Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.
Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. It reminds me every time I read this in the Bible, just to show you how spiritual I am, I think of Popeye. How many of you watched Popeye as a kid? That shows our age. But he used to say, I am's what I am's. I am what I am.
You know what? We are what we are. But God is what He is. And we're going to just talk about this briefly today. We'll pick up our series on the seven churches next Sunday. But this familiar story, I preached on it before, did a series on Moses and things, but I want us to look at it, and I just wanted to make some observations today.
You've got to get the whole context here. Verses will be on the screen if you need them. Obviously, I hope you have your Bibles, you can follow along. In Exodus, chapter 3, verse 1, it says, Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the backside of the desert, came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Verse 3, And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. Verse 6, Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy 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. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people, which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the land unto a good land. Verse 10, Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt. And he said, Certainly, I will be with thee, God says, and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee, when thou has brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name?
What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. God said, Moreover, unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel. In other words, I am hath sent me, this is what you're going to say to the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial, notice that, unto all generations. God said, I want not just you, not just the children of Israel, but I want every generation hereafter to know, I am, I am.
See, that doesn't seem to make sense. That's what God wants you to know today. He is. He is the I am. And let's pray and then you enjoy this special before the preaching of God's word today.
Lord, we love you. May we understand not just what you have said, but what it means, how we apply it to our lives, what this means for us today in 2023. And Lord, I pray you would use your word to edify, to lift up, to build up, to encourage your people this morning. It's your word.
They're your people. I'm your servant. So Lord, this is about you and not us. I pray you'd bless the remainder of this service as we look to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I thank God for the lighthouse.
I owe my life to Him. Jesus is the lighthouse. And from the roughs of sin, He has shown a light around me that I could clearly see. And if it wasn't for the lighthouse, where would this ship be? There's a lighthouse on a hillside that overlooks life's sea.
When I'm tossed, it sends out a line, oh, that I might see. And the light that shines in darkness now will safely lead us home. If it wasn't for that lighthouse, my ship would be no more. Now everybody that lives around us says tear that old lighthouse down.
They say the big ships don't sail this way anymore, so there's no use in it standing around. But then my mind goes back to that stormy night when just in time I saw the light, yes, the light from that old lighthouse that stands up there on a hill. And I thank God for the lighthouse.
I owe my life to Him. Jesus is the lighthouse. And from the roughs of sin, He has shown a light around me that I could clearly see. And if it wasn't for the lighthouse, where would this ship be? Yes, I thank God for the lighthouse. I owe my life to Him. See, Jesus is the lighthouse. And from the roughs of sin, He has shown a light around me that I could clearly see.
And if it wasn't for the lighthouse, where would this ship be? Amen. Isn't that good? Don't you enjoy that song? That song brings back memories to me.
Not all of them are good. Years ago, Mr. Donnie Pollard led our choir. Miss Jean obviously played the piano. She came to me one Sunday, or called me one Sunday afternoon and said, listen, we're going to do the song The Lighthouse tonight.
Do you know it? I said, yeah, I know it. And she said, can you sing it tonight? And I said, well, if you want me to. And she said, no, we'll be practicing at, I forget what time it was.
And I had kind of started this thing with our kids called core group. And I said, well, I got to meet them. I said, I'm sure it'll be fine. And but there's this, there's this part in the verses, you know, you heard brother Steve, he can do it.
It was, and the light that shines in our eyes. Okay. And about, I got right about to that point and I realized there is no way this person can hit. And I was panicking. I didn't know what to do.
And so I thought, well, I'm young, I'll try it. The first verse in it, it went something like, and the light that shines in our eyes. It was like that. It was really bad. So the second verse, I got to that point, started crying like I was blessed. I had to stop and give a word of testimony and let's just pick it up at the chorus gene and skip that part altogether. It was quite a lighthouse that the bulb broke on that lighthouse that night. It was really, really bad.
And I have a lot of those. Moses had done some great things and he had done some bad things. Moses was, his whole life was a miracle, how God preserved his life on that little basket in the Nile River.
And, you know, he ends up growing up in the house of Pharaoh. But yet Moses had character and he said, you know, I'd rather suffer with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season, it says. Moses had a temper. Moses, God asked him to do some things and Moses said, listen, I can't even speak plain. We believe Moses probably had a very bad stutter and some things.
One day, one of Pharaoh's men were really abusing and beating up an Israelite and he got mad and killed him. Now he's a murderer and he had to basically leave or he'd be in trouble, had to leave Egypt and now God wants him to go back. Here he is finally at this stage in life, he's just watching sheep.
You know, it wasn't as exciting as what he used to be involved in but at least now, hey, I got some stress off of me. And he's watching his father-in-law's sheep and I'm sure at times thought back to the other life but, you know, this is what I'm doing and at least this pace is much slower. Little did he know what God was getting ready to ask him to do. So God has to get his attention. And so God allows him to walk by a bush that God begins to set on fire but it was burning but it wasn't being consumed. Moses took notice of that and literally the verse says, he says, listen, I'm gonna stop and really take a look at this. This is miraculous and then that bush begins to speak in Moses' mind. It was not the bush, it was the Lord. And it literally said, Moses, Moses. And what a shock.
You know, you think you had bad pizza the night before or something, what is going on? And God begins to call Moses. God said, Moses, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. So come, let me send you, I want you to go on my behalf to Pharaoh. God says I've heard their cries, I've, I see what's going on, I've come to deliver them, I've come to bring them up out of that land, so I want you to go to Pharaoh. And Moses gives all kinds of reasons why it shouldn't be him. And Moses finally asks God, well listen, if I go do this and I show up and I've embarrassed myself there before, I've blown it before, I've failed before. If I show up and tell them, hey I'm here and God has sent me, who am I supposed to say your name is? How, how, how are they gonna just let me all of a sudden become their leader?
Who do I tell them has sent me? And God says, I am has sent you. That just doesn't make a lot of sense to us. And God says I am that I am. So what does that mean to us today? I don't really want to talk about all the ins and outs of the story, you know the story.
I just want to talk about today is why is this important to us, how does this apply to what you're going through in 2023. You see, God might have been leading you lately through some things that seems a bit over your head. And not only that, but you seem a bit like, you know, I don't know what God is doing and why God has put me in this situation.
I don't think I'm strong enough, or I don't think I'm gifted enough, or I don't think that I'm worthy enough, or I just don't think this is for me, somebody else needs to do this, whatever the case might be. But what happened to Moses all the way back here, God put in his word. It is in the canon of scripture.
God promised he would preserve it and he has preserved it. For us to know that God says I am. All you and I have to know is that he is. You say, what in the world does that mean? Well, I just wanted to give you a couple of observations so you understand what this means for your life. If you have a piece of paper and a pen, then I encourage you to write some of these things down. Number one, God was saying this, that the existence of God is enough. I am means God says I'm here, I'm God. And the existence of God in your life is enough.
Let me put it this way. Because you have God, you don't need anything else. You see, the unquestionable existence of God is enough.
The emphasis is not on who God is, the emphasis is on that God is. That he's here. That he's alive. That he's real. May I say this, God is saying I am is enough. That was enough. God is enough.
Some of you are so concerned how some things are going to work out in your life and you're fretting and you look at me. You think that God is going to have to do something to fix this. And I'm here to tell you, God doesn't have to do anything to fix it because he's God. He doesn't have to do anything. The fact that he is there is enough. His existence is sufficient. I am. He didn't say I am going to do.
He just said I am. I'm here. That's all you need to know, Moses. I'm here. And may I say to you today, whatever you might be going through in your life, the only thing you need to know is if you know Jesus as your personal savior, that he's here.
That's all you need. May I say first that God existed in the past. God's existence is enough. God existed in the past. Notice what he says in verse 6 that we read. He said I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now notice this.
Please notice what he says. He was I am the I am for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He did not say Moses, I was the God of your father. He says I am. In other words, I am in the past. God is always the I am. He's not the I was. He's not the I will be. He is the I am.
So even when he's talking in the past, he refers to himself as the I am. I am the God of your father, which means he existed at look at verse 15. And God said more were unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob hath sent me. Why did he say I am the God of Abraham? I am the God of Jacob. They weren't there anymore.
Let me tell you why. Because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive because they knew Christ, because they believed God in the Old Testament. And that means this, that they're not dead. He, he would have to say I was the God of Abraham, but Abraham is not here. But Abraham was still alive and Jacob was still alive. So God was still their God. God existed in the past. He is Jehovah here. Jehovah means I was, I am, and I always will be. He has, he is the eternally existent God, and that's enough for your life.
You don't need someone else to come help you. You don't need God to move things around to fix it. All you need to know is the I am is here. God existed in the past. Second, God existed in the present. Look at verse 14, he said, thus shall say unto the children of Israel, I am have sent me. He said, I am the God of Abraham, and I am the God of you.
I am have sent you. Not I will be, not I was. But I am.
Listen to me, I want you to get this. God always exists in the present for his people. Those needed to know that, and the Israelites needed to know that, look at me, and you need to know that. God is always present tense for you. He's always here.
He's always present. Notice thirdly, God will exist in the future. Look at verse 12, and he said, certainly I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee. What did God say? Listen, I am the God of the past, I am your God now, and I will be with you.
God exists in the past, God exists in the present, God will exist in the future. The existence of God is enough. Dear friend, quit thinking you need more, you need things, you need to manipulate circumstances, that you've got to make things happen, that you've got to fix problems. Quit thinking that you're not enough for God to do something in your life, all you need to know is you are not enough, you do not have everything that is needed, but God does. The existence of God is enough. Number two, what does this phrase mean?
Please get this. God was saying, Moses, whatever you are not, I am. Whatever you aren't, God is. He says, I am half-sent, look at verse 11. Moses says, who am I that I should go? So what does Moses ask God?
God tell me who I am. God didn't need to tell Moses who he was. God didn't need to say, well Moses, here's who you are, because it didn't matter who Moses was.
What mattered is that God is who God is. Are you all understanding me so far? Say amen. You and I make this all about us, but it's not about us, it's about Him. Moses said I can't, who am I, I'm not worthy, and God says you're right, but I don't need you and it's not about you, it's about me, I am. You're not, but I am. Somehow you're gonna get this this morning. God was saying, Moses, it does not really matter who you are or what you have to offer.
Whatever you're not, I am. Can I ask you something? What is God calling you to? What is God leading you to in your life? Has He gotten your attention like He did Moses? Does He know your name like He did Moses? And the answer would be yes, and may I say something?
Have you heard Him speaking to you and do you feel like He's leading you in your life? And if that's the case, what excuses are you giving? That you're not enough or that you're not capable or that you're not smart enough or talented enough or whatever the case might be. May I say something? We need to stop making it about us. It doesn't matter if we're weak, it doesn't matter if we're strong, it doesn't matter if we're talented, it doesn't matter if we have no talent at all, because it has nothing to do with us.
It is all about Him. Whatever we're not, He is. Maybe you're not enough, but God is enough. Maybe you're not strong enough, but God is. Maybe you're not wise enough, but God is. Maybe you're not patient enough, but God is. Maybe you don't know how to handle your children right now, but God does. Maybe you don't know how to fix the situation you're in, but God does. Whatever you lack, God has. Whatever you are not, God is. God has not called you for you to do something.
Look at me, please get this. God has not called you for you to do something. God has called you so He can do something through you. Some of you feel like you're in over your head, and I'm here to tell you, you are, but God doesn't need you. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know Him personally.
Would you take a moment to hear this today? Every man is born with a sin nature, Romans 3 23 says, for all of sin and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, we're not good enough to obtain God's glory or to get to heaven. Because of that, sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6 23 says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin or the payment of our sin only equals death in separation from God, but it's only through God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior.
Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5 8, but God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All you have to do is receive Christ by faith as your Savior. Romans 10 9 says, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way and calling upon His name. Bible says whosoever, that's anyone, can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Savior? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at corwinbaptistchurch.com or visit us at person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you.
