Bulletins - Bethel Baptist Church (Laramie, WY)

- - Colossians 1:15–23ESV
If you have been saved very long,
you probably realize you came to believe in a God that is bigger than you could’ve imagined.

At some point you have realized you are a sinner before God.
That you deserve God’s wrath and anger.
You are helplessly caught in a sin nature that treats you like a slave.
and then you learn from the Scriptures that Jesus, is the son of God, who has died to set you free.

So you begin to worship and live as a brand-new believer living out the Christian life.

But for most of us.

The God that we begin to worship.
The Jesus we begin to trust in.

Is a bigger God than you could’ve imagined.

> That is exactly what is happening to Moses.
> He is standing before the burning bush, for the first time realizing who the true God is.

He recognizes the power of the Lord,
but he does not quite understand fully who has called him to deliver Israel from Egypt.

ILLUSTRATION:

I must confess, that is my testimony.

When I came to faith –
I knew I needed to be saved for my sins.
I believe that Jesus was my Savior.
And the Scriptures testified of him.

But I had no idea how big my God was.

You might say, I have spent the rest of my life learning just how big our God is.

You can imagine the fear that goes into Moses here.
Exodus 3:7–10 ESV
7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

God tells Moses – I want you to deliver my people in my name from Egypt.

And Moses says – what’s your name?

Exodus 3:13–15 ESV
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, 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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Background:

Now there is a cultural background here that we need to take note of.

Why does Moses need to know the name of God?

(1)

To answer to that -
if Moses marches to Israel and declares the God of their fathers has called you
- they might mistake which God he’s talking about.

Remember they live in a world of paganism.
A world of false gods.

And Moses wants to be very clear which God has sent him.

(2) There’s also a cultural background here - of worshiping God by his special, secret name.

In Egypt you didn’t just worship the Gods
Your prayers reflected that you were a follower of God.
In particular, you would use the special name of that God >>>>>>>to show that you are a true worshiper of that God.

And part of what Moses is asking - is what is your special name so I can properly worship you.

But you can understand his fear –
Moses 2nd Fear: I don’t know your name. (Exodus 3:13-15)

And
God’s Answer: I am who I am.

From this text - I would challenge us -
The nature of God should empower us to follow His Will.
And we will look at 5 questions that will help us know why the nature of God should empower us to do His will.

*********************************Let’s Pray**********************

Let’s first ask the question -
1) What does it mean - I am who I am?

I always found this name to be a little confusing.
I mean – nobody ever called himself “I am who I am”

“I am” is a be verb.

In other words – it’s a verb that communicates to us the state of being.

For example –

Some of us can say things like-

I’m a dad, or I am a mom.
I am a college student, I am a rancher, I’m a veteran.
I am tired, or I am excited.

“I am” is a verb that communicates a state of being.

What is God’s state of being?

God says I am, who I am.
My state of being is the state of being.

Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) wrote, “God is that which he calls himself, and he calls himself that which he is.” Who is God? God is who he is, and that’s all there is to it...
Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) wrote, “God is that which he calls himself, and he calls himself that which he is.” Who is God? God is who he is, and that’s all there is to it...
I that I was a great way to put it.

The second question we must ask -
2) How is this related to the name - LORD (Yahweh)?

I also have to mention the incredible connection to the name Yahweh (LORD)

Exodus 3:15 ESV
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, 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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God connects his name
“I am who I am” - to his name Yahweh.

I’ve mentioned this before,
but Yahweh is a really cool name.

It is often translated capital L, o, r, d.

But Lord has little to do with its meaning.

But there’s no name in English that fits its meaning, so Bible translators going all the way back to the Gutenberg Bible has translated it Lord or Jehovah.

Yahweh is essentially a noun whose root is - I am.
Yahweh is essentially a noun whose root is - I am.
The very meaning of Yahweh is - I am who I am.

It could be accurately said that Moses is doing a word play between the names of God.

The third question we should ask –
3) How is this related to the burning bush?

I talk about this a few times already, so I’ll be brief.
The burning bush is a self-sustaining fire, of the Bush that is never consumed.

In other words,
the self existing fire Bush, is a picture of God’s two interrelated names -

Yahweh
and I am who I am.

How are they related?

If you’re struggling to believe or understand what it means that I am who I am,
then let me give you a visual picture - the burning bush - of what it means that I am Yahweh, I am who I am.

If you’re struggling to believe or understand what it means that I am who I am,
then let me give you a visual picture - the burning bush - of what it means that I am Yahweh, I am who I am.

Now at this point this is - where we begin to understand why this matters.
At this point - we begin to explore why Moses included this in his book.

The fourth question –
4) What do these names teach Moses?

These names are not random.

ILLUSTRATION:

Some of us have been blessed by parents who named us with unfortunate names.

(1)
In boot camp I knew one kid whose last name in his native Korean language was – Um.
In Korean is not a big deal, but in an English it was a name the got many comments.

(2) Another person I saw - worked for Apple with the name Sam sung.

You can understand why that would cause a lot of confusion.

But God’s names are not so random and unfitting.

These names were given to Moses to teach us about who God is.

In other words,
God is helping Moses understand who God is by giving him names that describe him.

What do these names teach Moses?

Let me give a very brief survey of what these names teach.
Some of these we already talked about, So I am giving a quick overview.

(a) The LORD is the self-sufficient one.

This Means that God doesn’t need us, nor does God need anything else.
Literally, God is self-sufficient nothing else ever existed.

The names of God teach us that God is self-sufficient.

(b) The LORD is the creator and sustainer.

Who is the one who created the heaven and the earth.

>Perhaps we can answer that in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:1 ESV
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

> But we can also demonstrate that truth from God’s names.
the
Who is the one who holds the world together?

Until the rise of Darwin the obvious answer was God,
and these names teach is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We as Christians even the day, can say with confidence - that all that the created world demonstrates
… that the laws of natural order are held together by the one named Yahweh..

After all - what makes the Laws of the universe constant?

The names of God teach us that the Lord is the creator and sustainer of the universe.

Further,
(c) The LORD is unchanging (Immutable)

Every one of us are changing at all times.
Part of being a created being is that we change.

If I work out I get stronger.
If I study new things I learn new knowledge.

As I get older I lose my hair and a lot of times gain some weight and wrinkles.
As I get older I hopefully become wiser.

But if God is self-sufficient, then God never changes.

The five dollar theological word for this is immutable.

The names of God teach us that God never changes.

And finally,
(d) The LORD is eternal.

If you are I am who I am.
Your very name is a state of being.

Then where did you start, and where do you end.
The point of a state of being is that you are.

Which means -

In the forever past God existed.
In the forever future God will exist.
And all the in between God exists.

The names of God teach us that –
The LORD is self-sufficient.
The LORD is the creator and sustainer.
The LORD is unchanging.
The LORD is eternal.

But that brings us to our final question.
5) What does God require of Moses in response?

The Lord gave the names of God to Moses to help him do the will of God.

Moses was expected –
(a) To obey the call to go and deliver Israel. (Exodus 3:15-18)

Exodus 3:15–16 ESV
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, 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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt,

Literally the names of God were to empower Moses to do God’s will in his life.

God had selected Moses to do an incredible work among his people,
and the names of God was to give Moses the strength and power to do so.

Further, Moses was expected –
(b) To trust God’s incredible omniscience and sovereignty. (Exodus 3:19-22)

Exodus 3:19–22 ESV
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses is probably a little afraid was going to happen,
and so God explains to him exactly what’s going to happen.

The Pharoah will only let Israel go when God’s strikes Egypt with miraculous wonders (10 plagues and the Red Sea).
God will provide for Israel through the plundering of the Egyptians.

The Pharoah will only let Israel go when God’s strikes Egypt with miraculous wonders (10 plagues and the Red Sea).
God will provide for Israel through the plundering of the Egyptians.

this is an incredible testimony of God’s omniscience and sovereignty.
God fully knew what would happen, and what he was going to do about it, before it ever happened.

Exodus 3:19 – 22 was written specifically to help Moses realized he needed to trust omniscience and sovereignty of the great I am.

God expected Moses to respond to the names of God by doing the will of God and trusting God to carry him through the task.

CONCLUSION:

But this text is not just for Moses.
Moses wrote down this account to challenge coming generations to trust and follow the will of God.
There is a reason why 3500 years later we are still reading the book of Exodus.

Moses was afraid to do the will of God,
because he did not fully understand who God was.

So God gave him the names -

Yahweh
and I am who I am,
with the background picture of the burning bush.

Today I ask you – who is Yahweh to you?
Today I ask you – who is the great I am to you?

I’m not just asking if you know the name of God.
But do you know his nature?

Do you follow a Jesus as the

self-sufficient one,
the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth,
unchanging
and eternal?

>>>>> one who empowers his people to do his will.

Or -are you like Moses?

You follow the name of God,
but you don’t fully understand the God whom you believe in.

EXHORTATION AND APPLICATION:

I challenge you this Sunday to sit down and make a list.

What has God called to do?

And then list all out.

(Take time and really consider what God has called you to do)

And then consider how God’s nature empowers you to do his Will.

************PRAYER********************
- - Exodus 3:7–10ESV
- - Exodus 3:13–15ESV
- - Exodus 3:15ESV
- - Exodus 3:15–16ESV
- - Exodus 3:19–22ESV

Colossians 1:15–23ESV

Moses 2nd Fear: I don’t know your name. (Exodus 3:13-15)

God’s Answer: I am who I am.

The nature of God should empower us to follow His Will.

1) What does it mean - I am who I am?

2) How is this related to the name - LORD (Yahweh)?

3) How is this related to the burning bush?

4) What do these names teach Moses?

(a) The LORD is the self-sufficient one.

(b) The LORD is the creator and sustainer.

(c) The LORD is unchanging (Immutable)

(d) The LORD is eternal.

5) What does God require of Moses in response?

(a) To obey the call to go and deliver Israel. (Exodus 3:15-18)

(b) To trust God’s incredible omniscience and sovereignty. (Exodus 3:19-22)

Exodus 3:7–10ESV

Exodus 3:13–15ESV

Exodus 3:15ESV

Exodus 3:15–16ESV

Exodus 3:19–22ESV