The Great I Am

Introduction

A. W. Tozer: Knowledge of the Holy

1. What comes to your mind when you are pondering who God is?

“What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important things about us.”

Our finite minds cannot come close to a full understanding of God.

However, what we do understand, or think we understand needs to be accurate.

2. What do we spend our time trying to understand?

“Without a doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God.”

We can ponder millions of things, but the most important thing we ponder will always be God.

One of the most beautiful words in all the world is the name that God gave Himself in Exodus 3. Moses asked God what His name is. What did God say, “I Am Who I Am, or YHVH (What we translate it as Yahweh). What a precious word, Yahweh.

Whatever words are used to name God, they should never be used in a disrespectful way.

The third of God’s ten commanments tell us to never missuse the name of God.

We should cherish it above all other words.

There are a number of statements that Jesus uses to describe Himself in the Book Of John - they are often referred to as Jesus’ “I Am Statements.”

Many of the people who study these statements say there are seven of them. “I Am The Bread Of Life, I Am The Good Shepherd, I Am The Gate, I Am Light Of The World, I Am True Vine, I Am The Way The Truth And The Life, I Am The Ressurection And The Life…they may be correct in this belief.

I have always thought that there are eight of these statements. The one I add is actually a very powerful claim that Jesus made about Himself. This claim nearly got Him stoned.

This claim is found in John 8:58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!”

“Before Abraham was even born, I AM.” The most precious name in all of the world, and Jesus accurately used it for Himself.

3. Is what we believe accurate?

“I believe there is scarcely and error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God.”

If we are teaching inaccurates things in the church, it is likely that we are starting with inaccurate beliefs about God.

4. Today’s message is entitled “The Great I Am.”

I hope we will come away with a broader, more exalted and more accurate understanding of who God is.

Let us bask in the presence of our Lord, let us adore Him, and let us worship Him.

Hallelujah, what a Mighty God we serve.

He Is The Great I Am.

Pray

Body

1. God Is Creator

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

God created it all.

Nothing was made that He did not make.

There was absolutley nothing when He started.

Man thinks he can create, and to a point he can.

But every time that we create something, we have to start with something that already exists.

Manufacturers create goods, chefs create dishes of food, artists create works of art, construction workers create buildings and bridges.

They all, however, have to start with something.

God started with nothing.

2. God is Triune (Trinity)

God Is One

Deuteronomy 5:4-5

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

The Lord Is One…He is ONE. One God.

He is the one and only God.

You shall have no God’s before me.

You shall not worship idols.

The idols and false gods that Israel worshipped in the Old Testament were an abomination to God. It is unacceptable to worship any other god.

Buddha is not an acceptable substitute, nor is Mohammed, or Molech, or Science

Worship the One True God as He presents Himself.

We cannot change God as He describes Himself in His Word and still say we are worshipping Him.

Jesus is not the brother of Satan, He is God’s one and only Son.

Jesus is physically resurrected from the dead, not just spiritually.

God is not just a God of love, but He is also a God of justice.

He is ONE, but He exists in three persons.

The One All Powerful Creator God did that.

That is the God we serve.

God Is One, But Exists In Three Persons

Luke 3:21-22

Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

God is triune.

At Jesus’ baptism, all three members of the Trinity were there.

Jesus (the Son) was obviously there (He was the one getting baptized), the Holy Spirit was there, and the voice from heaven was God the Father.

Additionally, we are told to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But the Word Trinity is not found in the Bible.

That is correct, but the teaching of its existence is found in many places.

The words Hypostatic Union are not found in the Bible either. These words are used to describe how Jesus existed as fully man and fully God at the same time. The words may not be there, but the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was both God and man at the same time.

The Trinity is a real, it exists…One God, In Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.

The One All Powerful Creator God did that.

That is the God we serve.

3. God Is Powerful

He Defeats His Enemies

1 Kings 18:38-39

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.”

Ahab was the King of Israel.

Ahab’s wife was Jezebel. Jezebel was not an Israelite, but rather a Sidonian. She was not a worshipper of God, but rather a devout worshipper of Baal.

To quickly sumbas a standoff between God and Baal.

The followers of Baal were told to build an altar, prepare an ox, place the ox on the altar, and call on their false god to set fire to the ox.

The Baal worshippers tried for many hours, they cut themselves with swords until blood was gushing out of them, but Baal, of course did not set fire to the ox.

Elijah prepared the same thing, but he also dug a trench all around the altar and soaked all of it with water…twice.

When everything was completely soaked with water, Elijah prayed, “Answer me O Lord, answer me that this pepole may know that You, O Lord, are God and that you have turned thier heart back again.”

And boom, the fire of God consumed it all…the ox, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water. It was all gone!!!

He Is Powerful Even Over Death

Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

What is the one thing that destroys all men?

Death, only two men in all of human history have not died…Enoch and Elijah. Otherwise, death has been victorious over every person.

Death seems to be undefeatable, but God has defeated it. First in Jesus, He was dead, and behold He is alive. Second in all who believe, we will all be resurrected from the dead in the day of Christ Jesus.

The One All Powerful Creator God did that.

That is the God we serve.

4. God Is Just

He Rebukes

Numbers 14:22-23

“Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.

Hell Is The Eternal Address Of The Lost

Revelation 20:14-15

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Israelites refused to trust God.

The Promised Land was theirs for the taking, but they chose to believe a lie rather than God, and they were prevented from recieving God promise.

All of mankind has a choice, you can either believe that you are a sinner that needs God’s saving, or you can deny it.

The names of those who deny God’s truth and accept the world’s lies are not written in God’s Book of Life.

They will be thrown into Hell.

Hell is not a place where there will be parties with friends.

He is not a place from which one will ever leave. Matthew 25 tells us that the punishment of Hell is forever.

God is just, and He will punish the unsaved.

The One All Powerful Creator God will do that.

That is the God we serve.

5. God Is Loving

His Lovingkindness Is Everlasting

Psalm 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

He Loved Us While We Were Still His Enemies

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While God is most certainly just, He is also a God of love.

His lovingkindness last forever.

He loved the world and sent His only Son to die for us.

He lavishes His children with love.

His love declares that while humans all deserve eternal punishment, He will mercifully refrain from giving all believers what they deserve.

His love also declares that not only does He not give them what they do deserve, He graciously gives them what they do not deserve.

In other words, God’s justice says we deserve Hell; His mercy says that believers will not get what they deserve, and His grace says they will be lavished with what they do not deserve…namely eternity in His presence.

The One All Powerful Creator God does that.

That is the God we serve.

6. God Is Salvation

His Salvation Is Eternal

Isaiah 51:6

“Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment, And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.

He Is The Only Source Of Salvation

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

We often cling to that which is temporary.

We strive to find fulfillment in worldly endeavors.

These things are not permanent.

What is first in our lives?

The earth is perishing.

There only one hope.

That hope is in the One God, the Creator of all things, the Almighty God.

In that hope, we are saved from the penalty of sin, and promised an eternity with God.

God sent His only Son, to die for you so that you can be saved from eternity in Hell.

The One All Powerful Creator God does that.

That is the God we serve.

Application

Do you believe that what I am saying this morning is true?

Have you received God’s amazing offer of salvation.

Do not let anyone fool you into thinking there are many ways to God…there is only one way.

He is the Creator…nothing that was made was made without Him.

He is One God and He exists in three persons…though the word Trinity is not in the Bible, the truth of its existence is clearly taught throughout the Bible.

He is Almighty…nothing in this world, not even death can defeat our God.

He is Just…many deny God’s justice, but we can clearly see through His own Word, that He is just. The end of the world is coming, and those who refuse to receive Him will go to Hell.

He is Love…though He has promised eternal punishment for the unsaved, He has also promised eternal paradise for His children.

He is salvation…we are saved by His grace by faith. All other hopes are fleeting, but the promises of God are guaranteed, so hope in Him.

What I have shared today, may or may not be new information for you.

If it is old information, I hope it has been a good reminder.

If it is new information, then you need to know that God does not want you to go to Hell, and He is offering you a way to escape that condition.

Accept His offer, don’t wait until another day…there may not be another day.

Once you are gone, it too late…you must give your life to Him before your life is taken from you.

If you have questions, if you would like some help with this decision, please ask.

This is the most important decision you will ever make, so don’t take it lightly.

Pray

Lord’s Table