THE GREAT I AM

Why is it important to know and study the Names of God?

His Names reveal His heart, His character, His nature, and His attributes.

One of the ways we get to know Him is to know His Names.

“In Scripture, a name is much more than an identity tag. It denotes the essence and character of a person or thing.” – Robert Young

Tonight, we are looking at the personal and covenant name of God: YAHWEH, LORD, JEHOVAH.

Exodus 3:1-2 (NKJV)

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Median. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God, And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

Exodus 3:3-4

Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Exodus 3:5-6

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am 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 upon God.

Exodus 3:7-8a

And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

What can we learn about the character of God from this encounter?

Moses encountered the holiness of God! (Exodus 3:5)

Moses encountered the heart of God. (Exodus 3:7)

Moses encountered the redemptive mission of God. (Exodus 3:8)

Moses encountered the call to partnership with God.

Exodus 3:10

Come now, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Exodus 3:11

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:13

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me what is His Name? What shall I say to them?”

Exodus 3:14

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

“I AM”, comes from the Hebrew word, “to be”. YHWH comes from the verb, “to be”.

Yahweh means, “I AM”.

Yahweh is translated in the NKJV as, “LORD”.

What does this Name mean for us?

1. God Is

He is the Great I AM! He is!

“‘I AM’ implies the absolute existence of God.” – Jack Hayford

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

He had a sudden revelation – “Without God, life makes no sense.” – Atheist writer

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God is! He is the Eternal Now!

“God is! There is neither beginning of days nor end of years.” – Williams

Revelation 4:8b

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was , and is, and is to come!

I AM is the Eternal One. He transcends time. (Isaiah 57:15)

Jesus is the Divine Son of God who lives in eternity with the Father and the Spirit.

John 8:58

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

2. God is Here

Exodus 3:12

So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

We are not alone!

“The Lord is the Ever Present One.” – Hayford

3. God is Here to Rescue Us

Exodus 3:8a

So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

YHWH is translated, “LORD” in the NKJV.

One of the earliest declarations of the early Church was, “JESUS IS LORD!”

Jesus came down into our world to rescue us from sin and the evil one!

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

4. God is Here to Partner with Us

The Lord worked through Moses and Aaron, and He wants to work through us!

2 Corinthians 5:20

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.