The Great I Am

Exodus 3:10-15 May 26, 2024 Pastor Chris Oswald

Thesis Because God has revealed himself as the eternal, self-existent 'I am' and promises to be with his people, believers can face future callings and challenges with courage rather than fear, knowing that God's presence — not their own adequacy — makes all the difference.

Series

Exodus

Type

Expository

Tone

didacticpastoralcelebratory

Method

grammatical-historicalredemptive-historicalcanonical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

45 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #15

"Applies the principle to specific ordinary circumstances in the congregation's lives (composing emails, driving forklifts, making meals, disciplining children) and calls them to faithfulness in those roles, trusting God's training purposes."

Doctrinal loci· 12 surfaced

Theology Proper · 18 Sanctification · 7 Anthropology · 6 Christology · 6 Soteriology · 5 Ecclesiology · 4 Providence / Sovereignty · 4 Doxology / Worship · 3 Ethics / Moral Theology · 2 Bibliology · 1 Covenant Theology · 1 Pastoral Theology · 1

Bible citations· 24

Illustrations· 1

personal story · unit #3 — The preacher illustrates the significance of names by describing how he and his wife named their five children with theological meanings reflecting their prayers and dependence on God.

Theological claims· 16

The Exodus is not about Moses' heroics but about God's self-revelation and his sovereign purpose to save his people for worship and service. unit #2
God's identity is self-dependent ('I am that I am'), unlike human identity which depends on God's grace, and this self-revelation builds courage. unit #4
God responds to Moses' self-focused doubt not by affirming Moses' competence but by redirecting his focus to God's presence: 'I will be with you.' unit #11
God prepares his people for extraordinary service through seemingly ordinary means, wasting nothing in the circumstances of their lives if they faithfully engage with him. unit #14
The most important thing about Moses is not his resume or circumstances but that God is with him, and God calls us to fix our eyes on him rather than on ourselves. unit #16
Moses' identity is fundamentally defined by God's presence with him, not by his own credentials or circumstances. unit #18
God's revelation of his name makes him personally knowable to his people, showing he is not a distant deity but a relational God who interacts with and blesses them. unit #21
Learning God's name is the greatest possible object of human thought because it reveals God's nature to us. unit #22
God's name Yahweh reveals he is mysterious — knowable yet incomprehensible, holy and infinite beyond full human understanding, calling us to worship. unit #27
God's name Yahweh reveals he is eternal and unchangeable — he has always existed and will exist forever, never changing in any of his attributes, calling us to worship. unit #28
God's name Yahweh reveals he is self-existent — unlike all creatures who depend on God for existence, God depends on no one and simply exists in himself, calling us to worship. unit #29
Because God is mysterious, eternal, unchangeable, and self-existent — utterly unlike any human or earthly power — Moses and Israel could be strong and courageous in obeying him. unit #30
Because God is eternal and present in all of time, believers can face the future with courage, knowing God goes before them and will be with them, enabling them to press forward in faithfulness rather than retreat in fear. unit #33
Believers can rest knowing that in whatever God calls them to, they will experience satisfying fellowship with him and see him work in ways beyond their expectations. unit #35
God's self-existent nature, symbolized by the burning bush, means his resources are inexhaustible, his power unwearied, and his love eternal — unlike human existence which is derived, limited, and moving toward death. unit #36
Jesus, the great I am, endured scorn, crucifixion, and the Father's abandonment — taking our sin and God's wrath — so he could promise to be with us always until the end of the age. unit #41

Quotations· 6

"the greatest and best man of the world must say, by the grace of God, I am what I am. But God says, absolutely, and is more than any creature, man, or angel can say, I am that I am." — Matthew Henry (unit #4)

"by giving us his name, God, lets us know who he is. But God's name is so hard to comprehend, so inscrutable, that it forces us to admit that there are some things about God that we will never understand." — Philip Ryken (unit #27)

"everything else owes his life and being to God. But God is independent. He does not owe his being or his attributes to anyone else. He simply exists all himself." — Philip Ryken (unit #29)

"courage clings to the good in the face of pain or pleasure. Courage resists the impulse to retreat or flee in the face of hardship, difficulty, pain, even death. It also refuses to be drawn away from its post by promises of lesser reward. This we call fortitude or endurance." — Joe Rigney (unit #31)

"expect great things from God and so attempt great things for God" — William Carey (unit #34)

"the fire that burns and is not burned out, which has no tendency to destruction in its very energy and is not consumed by its own activity, is surely a symbol of the one being whose being derives its law and its source from itself, who only can say, I am that I am. the law of his nature, the foundation of his being, the only conditions of his existence being, as it were, enclosed within the limits of his own nature. You and I have to say, I am that which I become or I am that which I was born or I am that which circumstances have made me. He said, I am that I am. All other creatures are links. This is the staple from which they all hang. All other being derived and therefore limited and changeful. This being is underrived, absolute, self-dependent, and therefore unalterable forever. Because we live, we die. In living, the process is going on in which death is the end, but God lives forevermore, a flame that does not burn out. Therefore, his resources are inexhaustible, his power unwearied. He needs no rest for recuperation of wasted energy. His gifts diminish not the store which he has to bestow. He gives and is none the poor. He works and is never weary. He operates unspent. He loves and he loves forever. And through the ages, the fire burns on, unconsumed, and undecayed." — Alexander McLaren (unit #36)

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0 · Opening prayer asking God to enable the congregation to adore him, rejoice in him, and taste his goodness

Let the amen sound from his people again. Let us adore you this morning. Thank you that we can do that. Thank you that our hearts can be satisfied in your holiness and in your glory. Please help us to rejoice in you. Help us to taste and see that you are good this morning. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

1 · Introduces the preacher, the text (Exodus 3:10-15), the sermon title ('The Great I Am'), and sets up the sermon's focus: the conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush

So please take your seats for the kiddos. You can head off to children's ministry. For the benefit of our guests, this morning my name is Dove Cohen, and I'm a pastor here this morning. And our senior pastor, Chris, is in Branson with his wife Angela, so just glad that they could go down and be refreshed this morning. And I'm just really grateful for the privilege to open up God's word with you all this morning. So today's message is from Exodus 3, 10 to 15. So if you're going to open up your Bibles or scroll on your phone, it's Exodus 3, 10 to 15. And the name of the message is The Great I Am. The Great I Am. Now the past two months, I've been listening in preparation for this message, listening to and observing a conversation at a burning bush. On the treadmill at the mechanics of the dining room table, I've just been soaking in and enthralled by this conversation between a shepherd and God, the king of the universe. The shepherd, Moses, we've already spent time with this year and learned from in our message on Psalm 90 and throughout this series as we're going through Exodus. I appreciate Mike reading Psalm 90. It's just great to exalt the Lord through that psalm. And growing up Jewish, he's been, God bless you, he's been a monumental figure since childhood and accounted true privilege teaching on this text.

2 · Establishes the theological frame for the sermon: Moses was not always faithful, and the Exodus is ultimately about God's self-revelation and his determination to save his people for worship and service

And what we'll see, though, through this text, is that Moses, as faithful and wonder-working as he eventually becomes, wasn't always so faith-filled. Additionally, we'll see, as we all know, that ultimately the Exodus is not about him and his heroics, but about God. A God who reveals himself through sharing his name in this passage. And a God who is bent on saving and freeing the people of his choosing to worship and serve him.

3 · The preacher illustrates the significance of names by describing how he and his wife named their five children with theological meanings reflecting their prayers and dependence on God

Now, I've had the privilege with Christine of naming four children so far and one yet to be born. We've given them names that expressed our prayers for them. Joseph, that he would grow into a man who trusts in God's providence, especially through trials, and that he would be a gracious forgiver. Gideon, that he would be a mighty warrior for the Lord and that God would do mighty things through him even with limited resources. Bennett, that he'd be a blessing to the Lord and to everyone that he touches. Madeline, that she would take refuge in God as her strong tower. And finally, baby number five, Annalise Hazel, and Christine's carrying Annalise right now. That she would trust in God's gracious promise of Christ and know that she is seen by the Lord. Each one of these names has something in common. They're all in reference to the Lord dependent upon the Lord and his ultimate existence.

4 · Introduces the central theological claim using Matthew Henry: human identity depends on God's grace, but God's identity depends on nothing — he simply is

As Puritan Matthew Henry said, the greatest and best man of the world must say, by the grace of God, I am what I am. But God says, absolutely, and is more than any creature, man, or angel can say, I am that I am. What we'll see this morning in our text is revealing of this glorious truth. God is. We'll see the commissioning of Moses and more importantly, God's glorious and merciful self-revelation, the God who is steadfast in his purposes, resolute to be known and exalted and courage-building in his presence.

5 · Outlines the sermon structure (two points: who is Moses, who is God), states the sermon's purpose (to stand in awe of God's eternal presence with his people), and reads the full text of Exodus 3:1-15 with emphasis on verses 10-15

We'll explore two major points. Two major points. Who is Moses and who is God? Pretty simple. Two points. And ultimately, my prayer for us this morning is that we would be amazed and stand in awe in awe of a God in heaven yet working through people, men like Moses and people like you and me. and awe of a God who has been, is, and always will be and a God who since our repentance and faith has been with us through everything and will be with us as the people of God. Before we get too far though, let's first read the passage, Exodus 3. I'm going to read from verses 1 to 15 but our focus will be on 10 to 15 this morning. So 1 to 15, Exodus 3, 1 to 15. Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. And he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked and behold, the bush was burning yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight while the bush does not burn. When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called out some out of the bush, Moses, Moses. And he said, here I am. Then he said, do not come near, take your sandals off your feet for the place in which you are standing is holy ground. And 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 at God. Then the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land, that land, to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. Now our focus, 10 to 15. Come, 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 to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. He said, but I will be with you and this shall be the sign for you that I sent you when you brought the people out of Egypt. You shall serve God on this mountain. Then Moses said to God, if I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they asked me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? 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. 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, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. May God bless the preaching of his word.

6 · Recaps the scene from last week's teaching, connects Moses' theophany to similar encounters in Isaiah, Daniel, and Revelation, and emphasizes the unique conversational nature of Moses' encounter with God

And now let's begin this morning by setting the scene as we learned last week, Moses has seen and been drawn to a most unusual sight, a bush that was burning yet not consumed. And God has begun to address Moses calling out to him, instructing him that the ground he is standing on is holy. And God revealing to Moses that he has seen and heard and known the afflictions of the Israelites in Egypt as slaves. Now this scene is reminiscent of other appearances of the Lord in scripture, appearances like Isaiah 6 where angels surround the Lord and cry out, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. Daniel 7 where Daniel sees a vision of the Lord and his spirit was anxious and the visions of his head alarmed him. and even Revelation 1 where John sees the Lord and then falls at his feet as though dead. In Exodus 3 Moses is on holy ground. Yet unlike Isaiah, Daniel, and John, Moses and God they speak, they converse. This time Moses encounters God and God relates with him. he talks with him, even answers him. It's truly amazing. It is this conversation that I want to examine this morning as we consider who is Moses, who is God, and how the presence of God with us makes all the difference in our lives.

7 · Introduces the first major point ('Who is Moses?') by noting that Moses himself asks this question, using it to protest God's commission

So first, who is Moses? There are a number of ways that we can answer that question. Our text reveals Moses himself was wondering that question and even using it as a way to try to get out of God's call on his life. Look at verses 10 and 11. Come, 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 to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

8 · Analyzes Moses' focus: first, he fixates on Pharaoh's power — the political regime, military resources, and Egypt's ruler who claims divinity — which produces fear rather than courage

And bring up this question of who is Moses, Moses himself reveals much, especially where his eyes are fixed at the moment. So where is Moses' focus? Well, first, Moses focused on Pharaoh. Moses is intimately familiar with the power and the resources of Egypt's grand ruler. ruler. He's aware of the organized political regime that stands behind Pharaoh, the army of chariots and horses and soldiers loyal to the self-proclaimed son of God. And ultimately, Moses is aware of this man, a man of learning and might and commanding rule. So Moses, in considering Pharaoh, well, he's less than courageous.

9 · Analyzes Moses' second focus: the Israelites themselves — a vast, unorganized, oppressed people who rejected Moses' leadership 40 years earlier, giving him no reason to expect their support now

Second, Moses focused on the children of Israel. roughly 600,000 men alone. A people who are unorganized, oppressed, and not necessarily looking for Moses to come and rescue them. Remember when Moses kills the Egyptian taskmaster 40 years prior what the Israelites say to him that day or the next day? Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you kill the Egyptian? If that was the Israelite mindset 40 years ago, what would give Moses hope that the children of Israel would rally around him now?

10 · Analyzes Moses' third focus: himself

All right, third, Moses' eyes are fixed on himself. Who am I that I should go? Who is Moses in his own mind? Well, he's a nobody. Yes, Moses was trained in the Egyptian household, the Egyptian palace, and presumably the finest of Egypt's schools. At 80 years old, though he had no army, no impressive buildings, no court of fawning subjects, his resume and his mind was purely unimpressive, a shepherd alone. This Moses is quite different from Moses at 40, the self-assured Moses who sought to take action into his own hands, killing that Egyptian taskmaster. Moses, at 80, is now a different man, a man ready to see God work, yet he doesn't know it.

11 · Establishes the key theological move: God does not address Moses' inadequacy by inflating his confidence or reminding him of his credentials; instead, God redirects Moses' focus from self and circumstances to God's own presence: 'I will be with you

And notice how God treats such a person with eyes on circumstances and self. God does not try to pump up Moses' ego to reassure him that he can do what God is calling him to do. He doesn't remind him of his familial pedigree, his previous schooling, or his accomplishments in Egypt. Rather, what does God say? But I will be with you. but I will be with you. Where does God point Moses' eyes on himself?

12 · Signals a brief digression to explore God's providential preparation of Moses during his 40 years in Midian before returning to the main argument

Let's come back to that in a second. I do want to take a minute to highlight that we mustn't overlook the fact that God has been working in Moses' life over the past 40 years.

13 · Describes God's providential training of Moses during his 40 years in Midian: learning to shepherd flocks, raise sons, and care for his wife — ordinary roles that prepared him for extraordinary service

40 years in backwater Midian, but a faithful and fruitful 40 years. While Moses has been out of the loop of the political and cultural and social intrigue of Egypt, God has been training this man. He's learned how to shepherd flocks, an occupation not very different from any of God's faithful servants. He's learned how to be a father, raising two sons, Eleazar and Gershom. and he's learned how to be a husband, caring for his wife Zipporah, now for 40 years since he rescued her and her sisters from those Midianite shepherds.

14 · Draws the theological principle from Moses' training and applies it to the congregation: God uses ordinary circumstances and roles to prepare his people for extraordinary service

From this, I want to draw the fact that God prepared Moses through seemingly ordinary means for extraordinary service. We, too, must not overlook how God can and is using the circumstances of our lives to prepare us for glorious responsibilities. Truly, God wastes nothing. God wastes nothing. In the seemingly ordinary roles of our lives, husband, father, shepherd, teacher, cop, lawyer, businessman. God is training us for glorious things if we will engage with him, cooperate with him, join him in becoming whatever God wants to make of us through our faithful labors.

15 · Applies the principle to specific ordinary circumstances in the congregation's lives (composing emails, driving forklifts, making meals, disciplining children) and calls them to faithfulness in those roles, trusting God's training purposes

Do you feel overlooked by the Lord? Are you toiling in obscurity and in glorious circumstances, composing emails, reviewing documents, driving a forklift, or making meals, teaching kids how to read, disciplining, disciplining, disciplining, two and four and six-year-olds. We must draw this lesson from the life of Moses. God uses the seemingly ordinary to train us. Again, if we will eagerly cooperate, zealously, passionately dig into the roles he has placed us in, faithful in little, faithful in much, in this life or the next. Certainly, what glorious things God has in store for his children.

16 · Returns to the main theological point: the decisive factor is not Moses' qualifications or circumstances but God's presence with him

But again, remember the primary purpose of these verses, that even in our daily, ordinary godliness, God calls our eyes to look to him. The most important thing about Moses is not his resume or his circumstances, but it is that God is with him.

17 · Traces God's covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, emphasizing the continuity of God's presence ('I will be with you') across the patriarchal line, showing Moses stands in this tradition

Like his forefathers before, Abraham, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. Isaac, sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your offspring, I will give these lands, all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father. And Jacob, behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

18 · Concludes the first major point: Moses' identity is defined not by his own qualifications but by God's presence with him, which makes all the difference

Like his forefathers before, God is with Moses. God is with Moses. And that will make all the difference. Who is Moses? He's a man that God is with.

19 · Transitions to the second major point ('Who is God?') by noting that Moses continues to protest despite God's promise of presence, setting up the next section on God's self-revelation through his name

All right, second, who's God? Well, one thing, Moses may have been convinced to end his protesting with the knowledge that God is with him. But he doesn't. Rather, he continues to push back at God.

20 · Reads Exodus 3:13, where Moses asks God for his name to give to the Israelites, framing it either as continued protest or genuine inquiry

Look at verse 13. Then Moses said to God, if I have come to the people of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, what is his name? What shall I say to them?

21 · Interprets God's response: by giving Moses his name, God makes himself personally knowable to Israel — not a distant deity but a relational God who will interact with and bless his people

All right, maybe I'm being a little rough on Moses. We'll assume positive intent, and grant this was a genuine question. Either way, God is amazingly gracious and patient with Moses, and in just perfect wisdom provides a glorious answer. He gives Moses his name. Now, what's in a name? Well, in giving his name, God makes it so that Moses and the people of Israel can know him personally. God will not be some distant clockmaker who set up the universe and then step back and let it run. Rather, he will be a God that Israel will know and interact with and be blessed by over and over again.

22 · Establishes the purpose of the following section: to explore what God's name reveals about his nature, positioning this as the highest object of human contemplation

In addition, in God giving Israel his name, Israel, and we by extension, will be able to learn something truly much about God. Is there anything greater that we can think about than who is the Lord? So let's consider what we can learn about God from learning his name.

23 · Reads Exodus 3:14-15, where God reveals his name as 'I am who I am' and 'the Lord' (Yahweh), establishing his covenant identity and eternal remembrance

First, look at verses 14 and 15. 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. 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, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. There's a lot that we can unpack there.

24 · Explains the Hebrew grammar of God's name: 'I am who I am' (ehyeh asher ehyeh) is verbal, while 'the Lord' (Yahweh) is the noun form, and announces the sermon will focus on Yahweh

So first, it seems like God gives Moses two answers to his question regarding God's name. First, I am, and second, the Lord. In Hebrew, this I am who I am, echya asher echya, appears to be more of a verb than a noun. So while it's included in God's answer to Moses, and while this name suggests God's free existence, we are going to focus on the noun given to Moses. The name the Lord, or in Hebrew, yud he vav he, or Yahweh.

25 · Personal pastoral aside: the preacher shares his Jewish upbringing's reverence for God's name and the freedom believers have in Christ to speak Yahweh reverently without fear, because Christ is our righteousness

Now, personally, I tremble a little in speaking that name. Being brought up Jewish, we were never to speak that name for fear of taking it in vain. Instead, we'd use the Hebrew term Adonai, or Lord, as a place keeper for God's proper name. at the same time, I and we are in Christ. He is our righteousness, and so we can reverently take up the name of God, Yahweh, on our lips, without fear of retribution. We can, because of Christ, boldly approach the throne of grace, knowing that it is a throne of grace. what a difference Christ makes.

26 · Explains the textual convention for distinguishing Yahweh (all caps LORD) from Adonai (capital L + lowercase letters) in English Bibles, then transitions to exploring what Yahweh reveals about God's nature

Now, in speaking on this name of God, notice, if you have a Bible, you'll see sometimes the word the Lord, Lord, will be a capital L with three lowercase letters, and sometimes it will show Lord with all uppercase letters. So know that when all the letters are uppercase, the Hebrew is yud, hey, vav, hey, or Yahweh. Now, more importantly, what does this name tell us about God, and what does it reveal to Moses?

27 · First attribute revealed by Yahweh: God is mysterious — his name reveals him yet remains inscrutable, forcing us to admit we cannot fully comprehend God

Well, first, it reveals to us that God is mysterious. Philip Ryken, in his commentary on Exodus, writes that by giving us his name, God, lets us know who he is. But God's name is so hard to comprehend, so inscrutable, that it forces us to admit that there are some things about God that we will never understand. God is holy. He is a cut above his creation. God is glorious. God is infinite. In this name, we see that we just cannot understand everything about the Lord. may we worship.

28 · Second attribute revealed by Yahweh: God is eternal and unchangeable

Second, God's name reveals that he is eternal and unchangeable. Look at verse 15. This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. God has always been. He was from eternity past, he is now, and he will forever be God, the Lord. And the Lord, he doesn't change. He doesn't change in his righteousness. He doesn't change in his justice. He doesn't change in his mercy, his power, his love, his patience, his anger, his glory. God is unchangeable. May we worship.

29 · Third attribute revealed by Yahweh: God is self-existent

Finally, God's name reveals that the Lord is self-existent. Again, Reichen, everything else owes his life and being to God. But God is independent. He does not owe his being or his attributes to anyone else. He simply exists all himself. May we worship.

30 · Synthesizes the three attributes: God's nature as mysterious, eternal, unchangeable, and self-existent makes him utterly unlike Pharaoh, Moses, or Israel

And knowing God's name, Moses and the children of Israel were to know that God, the God who is with them and delivering them, he is mysterious, he is eternal, he is unchangeable, and he is self-existent. This God is utterly unlike Pharaoh, unlike Moses, unlike Israel. And this God will bring the people out of Egypt to serve him on this mountain. Moses and Israel, they were not to falter, to waver, to hesitate. They truly could be strong and courageous in believing, trusting, obeying the God who simply is.

31 · Transitions to application: God calls the congregation to approach the future with courage

Alright, so what about us? How does this apply to our lives, our circumstances? What I believe God is calling us to this morning is to consider our future and approach it with courage. Joe Rigney in his book Courage, How the Gospel Creates Christian Fortitude, writes that courage clings to the good in the face of pain or pleasure. Courage resists the impulse to retreat or flee in the face of hardship, difficulty, pain, even death. It also refuses to be drawn away from its post by promises of lesser reward. This we call fortitude or endurance.

32 · Applies the courage principle with direct questions: What is God calling you to in the future? Do you feel worry or fear? Where are your eyes — on yourself and circumstances, or on God who knows and loves you in Christ?

So what is God calling you to two days, two months, two years out? When you look into the future, do you have any tinge of worry or fear? What do you anticipate and where are your eyes? Are they on yourself and your circumstances or are they on this God who in Christ knows, sees, hears, and loves you?

33 · Theological grounding for courage: because God is eternal and present in all of time, believers can face the future with eager expectation, knowing God goes before them and will be with them

Based on the name of God, we can know God is in all of time. Yes, he is here with us this moment and he is there in the future going before us. Because of who God is in Christ, we can look to the future with eager expectation, with courage, clinging to the good of knowing God will be in it. God will lead us and God will be with us. So resisting the impulse to retreat, worry, or flee in the face of hardship or simply the unknown, but instead to press forward into it with faithfulness to the Lord and anticipating God and his grace to meet us in it.

34 · Applies the courage principle with concrete examples using William Carey's motto: because God is with us, we can expect great things from him and attempt great things for him — godly marriage, raising children, serving in singleness, building church, witnessing, finishing well

Truly, because God is with us, we can, as the missionary William Carey exclaimed, we can expect great things from God and so attempt great things for God. Great things like cultivate, a godly marriage, raise zealous children, serve in singleness, build a fruitful church, witness to our neighbors, finish well.

35 · Completes the application: believers can rest knowing that whatever God calls them to, they will experience satisfying fellowship with him and see his hand at work — perhaps differently than anticipated, but always doing more than they can imagine

And we can rest in the knowledge that no matter what he calls us to and what we attempt to do to glorify him, we will know and experience and be satisfied by fellowship with the Lord and see his hand at work. Maybe how we anticipate, maybe not, but always doing abundantly more than all we can ask or think.

36 · Uses Alexander McLaren's extended meditation on the burning bush as a symbol of God's self-existent, inexhaustible nature

Now the rest of Exodus and the rest of the Bible will be a revealing of God's nature as expressed in his name and the rest of our lives in Christ will be the same. So may we look to the future to whatever God is calling us with faith and courage knowing that the God who is is with us, his people. Listen to this final quote from Alexander McLaren. the fire that burns and is not burned out, which has no tendency to destruction in its very energy and is not consumed by its own activity, is surely a symbol of the one being whose being derives its law and its source from itself, who only can say, I am that I am. the law of his nature, the foundation of his being, the only conditions of his existence being, as it were, enclosed within the limits of his own nature. You and I have to say, I am that which I become or I am that which I was born or I am that which circumstances have made me. He said, I am that I am. All other creatures are links. This is the staple from which they all hang. All other being derived and therefore limited and changeful. This being is underrived, absolute, self-dependent, and therefore unalterable forever. Because we live, we die. In living, the process is going on in which death is the end, but God lives forevermore, a flame that does not burn out. Therefore, his resources are inexhaustible, his power unwearied. He needs no rest for recuperation of wasted energy. His gifts diminish not the store which he has to bestow. He gives and is none the poor. He works and is never weary. He operates unspent. He loves and he loves forever. And through the ages, the fire burns on, unconsumed, and undecayed. This is your God. He loves and he loves forever.

37 · Summarizes the sermon's two major movements: Moses' self-focused hesitation and God's patient redirection of Moses' gaze to himself through revealing his name as the mysterious, eternal, unchangeable, self-existent one

In conclusion, this morning, we've been on holy ground listening to a conversation between a shepherd and God almighty. We've seen that while Moses, with his eyes fixed on himself and his circumstances, Moses was hesitant to obey God's call on his life. However, we've seen God was patient with Moses, lifting his gaze to know that he was with Moses and just who that he is through revealing his name. The mysterious, eternal, unchangeable, self-existent one.

38 · Final charge: In Christ, God is with us, crafting us through daily circumstances into courageous servants

This morning, may we remember that in Christ, God is with us. That in Christ, in our daily circumstances, God is crafting us to be fruitful, productive, courageous servants in his kingdom. And ultimately, may we worship a God who eternally is. And so press on into the future with fresh, even daring faith and courage. This conversation at the burning bush, I wish I could say convinced Moses to get up and go in obedience. We'll see next week that it will take a bit more convincing. amazing. But for us, we can learn from, be instructed, and be empowered by it to get up and walk out God's call on our lives with courage, looking toward the future with eager anticipation that God will be in it, that God will lead us, and that ultimately, God will be with us. And is there anything more that we could want?

39 · Closing prayer praising God as the eternal, unchangeable, mysterious I am

Let's pray. Dear God, we praise you because you are the eternal, unchangeable, mysterious I am. Lord, we stand in awe of you. We stand in awe of your power and your glory, and we thank you that in Christ we get to experience your mercy and grace. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that it reveals things about you to us so that we can know you and be satisfied in your steadfast love. Lord, I pray that we would stand in awe of you and that the seeds planted is necessary to go deep and help us to walk out your call on our lives, whatever it is, with fresh faith and courage. I pray it's in Jesus' name. Amen.

40 · Transitions to communion by connecting God's self-revelation in the burning bush to his self-revelation in Jesus Christ

Now, for communion this morning, let's remember that God, in being the great I am, has revealed himself in the burning bush and has revealed himself to us in flesh in Jesus Christ. Over and over again in the Gospel of John, Jesus says, I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the door of the sheep. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the good shepherd. I am the way and the truth and the life. I am the true vine. Ultimately, in John 8, 58, Jesus says, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus left no doubt. He is the great I am. Ehye, asher, ehye, Yahweh. Jesus is God.

41 · Establishes the gospel logic connecting the cross to God's presence: Jesus, the eternal I am, allowed himself to be scorned, beaten, crucified, and abandoned by the Father — taking our sin and God's wrath upon himself — so he could promise to be with us always until the end of the age

And Jesus allowed himself to be scorned, mocked, beaten, and crucified. Ultimately, taking our sin, God's curse, God's wrath upon himself, being abandoned by the Father, the great eternal I am. So he could say to us, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. He will always be with us. Thank God.

42 · Invites the congregation to communion with fresh gratitude, amazement, and awe of God, whose love shares the attributes of his name: great, mysterious, eternal, and unchangeable

So come to the table this morning, freshly grateful, freshly amazed, and freshly in awe of a God, in awe of this God, whose love, like his name, is so great, so mysterious, so eternal, so unchangeable, and may we worship.

43 · Reads the words of institution from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, establishing the biblical foundation for the communion service and its proclamation of Christ's death until his return

1 Corinthians 11, 23, 26. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, also, he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

44 · Final invitation to communion: proclaim the Lord's death together, which secured God's eternal presence with his people until the end of the age

Come, let us proclaim the Lord's death together, which secured God with us. the end of the age.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

May 6, 2024

Understanding Covenant Theology

God structures all of life—including marriage and parenting—through a consistent five-part covenantal framework that answers the five questions every thriving institution must resolve, and parents serve as covenant mediators who must help their children replace their innate sinful answers to these questions with God's answers, primarily by teaching them to fear a holy God who is both transcendent and immanent.

May 12, 2024

She Did What She Could Do

Faithful motherhood means doing what you can with what you have and trusting God to be faithful with everything beyond your control, rejecting the zero-sum thinking that says His resources are insufficient for the fruitfulness He commands.

Exodus 2:1-10

May 19, 2024

How Moses Became Meek

May 26 · This sermon

The Great I Am

Because God has revealed himself as the eternal, self-existent 'I am' and promises to be with his people, believers can face future callings and challenges with courage rather than fear, knowing that God's presence — not their own adequacy — makes all the difference.

Exodus 3:10-15

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

When God first calls Moses at the burning bush, Moses immediately objects: 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of I…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace God's self-revelation through his name 'I am' — from his eternal, self-existent nature to his promise of presence with us — learning to fix our eyes on him rather than on our own adequacy when facing the future.

Prayer

Prayer: The God Who Is

Father, we come before you in awe of who you are. You are the God who needs nothing, depends on nothing, and exists in yourself alone — eter…

Family table

What's Your Name?

This prompt invites kids to think about identity — what makes them *them* — and then connects it to God's self-revelation at the burning bus…

Couples

I Am With You

When you heard that God's presence—not your own adequacy—is what matters most, what fear or self-doubt did that stir up in you, and what hop…

Memorize

Exodus 3:14

This verse is the theological center of the sermon — God's self-revelation as the eternal, self-existent 'I am' is what transforms Moses from fear and inadequacy into courage. Memorizing this name anchors the believer's confidence not in personal competence but in the unchangeable presence of God himself.

Memory verse this week

Exodus 3:14

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.'

Why this verse: This verse is the theological center of the sermon — God's self-revelation as the eternal, self-existent 'I am' is what transforms Moses from fear and inadequacy into courage. Memorizing this name anchors the believer's confidence not in personal competence but in the unchangeable presence of God himself.

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

I Am With You

When you heard that God's presence—not your own adequacy—is what matters most, what fear or self-doubt did that stir up in you, and what hope did it offer?
Where in our marriage do we find ourselves anxious about our own competence instead of resting in God's presence with us—and how might that shift change how we face what's ahead together?
What is one thing God has called us to as a couple where we need to fix our eyes on him rather than on ourselves—and how can we pray for each other's courage this week?

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer: The God Who Is

Father, we come before you in awe of who you are. You are the God who needs nothing, depends on nothing, and exists in yourself alone — eternal, unchangeable, mysterious, and infinitely beyond us. We confess that we too often fix our eyes on ourselves: our inadequacy, our circumstances, our fear of what lies ahead. Like Moses at the burning bush, we wonder if we are enough for what you call us to do. We measure ourselves against the task and find ourselves wanting. We forget that the deciding factor in any calling has never been our competence but your presence.

Forgive us for the times we have retreated in fear when you have asked us to advance in faith. Forgive us for treating our ordinary roles — our work, our families, our service in the church — as if they were insignificant, when you are using them to prepare us for glory. Help us see, as Moses learned to see, that you waste nothing in the circumstances of our lives. You are preparing us through what seems small and ordinary (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 26:3).

We rejoice that in Jesus, the great I am, you have promised to be with us always — that he endured the cross and the Father's wrath so that we could know your presence forever (John 14:6). Because you are with us, we need not be afraid of the future. You go before us; you know what we will face; you love us in Christ. Grant us courage — not the confidence of our own strength, but the courage that comes from fixing our eyes on you rather than on ourselves or our circumstances. Teach us to approach each day, each calling, each hardship with the settled conviction that the God who is will be with us (Ephesians 3:20).

Make us a people who know your name, who treasure the revelation of your character, and who find in you the greatest possible object of our thought and worship. We commit ourselves to you — to embracing what you give us with eager cooperation, trusting that you are at work in ways we cannot yet see. To you alone be glory, forever and ever.

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday Psalm 90

Moses himself wrote this psalm in old age, meditating on the vast span of God's existence against the brevity of human life. 'Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God' (v. 2). When God revealed himself as 'I am,' Moses was being invited to rest in a being who has no beginning, no end, and no dependence on anything outside himself — the foundation for courage in any calling.

Tuesday Isaiah 6:1-5

Isaiah enters the temple and encounters God's name in a vision: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory' (v. 3). Like Moses at the burning bush, Isaiah's first response is not confidence but overwhelming awareness of God's otherness and his own unworthiness. Yet it is precisely this encounter with God's holiness and mystery that transforms Isaiah into a messenger. We do not gain courage from understanding God fully, but from beholding him as he truly is.

Wednesday John 8:58

Jesus speaks in the temple, and his claim shocks the crowds: 'Before Abraham was born, I am!' (v. 58). Christ takes the divine name upon himself, claiming the same eternal, self-existent nature that God revealed to Moses. The same God who promised to be with Moses in his calling now stands incarnate among us, having borne our sin and shame so that he could promise, 'I am with you always, to the very end of the age' (Matthew 28:20). Our courage rests not in ourselves but in his presence.

Thursday Revelation 1:8

John hears the risen Christ declare, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End' (v. 8). Christ holds both the end and the beginning in his hand — he knows what lies ahead and has already secured victory over it. When we face an uncertain future, we do not face it alone or unprepared; we face it with one who sees the end from the beginning and whose presence makes all the difference between despair and courage.

Friday John 14:6

Jesus tells his disciples, 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (v. 6). He does not promise ease or the absence of hardship; he promises himself — access to the Father, truth that steadies us, and life that transcends our circumstances. Like Moses, we are called to faithful obedience in the ordinary, trusting that God's presence with us is not a distant promise but the very substance of our calling, transforming whatever he asks into an opportunity for deep fellowship with him.

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

When God first calls Moses at the burning bush, Moses immediately objects: 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' What does this question reveal about where Moses' attention is fixed, and why do you think that's his instinctive response?

Exodus 3:10-11

→ Can you think of a time when you've asked a similar question about yourself — 'Who am I to do this?' — when facing something God seemed to be calling you toward?
God doesn't respond to Moses' self-doubt by listing Moses' qualifications or past accomplishments. Instead, he says, 'I will be with you.' What's the difference between those two kinds of answers, and why do you think God chooses the second one?

Exodus 3:12
When Moses asks God for his name, God reveals himself as 'I am that I am' — a name that describes God as self-existent and eternal, depending on nothing outside himself. How is God's identity fundamentally different from human identity, and what does that difference have to do with courage?

Exodus 3:14-15

→ How would your response to a difficult calling change if you truly believed that the God calling you is unchangeable, eternal, and inexhaustible in his resources?
The sermon argues that God spent forty years preparing Moses in the wilderness — seemingly ordinary years as a shepherd — before calling him to deliver Israel. Looking back at your own life, where do you see God having prepared you through seemingly ordinary or even difficult circumstances?
The sermon traces God's promise to 'be with' his people through Genesis (with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and all the way to Jesus, who promises 'I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' How does knowing that this same God — the eternal I am — promises to be with you change how you face the next week or the next season of your life?

Genesis 12:2, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 28:15, Matthew 28:20

→ Where are you most tempted to doubt that presence, and what would it look like to fix your eyes on God rather than on your circumstances or your own adequacy?
The sermon emphasizes that Moses' identity is not defined by his credentials or his past failures, but by the fact that God is with him. How would your sense of calling or your daily decisions shift if you began to define yourself, not by your resume or circumstances, but by God's presence with you in Christ?

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

What's Your Name?

For the parent

This prompt invites kids to think about identity — what makes them *them* — and then connects it to God's self-revelation at the burning bush. Listen for what they say about themselves, then gently point them toward the idea that God knows his own name perfectly, and that's where our courage comes from.

If God asked you 'Who are you?' — like he asked Moses — what would you say? What makes you *you*? Now, why do you think God told Moses his name was 'I am' — like he's saying 'I just *am*, I've always been here, I always will be'? What does that do for you when you're scared or don't know what to do?

works for ages 7+ — younger kids can answer the first question with parent help; the connection to God's nature deepens with older children

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Providence Community Church

Lenexa, KS
Sundays · 10:00 AM
About us · What we believe

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# Providence Community Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Understanding Covenant Theology (2024-05-06)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2024/05/understanding-covenant-theology)
- [She Did What She Could Do (Exodus 2:1-10, 2024-05-12)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2024/05/she-did-what-she-could-do)
- [How Moses Became Meek (2024-05-19)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2024/05/how-moses-became-meek)
- [The Great I Am (Exodus 3:10-15, 2024-05-26)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2024/05/the-great-i-am)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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