Bible Readings:
Exodus 3:1-15
Mark 12:18-27
Sermon Outline:
I. The Divine Interruption and the Holiness of God
Moses was living an ordinary life as a shepherd when God suddenly interrupted his routine through the burning bush. God’s presence, symbolized by the fire, required Moses to show reverence by removing his sandals because the ground was holy. God then introduced Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, establishing Himself not as a God of the dead, but of the living.
- Exodus 3:4-10: The initial encounter at the burning bush where God reveals His holiness.
- Exodus 19:18 & Acts 2: Parallels connecting the fire of the burning bush to God’s presence at Mount Sinai and the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
- Mark 12:24-27: Jesus references this exact moment to prove the resurrection, emphasizing that God is the God of the living.
II. Overcoming Human Inadequacy with God’s Presence
When tasked with leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses immediately looked at his own flaws and asked, “Who am I?” God did not answer by pointing to Moses’s strengths; instead, He answered Moses’s insecurity with a promise of divine presence: “I will be with you.” Today, Christians are called to stop focusing on their own inadequacies and trust in Christ’s promise to be with them.
- Exodus 3:11-12: Moses expresses his doubt (“Who am I?”) and receives God’s reassurance (“I will be with you”).
- Matthew 28:18-20: The Great Commission, where Jesus mirrors God’s promise to Moses by telling His disciples that all authority is His and that He will be with them always.
III. The Eternal, Unchanging “I AM”
Moses asked God what name he should give to the Israelites. God revealed His name as “I AM WHO I AM” (Yahweh). This name signifies that God exists independently, is bound to the present tense, and never changes. In the New Testament, Jesus takes this sacred, eternal title and applies it directly to Himself, proving His divinity.
- Exodus 3:13-15: Moses asks for God’s name, and God declares, “I AM WHO I AM.”
- John 8:53-58: Jesus claims the divine title for Himself, stating to the religious leaders, “Before Abraham was, I am.”
- Hebrews 13:8 & Malachi 3: Verses referenced to affirm that God and Jesus Christ are the same yesterday, today, and forever.