I AM

Well, we're going to get back into our series through the Book of Genesis this morning. Although I don't think I've got a single text from Genesis this morning because we've taken a little diversion through Genesis the help us understand what it is that we're studying in Genesis. I've been saying throughout the series The Bible is written for us but it's not written to us. It's all in order for us to understand what the Bible is saying. We need to learn to think and to hear it like the author meant it like the original audience heard it we have to do some work. I was thinking about that this week, you know the state of the modern American Evangelical sermon. Is quite frankly a tragedy. Most sermons have been turned into three points in a poem. That have to have much more to do with pop psychology than the Bible. I've heard sermons that never quote the Bible at all so often it's turned into an emotional uplifting. Let let's get charged up on Sunday. Let's feel good so we can go on out it or it gets turned into a how to hear easy steps to have the perfect family. Three easy steps to get a raise.

Not what a sermon is meant to be.

The word is living and active it is powerful. The word is God's medium to bring about truth the truth that sets us free if you want. Dr. Phil watch. Dr. Phil, but in the words of dr. Phil, how's that working out for you?

What we need is something deeper and stronger and truer than sibling man's thoughts. We need gods.

this morning what I'm trying to do. is is help establish a broader and deeper and stronger biblical foundation for all of us to understand who God is and who Jesus for a Rather than just taking one little passage out of context and trying to make it say what we want it to say. We need to learn to hear from the totality of scripture.

That's what I've been trying to do the last few weeks to think about.

Who God is? And specifically who God is revealed as in Jesus that Jesus is The Great. I Am. And that Jesus the I am did not just show up 2,000 years ago. The Jesus is not relegated to the New Testament. But that Jesus is the point and the main character of the Hebrew scriptures as well. We just haven't been taught how to see him.

We need to learn how to see him as I I mentioned a couple weeks ago this text John 5:39. Jesus said to some of his religious opponents. He said you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, but it is they that their witness about me. Not understand when Jesus said this the New Testament hadn't written. There's no New Testament or the prophets in the writings. All there is is the book of Moses. All there is are the Hebrew scriptures what we often call the Old Testament. Jesus said you search those scriptures because you think that there's some sort of magical religious. Truth or technique following them that you're going to have life, but that's not where life is life doesn't come through. The life comes through the lure the lawgiver. he said you search the scriptures because you thinking them is like what the scriptures what they do is they bear witness about me

so two weeks ago. We were in John chapter 8. Jesus in his confrontation with some of his opponents they say to him. Are you greater than our Father Abraham? Who do you think you are Jesus? Are you greater than our Father Abraham who died the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered well, if I go or if I myself my glorious nothing it is my father who glorifies me of whom you say he is our God. Jesus is making an important claim here. They're asking him who he thinks he is. It doesn't really matter what I say that I am.

The only thing that really matters is who my father says I am an O my father. He's the one that you consider God which is in a culturally for us. What he is saying is I'm equal with him. This is a claim. to being No. He says you haven't known him though. I know him. If if I were to say that I do not know him. I would be a liar like you.

But I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. Indeed. He saw it and was glad

Do you want to talk about Abraham? Okay, let's talk about Abraham cuz I know Abraham. Abraham longed to see me. Oh, and guess what he did. He did. And they they they understand what he's claiming because this is what they say that you said to him.

I resonate with this week. You're not you're not even 50 years old. And you seen Abraham?

And Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you. before Abraham was I am I am statements. Of who Jesus is essence of his existence is Jesus is not created. He is the creator.

Jesus is he's always been he will always be Jesus says before Abraham was I am? I am

a powerful statement in a novice cell but it only means something in the context of the Hebrew scriptures that bear witness about Kim. This statement of Jesus in John 8 before Abraham was I am is deeply connected to the storyline of the Scriptures. It doesn't take place out of context when Jesus claims to be I am. He's claiming something.

Powerful in the context of the scriptures. I want the help you see this morning. How Jesus is claimed to be I am. Demonstrates that Jesus is the one that was present with Abraham. With Isaac with Jacob with Joseph. And with Moses, so if you got your Bibles with you, I want to go to Exodus chapter 3. well-known scene out of the Hebrew scriptures when God Appears to Moses in the bush that is not consumed. Start out this way jet Exodus chapter 3 verse 1 now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro the priest of Midian. I need lettuce flock to the west side of the Wilderness and came to Horeb the Mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appear that if you haven't been here the last couple weeks as I've been talking about the angel or go back and listen, but what we have here is a theophany an appearance of God in space-time. This is not an ordinary Angel. This is not a simple messenger. This is God showing up. This is a part of the story that I don't think we often. Even register when we when we think about this story we say well there's Moses there and there was a burning bush and there was God speaking. But but notice what the text says the angel of the Lord is in the midst of the Bush appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. That's not just that there's this strange burning bush in the midst of the burning bush stands the angel of the Lord. Don't miss that. Moses is watching his father-in-law's flocks. Father priest of Midian not even a follower of the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob 40 years wandering around in the wilderness watching dump sheet.

And just on a day like any other day, he wakes up the crusties out of his eyes. He grabs his staff in his truck and he takes the flock out to feed and water them and they're in the middle of nowhere. It's just crazy Bush on fire. And it's not consumed and right in the middle of it stands the angel of the Lord.

Moses said I love the understatement of the scripture. Sometimes I will turn aside to see this great sight.

Like what does our option? Sure. There's another one over the next two what's going on? What is this? I got to know why is this bush burning and not consume? What is going on?

when the Lord saw but he had turned aside to see now noticed Lord saw.

This is physicality. When the Lord saw that he turned his eyes. He got called to him out of the Bush who's in the bush. Angel Who's Talking Now out of the bush.

Toss them out of the Bush Moses Moses, and he said yep, that's me. Here I am.

He said don't don't come any closer. Take your sandals off. For the place on which you are standing is Holy Ground. Moses didn't know it but he didn't turn into the temple. But that's where the temple is Temple is Holy Ground pimples a place where God meets with man.

we've seen This is essential to the story like we've seen it all the way through Genesis so far. The Earth was created to be at Temple the holder. Eden was the beginning of the temple the place where God and man. Well together man's role as God's images was to extend that Temple rest of the Earth. To make all of the Earth the place where God and man dwell together. send put a great hindrance in that experience. The God will not give up. God does not give up on his dream of a creation that exists in his Shalom his peace and Harmony where his imagers both spiritual and physical well together with him in his kingdom. This is the heart and will and plan of God and he will not give up on it. even though we found so so now God is here in the bush calling to Moses. Take off your shoes. You're a Holy Ground. This is not just an ordinary day.

and he said you I am the god of your father. I'm the god of Abraham the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob and Moses hid his face notice this last race for he was afraid to see.

Good looks over. This is Angel standing in the middle of the Bush. I got to go see what that's all about. He gets closer. God calls out of the Bush take off your shoes. Be careful What's Happening Here is important and Moses falls on his face in because he does not want to look upon.

Who's in the bush? The angel is in the bush who's in the bush? God is in the bush.

Lord said I've surely seen the Affliction of my people who are in Egypt and I've heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know they're suffering. And know they're suffering. Come down to deliver them out of the hands 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 Hittites the amorites parasite the highlights and the Jew Debbie sites. And Now Behold The Cry of the people of Israel has come to me and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt, but Moses said to God Who am I that I should go? Who am I that I should go to pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. I love it when people argue with God.

It never works out for me, but it's always amusing to watch other people do it.

You don't want to send me I got a little bit of History. I was raised in Pharaoh's household. It's not going to go. Well, you don't want to send me. You haven't thought this through. This is what he say. That's not making a mistake here. He didn't show up to the wrong Moses I'm saying, this is God.

Who who am I?

Who am I that I should go to pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. He said, but I will be with you.

Let's listen to God says I will be with you not just the metaphorical spiritual sense. I will be with you. I'm not sending you by yourself. I will be with you and this will be the same for you that I have sent you when you brought the people out of Egypt usual serve God on this mountain. Moses I know you don't believe me right now, but just wait. The day is going to come you are going to be standing here on this mountain with my people and you will worship me here. Moses said to God if I come to the people of Israel and say to them the god of your father has sent me to you and they ask me. Who's that? What is his name? What shall I say to them?

First because I can't go to the Israelites. I am one but I wasn't raised as one. if I go to them and say your God the god of your fathers has sent me and and they say who who is he? What do I say to them?

And he said I will be with you. I'm sorry. And God said to Moses. I am who I am. I am that I am say this to the people of Israel. I am has sent me to you. Because of some cultural and historical reasons we missed the point of what's Happening Here. It actually is revealing his name.

This is God naming himself to closing his name to his people that the essence of his name has to do with this quality of existence. You want to know who I am. This is my name. I am I am brute force of existence. I am lifetime creation. I am God is giving his name and his name reflects who he is I am. because of tradition In the Jewish context centuries after this. Mostly because of this weird mystical thinking it came to believe that there was mystical power. to this name It's juice. Quit pronouncing it. They quit saying it back to this day. We don't know with 100% certainty how this name would actually be pronounced. We just don't know. NMM into this day, when when when Jews read their scriptures, they don't pronounce the name of God. They don't use a transliteral a pronunciation like we do sometimes you replace it with the word Lord. In fact in most of your Bible translations when you're reading in the Hebrew scriptures when you see the phrase the Lord in all caps or small caps. That's a translation of this name these for conference call. I get all nerdy on you. This is the Fast and Furious that they did just stop saying the name because they thought it was magical. magical it was an expression of who God is

Please God he is the one who is he is The Great I Am.

We exist. We Exist because something brought us into existence Even if you want to take the Divine or Supernatural out at you exist because your mommy and daddy. meet you we are contingent at the core. We are but we're not the same as God he is. He is. God reveals himself God names himself, and we have all sorts of names forgot. El Shaddai God Almighty. Hello young God most high especially in Genesis. We see.

here at this moment in this Interaction with Moses god names himself and from this point on through the rest of the Hebrew scriptures. This is the name of God that is used. In the Poetry in the Psalms and sometimes we see some of these other names brought back is poetic that this is. God identifies himself. I am tell them I am sent you. Listen, listen what he says next. Also said to Moses say this to the people of Israel the Lord. I am Yahweh against not translated. There. It is the Lord. This is the name of God. Yahweh people. This will Yahweh 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 the sound of you remember throughout all generations.

We've reduced God. to this weird abstract concept God

God of creation the guy who called and met with Abraham The guy who instituted Covenant and rescued his people this God reveals himself.

Is Yahweh I am. This is my name forever. Shape and color Jesus's statements in John before Abraham was I am? Jesus is claiming the name.

therefore the reality

the essence of God I am I'm not contingent like you are I'm not dependent like you are I and you had a beginning I am the beginning and the end. This is statements of Jesus is so radical so powerful.

Think about it again here in the context of Exodus chapter 3, who is it? That is speaking all of this. Who is it that is claiming the name I am. Who is it that we have in the SEC? It's identified right in the beginning Moses. Trump's and bear is the Angel of the Lord.

God himself I'm going to be with you. How how is God with Moses as he leaves the people out of Egypt?

He's with him. In a person in the presence of the Angel of the Lord. Jump Ahead 2 Exodus 23:23

dhole I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepare. So, this is God against speaking to Moses. They're getting ready to make their Journey out of Egypt make their way to the promised land and God says listen. All right, here's how it's going to work. I'm spending my messenger. I'm sending my angel. To be with you and he's going to guard you on the way and he is going to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

I think it's really interesting. Pay careful attention to him.

Pay careful attention to him.

Right away. She get the clue that something's going on.

God doesn't talk this way about any other angel or messenger in scripture. Not anyway. You need to listen to him.

Like you're listening to me because actually you are a careful attention to him and obey his voice think about that in the contents of I am the Lord your God. There is no other you shall have no Gods before me. You pay attention to him and you will pay him.

Do not rebel against him. Or he will not pardon your transgression.

Here's got document. You need to pay attention to this angel that I'm sending why you need to obey him? because if you don't he will not pardon your transgressions now who forgives sin. Who forgives sin, but God Alone against you and you only have I sinned Allure. At the end of the day we sin against each other. We sin against ourselves. We sent against irrigation, but all of those are a direct affront to the Creator and sustainer of all all sin is ultimately relational again. It's not the end of the day. The only one that truly forgives us is.

And yet here, he's telling Moses and the Israelites as I lead you out of Egypt. I'm sending this message in his angels to lead you and garden protector. You better listen to him. You better pay close attention cuz you better obey and what and if you don't you won't forgive your sin. or my name

Hebrew Hashem is another way of referring to God itself. Show my name is in him. Which is a huge break way of saying I am. I'm with you. This is what God has promised. I'll be with you. How does God show up with them? He shows up by Leading them with the angel. Who is in their midst? Who guards and protects them who delivers them and defeats their enemy?

When Jesus says before Abraham was I am he is claiming to be the one who stood in the bush and Called Moses and the one who let Moses and his people out of Egypt.

Jesus didn't show up in Bethlehem out of nowhere. Jesus has always been the hero of the story. He's always been the one who has met and initiated and Lead.

careful attention to him for my name is in him.

This this juxtaposition of the Angel and Yahweh himself is used throughout the scripture.

As we as we looked hundreds of years later at the writings of the prophets and they look back at what happened. We see things like this Deuteronomy. chapter 4 first 35 was shown that you may know that the Lord is God that there is none other besides him. Out of Heaven he let you hear his voice that he might discipline you and on Earth he let you see his great fire and you heard his words out of the mix of the fire Taking us back to Exodus chapter 3 and because he loved us and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own Presence by his great power.

Listen to his tape Deuteronomy chapter 4 who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered them. God did the one we read Exodus 20:3, who is it? That is present. It's the angel of the Lord.

He drove out the Nations before you Nations greater and mightier than you to bring you in to give you their land is inheritance as it is to this day. How about Joshua 24?

Joshua 24 sissy sport is the Lord Our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery and two did Great Signs in our site and preserved in all the way that he went and among all the peoples through whom we passed. It is the Lord. That is the way I am. Or it is I M Our God who brought us up at our fathers out of Egypt. And the Lord Yaweh drove out before us all the people the amorites who live in the land and therefore we will also serve Yahweh. For he is our God.

We go to judges 2 1 now the angel of the Lord went up from gilgal to book him. And he said I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your father's I said, I will never break my Covenant with you. I got dozens of these scriptures.

Say the same thing consistently, who is it? That is the deliver. It is Yahweh. I am and who is it? That is the deliverer of the one that we did it is the angel of Yahweh. this is Christ all over the history of redemption. The Jesus we serve is so much bigger and so much better than what we relegated into. We relegated them to the tiny slice of History virgin Dracula's birth in Bethlehem is 30 some years of life wandering around telling weird stories. Then this death burial Resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith. But it's not the beginning of Jesus's story. It's the climax. It's it's the Fulfillment of the Shadows that came before.

So many connections that we're just not used to seeing which we haven't been taught to see them. We believe we're trinitarian. We believe that God is relation We Believe In Father Son and Holy Spirit, but we read the Old Testament like we're monus. Like there's just one guy. And then all the sudden it radically appears in the New Testament. That's not the reality

God has been revealing himself. Jesus has been showing up from the very beginning.

Let's see one more.

My favorite Prophet milatchy great Italian prophet.

That's not how you pronounce it. Last book of the Hebrew scriptures Malachi is written after that X-Files return. People are judge sent the Babylon after. God's ordained. Time. They ate some of them come back and and they do kind of rebuild the Temple, but it's it's not the same. The hurting and the crying out and they're saying when when is the Lord going to return? We come back to the land. We we built some walls. We we built a temple, but we need God With Us. Because that's always been what makes God's people distinct from all the other peoples in the earth. Their theology morality. It's not their geography. It's not their ethnicity what has made God's people distinct throughout the entirety of creation is God's presence with them. Abraham was not better than anybody else in the world. The only thing different is that God chose to be with him Moses was not better than anybody else in the world God chose to be with him. The Israelites as a people were not ethnically Superior to all the other peoples of the earth God chose to start somewhere. And what made them unique what made them distinct what made them God's people was God's presence. Now because of their sin and God's righteous judgment against them, they're in God's placed. They are God's people in named they have God's Temple, but God's not with them.

The crying out when when will you return? When's the glory coming back? When's the angel the Covenant going to be with us again?

Malachi 3:1 behold I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before. me no to see if there's two people being sent. I'm going to send a messenger who will prepare the way before me. Who's speaking? I am Yahweh God. the whole

I will send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me and I am the Lord who you seek will suddenly come to his Temple and the messenger of the Covenant. That were there from messenger is the word that we translate as Angel cuz that's what it means messenger. Literally what the Texas and the angel of the Covenant.

Angel of the Covenant in whom you Delight whole he is coming.

how to say the people crying out God we want your presence we need you to be with us like you were lights for Angel of the Covenant came to Moses on the mountain. We need you to be with us and God comes and says I'm going to I'm going to send a messenger and he's going to prepare the way for me to come and guess what I'm going to show up. I will bring my glory back to the temple and the angel of the Covenant the one whom you love. That's the one who will show up.

If you're paying attention at all. Spirit is giving you inside.

There's no clear indication for me. in the scriptures between the person of the Incarnation Jesus and the angel of the lord The Great I Am. Who has been God's instrument throughout Redemption? Jesus did not show up out of nowhere. There's so many connections. I love these connection. We just think about it.

Who led the people? Into the land of promise and defeated the enemies with the angel who who did that wasn't Moses is Moses blew it. Joshua Joshua Wright That's how we pronounce it in the English. What's his name in the Hebrew Yeshua. What's Jesus's name? You show up same day when we translate with Joshua one place in Jesus in another. But exercising missing some of the point.

in the first Exodus

Angel and Joshua leave the people across the river out of the land of slavery into the land of promise in the second and greater Exodus. Once again you shoe a who is the Angel? Leads his people out of the slavery to sin and into the freedom of the Kingdom. We miss it. We miss it cuz we're telling our little stories in which we take stuff out of context and we're not looking for the storyline of the scripture. We missed just how big and beautiful God's Plan of Redemption if we missed the glory and The Wonder of Jesus.

John the Baptist coming as the ones we prepare the way I think about the Transfiguration Jesus up on the mountain the prophets showing up being transformed disciples. They fall down in fear and wonder

This is my son. My Chosen One listen to him Listen to him.

Jacques said a lot of things. What do you say? My son My Chosen One listen to him where we heard that before just this morning Exit 23. Send an angel to send him listen to him. It's not the first time. I've got done at the baptism of Jesus this brings all this Malachi. Next is altogether curious Jesus in the river going under coming up the spirit to send the father speaks. This is my beloved Son listen to him.

In the same way that the Angels was sent to Moses and the people to leave them out of Egypt. Now if the Angels Has Come In the Flesh, this is my son listen to

The more I think about it, the baptism of Jesus is a reenactment of Exodus chapter 3 in the burning bush. The father speaking at the sun standing there in the bush. You got the flame.

Spirit is also seen as tongues of Fire.

trinitarianism the idea of God's relational existence is not something that was invented by Christians in the New Testament. It's something that's always been in Scripture. In the ancient Jewish stages and rabbis, they knew what they saw.

Interesting lie enough. They quit saying it after the death burial resurrection of Jesus. You studied history of Jewish theology immediately after. the events in Jerusalem There's no more reference to the divine power.

It's too much like the trinity.

But it's there. Church fathers knew it they caught it. They saw it. We've lost. We've lost don't know how to read the scriptures anymore because we've lost the storyline. We make it all about us in our narcissism. in are unbelievable narcissism we make everything about

So we miss what it's really about. It's about him.

Jesus is the hero. Jesus is The Great. I Am.

Think about this last night with me Matthew 28 the Great Commission. Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection Authority in the heavens and the Earth has been given to me. Therefore Go Make Disciples of all people Baptize in the name of the father son. Holy Spirit. I've said before that that is a restatement of Genesis 1:27, right? God bless them be fruitful and multiply spread out upon the Earth it is it's also a restatement of Exodus 23 now and then basis of a new and better Covenant through the blood of Jesus. Jesus will be with us. As we bring the power and the light in the life of Jesus. the all the peoples of the Earth

Phil ryken, right this way. He says like the Israelites we have received salvation. across from Death to life through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we have not yet reached the promised land and the way is long and fart We must endure many trials and stuff for many painful sorrows in the Journey of our faith, but God has given us. A guardian Xavier who will lead us where we need to go. Jesus will protect us from danger along the way if we listen to his word. He will tell us everything. We need to know and in the end. He will lead us home.

Concerts this nothing and no one like Jesus.

He's not an abstract idea.

He is the I am. before Abraham existed Jesus exist before creation was spoken into existence Jesus existed and oh, by the way, he is the word that spoke it into existence.

There's no one and nothing like Jesus. When we have Jesus, we have everything without Jesus. We have nothing.

Oh that we could learn to see him. And know him as he is. That our faith in Jesus would be built upon the great and solid foundation of the entire word of scripture.

worship

as Jesus said the father seeks worshippers worship Him in spirit and in truth

adjust the truth of ourselves. But the truth of who he is.

Far many far too many today worship a Jesus of their own making.

a Jesus that we want A Jesus that we think should exist. We take a scripture or two. We tweak it we grab it. We ignore the scriptures that we don't like we completely disassociate him from everything that came before Bethlehem, and we we promotes and we lift up a Jesus of our own making and and this

Jesus of your own making

it's not a Jesus that say

but Jesus

Jesus say the Jesus that is that has always been and that will always be has offered himself to us. And there is nothing and no one like him. And if you will turn to him.

He will do exactly what God said. He will do. He will save you from your sin. He will bring you freedom. From the power of sin and he will guarantee you a life. But not even death can extinguish. Jesus is The Great I Am amen