I AM

When Moses asked God what to tell the Israelites who shall I say has sent me, God's answer to Moses was to tell them that I AM has sent me.
the name I AM is quite a mystery. The name that God revealed to Moses means something like "He who is,' or "I am the One who is." The great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck wrote that, "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.
God is self-sufficient He does not have any unmet needs or unsatisfied desires. He does not need any help. He is not co-dependent. He does not live or move or have His being in anyone except Himself.
Knowing the name of God as he met at the burning bush was a great help to Moses. Knowing God's name is also a great help to us. For you see, the God of Moses has given us a name to call Him. It is the only name by which we must be saved: Jesus Christ. In John 8:58, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!"
Jesus Christ is the God who saves, and anyone who does not believe in Him has no hope of salvation. Jesus' death on the cross for sinners proved that He is the true God of our salvation. Becoming a believer is a person that believes that Jesus Christ is the Great I AM. And once we place our faith in Christ alone, then we may come to Him with our questions as Moses did. He will not turn us away. But what He wants us to do is to put our faith in Him, going where He sends us and trusting in the promise of His everlasting presence.
Do you know the name of Jesus? Is your faith in Him alone? Is He the Great I AM in your life today?
Let's talk about it Sunday...Bro. Alan

Who Are You?

Philip Ryken has written an amazing commentary over the book of Exodus and in it he says, "Who is this God we are called to glorify? That was the second question Moses asked. Before agreeing to lead Israel out of Egypt, he first wanted to know who he himself was. Next he wanted to know who God was. It was all very well for God to promise to go with him, but who was this God anyway? '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?" (Exodus 3:13)
It is easy for us to criticize Moses for his question. To begin with, he started badly: "Let's suppose I go, Lord..." SUPPOSE he goes? What was Moses thinking? He had just received a direct order from the God of the everlasting covenant. Such divine commands are not open to negotiation. There was no supposing about it: Moses was going!...Also notice how self-centered Moses' thinking was: 'Suppose I go...what will I tell them?' Moses was still focusing on his own inadequacy rather than on God's sufficiency. To regain his focus he needed God to say to him, "I AM WHO I AM."
This whole conversation would have been much shorter if Moses had simply taken God at His Word. Moses still had to learn how much simpler life is for those who simply trust and obey." (page 93-94)

It is easy for us to look back and see the mistakes that Moses made, but we need to be careful, because many times we find ourselves doing the very same thing. Is God calling you to something today? What is your answer? Remember life is simple when we simply trust and obey, as the great old hymn says, 'there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.'
Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan

Who I Am...

In Exodus 3:11 Moses asks the question, "Who am I?" It was not so much a question of who Moses was, he knew who he was, the question, rather, was, 'do I have what it takes to do the job that God is calling me to do?' Remember that Egypt at this time was the most powerful country in the world and Moses was supposed to go and tell the ruler of the most powerful country in the world that he was supposed to let the entire labor force go free. The last time Moses tried something like this it took him 40 years to recover.
However, Moses was focused on his ability to get accomplished what the Lord had called him to do. We often find ourselves in the same situation that Moses found himself in on that mountain. God calls us to a task and our reply is, "Lord, I can't do that, I'm just a lowly ______ (fill in the blank), or Lord, I don't have the training or education to do what you have called me to do." And you know, you are probably right, you are just a lowly _____ (fill in the blank), you most likely do not have the training or education, but the good news is found in Exodus 3:12...'And God said, "I will be with you...'"
God is with you! It doesn't matter what your qualifications are, what matters is that God is with you.
There is an old saying, "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called." Who we are is irrelevant, what matters is that God said that He would be with us.
God had spent the past 40 years teaching Moses how to shepherd sheep to prepare him to shepherd His people, God had spent the previous 40 years of Moses' life teaching him about the culture and condition of the people that he would go and confront in Egypt, remember, God has a plan.
What is God preparing for your life? He has a plan, and He is calling you to something in your life that will bring honor and glory to His name. Is He calling you to something that you feel inadequate about? If He is remember, He Is With You! It's not about your abilities, it's about His majesty.
Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan

Who AM I?

We left Moses barefoot by the burning bush on Sunday. When God called out to Moses from within the burning bush Moses' answer was, "Here I am." Moses' answer was literally, "Here I am, At Your Service!" Moses answered before he knew what God wanted him to do, and as soon as he found out what God wanted him to do he started having doubts.
Moses was the kind of person that said, 'yes' first and asked questions later, as a matter of fact we will find out that Moses actually had five questions he would ask.
This week we will concentrate on the first two questions, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' in Exodus chapter 3:11 and in verse 13, "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?"
Who am I? and Who are You? Two important questions, questions worth our attention this week. Let's find the answers together and discover not only who we are in Christ, but who Christ is in us.
Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan

Holy Ground

Yesterday we talked about 'holy ground.' How Moses on Mt. Sinai came into the presence of God, how it was not Moses finding God, but rather, God drawing Moses. So many people talk about how they have found God through a relationship with Christ, and although they have good intentions, the truth is that we have not found God, but God has found us. Moses did not find God on Mt. Sinai, God brought Moses to the mountain so that He might speak to Moses.
God heard, saw, remembered and acted in response to the Israelites prayers, and we can be assured that God hears, sees, knows and will act when we come to Him. Just as God came down to meet with Moses at the burning bush, God has come down to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and when Christ ascended back to the heavens, He sent us another, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who is with us continually, constantly and abundantly.
This week we are going to continue in Exodus 3: 11-21, I encourage you to look at this passage throughout the week as we study together.
Remember, God is with you today through the presence of the Holy Spirit and He hears, sees, knows and will act in His perfect timing and His sovereign will...till tomorrow...Bro. Alan