God Is Everything You Need Him To Be

Valley Grove Assembly of God

May 4. 2008

“God is Everything You Need Him to Be”

Exodus 3:13-22

INTRODUCTION: I would like you to think about the things that you worry about the most. It could be anything that causes you a lot of concern throughout the day or night. What things raise your anxiety level? What decisions hang over your head until you just don’t know which way to turn?

You might identify with a man named Frank whose wife said, “Frank, put on your sweater!!!” He asked, “Am I cold or are we going some place?”

Sometimes we feel frustrated by the many things that come at us every day and wonder if God sees our needs and is going to help us get through them. It could be anything from the weather that makes our aches and pains worse to very serious health concerns. It could be worrying how to pay our bills. You name it, and it causes us hours of undue worry and concern.

We should not be surprised when these things come to unsettle us. Peter reminded us of this in I Peter 4:12 when he said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Even in today’s Old Testament account, Moses faced much concern and anxiety over what God was calling him to do. He was at the point of pressing the panic button when he offered one excuse after another as to why he couldn’t fulfill the assignment.

In this chapter God has just called Moses to deliver the people out of the hands of the Egyptians where the people had suffered abuse for a very long time. At this point in his life he was not ready to rush right out and conquer the world as he had been 40 years earlier. He was now timid, unsure of himself, and lacking in the assertiveness that he would need for the divine commission. He gulped at the idea and said, “See if you can get someone else to do it.” He came up with a lot of excuses why he was not the man for the job. He was not at this point a shining example of faith and trust in God. He had a lot of “what ifs.” What if I go and then the people don’t believe me? What if I can’t get the words to come out right? You know I can’t speak. Who am I going to tell them sent me here in the first place?”

God answered each of his objections by assuring Him that He was everything that Moses needed Him to be. Today I would like to remind you that “God is Everything You Need Him to Be.”

1. How Do You Know This?: Digging into this scripture we find some answers that apply to us today just as much as it did to Moses. Moses was concerned about knowing exactly who it was who sent him. God said to him, “I AM that I AM.” Tell them “I AM” sent you. What does that mean?

It was not just the bare name of God but the SIGNIFICANCE or the MEANING

of the name. What does the name mean? What is the CONTENT of this Name? The people in the East had a lot of gods. Which one was Moses referring to? Was this god one that could deliver? For some of their gods there was an inequity between the agent and the mission. Did this god have the “goods” to deliver the people from the Egyptians?

To clarify who it was, Moses made it clear that this was no new God to Israel. He was the SAME God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is my name forever and this is my name to ALL GENERATIONS. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I change not…”

He is telling Moses, “I am truly he who exists and who will be dynamically PRESENT then and there in the situation to which I am sending you.” He said, “I will be with you.” Sometimes we don’t give it a thought that God is ACTIVELY PRESENT with me today--right now. He says “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). God made it known to Moses that His name was filled with His AUTHORITY and his POWER. God wanted Moses to know that He was always DEPENDABLE and has the RESOURCES to meet every need of the people. He is an unchangeable God and He is a present God to us today just as well. He has the resources to meet our needs. How do we know this? Many scriptures point to His resources. “My God shall supply ALL YOUR NEED according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).