View source for Exodus 3:11-17: The Great I Am

'''Theological Proposition/Focus: God is the one and only eternally existent being.''' 

'''Homiletical Proposition/Application: The existence of God should drive us to regularly take time each week to gaze, search, worship, surrender, examine, confess, cry out, and celebrate.''' 

=Introduction:=

Fundamental to our faith is the doctrine of God. We are going to spend several weeks on the doctrine of God. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article 2, states:

<blockquote>
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all-knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
</blockquote>

==Setting the Stage:==

===Image: Talking about remodeling—Emily will quickly tell people not to trust my carpentry.===

A few weeks ago, Emily and I were talking with another family that had just put an offer on a house. The family was talking about some of the home improvements they wanted to do. Now, understand, I don't mind plumbing, electrical work, or drywall, but I am terrible with a saw. I cannot do carpentry. So, when the family mentioned putting in a wood floor, Emily was quick to remind everyone in the room not to place their confidence in my help. She reminded me that the handles on the cabinets at her mom's house are distinctly not straight in line, even 20 years later... 

You see, if you are planning to tackle something new and challenging and someone offers to help, you probably want to make sure they are qualified to help and won't just be a liability.


=Body=

==We serve and worship the eternally immutable self-existent God (Exodus 3:11-17)==



====Before Exodus 3:11-17, God calls Moses to undertake an impossible task.====
God asks Moses to go against the mighty Egyptian empire and lead the people of Israel out of slavery. The task must have seemed impossible. The question that Moses asks in verse 11 is a natural one in response to the daunting task God has presented. Moses asks God, "Who am I?" This is not a statement of a lack of self-confidence but rather an acceptance of a great honor and an invitation for God to explain that He will be with Moses. Fundamentally, we serve and worship the eternally immutable, self-existent God. Let's break this down further. First, notice verses 11-12.

===Unlike a genie, God does not serve us; we serve God (11-12).===

Notice what has happened. God has called Moses to perform a task. Up to this point, Moses is not trying to get out of the task. This is a request by the God of the universe.

====God gives His servant Moses two key elements:====
=====A promise to be with him.=====
God's promise to be with Moses is significant. Notice that it is not that God tells Moses to go do whatever he wants, and if he gets into trouble, just rub the lamp and *poof*, God will be there. No, God tells Moses to go and serve Him in this particular way and know that He will be with him.

=====A promise of a fulfillment sign—not tangible, touchable insurance, but an expectation.=====
God not only promised Moses that He would go with him but also promised Moses success. A fulfillment sign is an interesting promise because it requires a great deal of faith. God did not give Moses a tangible, touchable guarantee, but He did give him a guarantee. The proof was going to follow. Moses was asked to act in faith. We must understand that God is the God of the universe. He does not serve us and is not bound by our desire for evidence. Rather, we serve God and are bound by His provision.

===Unlike anything we know, God is pure actuality (13-14).===

We must understand the cultural context to fully grasp what is happening in verses 13 and 14.
====The people of Israel lived in a polytheistic, pantheistic, and syncretistic (an amalgamation of multiple religions) culture.====  
The universal view was that there were multiple gods, and all religions had some validity.
====Moses is asking a perfectly reasonable question: "Which God am I speaking with?"==== 
If you are calling on me to trust you, then tell me who you are. The label "God of your fathers" may have only narrowed it down so far in the eyes of Moses. After living in pagan culture for their entire lives, many Israelites had probably adopted some of the foreign gods. Based on the events of Exodus, some certainly failed to understand the true nature of God.

====In Verse 14, God responds, אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh) (I am who I am).====
=====The verb "Ehyeh" is the first person common singular of "to be," meaning God states, "I am, I will be."===== 
God declares, "I AM who I AM," a declaration that highlights His eternality, uncreated nature, and self-sufficiency.
=====Actuality contrasts with potentiality (Aristotelian notions); potentiality is something that could exist. Pure actuality means there is no way something could not exist.=====
God simply exists.

In fact, God's very name reveals His existence. 
<blockquote><p>[God's name יהוה] apparently comes from the root "hawa," which signifies either existence (as of a tree trunk where it falls, Eccles. 11:3) or development (as in Neh. 6:6). Perhaps both ideas can be combined in the significance of God’s name by saying that it denotes Him as the active, self-existent One.</p> <ref>Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 53.</ref></blockquote>

=====The name יהוה had been used by the patriarchs (Noah, Gen 9:26; Abraham, Gen 12:8; Isaac, Gen 26:25; Jacob, Gen 28:16; Laban, Gen 30:27).=====
=====However, the word does not appear to have been used much by any of Jacob's descendants (in the Bible) and so may have fallen out of knowledge.=====
=====In fact, the proper name of God is only used once in the entire book of Genesis after Genesis 39; Jacob uses it in Gen 49:18 on his deathbed.=====
The point is that God simply exists!

Change is essentially the only thing we know. Clothes get old, skin gets old, everything gets old. Everything we know changes. However, God does not change.

===Unlike anything we have experienced, God is immutable (15-17).===
After establishing His eternal existence, God seems to tell Moses something like, "You should know that I am the same God of your ancestors."
====God is reminding Moses that he can faithfully trust in Him because God has been faithful in the past.====
====God watched over His people in the past, watched over Israel in Egypt, and watches over us today.====

===MTR: Identify your biggest struggle. Do you struggle to accept that you serve God instead of God serving you? Do you struggle to accept that God truly exists? Do you struggle to accept that the God of miracles is your God?===

The existence of God should impact us, but more than just His existence, His majesty.


==God, the most formidable word ever spoken (Psalm 8).<ref>Tripp, Paul David. ''Do You Believe?: 12 Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life.'' Crossway, 2021. </ref>.==



===God's majesty is beyond comprehension (1-2).===
====Psalm 8 has been described as a description of man in the created order.<ref>James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 67.</ref>==== 
However, it doesn't start by talking about man. Rather, the psalm begins by recognizing that man's place is solely based on God. 
====The Psalm begins יהוה אדנינו (Yahweh our Adonai, "Master").====
What follows is a statement about the majesty of God's name. Remember the last point where we discussed God's name. God's name is tied to His self-existence. David, in Psalm 8, now connects this with God's majesty. Part of God's majesty is His existence. Think about that for a second. A famous question is, "Why is there something instead of nothing?" The answer is God! 
====God's name is majestic, but it gets better: God is our master.==== 
Think about that for a second—you serve the God of the universe. That is special.

=====Image: Being the president's chief of staff.=====

Seriously, if you were the president's chief of staff, you wouldn't be embarrassed that you were serving someone. You would take pride in serving the president. If you were Tom Brady's personal chauffeur, you would probably brag about the places you had driven or the people you had seen. In reality, we each serve someone. Isn't it amazing that the one you serve is the majestic God of the universe?

====David continues noting that God uses the weak of the world to overcome the seemingly strong.====
====God's majesty is so significant that He turns our world upside down.====

===God's creation is just the tip of the iceberg (3-4).===
Now in verse three, David begins to explore the marvel that God would entrust some of His majesty to mere man. David describes the heavens as the work of God's fingers.
====Image: the scale of Creation====

Consider:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Object</th>
    <th>Radius</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Earth</td>
    <td>3,959 mi</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Jupiter</td>
    <td>43,441 mi</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Orbit of the Moon</td>
    <td>239,000 mi</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Sun</td>
    <td>432,690 mi</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Sirius</td>
    <td>1.711 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Aldebaran</td>
    <td>45.1 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Orbit of Earth</td>
    <td>214 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Betelgeuse</td>
    <td>764 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Orbit of Jupiter</td>
    <td>1,114.5 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>VY Canis Majoris</td>
    <td>1,420 Solar Radius</td>
  </tr>
</table>

[[File:Solar_System_true_color.jpg|thumb|]]

[[File:Star-sizes.jpg|thumb|]]

===Man's significance is only through God (5-8).===
We could dig into some deep exegetical and translation items with verses 5-8, but that is not the point of the sermon today. The main point I want to share with you is that our significance is only through God. People everywhere are searching for significance. I came out of a university culture where the phrase "publish or perish" was central. My colleagues found their significance in their list of publications. Others find their significance in their children. How many people are living vicariously through their children? Sports are great, but too many parents live their athletic dreams through their children at the expense of their families. Others find their significance in their jobs, and some search for significance at the bottom of a bottle. In Psalm 8, we see that our significance comes through God. God places us as the pinnacle of creation and calls on us to steward creation. Significance comes from stewarding what God has given you.

People sometimes talk about the "self-made man" or the person who "made a name for themselves." I am going to tell you right now, there is no such thing. God gives each of us everything we have. We don't make ourselves; rather, God places us in the position He desires for us to serve Him.

Psalm 8 ends with a repetition of the majesty in God's name. We need to remember that it is God who is majestic, and it is God who deserves the credit.

===MTR: Take a moment and visualize God's majesty as best you can.===


==Genuine belief in the Great I Am will change you==
===There are four responses to God's existence.===

====We usually think of two: either God exists or He does not exist, but this is too simple.====
Four categories give us more nuance, allowing us to grow.
=====Category 1: Deny the existence of God (Psalm 14:1 calls this person a fool).=====
I realize this is harsh language, but this is not my word, it is God's word. If you don't like it, either take it up with God or don't worry about it—you don't believe in God, so why care what He thinks about you? In fact, my personal belief is that this group of people is actually very small. Romans 1 tells us that God has made Himself clearly visible.
=====Category 2: Believe in the concept of God but have no desire for a relationship with God.=====
I want to be clear here: these people do not believe in God! Yes, they believe in a concept, but that is not the God we serve. Many, many people fall into this category. Again, Romans 1 tells us that God is undeniable. For many of these people, they see God at work but don't like who God is, so they live and act in a way that rejects the true God in exchange for some concept to which they have no accountability. These are people I would label as practical agnostics.

=====Category 3: Believe in the God of the Bible and have come to understand their need for God's salvation.=====
Notice that I don't have a category for people who believe in the God of the Bible but not His salvation. Why? Because these people don't exist. If you truly believe in the God of the Bible, then you will come to understand salvation because the God of the Bible is the Savior. These individuals allow God to change them and their perspectives.

=====Category 4: Believe in the God of the Bible and make this God the center of their life (but not always).=====
Why not always? Because individuals in this category are still sinners. This is the individual who can boldly sing the lyrics to *Come Thou Fount*:

<blockquote>
<p>
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it<br>
Prone to leave the God I love<br>
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it<br>
Seal it for Thy courts above
</p>
<ref>Robert Robinson, *Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing*, 1758</ref>
</blockquote>

Knowing that we are prone to wander, but God can take our hearts and seal them for Himself.

===There are at least nine actions we should take in light of God's existence (daily tuning).===
====Gaze====
=====Take time to simply stand in awe of God, just as if you were looking at a sunset or a mountain.===== 
Gaze at God. This might be reflectively looking at what God has done or silently considering who God is. The idea here is that God is worthy of our awe, so take time to just gaze at God.

====Search====
=====Read your Bible, but don't just read it.===== 
Study your Bible. As you study, search for God. The Bible is not just a collection of fables aimed at improving your life. The Bible is God's special revelation of Himself to you. 
=====As you read the Bible, search for God's character, purposes, and glory.=====

====Worship====
Our hearts are idolatrous, and if the only worship you do is 30 minutes on Sunday morning, then your heart is going to be stolen away by other idols. We need to practice worshiping daily.

====Surrender====
This is a hard one. To practice surrender, we must consciously give our heart to God. 
<p>This means we must give back to God our personality, mentality, emotions, spirituality, physicality, sexuality, dreams, desires, time, and possessions.</p>
We must trust God with each of these. I venture to say that most of our struggles with sin stem from a lack of surrender.

====Examine====
=====We are going to talk about God's holiness next week, but even now, I want to encourage you to examine yourself in light of God's existence. You will find that you are woefully unholy, and this will lead you to=====
====Confess====
Tell God who you really are. Each of us covers and hides ourselves. We know that if others in the room knew our deepest hidden thoughts, they would be appalled at some of the things we bury deep inside. God knows, so tell Him. The act of confession brings healing!

====Cry-out====
Remember that God is our Savior; cry out to Him for salvation.

====Celebrate====
=====Celebrate, not because you are worth celebrating but because God is worth celebrating and He restores.===== 
Celebrate the restoration that God provides.

====Repeat====
Do it again and again. Remember the lyrics to *Come Thou Fount*: we are prone to wander.

===Belief in God leads to humility.===

===MTR: Pick one of the actions above and set aside time this week to practice that action.===


[[Category:Sermons]]