Sermon
The Great "I AM"
Theme
God is the Great “I AM” and we are His little “I am’s”
Object
None needed
Scripture
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:13-14
In the Book of Exodus, we read the story of God meeting Moses at the burning bush. There, God said to him, “I am the God your father, the God of Abraham, the God of your ancestors, and I want you to go to Pharaoh and direct him to release my people from slavery.”
But Moses kept asking him, “Who are you?” “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am—thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God wanted to be known simply as the great “I AM.” When Moses then asked, well, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” God replied, “I will be with you.” That is, we, who are all made in the image of God, are little “I am’s”, and thus we are defined.
Many of the words we use to describe ourselves are just plain fact: Our pastor would say “I am a man”. I would say “I am a woman”. All of you could say “I am a child”. But we also describe ourselves in other ways. We might say, “I am lazy”, “I am shy”, “I am stupid”, or “I am clumsy”. Those are very negative declarations aren’t they? Those types of statements tend shape what we are or who we become. Unfortunately, we don’t always label ourselves that way. We may hear others call us that so many times, that we tend to believe it. What if you don’t want to become any of those, what can you do?
Here’s a simple solution: simply make new, positive declarations. By re-naming ourselves, we enlarge the space for God to help us to become who we say we are: “I am a child of God”. “I am a kind person”. “I am a generous person. And despite everything, I am filled with joy, hope, peace and love.” Once you believe that, it will be easier to live that way.
Of course, we may fail at times. But, here is another declaration: “I am NOT a quitter”. When I fall down, I don’t stay there. I get right back up, and keep trying. You can be whatever you have the courage to take a stand for. Remember: “I am.”
Dear Lord, we know that you are the Great “I AM”. Help us to remember that we are little “I am’s” and to make positive declarations on our lives. Amen.
