THE “GOD IS” SERIES

God is . . .

Pastor Mike Barnett ~ September 14, 2008

 

Exodus 3:1-15 (pg. 41) says:

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
      And Moses said, "Here I am."

 5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

 7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

 12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [a] will worship God on this mountain."

 13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

 14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . [b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

 15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, [c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

 

·        God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

 

·        God called to Moses from with a burning bush.

 

·        The bush des not burn up and the flame des not go out because God is eternal and never snuffs out.

 

·        Moses takes his shoes off and listens to God

 

·        Wherever God is, is Holy ground.

 

·        God informs Moses that he is going to send him to Pharoh to deliver the Egyptians from slavery.

 

·        Moses first questions himself: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

 

·        God responds in V. 12 – with “I WILL BE WITH YOU”

 

·        The Hebrew word translated “I WILL BE” is the same as the one translated I AM” in V. 14

 

·        Then Moses ask What if the Israelites ask me, what is this God’s name?, what shall I say? V. 13

 

·        God responds in V. 14 with “I AM WHO I AM” – is the name by which God wished to be known and worshipped in Israel.

 

1. GOD REVEALS HIMSELF AS BEING: “I AM WHO I AM”. Genesis 3:14

 

·        God told Moses to tell the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you’.

 

·        “I AM” is the name that expressed his character as the reliable and holy God who reaches out in mercy to redeem his people.

 

·        God does not need to say much about himself, other than I AM WHO I AM in his interaction with Moses.

 

·        Many other scriptures reveal to us God’s nature from Genesis to Revelation.

 

·        In V. 12, “I WILL BE” is completed by “WITH YOU”.

 

·        The Hebrew word translated “I WILL BE” in V. 12 is the same as the one translated I AM” in V. 14

 

·        God tells Moses in Exodus 3:14: This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

 

·        It means “He is”  or “He will be” and is the third person form of the verb translated “I will be” in v. 12 and I AM in v. 14.

 

·        When God speaks of himself he says, “I AM” and when we speak of him we say, “He is”.

 

·        So when Moses asked God for his name God responded: I AM WHO I AM.

 

·        God is beyond words, labels and descriptions.

 

·        We try to describe God and this may be helpful to a point.

 

·        But ultimately GOD IS WHO HE IS.

 

·        He does not change

 

·        God answers to no person.

 

·        God is self existent and self sufficient.

 

·        He simply is who he is – he refers to himself as I AM

 

·        The name as God shared it with Moses, comes from the Hebrew word for “to be” and that’s the reason that it is translated: “I AM THAT I AM.” IT’s clearly related to the self existence of God, and it has been understood to mean not only “I am what I am, but “I AM BECAUSE I AM” and “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE” (OR “WHAT I CAUSE TO BE”.

 

·        The flame never goes out – God always is and always will be!

 

·        Jesus applied the phrase “I AM” to himself; in so doing he claimed to be God and risked being stoned for blasphemy.

 

2. JESUS IDENTIFIES HIMSELF AS BEING: ONE WITH “I AM WHO I AM”, FATHER GOD. John 1:1-2,14, John 5:15-24, John 8:42-59, John 10:24-39, John 17:20-26

 

John 8:42-59 (pg. 758) sa