I Am that I AM Exodus 3
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: Names - we all have names, nicknames, or special names. Our names provide us with an identity or a descriptor of who or what we are. We can put ourselves in a box with a name or we can free ourselves with a name. Without a name we have no framework to describe ourselves to others.
Just like us, God has many names. Adoni - Lord, Elohim - The Creator, El Elyon - The God Most High, El Shaddai - God Almighty, El Roi - The God who sees, Jehovah. Each of these names and the many more He is known by describes a different aspect of His many faceted character. We can comprehend who God is and relate to Him because of His many names and what they describe about Him.
Transitional Sentence: Even though God has many names by which He is known He has one special, sacred name to describe Him in His entirety.
To start off we are going back to the Old Testament - to the beginning of the Exodus. Moses is living in the desert, keeping sheep and living a peaceful, tranquil life until one day. God introduces Himself to Moses.
The introduction...
a. The burning bush Exodus 3:2
2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
How do you get someone’s attention when you need help? You can yell for help, jump around and wave your arms in the air, flash the reflection of the sun off of a mirror or you can start a fire.
I guess Moses was so intent on keeping his sheep that he failed to hear God when He called for him. So God had to resort to extreme measures. He had to start a fire. But God being the ultimate conservationist He didn’t want to destroy the bush so He simply lit it on fire with His holiness.
Finally, God got Moses’ attention long enough to give him a message. That’s a nice first introduction, the holiness and power of God. The holiness and power of God demonstrated to Moses by starting a fire but not consuming the bush that was burning. Would it work for you? Would He get your attention the way He did Moses’.
b. But then Moses gets another introduction to this God that has called him. Exodus 3:6
6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac and the God of Jacob.” That isn’t much of an introduction. It’s more of a statement of who this God is in relation to the history of the Hebrew people. Something that Moses can wrap his head around, something that will make sense to him and give him a framework of understanding who he is talking to.
It’s always good to have an understanding of who you are talking to when you first start a conversation. I didn’t know Jim the first time he called me on the phone and told me his name, but once he told me he was the chairman for the Pastoral search committee at the North Waverly Chapel, well then I had a framework of understanding about who I was talking to.
That’s what we have here, God giving Moses a framework of understanding, a beginning to a relationship that would last the rest of Moses’ life, and beyond.
c. So, Now that Moses has an understanding of who he is talking to the conversation can continue with the appropriate amount of fear and respect. In other words, Moses covers his face and hides from God. Now God can tell him the plan. God can tell Moses why He is there and what He wants Moses to do. Go and lead my people out of bondage.
2. As the conversation continues Moses learns God’s name
a. But first comes acceptance - and the big question. Exodus 3:10-12
10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
God is giving Moses a great work to do. Bring His people Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Moses doesn’t go for it. Who am I to do that?
Does that sound familiar? People do it all the time. Go and do, says God, I can’t says we. I’m not able to do it, I don’t know enough, can’t speak well enough, I’m not the one you want. Find somebody else.
But then God says, “Certainly I will be with you.” That’s all it takes, once we know that He is in this with us, how can we say no.
Then comes acceptance. Exodus 3:13
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
“Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel and tell them the God of your fathers has sent me.” But then what? What if they don’t believe it. Tell me your name so I can throw you under the bus properly.
Have you ever wanted someones name so you could make sure you know who told you something would get done? If that something doesn’t get done you know who to blame or who said it would get done. Moses wants to know the name of the God to blame for sending him to them.
b. I Am who I Am (YHWH - Yahweh) Exodus 3:14
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Although Exodus 3:14 is the first time God actually tells someone His name it isn’t the first time the name is used in the bible. Now that Moses knows God’s name he can use it as a reminder for people to know who God is. And use it he does. You see Moses is attributed with writing the first five books of the bible. Beginning with Genesis 2:4
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
Moses introduces everyone to the God of creation and then he and the other authors of the books of the bible use the name over 6800 times.
As for the name “I Am” it is not written out as the YHWH in the Hebrew bible or in the Greek. The Hebrew name when vowel markings are added is generally considered to be Adonai or “the name” because the scribes who constantly copied the Hebrew texts didn’t want to misuse the name of God in keeping with the third commandment. The word Adonai is translated as “Lord” in the Greek, so when the Greek was translated to English the name “Lord” was used.
At this point the truth of God’s name is lost in the ancient Hebrew language. The true pronunciation of the word isn’t even known. But all of this doesn’t really matter much, what matters is what exactly does it mean? The answer to that is the “One who is.”
c. The One who is...
The name YHWH is related to the verb “to be.” This conveys the sense that God is the “one who is,” or “I Am who I Am,” or even, “I will be who I will be.” It can even be translated as “I am the being one.”
In other words God just is. His name revolves around the idea that He is the one who exists and He exists on His own terms. God’s existence, unlike our own, is not contingent or dependent on anything.
God is who God is...
3. Now let’s take a look at how Jesus is the “I Am.”
a. In chapter eight of the gospel of John Jesus is teaching the people about God and how He is the Son of God. As we near the end of the chapter the people begin to challenge Jesus’ authority to teach and to say the things He is saying. Part of the problem is that Jesus uses father Abraham as a point of reference throughout the chapter. He finally says John 8:56
56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Jesus’ point was that He knows Abraham personally and knows that Abraham was glad to see the day when Jesus would walk the earth and bring about a new covenant. The challenge the people come up with is one dealing with age: John 8:57
57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Your not even 50 years old how can you know Abraham? That’s when Jesus drops a bomb...
b. John 8:58
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
Think back to the idea of the name “I Am.” Jesus is telling them that He was with God in the beginning. He is the one who Exists. He is equating Himself to God.
For the people, especially the priests and the ones who are trained in the Law this would have been blasphemy. No decent Jew would ever say such a thing. It’s unthinkable. And verse 59 shows what happens to those who equate themselves to God - they get stoned. The people were picking up rocks to do just that.
Now if you are like me, the first time you read the gospel of John you didn’t get it. You didn’t understand that Jesus was actually saying that He was equal to God. Maybe you have read the gospel multiple times and still haven’t gotten it. So if you didn’t know that Jesus actually said He was equal to God - well He did. Not just this one time but many.
People have given God many names to define the many aspects of His character so that we can better understand who He is in relation to us. Jesus, in order to help us understand who He is in relation to us has given Himself many names to help define the many aspects of His character. In the gospel of John there are seven specific times where Jesus tells us a part of His character by giving us a name and He adds one more in the book of Revelation. Each of these names includes the name of the one who exists.
c. Here are eight I Am’s of Jesus:
i. The Bread of Life (John 6:35)
ii. The Light of the World (John 8:12)
iii. The Door (John 10:9)
iv. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
v. The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
vi. The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
vii. The True Vine (John 15:5)
viii. The Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 22:13)
Exit: We all have names. Our given name which defines our identity for the government and nicknames or other names of endearment given to us by loved ones. Sometimes our names define us well, depending upon what aspect of our character is being defined or expressed. Sometimes the names don’t fit well and we want to get rid of it or wish it would go away.
As with us God has many names. All of them define a characteristic or aspect of His character. All of them were given to Him by a person after experiencing that aspect of His character. But there is one name that God goes by that was not given to Him by people and that is the name that He gave Himself to help us understand who He is. YHWH “I Am” The one who exists. This is the name He gave Moses, This is His name forever, this is His memorial-name to all generations.
You may know Him as the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Maybe you know Him as the God of the bible. Or maybe you know Him as the God of your father and mother, or your grandparents or a friend. This is good, Moses knew Him as the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob before he met Him face to face.
If you only know Him as someone else’s God then my challenge to you for this week is to meet Him face to face. Meet Him as the “I Am,” as the one who exists. Once you know Him as your God everything will change. Your idea of what it means to be a son or daughter of God will be stretched and you will never be the same.
If you don’t know Him at all then it is time to repent and accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior so that you may be reconciled to God and have a personal relationship with Him.
Pray!