The Great I Am!

Put kids to come forward this morning. Have you seen as come up? I want you to sit down. I got to go. I'm going to walk back in this room for just a minute. I was up here talking about the things I do and I'm thinking about picking up a third job still not here.

Are we but I'm moving around you shut up here today, so I'm going to go cuz I'm going to stand up cuz I might get a little athletic Tony and imma go back here real quick. I'll be back at hold on.

I was watching a movie and I have decided that I want to be a ninja.

I wanted to be a ninja turtle, but I'm not a turtle. And I look that up on the Internet. There's no way to become a turtle. So I'm just going to have to stick to being a ninja. What do you think about that? So as we go into this, I want to learn some things that ninjas have to have that today. We're going to start with men just have to be quick, right. right

I've got a question for you. I'm going to see if your ninja skills are quick or not. You are hungry you are at home and you need a snack and you go to the kitchen and there's two options for a snack. There's Kit Kat bar. And there's carrots which one you go to pick. The carrots really I was shocked. I am I am super shocked by that. I would probably eat the Kit Kat bar, then probably I probably eat them both. But here's the thing. I would hope that you would take the carrots because the carrots are better for you. They're all natural. They're healthy. They good for your eyes. They want they're not sweet. That's right.

So here's the thing. I asked you to be quick to choose and will we're going to learn today when we go out to children's church is that we have to be quick on our feet when it comes to making decisions because as you go through life

There's going to be things that pop up in front of you and you're going to be able to go this way or this way. And you most situations one way is the wrong way and one way is the god is the way God wants you to go and as we learned our lesson today, we're going to learn to be quick on her feet and make a decision that is pleasing to God our verse for today is Proverbs 19:23 and it says having respect for the Lord leads to life. Then you will be content and free from trouble. So if you trust in God when it comes to you making your quick skills. God's going to help you make the right decision. But you guys already made the right decision for the snack. So that's pretty good. So we're going to pray and we're going to line up and really learn more about this and we're going to dive in and we're going to improve our ninja quickness. Okay, let's bow our heads dear. Heavenly father. Thank you so much for this day for each one of these boys and girls that are up here today. Thank you for what they bring to the table or we just pray that as we go through this lesson today Lord that you helped us to learn how to be quick and make the right decisions because we know is we go through life. We are faced with the seasons that we have to make the wrong decision in the right decision, and we know we need to know which way you would have us go Lord. We love you so much. Thank you. Most of all for your son Jesus dying for our sins. I was we asking your name. Amen.

I'm sure if I asked the children before they left out how many times have they heard their moms or their dads stay when they're told to do something and the question comes back why? How many times have we here? Because I'm your mama or your daddy? You don't need it. But that will God pretty much told Moses the same thing when God told Moses to go to the Israelites and tell them that he is going to leave them out of slavery from the Egyptians Moses ask will if I go to the Israelites and I say to them the god of your fathers has sent me to you and then they asked me what did his name what then what should I tell them and God said to Moses? I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you and to this day this great God that brought the billions out of slavery and led them to a land that was just flowing with milk and honey. I'm a perfect place is the same God today that's going to carry us through our times of grief and sorrow are times where I can't make budget. A Time Warner car sitting on the side of the road a time. We have failed a test and we got to take it again or maybe even taking a whole semester again. Whatever is your issue. That saying great God is a great God today.

I want to I want to hear voices of angels.

God almighty.

Opana pill New to you. I love you. I want to see tribals, holy holy God Almighty The Great. I Am the greatest.

The mountains shake before you 30 minutes Friday before the power the presence of The Great. I Am. The greater the greater the greater the greater.

Stone Mountain Chevy. Trying and play zombies. No Power Rangers cast

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

The Great I Am think about the words that were just song. In the song whole hallelujah, holy holy God Almighty The Great. I Am who is worthy none beside thee? God Almighty The Great. I Am. These words are so very true. And should actually give you holy Goosebumps when you hear them spoken or sung.

Why? Because God is The Great. I Am. And no one but him is worthy of our praise.

But what exactly is meant? By The Great I Am. That's what we're going to look at today. And I'm going to reread the scripture that Sandra is already read as the text for today. But if you could stand and turn the Exodus chapter 3 we're going to be looking at verses 13 and 14.

And this is what it says.

Now again Moses is in the presence of the burning. Bush. God is already told him what his plan was and Moses is giving him excuses and he gets to the point where he says these words. 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 what should I say to them? 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 let spray.

The Lord again, please blessed reading of your words. Thank you for being the Great I Am. And in the holy and precious name of Jesus Christ, we pray amen. You may be seated.

The first thing I want you to see is that I am is the name of God. play the name of God and in these verses that we just read. He gives Moses his name every time. That God would meet with somebody Abraham Isaac Jacob. Noah he would reveal a little bit more about himself by giving him a different name to know him by So here Moses this and who is it? I'm going to tell him which God sent me to you to them. Eddie says I am. now the word That is translated. I am is Yahweh.

Now you see it written there. Yhwh. That is because that is the way it is written Hebrew.

That is a name that is translated. I am we get a word that we use even today. That is the latinization of this name. Yahweh. And it is Jehovah. Jehovah means the exact same thing as yokwe does. It means and is translated I am.

When we did our Christmas Cantata, we got to a part and we talked about the names of Jesus. And how that in biblical times and in the end Even In some cultures today names mean something different than we do today. I am named after my father. That is where my name came from but in biblical times they were named by characteristics or attributes that that baby or that person had. Or buy something that was going on during that time. It meant something special. And so somebody's name was very different and special than it is today.

And so God chose His Name Yahweh The Great. I Am I am who I am because of his character and his attributes. He was revealing something to Moses when he gave him gave himself that name. It was a name that never heard before and it was something new.

Now we're going to get to the attributes of God.

Revelation 1:8

and here God is speaking to. John in his vision

and he says I am the Alpha and Omega says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come the Almighty?

The first thing he says about himself here is Alpha and Omega.

What what is Alpha and Omega we're right here is the Greek alphabet.

The first letter in the Greek alphabet is Alpha.

The very last letter in the Greek alphabet is Omega. So what God is saying is this

Alpha and Omega refers to the beginning and the end

everything that we know everything that is in existence everything that happens begins with God and ends with God.

John chapter 1 verse 1 says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

All things were created by Him that were created without him. Nothing was created that was

God was at the very beginning it all started with God.

And if you read the very last chapter of Revelation where does it end? with God

nothing exists without God. We we think that we have you heard the old joke. I'm sure that geneticists.

Died went to heaven standing before God and the Genesis says we don't need. Anymore. God is dead and he's like prove it because okay. I challenge you. He says we don't need God we can create life from nothing and he bends down and starts to sweep up a bunch of dust and gas is old stop it right there. You make your own dust.

We cannot God starts everything. We can't do it. No matter how good we think we are God is in control of it all. The name Yahweh actually means more than just I am. It is translated. I am but it it means so much more to actually means just what it says in this verse in Revelation. It says it really means I am I was and I will be it says her mother Elation and this is the reason that John God tells you on this. Who is and who was and who will Who is to come? It is not just a one person Moment In Time. God is eternal and that's what he's getting across with this name and and when they heard this But he broke people understood because of their language they understood exactly what was being meant when God gave himself his name that he was forever. He was eternal he was so much bigger than anything they could ever see at that one point in time. And that's what God is talking about. That is what the name Yahweh. I am means. But you know what? God and exodus and in Revelation, it's not the only time that God has used the term I am. Because Jesus gave several I am statements.

And when Jesus made these I am statements he was actually making a claim. He was making a claim that he himself was God.

But he was also every time he made an I am statement. He was making a revelation of a part of his character. That was not yet known about every time that he said something he was not only making the statement that he was God's but he was revealing more about himself when he made us Now if you think about it, every time that God or Jesus made and I am statement a lot of times you would hear the religious leaders. Are you would see the religious leaders would start talking about blasphemy and you like why are they saying these blaspheming when he said I am the bread it's because of the words that you used I am. Who can do that only God can do that. Jesus says I am God.

And John chapter 6 verse 48. He says that he is the bread of life.

What does that mean to us? But Jesus is the sustainer. He gives us all we need.

Does Jesus ever? Tell us that he's going to give us our wants.

No. Will he give us our wants sometimes? But what does he say that he will do? He will meet every need.

the sustainer the bread of life

He also said that he was the light of the world. And John chapter 8 verse 12. It says this then Jesus ask again spoke to them saying I am the light of the world he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.

He was the illuminator. Jesus brings light into our very dark world. We were talking this morning in our prayer time before Sunday school.

and we were talking about how

without Christ and knowing that he was with his with us and him walking with us in n and showing us the way that we don't know how we would get through each day.

Now what you got to think about that? We have a world out there that is going through life without a knowledge of Jesus Christ or even if they know about Jesus Christ, they reject him and they are doing everything on their own. Is life Fair?

Why is it fair? Is there anything that ever says that life is going to be fair? No. Is life easy. Know why because life is full of people just like us and we're all messed up.

Is there anybody that has it all together? No?

And you know what?

The reason people reject Christ is because when Christ comes in Christ shines a light and he we see all those dirty. Crammed up Corners in our life that we hide from everybody else and Jesus signs a spotlight on them. And then we have to come to face-to-face with our reality and our reality. Is that were messed up.

And we don't like that.

But you know when Jesus shines at light. Not only did he say he said you need to take care of that area. The dairy is holding that broom in that dust pan. He starts helping sweep it away. He doesn't expect you to fix it. He's there to help you get rid of it. But he shines a light into it first. He is the illuminator.

He is the door.

John 10:9 says I am the door if anyone enters through me, he will be saved and I will go in and out and find will go in and out and find pasture.

He is the mediator. Jesus Bridges the gap between us and God and you think about this we're getting ready to get on Wednesday nights where study going through the book of Exodus. We're getting ready to go in to the to Where God is giving Moses the law upon the mount up on Mount Sinai and he he is giving him everything. He's giving him the dimensions of the temple or synagogue and he is giving him how he wants everything put together in the Holy place in the holy of holies.

And there was a big Bell that separated. Man from the Ark of the Covenant were God weld. There was a bell that separated and only one time of year. The high priest was allowed to go in there once a year.

Same separation was in the temple. And when Jesus Christ the moment. He died on the cross.

There was an earthquake. And that veil in that Temple was ripped. But it wasn't ripped from the bottom up. It was ripped from the top to the bottom and it was ripped apart. Because Jesus is the door that we can come into the presence of Jesus. God Almighty The Great I Am through Jesus Christ. We have been adopted in her been given the right to cry out Abba Father. Basically what that says is that we can go before gonce Daddy. I need help. And it's all because of Jesus Christ me in the door the mediator between us and God. He is the Good Shepherd and John 10:11. He says I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep.

He is the caretaker.

Jesus loves us and takes care of us even to the point of death.

He loves us even when we were not yet lovable.

Was it say in Romans God commendeth on love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He willingly laid down his life to protect us from Eternal damnation.

He is the Good Shepherd. He is the caretaker.

He is the resurrection and the life. John 11:25, Jesus said to her I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me will live even if he dies.

Jesus is the life Giver. Jesus brings us into brings us from death into eternal life.

People I look back and I remember. My life before Christ and how I tried to make it but we'll fill my life and make me happy with all these other things. And none of it worked.

And you know now that I'm following Christ. And I've given my life over to him. We have been faced with a lot. with sickness telling parents broken down Vehicles Financial issues

But there is a happiness that I have now that none of that can take away. It doesn't matter how many vehicles I have parked in my park in my driveway. It doesn't matter. How many pills I have to take. It doesn't matter what happens next because God is in control of it. All and God is my all and all everything I have is because he's allowed me to have it and you know what it blows my mind because he continues to bless me and is perfect.

And every time I tried to take control and fix it myself I end up making a bigger mess and put myself in a bigger hole than I ever was in the first place. But if we just pray and we turn it over to God and allow God to work. You know what? beatstars knees right in the perfect timing any meat sit in ways that blows your mind when you sit and think of it because it does not make sense to us.

But God takes care of it all.

And it's all because he is the resurrection and the life.

When Jesus says that he is the way the truth and the life 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.

There is a Lie from the pit of Hell that that is being perpetrated right now. But it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it with your whole heart. You'll be okay. But there is a lot of ways to get to heaven and those are some of the things that are being preached from our pulpits today.

But it's okay. There's a lot of way to go to heaven. Whatever is the best way for you this way you go that all I'm and and Buddha and it's all okay, and there's even the churches that are built at Universal Universal Unitarian Universalist Church. They are they are built around that premise that no matter what you believe you can all come worship worship the way it's all good. It's all we can do the same place. No, I hate to tell you this it's not

What does that verse just we just read say? I am the way the truth and the life. No, man comes to the father, but by me. There's only one way to have eternal life in heaven. And that is through Jesus Christ himself.

There is a big difference between Allah and Buddha and and all these other things a big difference.

Jesus Christ is the only way. And he makes that claim right here. He is the leader. He is the one that guides us to God. I am the way the truth and the life.

And then he is the true vine.

John 15:1 says I am the True Vine. My father is the vinedresser.

He is the source.

Jesus gives us everything that we need to grow. enter produce fruit

people as we connect we come to know Jesus Christ and we connect with him. He is the source of everything that is in us and he he allows us to grow and he gives us think the nourishment and everything else that we need and it being connected with him. Is the only way that we can start producing fruit ourselves.

And what do I mean by producing fruit?

It is sharing that love of Christ with others getting others connected with that source of their power and Jesus Christ.

God is The Great. I Am. He is the only one that is worthy of praise and Jesus Christ is God incarnate. He was the god-man 100% man get 100%.

And every I am statement that Jesus made was revealing more of his character. More of the character of God so that we can become to know God and a very personal way. When God was talking to Moses at the burning bush God tells him. Yes. I knew Abraham Isaac and Jacob and they knew me, but you're going to get to know me on a totally different level. a more personal level and you know that as God talk to Abraham Isaac and Jacob they did not spend the time face-to-face with God as Moses is about to As you can continue to read this story.

And you know what God is telling us the same thing.

You can know me. I totally different level.

Anybody before has known me through Jesus Christ because we're the only ones that he says that can go before him. And call him Abba Father.

We are adopted into his family. We become one of his through Jesus Christ.

And it is only through him that we can get to know God and really what it means to say. The Great I Am