Our God is Indescribable, All Powerful, Sovereign, Just, Righteous and Loving.
He is Perfect!
Way back in time, as told to us in the book of Exodus, a people asked their leader Moses….who is this God? Who is He? Remember the people around them in Egypt believed in so many gods……so who was this God, the One Who was going to deliver them and set them free? And 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.” I AM speaks of a God who is eternally present, thoroughly consistent, completely sufficient, totally just and able to do all that He has said. He is indescribable and beyond our comprehension and yet He revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ. He revealed His majesty and perfection in His incarnate son Jesus.
This morning I sat and read the Gospel of Mark from beginning to end in one sitting. I read from a different translation to the one I usually use, and I tried to ignore the paragraph divides and any bits on the side that would not have been in the original. I wanted to read it as one long account that would have been written for the early disciples, some of whom would have known and followed Jesus personally, and others who would have heard about Him. They would have heard all the incredible stories about a man who had lived, died, and risen again. I think it is so wonderful to hear these stories from someone who knows them because they have witnessed everything first hand. They can tell you what people said and what was really going on at the time. They would have seen the blind eyes open, the man who was lame from birth walk and some would have known Lazarus, who was raised from the dead. They could describe life as it really was in those years in Jerusalem under Roman rule. That’s why it is sometimes helpful to read the bible as a story, stopping to allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to experience the realness of Jesus, how He lived and related to the folk around Him. He not only told them but showed them, and in doing so, He showed us what His Father is like. Remember Jesus said in John 14:7 "If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."
Yes, Jesus is God, but He is also the man who walked the streets of Jerusalem as people walk them today; getting dust on His feet, being hot, tired and thirsty. He is the One Who came to be with us and show us who God the Father is, to demonstrate His unlimited, perfect love for us. He came in person, in flesh and blood, to make known I AM so that I AM is not just a name we whisper in awe and reverence, but I AM is the one we can know who came to touch, to hold, to feed, to heal and to love. Last month we looked at ourselves and who we are, this month our eyes are focused on the God, I AM and who He is. The one who is perfect and on His Son Jesus Christ the very image of His Father. There is no language to describe this perfect, sovereign, all powerful God who has shown us nothing but unspoiled love and so I am going to borrow from John, the apostle who knew Him intimately and sat at the table with Him, leaning back against his chest. The one who went up the mountain with Peter and James and witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. He saw Jesus in all His glory, transformed before his very eyes. The Apostle John, the one we are told Jesus loved so much, writes how Jesus revealed Himself as God in seven I AM statements.
Here John is linking the I AM of the OT with the New.
Jesus says:
I AM the bread of life.
I AM the light of the world.
I AM the door.
I Am the good shepherd.
I AM the resurrection and the life.
I AM the truth and the life.
I AM the true Vine.
As I see who Jesus is, as I realize the wonder of this man, Jesus Christ, and what He has offered me, here is what comes into my heart: I am the God Who sustains you, feeding your soul, illuminating your path in a fragile world, opening the door to green pastures. As I watch over you and protect you from all harm….for in Me is life that bears no falsehood, lies or deception. It is pure and holy. I Am the source of this life, as My power, My Spirit strengthens and fills you.
No matter my need I can turn to Him and He will not turn me away. He is our Good Shepherd. He is the Shepherd prophesied in Ezekial 34, the one who will really care for His sheep, protecting them, seeking them out and establishing them as a people who are His own. I know He is speaking to Israel here but in John 10 we see a similar picture as Jesus speaks to both Jew and Gentile. He is talking to all who believe, effectively His Church. The congregation of peoples, the Church, established through the resurrection power of Christ to be a body of believers, a body with one head, Jesus Christ. What for me is so significant is that God says we will know that He is Lord. We will know who our shepherd is, we will know that He is the Great Shepherd and there will be no confusion. The Jew who comes to Christ will know, the Gentile who believes will know, and we will know Him. We will come to know and have intimate knowledge and understanding of our Lord. Those who walked with Jesus, who were eyewitnesses to what He did and what He said have shared with us in detail in the scriptures so that we too may understand and come close to Him.
At times when we struggle, Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to remind us of everything that He said. Some translations say the Holy Spirit will magnify Jesus. If you have ever looked into one of those magnifying mirrors…..nothing is hidden. Everything stands out and is so clear! Even more wonderful is the promise that we will know the voice of the Good Shepherd. We will hear His voice and know because we know because we know….that’s Him. I am sure you have heard this before, but I just love it and the picture I have in my head is so comforting. In Israel at the time of Christ the young shepherds would find a cave for their sheep at night and sometimes two or three shepherds would share a cave. All the sheep, each looking like the other would be herded into the one cave, mingling and mixing so that to separate them could seem to be impossible……but NO, the shepherd whistled or called, and his sheep would come out of the group and follow him. The shepherd knew his sheep and the sheep knew their shepherd; they trusted the voice of the one who called, and they responded.
Today we hear the voice of God as He calls us out of the world, as He calls us into a place of unity with Him and leads us through life, helping us to make wise decisions and allowing our lives to reflect His will. People often ask me how do I know it is God I am hearing? I believe there are several ways to test but I find most helpful is to let the person ask God themselves that they would hear His voice, that they might know the prompting of the Holy Spirit. When it becomes a personal discussion between you and God you can be sure that the God of perfection, of all truth will know how to teach you. He wants you to hear His voice and He will know how you relate to Him…….to some He will give poems, to some songs, to others they will paint and to some words will just come into their mind. I know many who have beautiful, vivid pictures, even dreams and they understand what God is saying. Personally, I receive words as I pick up my pen; an “understanding” revelation will flow. God knows I can’t sing and I am not gifted with a paint brush. He will know how to penetrate our thoughts and give us revelation……..that is guaranteed. All He asks is that we listen.
Have you ever tried to do something, build something, make something, understand something which you had no idea how to do and then a perfect explanation is offered? Perfect directions are given and you find yourself following the plan with a deep sense of "its OK I can do this." This is how God leads us, He is not a God of confusion, He makes things clear and has made a way for us to return to that place of perfect peace, perfect rest and perfect trust as we determine to walk with Him. We want to hear Him, obey Him, trust Him, and rest in Him. Rest is not a state of doing nothing but rather a place of harmony as we live with God on a day-to-day basis. Let us enter that rest, that place of peace and complete trust. Our God can be trusted no matter what. I know that disappointments can be a stumbling block but put those into God’s hands and trust Him to reveal Himself more and more to you, to help you understand and recognize His hand that works for our good in every situation even though at times we may not fully understand.
He is who the scriptures tell us He is and He is the one we experience in our everyday lives. He is the greatest, most magnificent God and He is our Father. He is I AM.
Let's Pray:
Father, thank You that You are perfect and that You are making us perfect and holy and complete. We are so blessed to know You through Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Holy Spirit Who works in us. May we yield to You and allow You to complete the good work that You have begun in us. We want you to be a real tangible part of our lives as we seek to follow You. Help us to trust you and obey! Amen.