The Great I AM

He Shall Be Called

The Great I Am

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – Dec. 20th, 2020

Intro:

  • This morning is our last installment of our Christmas series where we have been focusing on the different names of the Son that have been given. He is Immanuel, which is God with us; He is our Wonderful Counselor; He is our Everlasting Father.
  • The name we are focusing on this morning is before all these names. All of the names of God spring forth from and are built upon this name. It is the name God gave to Moses when Moses ask for His name. The name is, “I AM who I AM.”
  • The main point of this message and the one thing that I want you to come away with, is that God is all you need and in Him is all that matters.

God is all we need

  • In Him is everything, by Him everything exists, and from Him everything has its purpose. The apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to express these things in his letter to us by way of the church in Colosse:

Col 1:15-20 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

  • Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is first over all creation. All things were created by Him, all things were created through Him, and all things were created for Him. He is before all things and all things hold together in Him. He is the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead. All the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Him, and through the fullness of God He reconciled to Himself all things, making peace between God and us by His own blood.
  • God saved us from Himself, God saved us by Himself, God saved us for Himself and everything we need is found in Him.

God is who He is

  • In God’s book we see who God is and what God does and what that means. God created us and communicates to us, and confronts us, and convicts us, and counsels us, and comforts us, and conforms us, and connects us to Him and to each other. He is who He is. This is the best description of Him. No one word can capture who He is, no word can contain or accurately describe him.
  • When Moses went up a mountain to investigate a bush that would not burn out, He encountered God on holy ground. Moses was told the one who was talking to Him was

Ex 3:1 ESV

the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

 

  • Because God had seen the affliction of His people and heard their cries for deliverance, He commissioned Moses to bring His people out of Egypt and their slavery into a good land that He promised to give them.

Ex 3:13-15 ESV

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.’”

  • Now this is an incredible name: “I am who I am.” I want you to pause and think about it. There is incredible truth to this description, and it is a credible description for anything. For example, a pulpit . . . or a water bottle . . . that one name can have a myriad of meanings. We fill names with information about what we are describing so that a name takes on meaning. God states, “I AM who I AM” and then He uses His name and various facets of His name over and over in this book so that we will know who this “I AM” is. The more we know about Him by illumination, and information, and revelation the more we know Him. And He calls Himself different things and reveals Himself in various ways to show us who He in correlation to who we are and what we need.

God is all-sufficient

  • Moses, in this encounter with God, started to list all the reasons why he was a bad choice and could not do the job. I am a nobody. I am afraid. I am not very good at speaking.
  • God did not reply with a pep talk. He did not show Moses his hidden potential. He did not try to boost his self-esteem. Instead, He said, “Moses, I did not choose you because you were any of those things. I am enough for all those things. My am-ness is more than enough for your not-ness. I am with you, and I am enough, I am more than enough, I am all sufficient. I will give you what you need when you need it. Trust Me.”
  • And then God gave Moses things that would help him.
    • A staff that turns into a snake and then back to a staff.
    • The ability to put his hand in his coat and when he took it out it would be leprous, then put it back in and pull it back out it would be healed.
    • Then to be able to pour water from the Nile river on the ground and it would turn to blood. And he gave him Aaron to speak for him when he needed.
    • And as a final sign that when Moses led the people out of Egypt, they would be worshiping God on that very mountain.
  • Then all throughout scripture God reveals more of who He is and giving us more of His titles and His names:
    • When there is nothing, I AM ELOHIM:  the God who creates everything (Gen. 17:7, 6:18, 9:15, 50:24; I Kings 8:23; Jer. 31:33; Isa. 40:1).
    • When you are not enough, I AM EL SHADDAI: the God All Sufficient (Gen. 17:1, 2, Gen. 31:29, 49:24, 25; Prov. 3:27; Micah 2:1; Isa. 60:15, 16, 66:10-1, Ruth 1:20, 21, Rev. 16:7).
    • When there is chaos, I AM ADONAI:  the Master and Lord of all things (Gen. 15:2, Ex. 4:10; Judges 6:15; 2 Sam. 7:18-20; Ps. 8, 114:7, 135:5, 141:8, 109:21-28).
    • When you have a need, I AM JEHOVAH-JIREH:  The Lord who Provides (Gen. 22:14).
    • When you are unwell, I AM JEHOVAH-ROPHE: The Lord Who Heals (Ex. 15:22-26, Jer. 30:17, 3:22; Isa. 61:1).
    • When you are low, I AM JEHOVAH-NISSI: The Lord who lifts up (Ex. 17:15, Psalm 4:6).
    • When you are in need of forgiveness, I AM JEHOVAH M’KADDESH: The Lord Who Sanctifies (Leviticus 20:7-8).
    • When you are need of peace, I AM JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord Your Peace (Judges 6:24, Deut. 27:6; Dan. 5:26; I Kings 9:25 8:61; Gen. 15:16; Ex. 21:34, 22:5, 6; Lev. 7:11-21).
    • When you need someone to guide you, I AM JEHOVAH-ROHI:  The Lord your Shepherd (Psa. 23, 79:13, 95:7, 80:1, 100:3; Gen. 49:24; Isa. 40:11).
    • When you feel alone, I AM JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH:  The Lord who is There (Ezek. 48:35).
    • When you need a defender, I AM JEHOVAH-SABAOTH:  The Lord of the angelic armies (Isa. 1:24; Psa. 46:7, 11; 2 Kings 3:9-12; Jer. 11:20, Rom. 9:29; James 5:4, Rev. 19: 11-16).
    • The preceding was adapted from https://urbanareas.net/info/100-biblical-names-god/
  • And God continues to reveal Himself in the New Testament in Jesus. In the book of John, Jesus says:
  • John 6:35 – I am the bread of life
  • John 7:37-38 – I am the living water
  • John 8:12 – I am the light of the world
  • John 10:9 – I am the door
  • John 10:11 – I am the good shepherd
  • John 14:6 – I am the way
  • John 14:6 – I am the truth
  • John 14:6 – I am the life
  • John 15:5 – I am the vine
  • John 18:37 – I am the king
  • All that you need, all that you lack, and all that you can never be in yourself, Jesus is. He is the great I AM, and He is all that you need. In Him is all that matters.

Conclusion

  • So, this is the gift of Christmas.

Isa 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given

 

  • The greatest gift that God can give is the gift of Himself, and no matter how great a gift you have given or received, this is nothing nor no one that will top this gift.
  • Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. Jesus is the Everlasting Father. Jesus is the great I AM.
  • My prayer for us is that is this new year you will experience renewed joy in who God is. In the darkest of days, a light has dawned. Receive Him, revere Him, reflect Him and remember Him

Communion and Prayer