We're on page 56, Exodus 3.
Last week we spent our time thinking about the salvation of God.
! The narrative up to verse 12 was thinking about the salvation delivered to Moses by God.
! That he himself received, was then to go and proclaim to his people,
and then ultimately he was going to go and proclaim it to the self-appointed God of the world, Pharaoh.
A message of deliverance in direct opposition to this Pharaoh.
And we thought about how salvation, this message of salvation, it's shocking,
because it comes to people who really, really don't deserve it.
People like you and me.
We thought about how it's always plan A, it's never plan B.
It's never plan B.
From the beginning of eternity, God chose a people,
and he's been unfolding that plan throughout history.
Even in the darkest moments of history, God has always been on track, 100% with plan A.
And that the goal of worship, it wasn't simply that we'd have our sins paid for,
that our feeling of guilt would be alleviated, that we'd get to go to heaven.
The goal of salvation is that we might bow the knee and become worshippers of this living God.
But this morning, we're taking a turn from just thinking about the salvation of God
to thinking about the God of salvation in the remainder of chapter 3.
The reason we're doing that is because that's the turn the narrative takes in verse 13.
And Moses asks in verse 13 the logical question about hearing such a plan.
A question that if you were put in Moses' shoes,
after hearing this great plan of salvation, you would ask too.
Although it may be in different words.
Salvation is proclaimed.
And Moses says,
Sorry, who are you?
Who are you?
Or verse 13, to put it in Moses' words,
What is your name?
Now, what Moses isn't doing is he's not asking for a personal introduction over coffee at the end of church.
He's not going,
Oh, hi, I'm Adam.
What's your name?
Oh, God.
Great.
Nice to meet you.
Now, what he's doing is asking for God's personal credentials.
He's heard of this epic, colossal salvation.
And he says,
Who are you?
What qualifies you to be able to defeat Moses,
to defeat Pharaoh?
And deliver your people?
And the thing is,
if you've never asked that question this morning,
then I don't think I did a very good job last week,
describing what salvation is like.
Or maybe it's just that you struggle to see the insurmountable task of saving people like you and me.
Saving people like us.
Because the salvation that God's promised,
it is huge.
Saving a bunch of enslaved sufferers,
who have been trapped for 400 years,
never knowing what a day off felt like.
And they're moving them to a free people,
in a beautiful,
vast land,
under the care and protection,
of a good,
gracious,
loving God.
And we described last week,
didn't we,
that that is just a picture of what comes to us in Christ.
Going from people who are enslaved to sin and Satan,
trapped by our own deceptive hearts,
corrupt,
living with the consequences of a broken world.
We move from that to people who are raised,
from death to life,
to know and worship an eternal God,
in perfect perfection,
a world remade.
Who could do all of this?
Who could deliver on that kind of salvation?
The thing is,
we ask that question in a much smaller way,
every morning when we wake up,
don't we?
Is God able to get me through today?
Am I actually going to make it?
By the end of today,
am I still going to be a Christian?
You know,
the difficulties,
day after day,
alone,
are enough to not just ask,
can God deliver eternal salvation,
but can he deliver me today?
Today,
the task is great,
and Moses know the people,
people like you and me,
are going to want to know,
who are you?
Who are you that you can deliver?
And God responds with two things,
two things that you really need to know,
two things you need to know about God,
two realities about him,
that you need to set and fix your hearts upon,
in order to have confidence,
that God can deliver on this salvation.
And that's how we're going to split our time up,
today,
we're going to look at these two things,
and the first thing that you need to know,
is his name.
Halfway through verse 13,
read with me.
And when they asked me,
what is his name?
What shall I say to them?
And 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.
He gives a mysterious name,
doesn't he?
Translated in the Old Testament,
with the letters L-O-R-D,
in block capitals,
it's there in verse 15 as well.
It's the same I am,
but now just translated.
But it's important,
this isn't a title.
You know,
we see Lord scattered throughout the Bible
as a title,
an ascription,
but it's not the same as saying,
you know,
he's a shepherd,
or a king,
or a father.
It's not just a title,
this is his name,
this is who he is,
in and of himself.
And names are really important,
aren't they?
There's nothing like being greeted
at the end of the service,
by your personal name.
You know,
I've only been here a few weeks,
and yet people come up to me,
and say,
how's it going Adam?
That personal,
intimate connection,
and here,
the God of the universe,
is revealing his name to his people,
close communion with them.
And there's so many things
we could say about this name,
but firstly,
I am is,
it's a mysterious name,
isn't it?
I am,
is a mystery.
And we can't really grasp
the depths of what's going on.
When someone says,
you know,
my name's Adam,
we've got a context for it,
and it seems normal.
But just to say,
if you asked me,
what's your name,
and I said,
I am,
you'd be,
sorry,
you are what?
But Herman Babink,
a hearer of mine,
he has this great line,
talking about this,
and he says,
God is that which he calls himself,
and he calls himself
that which he is.
So,
so when the people of Moses,
people of Moses,
they come and say,
who is this God?
When you say,
yeah,
who is God?
Well,
he just replies,
God is.
Any,
any more questions?
It just brings silence,
doesn't it?
Who is God?
There is no adjective great enough to ascribe to him,
just God is.
We lisp with vocabulary to try and grasp the greatness of God.
Even the greatest descriptions you've ever read by your greatest authors of God
are pale shadows of who he really is.
Even though we know true things concerning God,
he's so far above us,
so far beyond us,
so far beyond our understanding that he's mysterious to us.
And when confronted by the mystery,
the awesomeness of this God,
we can fall into some traps.
Because I've spoken to a few of you,
a few of you are like me,
and you're prone to becoming a rationalist.
Confronted with the great mystery of God,
you try and explain away God's greatness.
You think you can put him in a box,
using your terms and your vocabularies and your own categories,
and you try and explain him away,
bringing him down.
But then, as a few of you have met,
I wouldn't say who,
but you've tendencies to become a bit mystic,
maybe a bit Welsh mystic.
And you think God is so big,
and so unknowable,
and so grand that,
well, this isn't Paul's temptation at all,
but we start to think of what,
well, we can think what we want of God.
We can start thinking,
yeah, no one can really know,
because it's just so big.
So we drag God down,
and we just let him loose.
But that's not the right response.
The third response,
and the right response,
and the response we see of Moses,
is that he becomes a worshipper.
John, whether you're prone to rationalism,
or mysticism,
repent,
and humbly come,
and sit under what God has revealed of himself,
and worship him,
as the great I am.
The great mysterious I am.
You will never know everything about God.
And yet he has revealed something of himself
that you can grasp.
But secondly,
God reveals something else about his name.
His name reveals that he's unchanging.
God is immutable.
He's eternally who he is.
He reveals his name.
This is a bit geeky,
but some of you will be pleased to hear this.
It's in the present form of the verb to be.
So,
you think,
why does that matter?
Well,
it means that God is not,
I was who I was.
And it means that God is not,
I will be who I will be.
But it's I am.
Eternally present.
And this unchanging nature
is the ground and source of his faithfulness.
His faithfulness to his creation.
We come,
and we go,
and we fluctuate,
and we fade,
and change.
We have ups and downs,
and yet God is the same.
Yesterday,
today,
and forever,
because he is eternally present,
holding time in the palm of his hand,
knowing nothing of the change of seasons
affecting him.
I am is unchanging.
So when the people cry out,
how do we know
that you can save us?
How do we know that you can deliver?
Well then,
just look down
at verse 17.
The reason you can know
is because God has promised,
and he does not change.
How do you know?
How do you know
that you'll make it through the day?
How do you know
that God will come good
on his promises to deliver you?
Well, God does not change,
and he has promised.
But this one,
I think,
is a real kicker.
Something that I don't think about
at all,
until confronted by passages like this.
But I am.
God,
revealing his name,
shows us
that he is independent.
Independent.
With the kids,
I've got everyone
to take a big breath.
But as that oxygen
rushes into your lungs,
you are dependent on it.
You are dependent
on the laws of physics,
water.
You're dependent
on the breakfast
you had this morning.
We're dependent
in every single way.
But two,
well,
perhaps teenagers,
most of all.
You know,
we long for independence,
don't we?
Can't wait to get off
the shackles of our parents.
But here's a harsh reality
for you.
You will never be independent.
As long as you are
a creature,
you will forever be
dependent on him.
But being dependent
on the God of the Bible
is not a burden.
It's a great joy,
isn't it?
To know that he is good
and provides all your needs.
For I am alone
is independent,
depending on nothing else,
especially in his creation.
And everything else
is dependent on him.
This is hard to grasp,
but Psalm 50
helps us a little.
You can turn there
if you want,
Psalm 50.
Or you can just listen.
Listen to what
Psalm 50 says.
Starting with verse 7.
I am God.
Your God.
Not for your sacrifices
do I rebuke you,
that your burnt offerings
are continually before me.
I will not accept
a bull from your house
or goats from your fold.
Why?
For every beast
of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds
of the hills
and all that moves
in the field is mine.
If I were hungry,
God says,
I would not tell you.
For the world
and its fullness of mine,
do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God
a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and perform your vows
to the Lord,
the Most High,
and call upon me
in the day of trouble
and I will deliver you
and you shall glorify me.
God needs nothing.
Not even the sacrifices
he's prescribed
his people in the Old Testament.
Silly question.
Does God get hungry?
Of course not,
but even if he did,
he wouldn't tell you
because everything belongs to him.
He owns everything
because everything
owes their existence to him.
That includes Pharaoh
who's about to go
in opposition against him.
God doesn't even need sacrifices.
Again,
silly question.
Does God drink blood?
Of course not.
God does not need anything.
And verse 21
of Psalm 50
finishes like this.
You thought
that I was one like you.
But he's not.
He needs nothing.
Yet we reduce God down
and think of him
nothing more than someone
we're kind of in relationship with.
We think,
you know,
if I give God something,
he'll give something back.
We think God needs our help
in order to accomplish
his purposes.
And we're so influenced
by the culture surrounding us
that we think
I scratch your back,
you'll scratch mine.
We think God is like
a divine vending machine.
As long as I put
the right money in,
I'll get the right thing out.
But God does not need
anything from you.
So,
I struggle with this so much
that he does not need anything.
He's so other.
But this is such good news.
Because it leads to
a really interesting observation.
Moses wants to know
who is God
to go and fight
Pharaoh.
And you think
the answer would come back,
don't worry Moses,
I'm bigger than Pharaoh.
Pharaoh.
That's how we often pray,
isn't it?
You know,
I've got this problem,
and then we pray,
but thank you
that you're bigger than
dot, dot, dot.
But that's not
his response.
His response is,
I am.
Because if he said,
I'm greater than Pharaoh,
that would kind of
put God on just
a continuum,
a spectrum with Pharaoh.
I'm sure many of you
remember playing
Top Trumps as a kid.
Children,
maybe you still play with them
and have them littered
around your living room floor.
And you're always hoping,
aren't you,
that you've got the car
that beats the car
your friend has.
You know,
the car that drives
the fastest,
or the snake
that has the most venom.
Or the animal
that's just a bit bigger
and faster.
And as great as
Top Trumps is,
that is not
what is going on here.
God is not just
the next Top Trump card
up from Pharaoh.
It's not on a continuum
where God has
slightly higher stats
than Pharaoh.
That would constantly
leave you worried,
wouldn't it?
But what if one day
someone plays
the next Top Trump card up?
What if one day
there's a bigger God?
What if there's
someone greater
that can thwart
those prayers?
God simply answers,
I am.
Even Pharaoh,
even the game,
owns its dependence
on me.
God is not on a spectrum
with Satan.
You don't just have to hope
that God is further
up the spectrum
than Satan.
Nothing is too difficult
for him.
Because nothing
compares to him.
We see that a little,
don't we?
When Moses
hears from God
what Pharaoh's
response is going to be.
You look down
back at our passage,
he even says
what Pharaoh's
response is going to be.
He knows what
Pharaoh's response
is going to be
in the future
to what God does
because even Pharaoh
is dependent on him.
later on Romans 9,
Paul tells us that
even Pharaoh was
raised up so that
God might display
his glory in him.
Everything in this world
is dependent on God
and displays his glory.
And our big problem,
it's always good
isn't it to hear
that line from a
27 year old preacher
who has half the life
experience of most of you.
But,
our big problem,
we stumble again
and again
into thinking
that God
is like us.
we think,
do you know what,
I'm finding this
really hard.
And we think,
oh well,
God must find things
hard too.
God finds nothing
difficult.
We ought to have
great thoughts
of God's
and we so easily
allow our thoughts
to become small
and narrow.
He is a great
mystery, isn't it?
But maybe you're
struggling to grasp
the concepts.
But these are just
words that are
coming to you
and you're finding
it difficult to
really wrap your
head around them.
Well,
God knows that
we might struggle
and so he gives us
a picture of it
as well.
We read about it
today and talked
about it last week.
But it's there
in the burning bush.
Just think about it.
All we've described
is displayed for us
in the fire
of the burning bush.
I am
revealed as
the God
who is
mysterious.
This mysterious
fire in the midst
of the bush.
Unchanging fire,
perpetually burning
and in need
of nothing
in the midst
of the bush
yet completely
independent of it.
I am God.
The God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
The God of us
this morning
is the self-sufficient
eternally burning
fire who requires
nothing to exist.
But the picture
of the burning bush
is also really
comforting.
Because where is
the fire?
fire?
Well the fire
being in the midst
of the bush
leads to our
second point.
Just look down
at verse 15
of our passage.
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
the God
of Jacob
has sent me
to you.
this is my name
forever
and thus
I am to be
remembered
throughout all
generations.
Hearing God
as I am
should just
provoke awe
and wonder.
But hearing
that I am
is your God
should just
bring pure joy.
I just think
this is the best
news.
The picture
of the burning
bush helps us
understand it
because the
self-burning
perpetual
eternal fire
of God
isn't just
kind of
floating around
abstractly
but he is
in the midst
of the bush
and the bush
picture his
people.
God
is in the midst
of his people.
I am
is God
but I am
is your God.
In the same
breath of telling
of his otherness
he speaks to
his closeness
his condescension
again we sang
with the kids
earlier
closest
than the closest
friend.
And that's
what's going
on here.
He doesn't
need us.
He doesn't
need anything
and yet
he wants
you.
He wants
to be
in the midst
of his people.
He longs
to be
with you.
So God
stoops down
to make it
a way
to make it
possible
for us
to be
with him
and for
him to
be with
us.
And we
talked about
it last
time didn't
we?
That he
knows,
he sees,
he cares
about the
affliction of
his people
and he's
not watching
it on the
news
abstractly
and distantly
this
independent
burning fire
no he's
with his
people
experiencing
it and
knowing
and caring
and he
stretches
out his
mighty
arm
to deliver
his
people.
God is
not aloof
he is
close
and this
God
is your
God
he's the
same
he has
seen
your
suffering
you know
I always
think
you look
around a
congregation
and there's
no one
that hasn't
had at
least
some
difficulties
in the
week
but yet
God
has seen
it
even if
we don't
show it
on our
faces
and he's
seen
your
sin
he's
seen
that
thing
that
we
stumble
into
again
and
again
he's
seen
your
suffering
and he
has
seen
your
sin
and he
cares
for you
he has
heard the
prayers
of his
people
and he's
acted
in history
in a
way
once and
for all
to deliver
us
but each
day
he hears
the prayers
of his
people
and tends
to them
sustaining
them
caring for
them
taking them
home
perhaps you
believe in
God
but more in
just kind of an
abstract way
you don't know
God as your
God
you kind of
believe he's
out there
I urge you to
come and bow
the knee to him
that you might
know him as your
God
because think about
the Egyptians
is the fact
that God
is I
am
good news
to them
it's
terrifying
but to know
that I
am
is your
God
that brings
the greatest
comfort
you know
in Exodus
we see
God
mightily
displaying his
name
I am
as he
stretches
out his
arm
with
miraculous
plagues
sent on
Egypt
to deliver
his
people
the
crossing
of the
Red
Sea
but in
the same
way
last week
we saw
that was
just a
shadow
well it's
just a
shadow
this time
isn't it
in John's
gospel
John
records
for us
Jesus
drawing on
this
revelation
of his
name
I
am
again
and
again
I
am
we see
Jesus
is the
fulfillment
of I
am
God
dwelling
with his
people
in the
midst
of his
people
Jesus
says
I
am
the
bread
of
life
I
am
the
light
of
the
world
I
am
the
door
I
am
the
good
shepherd
I
am
the
resurrection
and the
life
in the
same
way
I
am
the
way
the
truth
and
the
life
I
am
the
true
vine
and
Jesus
summarizes
it
by saying
before
Abraham
was I
am
and I
am
is
me
Jesus
stood
walking
talking
seeing
knowing
caring
is
obviously
with his
people
that here
he's revealing
that he's
the God
of his
people
each
time
making it
clearer
and clearer
as he
is identifying
himself
with
I am
the
conversations
I've
had
with
Muslims
where
they
say
Jesus
never
says
he's
God
it
never
comes
out
of his
mouth
well the
Jews
were so
clear
what
Jesus
was
claiming
as he
says
I am
that they
sought to
stone him
for
blasphemy
make no
mistake
what Jesus
is claiming
for them
but we
shouldn't be
surprised
should we
because the
burning
bush is
a picture
of the
incarnation
I am
in the
midst
of his
people
but it's
not just
a picture
this is
the pre-incarnate
Jesus
revealing what
God will do
in the
climax of
history
when he
doesn't just
appear for a
moment in
time in a
bush but
when he
truly becomes
God with
us
it's a
detail that
we skimmed
over last
week
but Moses
saw in
the bush
a being
in human
form
the Bible
says
the angel
of the
Lord
appeared to
him in
fires of
flame
from within
the bush
but
this must
be Jesus
like no
angel would
accept worship
from Moses
let alone
command it
the angel
of the
Lord
who is
with God
and is
God
revealing
himself
this could
be no
other person
than the
second person
of the
Trinity
Jesus
revealing
himself as
I am
coming to
rescue
his people
and this
astounding
picture
what is
it makes
so much
sense
of John
18
Jesus in
the garden
of Gethsemane
the soldiers
come seeking
to arrest
Jesus and
hand him
over to the
Jews to
have him
put on
trial and
killed
and then
verse 4
of John
18
Jesus
knowing
all that
would happen
to him
just like he
knows exactly
what will
happen with
Pharaoh and
the unfolding
of his plan
then
here he knows
again
he came
forward and
he said to
them
whom do you
seek
they answered
him
Jesus of
Nazareth
and Jesus
said to
them
I am
and they
fell to
the ground
they drew
back and
fell to
the ground
they drew
back and
fell to
the ground
like Moses
did when he
saw Jesus
in the burning
bush
simply by
revealing that
he is the
ancient of
days
I am
present in
their midst
but the
thing is
I am
has not
come down
to stretch
out his
arm in
mighty acts
and miracles
but by
simply
and humbly
stretching out
his arms
on a cross
not to
defeat
Pharaoh
but to
defeat
sin
and death
the infinite
God
clothed in
humanity
I am
making it
possible
forever
to be
God
with us
what do
you need
to know
what do
you need
to know
in order
to have
confidence
that God
can accomplish
his purposes
that God
really can
come good
on all
he's
promised
sure
what do
you need
to know
that today
you'll get
through
and that he
will take
you home
one day
you need
to know
that I
am
is God
but that
God
is I
am
and he
will do
whatever
it takes
to save
his people
and if
you ever
doubt it
if you
ever doubt
it
just look
to Jesus
and see
the I
am
in the
midst
of his
people
going to
such
great
lengths
let me
pray
as we
finish