I AM

On Friday, Steve and I were with our son Josh and he was talking about the sermon he would preach today. As part of our devotional, we sang some of the songs they would sing to go with his theme. His passage was from John 8, ending in verse 58:  “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Jesus was referring to God’s answer to Moses in Exodus 3:14 when Moses asked his name—“I AM WHO I AM.”

We sang some great songs, especially “Who You Say I Am” and “Good, Good Father.” We also sang the old hymn “On Zion’s Glorious Summit.” So inspiring!

Then I received an email from my friend Rhonda, suggesting that I would enjoy hearing John Piper’s sermon on “The Glory of God and Why We Sing.” What a surprise last night when I realized that much of what he talked about at the beginning was God’s explanation to Moses when Moses asked what he should tell the Israelites if they asked for God’s name. Straight from Exodus 3!

Next, in our class this morning, Mitzi led a powerful prayer. She began by saying that we know that God is the great I AM and that we are blessed to be able to come to him in prayer. Again!

Then, in our morning worship, David preached on “And the Word Became Flesh.” He referred to Jesus being with God at the beginning and had a good illustration of the Trinity; he also referred to God as being the great I AM.

Evidently, for some reason, Steve and I were supposed to get a clear message about who God is. John Piper goes into ten implications of “I Am Who I Am” that are both extensive and thought-provoking.

David’s sermon today was excellent, and it will be available on the church YouTube site within the next couple of days:  Central Church of Christ.

So if you’re needing some encouragement and reinforcement about the greatness and power and magnificence of our God, check out some of the things I mentioned above. They’ve been both helpful and inspiring to me.

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?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘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.’                     Exodus 3:13-15