In Exodus 3, we have the account in the life of Moses; a man who had been raised in the finest palaces of Egypt; who had eaten the best foods and attended the best schools; but then fled Egypt when he learned that the Pharaoh was seeking his head because he had killed an Egyptian. This account this morning is of his encounter with God.  Moses is now an inhabitant of Midian.  He has married a woman named Zipporah, has had a son, and has been working for his father-in-law tending sheep for the past forty years.  Moses, now an 80-year old man, was leading his sheep through the desert and they came upon Mt. Horeb, or the mountain of God.  Another name for this mountain was Mt. Sinai, which is the place where God’s presence is manifested several times; a place where we later find Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.  It is here where Moses has an encounter with God that changes his life forever.  In God’s Word we read of several ways that the Lord chose to encounter people. In speaking to many of the prophets, He chose to work through visions.  In speaking to Balaam, He used a donkey.  But with Moses, God uses a burning bush.

Exodus 3:1 - 15

In verse 14, God gives Moses the name of who He is so that He can share it with the Israelites.  Names are important. Names can carry power. Names can create joy. Names can bring about hope. Names can bring about despair. Think about the different emotions or thoughts that stir in you when you hear different names: Abraham Lincoln, Saddam Hussein, Chandra Levy, Babe Ruth, Winston Churchill, Michael Jordon, Adolph Hitler, Mother Teresa, Timothy McVeigh, Billy Graham. Names are important.  Remember the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” Is that really true? How many of you have ever been called Stupid or Four-Eyes, or fat, or toothpick or any of a hundred other names that we have called people, and not only as children.

Names in general are important, and our names are important. Our names matter to us. Our name means something to us. Even though we didn’t get to choose our name, they are still OUR names. They carry value. They carry meaning.  Think about the times when someone has forgotten your name, someone whom you thought should have remembered your name. Forgetting your name was not the same as forgetting to pick up bread at the store, was it? If they had forgotten to pick up bread at the store, the same mental process would have been at work, but the emotional value of forgetting your name was far different than the emotional value of forgetting bread. When someone forgets your name, as innocent as it may be, you feel like they don’t value you. You’re not important enough for them to remember your name. It’s just human nature to think that way, isn’t it?

Your name not only represents you, to a particular degree your name IS you.  This is especially true in ancient cultures. In ancient cultures names were extremely important. Names were seen as very descriptive of not only who people are, but also who they are meant to become. In ancient cultures names designated meaning, purpose, character, destiny.  This is seen very clearly throughout the Scriptures.

· When Abram received the promise from God that he would be the father of many nations, God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, which means “father of many.”

· When Abraham and Sarah were beyond the years of child-bearing they were told by God that they would bear a son through whom the promise would be kept, and the idea of having a baby at the age of 90 struck Sarah as so absurd that she laughed. When their miracle son was born, they named him Isaac, which means “laughter.”

· Years later, when Isaac’s son Jacob wrestled with God by the river Jabbok, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel, which means “he who struggles.”

Names were important in ancient cultures, our own names are important to us, and names are important throughout the Scriptures.  As we study and experience some of the names that God uses to refer to Himself in the Bible, we are being given a tremendous gift.  In telling us His self-designated names, God is sharing deep and personal characteristics about Himself; He’s helping us grow more and more in our understanding of who He is and who He has created us to be in our relationship with Him.  If God calls Himself the Provider, you can take it to the bank that He’s going to provide for you. If God calls Himself the Healer, you can know with certainty that He has the power to heal. If God calls Himself your Abba Father, you can rest assured that He wants you to be His child.

In sharing His names with us, God is helping us encounter Him, understand Him, experience Him. And for the Hebrew people, there is one name for God in the Bible that stands above all other names, and it is the name that God uses to answer Moses when he asks God what he should tell the Israelites if they ask the name of the God who has sent him.  God’s answer to Moses is simply “I am who I am.” The Hebrew word for this most important name of God is spelled with the four consonants, YHWH. You may not be aware that the Hebrew alphabet doesn’t have any vowels in it. Instead, the Hebrew language uses what are called vowel points to help with the pronunciation of words.  Therefore, it’s the English translation of the Hebrew word that God uses to name Himself in this passage is YAHWEH.   The Hebrews felt that the name Yahweh not only referred to God, but also embodied God. God simply is! No matter what we think of God, no matter how we respond to God, no matter what we believe about God, God is who God is. God’s personality and power are intact in and of themselves. There was no creative influence outside of God that helped bring God into being. God simply is, always has been, and always will be.

At the very basis of every type of religion in this world is the belief that there is a higher being, a god.  No matter what kind of religion you can think of, whether Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism, or some other type of religion that is less known; no matter which religion you are talking about, all religions begin with the basic, fundamental concept of the existence of God.  Some religions believe that there are many gods and still others claim that we are gods.  But no matter what the faith, before any other part of theology and doctrine can even be discussed the doctrine of God must be established.  You see, the existence of God is the most important concept of our faith.

Now there are a lot of important things that we can learn from this basic truth about God, but today I want to focus on the truth about the name Yahweh that I consider to be the most important for our daily living. Put simply, what we learn from the name of God is that God is Sovereign.  We are not in control. This is a lesson that many of us find difficult to accept. We like being in control. We like to think we have something to say about what happens to us. We like to think that our destinies are in our own hands. And to a certain extent, we do have a part to play. The decisions we make, the words we say, the actions we choose to participate in, these do have a bearing on what happens to us. How we choose to live does make a difference.

I think where we usually misunderstand this control issue is that we want to pick and choose the times when we are in control. As long as things are going well, we like to think we are the ones who have made that possible.  For example, when our careers are going well, we like to think that we are the ones who pursued our education, got the right training, worked the long hours, and made the right decisions. We deserve to make the kind of money we make. We deserve to drive the kind of car we drive. We deserve to live in the kind of house we live in. We are the ones who made it happen, so why shouldn’t we enjoy the fruits of our labor?

But what happens when our career takes a downward turn? What happens when we don’t get that promotion we expected? What happens when downsizing puts us out of work? At that point our natural tendency is blame someone else. It’s not my fault the boss gave that promotion to someone less qualified. It’s not my fault the company decided to downsize.

Yes, we like to be in control all right: when things are going well. But when things aren’t going well, we’ll let someone else be in charge, so they can take the blame. Some have already learned an important distinction; that there is a difference between responsibility and control.  We are responsible for our actions. We are responsible for our words. We are responsible for the things we say and do. But we are not in control!  Now at first thought we usually see this as unfair. If God is going to hold us responsible for the things we say and do, then God should also let us be in complete control.  But God loves us too much to allow that to happen. God being in control is one of the greatest gifts God gives us. Because as much as we’d like to think we can do a fine job of running our lives, the truth is that God knows far better than we do what is best for us, because He made us. We did not make God. God made us. I am responsible, but I am not in control.

My prayer is that I can impress upon you today how important this distinction is. You are responsible. But you are not in control. God is in control. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”  (Proverbs 16:9).  “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?” (Proverbs 20:24). When we get this truth out of balance in our lives, it is impossible to be living in the healthy and vibrant and joyful relationship with God that He intends for us.  Some people know exactly what I’m talking about, because they’ve lived through some torment that they created when they tried to take over the control of their life that belonged to God.

· Some have experienced the pain of a broken relationship that resulted from their decision. 

· Some have been through the torment of addiction to drugs or alcohol that resulted from their decision.

· Some have endured the horrible bondage to indebtedness that resulted from their decision.

. Some have suffered the agonizing shame that resulted from their decision to take control of God’s forgiveness, deciding for themselves that in spite of Jesus’ sacrifice for them on Calvary’s cross, their sin was simply too great, and so they decided that God would not forgive them of that sin.

· And one day some will suffer the eternal torment of hell that will result from their decision to take control of how God will provide a way of salvation. It offends them that God has decided that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and in their own sense of self-righteous control, they have decided that they’re not going to accept that.

We are both invited to, and responsible for, living our lives in relationship with the God Who created us. We are both invited to, responsible for, receiving the gift of salvation that is given us through Jesus Christ. We are both invited to, and responsible for, making our decisions in life based on the principles and guidelines that God gives us in His Holy Word.

It is important to understand that there is both the invitation and the responsibility. The reason we are responsible for living in relationship with God is because that’s the way God decided He wanted it to be, and God is God. He is who He is. He always has been and He always will be, and He gets to make those decisions.

The reason we are invited to live in relationship with God, is because God loves us and God understands far better than we do how tremendously beneficial it is for us when we do live in that relationship with Him.  God loves you passionately. God cares for you more than I could ever adequately describe in human terms. God wants you to experience the benefits that come when you live in a responsible relationship with Him. God wants to be your Healer, your Provider, your Shepherd, your Father, your Peace.

But what God wants FIRST, is for you to surrender control of your will to Him. God does heal us. God does provide for us. God does care for us. But even if He doesn’t heal us, or provide for us the way we think He should, He is still worthy of our allegiance, He is still worthy of our love, He is still worthy of our praise, He is still worthy of our hearts, simply because He is.

When God says “I AM,” it means “I will be everything you need.”  Hannah Smith wrote, “I AM” implies that we may ask for what is not complete. This apparently unfinished name is the most comforting name the heart of man could devise, because it allows us to add to it without any limitations.”  Each of us has our own sets of needs.  Some of us have financial needs.  Some of us have physical needs.  Some of us have relational needs.  Some of us have spiritual needs.  Whatever the need is, we all have our own, unique needs, so what better way is there for God to describe Himself to people with various needs than “I AM”?

He can speak to the one who is facing financial difficulties and say, “I AM the Great Provider.”  He can speak to the one with physical needs and say, “I AM the Great Physician.”  He can speak to the one dealing with relationship problems and say, “I AM the Wonderful Counselor.”  To the one who needs salvation He is the Savior.  To the one who needs a listening ear He is the best Friend you could hope for.  To the one who needs instruction, He is the Teacher.  To the one who needs strength, He is the Almighty.  To the one who needs direction, He is the Shepherd.  To the one who needs a place of refuge, He is our Rock and Fortress.  To the one who needs encouragement, He is the Comforter.  Whatever it is that we need Him to be in our life, He is I AM.  Paul says in Phil. 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

So, let me ask you this question, where are you today?  What part of your life are you trying to control instead of letting God have control?  What sin are you holding on to?  What addiction are you unwilling to give up?  What person have you chosen not to forgive?  What part of the Bible are you waiting for God to change His mind about because you don’t happen to agree with it?  What expectation are you waiting for God to fulfill before you give your heart to Jesus?  What joy have you denied God the opportunity to give you?  What miracle have you turned down because it didn’t come in the form you expected?  What blessing has God been wanting to give you but hasn’t been able to because you haven’t placed yourself in a responsible relationship with Him?

I invite you today to take a big step closer to God.  For some of you that will mean giving your life to Christ for the first time.  For others it will mean repenting and turning away from a sinful habit.  For still others it will mean saying Yes to that area of ministry that God has been calling you to.  It will be different for each of us. But we are all invited by God today to look into that burning bush with Moses and hear God say “I am who I am,” and live our lives accordingly, in a responsible relationship with Him.