12-16-2023         I AM

   

Moses asked God “whom shall I tell them sent me?”  And God replied “I AM that I AM, tell them that I AM sent you” (Exod. 3:13-14).

“I AM the first and the last, and there is no other god beside Me.” (Isa. 44:6) 

John was on the isle of Patmos when he received his revelation.  “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Rev. 1:8), “I AM ‘Alpha and Omega, the first and the last …” (Rev. 1:11).  And who was speaking to John?  In the midst of seven golden candlesticks was one like unto the Son of man.  He wore a garment down to His feet with a golden girdle.  His hair was white as wool, as white as snow and His eyes were like the flame of a fire.  His feet were like finely polished brass out of the furnace and His voice was like many waters.  He held seven stars in His right hand, a two-edged sword proceeded from His mouth and His countenance was like the sun at it brightest (Rev. 1:12-16, Ezek. 1:25-28, 43:2).  Who is the ‘living Word of God’ (John 1:1, 6:51) and the Word of God is a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12)!  Does this description suggest anyone in particular?

The Word of God is a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12).  Daniel had been fasting for three weeks when he saw:  a man clothed in linen girded with gold.  His body was like beryl and His face appeared as lightening, His eyes were like fire and His feet like polished brass and His voice was like a multitude (Dan. 10:2-6).  How about now?

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1).  Jesus desires us to be one with Him as He is one with the Father (John 17:1-21).

We are adopted into God’s family through Jesus (Eph. 1:5, 2:19, Rom. 8:15-16).  We are joint heirs in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:17)!

Jesus was born of a virgin so when we cry to God “You just don’t understand!”  God does!  Jesus was born of a young, virgin, Jewish girl.  Why a Jewish girl?  Because God selected the Jews to be His ‘chosen people’ (Deut. 7:6, Isa. 44:1).  Chosen is the Hebrew word bachar (H977) which means selected.  They were to be His beacon, an example to the sinful world.  And God gave His Law to the Jews (Ezek. 26:21-26, Heb. 8:10-11).

Okay, so why a ‘virgin’ woman?  The woman could not have had sexual relations with a man, otherwise people would say that Jesus was ‘just another man’, He would have had an earthly father.  No doubt Jesus is the ‘son of man (born of a woman) (Acts 7:56, Heb. 2:6, Rev. 1:13) but to be the ‘Son of God’?  He had to be conceived in a supernatural way, the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35).  Father confirmed His Sonship (Matt. 3:16-17).  Born of woman to show that man can keep God’s law in a sinful world but born again (John 1:3-6), from above (the Holy Ghost) demonstrating that our power to live for God, comes from God (Acts 1:4-8). 

Born again, born of the Spirit.  Being born of a man and living as a man Jesus prepared Himself to be our final, blood sacrifice, cleansing us from our sin.  And, yes, He died on the cross (Matt. 27:33-60) and praise God, He rose from the grave on the third day (John 20:1-13), victorious over sin and death, showing us what we also can do and should expect (1 Corinth. 15:55-58).  And, praise God, Jesus didn’t stop there.  He ascended back into heaven to make sure there was a place for us (John 14:1-4) so we could be with Him forever!                            

So, just what else does God do for us?

In the beginning, Father establishes that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood (Lev. 4:1-35).  Leviticus chapter four gives guidelines for what one must do to be cleansed from his sin.

Understand that when Adam and Eve sinned and God cast them out of the garden, Father also made them coat from animal skins (Gen. 3:21).  That means the blood of an animal was shed so He could cover man, covering his sin.  The procedure described in Leviticus chapter four tells us that the blood is the life (of the creature) and makes atonement for souls (Lev. 17:11).  For this reason Israel offered the blood of a bull, goat or lamb as a ‘sin’ sacrifice (Lev. 16:1-22).  Is not Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:29)?  Jesus shed His blood for us through the scourging before the cross and then the piercing by the spear at His death upon the cross (John 19:1-3, 33-34).  The book of Hebrews reminds us that there is no forgiveness for sin without the shedding of blood (He. 9:22).

So Jesus becomes our final sacrifice for sin.  They took Him to Calvary (Golgotha) and crucified Him (Luke 23:33-43).   In His last hours, Jesus commended His Spirit to Father (Luke 23:46), there was darkness over all the earth for about three hours (Luke 23:44), the sun was darkened and the veil in the temple was torn (Luke 23:45).  The veil torn?  Why?  Consider that when the Jews came to the priest for forgiveness of sin,  only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies with an offering for the people’s sin (Lev. 16:1-34, Heb. 9:7).  The torn veil means that access to the Holy of Holies was no longer limited to the priest, concealed from man, but now through Jesus, we no longer have to go through the priest to access God, but as we are cleansed from our unrighteousness, iniquity and sin through Christ Jesus, we now have direct access to Father through Jesus!  the veil is gone!

Jesus washed us from our sin with His own blood (Rev. 1:5)!  No more animals, but He is the final sacrifice for our sin!

Praise God, Jesus didn’t stop there.  On the third day He arose from the grave (Matt. 28:1-6, Mark 16:1-6, Luke 24:1-8, John 20:1-8), walked with His disciples for forty more days teaching them more about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:2-3), and assuring us that we do, indeed, have eternal life in Him (1 John 4:10-13, 5:13).  What did Jesus explain?  More of living in God’s love through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Jesus is coming back for us (John 14:1-3).

Cool! What else?

Jesus tells us that whatsoever we ask, in His name, He will do so Father will be glorified  (John 14:13-14).

Isaiah tells that through the scourging Jesus suffered, by His stripes, we are healed (Isa. 53:5).  

Jesus assures us that after He leaves (has left) the world, He gives us another comforter (the Holy Ghost), to be with us and to console us, (John 14:16-18).

This same Holy Ghost will guide us into all truth (John 16:13-15), give us wisdom and understanding (1 Corinth. 2:6-16).

Help us to speak what we need and when we need to know it (Mark 13:11). 

Jesus helps us to become one in Him, in the Father so that we all are one (John 17:15-23).   

Father supplies whatever we need out of His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19) and even, as we seek Him, will give us our heart’s desire (2 Peter 1:1-8)

What more could we need or want?

Did you notice the obligation?  “Seeking Him”.  So, just what obligations do we have?

To receive fully from Father we need to continually seek Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31).  So we abide in God’s love (John 15:9-12) we need to practice what we know and share it (preach) (James 2:26).

Why?  Because love is the foundation of His law, prophets and His commandments (Matt. 22:40).

The Ten Commandments are a brief explanation of God’ love (Exod. 20:3-17) and the full Law brings it into a deeper understanding.

And as the apostle Paul recommends that we ‘run the race’, in this life as though we expect to win (1 Corinth. 9:24).  That is with all our strength and energy.  Crossing the finish line first is not the goal for many have already crossed it, but we strive to cross that finish line – period - to have lived our lives fully in and through Christ Jesus, our Lord.  That is our victory in this world.

So, is God I AM?  Let each one of think and remember all that Father has done for us.  Has He provided nourishment when we were hungry (we’re still here, aren’t we?).  How many problems have we face and ‘suddenly’ the answer comes (with or without much deliberation)?  Through how many sad moments has He given us comfort and brought joy back into our hearts?  Father reminds Israel that it is He who brought them out of the bondage of Egypt (Micah 6:4).  How many times has He delivered us out of our bondage?

So, Is Father all that we need?  Is He Jehovah Jireh, our God who ‘sees to it’, our provider  (H3070)?  Because He is and does all this for us and more and all He asks from us is to put Him ‘numero uno’ (first)  in our lives. 

So, is He I AM?

Amen