever His people genuinely need Him to be, within His will. That's not an abstraction. Moses got to live it out. At the Red Sea, the great I AM was the One who split the water and made dry ground where there had been none. In the wilderness, He was the One who provided manna and quail, and, remarkably, kept clothes and shoes from wearing out across forty years. The name "I AM" isn't a riddle to solve; it's an invitation to trust. God is present tense. Not the God who only used to show up, or the God who might if we perform well enough, but the One who is, right now, whatever the moment requires. Pastor Brent underlined that this faithfulness runs from generation to generation. The same God who met Moses meets us. Whatever you're facing that feels beyond your resources, the God who calls you is the great I AM, and He tends to reveal who He is precisely in the places we cannot manage on our own.

For reflection

In what area of need do you most need to know God as "I AM" this season?

Pray

Pray for a deeper trust in God to be exactly who you need Him to be.

Day 7

Pastor Brent closed by returning to his son and to Romans 10, especially the promise that "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced" (NLT). He drew a line worth carrying into this week: being able to quote Scripture is not the same as Scripture being written on your heart. You can grow up around church, know the songs and the stories, and still not have personally said yes to Jesus. A new identity in Christ doesn't come from familiarity. It comes from surrender, from confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. As this new week begins, the question isn't whether you know about Jesus, but whether you've actually welcomed Him. If today named your situation, you don't have to sort it out alone. Pastor Brent invited people to come forward for prayer or to reach the prayer line, so no one walks this out isolated. That invitation still stands tomorrow, and the day after. Whatever your past, the God at the burning bush is still calling you by name. The only right response is to stop running and give Him your yes.

For reflection

What would it look like, this week, to move from knowing about Jesus to actually saying yes to Him?

Pray

Pray for the honesty and courage to give God your yes, and reach out to someone at the church to pray alongside you.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Pastor Brent opened with his 11-year-old son admitting, mid-conversation, "I don't know who I am." When you were a kid, what was one thing you were sure you wanted to be when you grew up?

Discussion questions

1
Read Exodus 3:1-4 aloud together. What do we learn about where Moses was and what he was doing when God first got his attention?
2
The message traced people like Moses the murderer, Jacob the trickster, and Saul the persecutor turned Paul. What does it say about God that He kept calling and renaming people with pasts like these?
3
Read Exodus 3:7-10 aloud. What does God say He has seen and heard about His people, and why does that make Moses' role matter?
4
Pastor Brent pointed to Adam and Eve hiding and Jonah running from God as examples of what fleeing His call leads to. Why do people so often try to run or hide instead of answering, and how does that usually turn out?
5
Read Exodus 3:11-12. Moses asks, "Who am I?" and God simply answers, "I will be with you." What difference does that answer make when someone feels unqualified for what God is asking?
6
Pastor Brent drew a line between quoting Scripture and having it written on the heart, using Romans 10:9-11 with his son. How might we help each other move from knowing about Jesus toward truly trusting Him?

Pray together

The courage to stop running and give God our yes, trusting that the great I AM will be with us and establish our identity in Christ.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Sign in to save this message.

Go deeper

Where these passages are preached

Exodus 3 Romans 10

Explore related topics

Calling & Purpose Confession Identity in Christ Obedience

Related sermons

A Whale Of A Tale | Cornerstone Church | Brad Wilkerson
Brad Wilkerson · Mar 2, 2026
Shares scripture
Build With God Not Without Him | Cornerstone Church | Pastor Brent Hatchett
Brent Hatchett · Dec 8, 2025
Shares scripture
When Lies Sound Like Truth | Cornerstone Church | Pastor Linn Winters
Linn Winters · Jan 19, 2026
Similar theme
Where There is Light, Darkness Cannot Be | Cornerstone Church | Pastor TJ McConahay
TJ McConahay · Jan 4, 2026
Similar theme
Slaying Giants | Cornerstone Church | Michael Carlton
Michael Carlton · Mar 9, 2026
Similar theme
Your Truth | Cornerstone Church | Pastor Linn Winters
Linn Winters · Nov 25, 2025
Similar theme

Powered by Rewind · make your church's Rewind →