Thank you for once again reading the sermon for the week. I hope that you have all had a good week. I am feeling better, and I have been having a good week.
This week, we are continuing with our series exploring the names and titles of God found in the Old Testament. In today's message, I want to us to focus on a more familiar name for God. It is a name that He provided for Himself.
After Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, they stayed in that area and the number of the Hebrews multiplied. Over the course of the years, the Egyptians subjected the Hebrews to slavery. For hundreds of years, God's people remained in bondage. God heard the cries of His people for freedom, and He provided a means for their deliverance.
Moses was the man that God would use to bring about the deliverance of the people from slavery. Moses was adopted as a baby by Pharaoh's daughter. One day, Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Moses intervened and killed the Egyptian. Moses then fled to save his own life.
While Moses was in the desert tending flocks, he saw a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go. Moses asked God who he should say had sent him. God said, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'"
What does this name for God signify? First of all, it speaks to the fact that God is eternal. He is. He was not created. He had no beginning, and He will have no end. He is not dependent on anyone nor on anything for His existence. On the contrary, all that is is dependent upon Him for its creation and its existence.
This title for God also speaks to the fact that there is nothing nor anyone greater than or higher than God. He is all powerful. He is the only True and Living God.
God was telling Moses to make sure that the Israelites and the Egyptians knew that the God and King of all the universe was the one that was sending Him. That should have made the Egyptians tremble, but they were stubborn right up until the time when the armies of Pharaoh were drowned in the Red Sea.
There is something else interesting about the title of I am for God. Jesus uses this title for Himself in the Gospel of John. In John 8:58 Jesus said to the religious leaders, "Before Abraham was, I am". They knew exactly what Jesus was saying. He was equating Himself with the I am who revealed Himself to Moses. Jesus was stating that He was God come in the flesh. The religious leaders took up stones to stone Him, but Jesus escaped from their midst.
There are seven other occurrences of the title I am associated with Jesus in the Gospel of John. For instance, Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd", "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life", " I am the Door" etc. The use of this phrase is Jesus way of telling the people then and telling us today that He is God. Jesus was fully God and fully man.
So, what is the application of this for us? There are three things that I want to point out. First of all, the God of the universe has revealed Himself to us and He cares about us. To me, it is a comforting thought to know that the Supreme Being who is above all and has all power cares about me and is looking our for me. Just as God cared about His people who were suffering in bondage all those years ago, God cares about our needs in the here and now. This leads me to the fact that I always find myself to be in complete amazement that this God who is the I am cares about a creature like me. He is so great and I am so small, yet He cares about me, you and all of His creation.
The second thing that I want to point out is that since God is the Supreme Being there is nothing and no one that will ever be able to ultimately thwart His will and His way. Sometimes it may appear that the forces of evil are getting the upper hand, but God is the Supreme Being. No one can defeat nor thwart Him. His will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Finally, the one who is the I am came in the person of Jesus. He loved us and came to redeem us from our sin in order that we could have a relationship with Him. The God of all creation came in the person of Jesus Christ and died for our sins that we might be redeemed. He offers His pardon and peace to everyone who will believe. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am feeling a lot better, and I thank you for your prayers. Please pray that I will stay well.
Pray for those in California who are suffering as a result of the heavy rains. Pray that they will get the help that they need.
Keep praying for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan really need our prayers.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of India and Malaysia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. If you didn't notice, I have started posting the second half of my book about the Minor Prophets. This week, I posted the chapter on Habakkuk. I will post the next chapter this week. May God bless you all.
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