The 'I' Power

Every person who is known in this world is known by a name. But a name alone does not make them known — they need to accomplish something. An actor becomes famous when his film hits the screen. A politician earns recognition by the work he does for the people. A businessman is known by the empire he builds. A student is known in school by how he performs in class. In every case, a name is known by what they do.

But for God, it is the opposite. His name is not known by what He does — His name is known by who He is. That may sound odd and different. When you understand who God is by His name, you will understand the power that stands behind every promise He has ever made.

We look at the story of Moses to understand this — how God revealed Himself as “I AM” and then turned that identity into action through seven powerful “I WILL” declarations.

The “I AM” tells you who He is. The “I WILL” tells you what He is about to do.

Moses and God’s Encounter

The Burning Bush

[Exodus 3:1-4 NIV]  1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

• Moses was tending sheep in the wilderness — an ordinary day, an ordinary task. But God chose that ordinary time to appear in a flame of fire within a bush.

• The strange thing was not the fire — it was that the bush stayed green. It did not burn up. That strangeness drew Moses closer to see what it was. It is many times that way for us as well — we encounter God and seek Him only when we have something strange in our lives.

• God called him by name — “Moses! Moses!” As you read verses 5–6, God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.

[Exodus 3:5-6 NIV]  5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

• God introduced Himself as “I am” — the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not a new God, not a different God. The same. He is the same “I AM” to us as well.

“I AM WHO I AM”

[Exodus 3:13-14 NIV]  13 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?" 14 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.'"

God had already told Moses who He was in verse 6. Yet Moses asked again — “What is your name?” This was a question God had already answered. We are no different from Moses. We ask God the same questions He has already answered — why me, what will I get, what happens if I go? All our personal lamentations / anxieties come first.

• God’s response revealed the full authority of who He is — “I AM WHO I AM.”

• “I AM” (YHWH — Yahweh) means: Self-existent, Eternal, Unchanging, Covenant-keeping God.

• [Revelation 1:8 NIV]  8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

• There is only one God. That is “I AM.” Glory and honour belong to Him alone — He is who was, who is, and who is to come, the Almighty. He is our Yahweh.

God is patient with all our questions. See what He answered next:

[Exodus 3:15 NIV]  15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation."

• It is the same answer He gave in verse 6. God repeated Himself — patiently, clearly — because Moses needed to hear it again.

• We are many times like Moses, repeating these questions again and again, but as He is our Yahweh, He is patient to explain to us as He understands our weakness and does not get angry when we ask.

Lesson to Learn:

Grace Over Works

• We are many times like Moses — we understand there is one God, but when trouble comes, we give away that truth and ask Him: Are you really there? Why me? Who am I in this situation?

• The answer to all of it lies in what Paul describes — [Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV]  8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

The Gift We Forget

• You and I are saved into God’s kingdom through faith. This is not from our own works — it is a gift called GRACE, unmerited favour when we do not deserve it. God called Moses by name; likewise He has called each of us by name by giving His own Son for our sins.

• We forget this and ask again — “Why God, why me?” This unfaithful act hurts God’s heart, when in His mercy He has given all He has to us. It is like a rich king giving everything he owns to one person, and that person going back to ask, “What have you given me?” So stop asking God, “Why me?” Instead ask God, “What do you see in me that I am not able to see?” He will expose the sin or the hurdle that prevents His blessing from flowing through.

Obedience Meets Opposition

When you read through Exodus 4, God proved everything to Moses, put up with his excuses for not going, and gave him Aaron as a companion. Moses would lead and Aaron would be the mouthpiece of God.

In the beginning of Exodus 5, God sends both of them to speak to the ruler Pharaoh:

[Exodus 5:1-2 NIV]  1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.'" 2 Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."

After this, Pharaoh hardened his heart and gave more trouble to the Israelites. Moses and Aaron cried out to God:

[Exodus 5:22-23 NIV]  22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

• When troubles come, this is the normal human reaction — Why me? Why did you send me?

Lesson to Learn:

Reluctant Obedience

• Many times we are like Moses and Aaron — we obey God out of reluctant obedience, do as He has asked, and the moment we face a struggle, we say: “Why God? Why did you send me?”

• Trouble After Prayer — Many times we have more troubles after we pray. That trouble is not because God does not want to help — it is because the enemy (Satan) does not want you to pray and get that resolved. Once you pray, God has to act and solve the issue. The enemy (Satan) is like Pharaoh — you say something to God, and the enemy acts opposite to what is asked, so that he can deter us from praying more and asking our Father for help. His sole motive is to deceive us that prayer brings more trouble, so we give up.

The Might of God

[Exodus 6:1 NIV]  1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."

• God explains His might — “Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

• His might does not just remove the enemy from one place — it drives the enemy out of the land completely.

• The same might is available to rescue us from our troubles if we have faith:

  • [Isaiah 35:4 NIV]  4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

  • [2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV]  9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

  • [Philippians 4:13 NIV]  13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I AM — Jehovah

[Exodus 6:2-4 NIV]  2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners."

• “Do you know who I am? What is my history?” — that is what God is saying in verses 2–4.

• Our God is the same God from Abraham to Jacob. He is ALL Mighty — Jehovah. Nothing is impossible for Him.

• To the prior generation, He did not make Himself fully known by His name — they simply believed and worshipped. Go through Genesis — God never formally introduced Himself to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. They knew God by faith.

• In verse 4, the covenant promise He established with them is from [Genesis 17:8 NIV]  8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

[Exodus 6:5 NIV]  5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

God says: “Do you know why I have come to rescue you? Because your groaning and your cry reached me, and I remember my covenant to your ancestors 600 years ago.”

Lesson to Learn:

Jehovah Jireh — Our Provider

• God is our Jehovah Jireh — He is our provider. He is the “I AM.” There is no one beside Him who can help you. He helps you and me not because of what you or I did, but because of the promise made to our ancestor Abraham.

• By faith we are His children. Will a father not help his child? The same way, God is waiting to make Himself known and to help us. [Romans 4:16 NIV]  16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

The Seven “I WILL” Promises

[Exodus 6:6-8 NIV]  6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"

When you read the word “Therefore” — it means “Because of who I AM.” Through the sovereignty of God, He declares what He WILL do because of His might and power:

1. I will bring you out — from under the yoke of the Egyptians

2. I will free you — from being slaves to them

3. I will redeem you — with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment

4. I will take you as My people — a covenant relationship, they will belong to Him

5. I will be your God — He Himself will guide and care for them

6. I will bring you into the land — the promised land sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

7. I will give it to you as a possession — the land will become their inheritance

It begins and ends with “I AM THE LORD” — His sovereign identity wrapping every promise in His authority.

Lesson to Learn:

The Unchanging God

• He is the same God who is the same yesterday, today and forever — [Hebrews 13:8 NIV]  8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Faith Unlocks the Promise

• If you will acknowledge that He is God — the “I AM,” the Jehovah — He is willing to rescue you from any situation you may be in. It happens only with faith — [Romans 3:22-24 NIV]  22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

• We are washed by His blood and given the gift of eternal life through Him. This is available to all of us if we have faith in Jesus — [Romans 6:23 NIV]  23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How Did the Israelites Respond?

[Exodus 6:9-12 NIV]  9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." 12 But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?"

• The people did not have faith. They did not listen because they saw only what was in front of them — their discouragement and harsh labour.

• Moses too was faithless — he said the same words in a different tone to God: “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh?”

• Without faith it is impossible to please God — [Hebrews 11:1 NIV]  1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

• We place our hope in God. We place our assurance in God whom we do not see.

• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob — all were a generation of faith. Moses was unfaithful because of what he wanted to see.

[Hebrews 11:39-40 NIV]  39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Lesson to Learn:

Faith Over Sight

• Many times our faith comes from what we see, but the faith God asks for is to trust Him without seeing. You will see a miracle in that faith.

• The definition of faith itself grounds this message — [Hebrews 11:1 NIV]  1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

God began with “I AM” — declaring who He is. He did not stop there. He moved to “I WILL” — declaring what He will do. The “I AM” is His identity. The “I WILL” is His commitment to you and me.

A name in this world is known by what a person accomplishes. But God’s name is known by who He is — and when the “I AM” speaks, what follows is always “I WILL.” He will bring you out. He will free you. He will redeem you. He will take you as His own. He will be your God. He will bring you to the place He promised. He will give you what you have asked, if you confess Jesus is the Lord, and He will answer your prayer.

[Isaiah 43:1 NIV]  1 But now, this is what the LORD says--he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

The question is not whether God has the power. The question is whether you have the faith.