Title: Who Am I – 1
“You’re Not Alone”
Text: Exodus 3:11
I want to start a new series on knowing who I am in Christ. Once we know who we are in Christ we automatically become more confident in Christ and in ourselves.
People all over the world have asked the question, “Who Am I?” Rick Warren wrote a book a few years ago that instantly became a best seller on the Purpose Driven Life. Churches all over North America did services and preaching wrapped around this subject for months. The reason that became such a popular book is because everyone is looking for their purpose. Everyone wants to know why they are here and who they really are. Some of us are older now and we still have no idea who we are. The reason many people do not know who they are and have lost sight of who they are is because they listen to other people. Many in this room have been told at some point in your life that you are a failure, you are a nobody, and you are useless. Some have been hurt by words all your life.
I want to remind you that nobody determines who you are but you! Your circumstances don’t determine who you are. Your financial situation does not determine who you are. Your appearance doesn’t even determine who you are. My goal throughout this morning’s message and throughout the next few weeks as we explore this subject is to remind you of who you are.
I am not talking about who you were born to in the natural. I am not talking about who your parents are; I am talking about who you are in Christ Jesus. One of the major tactics of the enemy is keeping you from finding out who you are and he knows if he can keep you from that knowledge that he will keep you in bondage.
God does not care what your background may be. He doesn’t care what color your skin is. He doesn’t even care if you are bald or have hair. He doesn’t even care where you were born. He sees you as a potential champion. He knows that you have champions blood flowing through your veins. If you have read the Bible at all, you will find out that God specializes in making champions out of nobodies.
There are some here that have been told all their life that they are a nobody and because of the way you have been treated and because of others telling you who you are, you have started to believe them or maybe you have always believed what others have said about you. Some of us are 20 years old and some of us are 80 years old and we have yet to determine who we are. Some feel worthless, some feel they really don’t have what it takes to make it in this Christian walk, some have believed lies from the devil all your life. It is time that we stop believing lies from the devil and start believing God and taking Him at His Word. He tells us who we are in His Word and we need to start believing it. I am going to spend several weeks on telling you who you are. Some of you have been wondering, you won’t have to wonder for too long.
I want to try to help you this morning by letting you know that you are not alone. The Bible is filled with men that have the same feelings that you have this morning. It is not a new trick by the devil to get you thinking this way; he has used this same trick for thousands of years. The devil has no new tricks, he has been trying the same thing throughout all of history. It is time that we put a stop to it in the Name of Jesus.
Some of you are tired of feeling this way. Some are tired of feeling inadequate. Some are tired of feeling unworthy. Some are tired of always feeling ugly and dirty. The Lord wants to set you free in Jesus Name. I want to begin to explore Scripture this morning by getting into the lives of men in the Bible and finding out how they felt and then we can determine how they overcame this feeling. It is not always easy, but it is possible.
MOSES
Moses is one man that everyone knows as the stutterer. He was a man that was the Prince of Egypt and God calls him out of Egypt to become the deliverer of the God’s people. Let’s read his story:
Exodus 3:2-11; “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 ¶ And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Here we find the story of Moses. This is the story of God appearing to Moses out of a burning bush. God begins to talk to Moses and tells him that He has heard the cry of His people. His people had been afflicted and oppressed. God tells Moses, “I want to use you as a deliverer.”
We find Moses’ response in our text.
11 ¶ And Moses said unto God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses, the deliverer of God’s people had the same emotion and the same feeling that we have today. This statement of “Who Am I,” gives the idea that Moses feels unworthy to do the work that God has called him to do. Why did Moses feel unworthy? Why do we feel unworthy and not fit to do the Lord’s work? It all comes back to the point of this message. It is because Moses didn’t know and we don’t know who we are in Christ. Moses asked a question that has been asked all throughout history. “Who Am I?” By the time we finish this series you are going to know the answer to this question. Then it is up to you to walk in it or not. Let’s read on:
Exodus 3:12; “And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.”
Notice how God ignores the question that Moses asks Him. He responds, you don’t worry about who you are Moses because I am going to be with you. The only thing you need to know that I will be with you every step that you take. If you will be obedient to me, don’t worry about a thing, I will take care of you. Let’s continue to read:
Exodus 3:13-15; “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
God tells Moses, when they ask who sent you, you tell them that I AM THAT I AM sent you. Then He follows by telling him that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sent you. When He uses those terms, it is not just saying the God of those men sent you, He is actually referring to the God of Covenant. You know the Covenant that was made to Abraham. God is telling Moses that same covenant that I cut with Abraham is now on you. I have got your back.
Moses says, “Who am I that I should go unto Pharoah?” The Lord reminds him, it doesn’t really matter who you are, what matters is who is behind you. What really matters is that I am with you wherever you go. You have the I AM on your side. There is no reason to fear, the I AM is here.
He is telling us the same thing today. Yes, it is important to know who we are in Christ. Moses wasn’t in Christ, Christ had not come yet, but with us we must know who we are in Christ because as Moses needed God with Him, we have Christ inside us and because of Him we are well able to overcome any obstacle in the path. Jesus is telling you this morning, the I AM is with you.
You may be facing an insurmountable obstacle, but the I AM is here in our midst to meet your need. You may be facing a dilemma in your family, but the I AM is here to put broken pieces back together again. You may be going through turmoil as I speak, but the I AM is here to give you peace that goes beyond our understanding. You may not know what direction to take in this stage of your life, but the I AM is here to give you wisdom for every circumstance and decision you have to make.
Moses felt the same way that some of you feel here concerning who you are. He felt the inadequacy, he felt the unworthiness, but he was able to overcome it because he came to understand the I AM was with him. Next week we will get into the lives of more men that asked this same question.
