I AM: God Is Able
Scripture: 2 Cor. 9:8; Eph. 3:20; Exo. 3:12-14; John 8:56-58
Introduction
When I sung in the youth choir at our church as a child, we sung the song “God Is Able”. I loved that song because it was one of those repetitive songs so the words were easy to learn. Some of the words to that song says “God is able, just to carry you through, no matter what the world may do, trust in Jesus, in everything you do, God is able, to carry you through.” My message to you this morning is simple – God Is Able!
Paul when he wrote to the Church in Corinth told them this very thing, that God is able. Look at 2 Corinthians 9:8. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed…” When Paul made this statement, he was talking to a group of believers who were supporting the ministry. He was commending them for their generosity while at the same time preparing them to be ready to provide the gifts that they had already committed to. In doing so he shared with them that God was able to make all grace abound to them. In other words, because of their willingness to give, God would ensure that they had an abundance to continue those good deeds. Paul let them know that God was more than able to meet all of their needs while allowing them to help meet the needs of others. He reiterates this in a letter he wrote to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul says the following: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..” Paul tells them that God is able to do more than we can imagine for our situations ACCORDING to the power that works within us. The power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that is working within us (Eph. 1:19-21). As I continue through the rest of this message, I want you to remember three words, “God Is Able”.
I. Moses and the “I AM”
In Exodus the 3rd chapter, Moses has an interaction with God. In this encounter, God tells Moses that He has chosen him to go back to Egypt and deliver His people. After some discussion, Moses accepts the call to do God’s work. As he is preparing his mind for the task, he has this conversation with God, look at Exodus 3:12-14: “And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.’ Then Moses said to God, ‘Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ ‘Now they may say to me, ’What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM Who I Am’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.”
So that you may understand the significance of what God said to Moses, let me explain to you some history about Egypt. At this time the Children of Israel had been in Egypt about 400 years. They have witnessed the traditions of the Egyptians and how they go about serving many gods. You see, in Egypt, they worshipped many gods. I found 125 different gods that they worshipped. Here are a few:
• Anuke: the goddess of war
• Baal: god of thunder
• Bes: protector of childbirth
• Geb: god of the earth
• Hapi: god of the Nile river
• Khonsu: god of the Moon
• Ra: the son god
The people of Egypt served many gods and the Children of Israel were exposed to them worshipping idols for over 400 years. Some of the religious practices of the Egyptians rubbed off on the Israelites while they were in captivity. We know this because of their sins once they were delivered (i.e. Aaron and the golden calf). But when God talked with Moses, He told Moses that he was the I AM. When you look at the Hebrew word for “I AM” God was telling Moses that “I will be what I will be”. In other words, for Moses, God was telling him that He would be whatever Moses needed Him to be in order for Moses to complete His work. Unlike the Egyptians, Moses did not need many gods, he had the I AM. Look at the comparison. The Egyptians had Anuke, the goddess of war, yet when they went to war against the Children of Israel, Moses’ I AM swallowed them in the Red sea. The Egyptians had Baal, the god of thunder and Hapi, the god of the Nile River, yet at the red sea, Moses’ I AM used the thunder and the wind to open the sea so that the Israelites could walk across on dry land. The Egyptians had Bes, the protector of childbirth, but Moses’ I AM took the first born of the Egyptians to prove His strength to Pharaoh. The Egyptians had Ra, the god of the son and Khonsu, the god of the moon, yet when Joshua was fighting the five kings, the I AM made the sun and the moon stand still until Joshua had defeated his enemies.
As God had said to Moses, He was the I AM. He became whatever Moses needed Him to be. When Moses needed proof for Pharaoh, God turned his stick into a snake and rained down hail that burned. When Moses needed a warrior, I AM fought his battles and defeated his enemies. When the I AM brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, He became whatever they needed. Whey they needed food, the I AM provided food. When they needed water, the I AM provided water. When they needed clothing during the 40 years in the wilderness, the I AM made sure that their clothes and shoes did not wear out while they were in the wilderness. The I Am became what they needed Him to be. I know this was the Old Testament and that was history, let me bring you to the New Testament so that you understand why Paul said what he said in our first scriptures in 2nd Corinthians and Ephesians.
II. I AM In The New Testament
We saw what God became in the Old Testament for the Children of Israel, but what about us? What about our needs, problems and issues? Will the I AM also be there for us? Let’s examine what Jesus said in John 8:56-58: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” Jesus did not say “I Was”, but He said “I AM” expressing the eternity of His being and His oneness with the Father. With this climactic statement, Jesus concludes His speech that began with the related claim “I am the light of the word” (vs. 12). What did Jesus become for the people who came into contact with Him?
There was a leper who came to Jesus with no hope. This man with leprosy, who had no hope for a cure and was waiting for the leprosy to finally kill him looked to Jesus to become his “I AM”. When Peter’s mother-in-law was sick, yes Peter was married, Jesus became her “I AM” and she was healed. There were several men who Jesus came into contact with who were possessed with demons. The demons within them recognized Jesus as the men’s “I AM”. Jesus was those men “I AM” and He cast out the demons. When Jesus was walking down a street one day a woman squeezed through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment believing she would be healed. Jesus became her “I AM”. When 5000 people were hungry after listening to one of Jesus’ sermons, He became their “I AM” and fed them. When the disciples were out in the boat and a wind storm came and rocked the boat, Jesus became their “I AM” and calmed the seas. When our sins were so great that we could not get back to God, Jesus became our “I AM” and gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins.
Now here is where it gets really good. Remember the verse we read at the beginning from Ephesians 3:20 that said “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..” The last line is the key. “According to the power within us….” What power? The power that raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit. You need to understand what I am getting ready to share with you, so please listen closely. When Jesus walked the earth, the Holy Spirit worked within Him. Jesus relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish everything that He did. Remember, He walked the earth as a man, just like you and I, not as a God. All of the miracles that He performed, He did so under the power of the Holy Spirit. It was said that He had an immeasurable amount of the Holy Spirit within Him. Jesus needed the Holy Spirit to accomplish what god had sent Him here to do. Now if Jesus needed the Holy Spirit, then it is very obvious that we do also. While Jesus walked the earth, the Holy Spirit had not been given, but Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that He would send the Holy Spirit. He also said that once the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they would receive power. This is the power that Paul was speaking of – the power of Holy Spirit that works within us, through us and around us to accomplish what god has for us. As children of God, God says to each and every one of us “I AM”. “I will be whatever you need me to be.”
III. Being Able Vs. Being Willing
There is a difference between being able and being willing. If I need a car loan, I can go to the back to request one. The bank has the money and the power to give me the loan. However, just because they are able to do so, they may not be willing to do so. God has shared with us that not only is He ABLE to be everything that we need Him to be, He is also WILLING. All He is waiting on is us.
Conclusion
The I Am is within you and is within me. If you’re having marital problem, I AM. If you are sick, I AM. If you are having financial problems and you do not know how you will be able to make ends meet, I AM. If you are hurting, I AM. If you’re lonely, I AM. If you’re having problems on the job, I AM. If your kids are acting in such a way that you honestly believe they could not have come from you, I AM. If your car is acting up, I AM. If you need more knowledge of God, I AM. If your faith has been shaken through life’s experiences, I AM. When people are talking about you and running your name in the mud, I AM. When you fall flat on your face, I AM. When life presses you down, I AM. No matter what you face in life, I AM.
I AM says that He will be whatever you need Him to be. Are you willing to accept the I AM in your circumstances? God is Able and God is Willing. Are you?
