aBC's Father Heart of God "I" I AM

Names of the Father Heart of God...”I” I AM
Welcome to the Monday Night Bible study. We are in a series on the ABCs of the Father Heart of GOD.
The reason we are doing this series is that in my walk with God, it took some time for me to be able to fully trust. That was simply because I had heart-hurts and was seeing God through falsely tinted glasses and misunderstanding who He really is.
We have covered A-H and the lessons are posted in the Monday Night Forum. Tonight we are on "I" God is " I AM".
We are going to listen to a song together now, I will play it over mic and post the you-tube link. If you-tube works for you, please mute me by clicking on the yellow mic near the bottom of the chat list. When finished, please type "done". GREAT I AM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_VR-zwp2KA

As we listen to the next thing and look at it together, ask your heart, “What do I need for today? What do I need/want from God right in this moment?” Whatever that is for each one of us. God says...”I AM”. Please watch it on You-tube.  This is not a song but the first part is interesting, It is a preview for a book but I liked how they read from Exodus 3. Where God speaks to Moses in a burning bush and tells Moses that His name is “I AM”.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ0Gm-


As we go along, we will be looking at verses about the "I AM" of God. If at anytime you have a short comment, please just post it. If you have something longer to share, please make ! and we will stop and call on you. As we share our stories and what GOD is showing us, we will all grow in the knowledge and love of Christ.


I AM THAT I AM Ex 3:13-14 Exodus 3:13-15 13 And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?

And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you! God said also to Moses, This shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you! This is My name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations.

KJV And God ('Elohim ) said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM(hayah ) ." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

Matthew Henry in his commentary says this: What is his name? That amounted to an inquiry into the nature of the dispensation they were now to expect: "How will God in it be known to us, and what may we depend upon from him?’’

Isn’t that the very most basic question that our heart longs to know? WHO IS GOD, who is this Father?

What is He like?

How can I be sure He is safe?

That He actually loves and wants me?

What will He do?

And God’s reply is so deep. “I am that I am, I will do what I will do, and I will be who I am.”

In other words, we do not have to wonder. God simply will be God. ALL the TIME. And He is good and hence will do good for us. Not that we will always enjoy what God is working, but we can choose to TRUST His goodness in the midst because He is Love and Good and His name, His most sacred name that he calls himself is simply I AM.

The Greek spelling for I AM is YHWH.

Some scholars point to the Seven “I Am’s” so today we are going to look at what those show us about our Lord, who told us Himself “I AM that I AM” (Gen 3:14 KJV) and “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. JOHN 1:1-2 KJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (Theos and Logos)

John 8:58 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” He, God has always been and always will be. Forever.

1. I AM the bread of life (6:35, 47-51). 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me[g] has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Manna did not last it, rotted overnight...Jesus is eternal...the sacrifices offered in the temple were shewbread... Jesus fulfilled and completed all that..

According to a study on The Tabernacle: “Showbread” also was called “bread of the presence” because it was to be always in the Lord’s presence. The table and the bread were a picture of God’s willingness to fellowship and communion (literally speaking, sharing something in common) with man. It was like an invitation to share a meal, an extension of friendship. Eating together often is an act of fellowship. God was willing for man to enter into His presence to fellowship with Him, and this invitation was always open.

That is interesting because now, once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have that same fellowship with God Himself.

In the Tabernacle, the shew bread remained for a week, at the end of the week only the priests could partake. Then 12 fresh loaves were placed there...

NOW we ALL are invited to both enter in and partake. Neat, isn’t it?

So God came down, in the form of a man, Jesus, to make a way for us to freely enter into His presence with out fear. (I AM, the one who sent the Bread of Life, so we can dine with Him, be with Him)

2. I AM the light of the world (8:12). Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.

***Matthew Henry: Note, Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Light is the name of the Messiah, as it is written, Dan. 2:22, And light dwelleth with him.

God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God; God of gods, Light of lights. He was expected to be a light to enlighten the Gentiles (Luke. 2:32), and so the light of the world, and not of the Jewish church only.

The visible light of the world is the sun, and Christ is the Sun of righteousness. One sun enlightens the whole world, so does one Christ, and there needs no more. Christ in calling himself the light expresses, (1.) What he is in himself—most excellent and glorious. (2.) What he is to the world—the fountain of light, enlightening every man. What a dungeon would the world be without the sun! So would it be without Christ by whom light came into the world, ch. 3:19.

FOR US...Light to draw us and to show us the Way. Sometimes just enough light for the next step.. but always just enough.
Do you need Christ to shed some light on your path today?

3. I AM the door (10:7-9).
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me[a] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Comments?


4. I AM the good shepherd (10: 11, 14-16). 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

5. I AM the resurrection and the life (11:25). 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

6. I AM the way, the truth, and the life (14:6). 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

7. I AM the true vine (15:1-5). 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

So we are called to abide “in Christ”. To be in His presence.

I love the name God calls himself, “I AM”. So simple and yet encompassing so much.
A vine to which we are attached. The Way, Truth, Life.
The Way to be with God. He is Resurrection, eternal life. In Him we have eternal life. He is the Good Shepherd, who loves us, who guides us. The Good Shepherd, who lay down his life for us. Who we can truly know. Whose voice we can hear, recognize and know. He is the door by which we enter not just eternal life, but a RELATIONSHIP with our Father. He is Light which expels all darkness and he is the Bread of Life. God, is Jesus. God is “I AM”. Just pure and simple. “I AM”.
So today, whatever we need, he speaks to us from His heart and says in response to our need, “I AM”.
Amen

Some material from: http://www.icr.org/article/500/


All in ALL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maU