What is His Name?

In today's sermon, Pastor James continues our "Unfolding the Gospel" series by exploring Exodus 3:1-18, asking the pivotal question "What is His Name?" He reminds us that while names don't really mean as much to us as they did back in biblical times, God's name carries tremendous weight and content. Through Moses' encounter at the burning bush, we discover that the Lord is the Savior who sees, knows, and heals the afflictions of His people.

Pastor James walks us through three key sections of the passage. First, the burning bush reveals God's holy presence—fire signifying His powerful, consuming, yet preserving nature. Moses must remove his sandals because God's presence makes the ground holy, teaching us that we must approach God carefully because He is utterly distinct from us and blazing in His purity. Second, God's call to Moses demonstrates His personal interest in His people's suffering. After 400 years of slavery, God declares "I have surely seen... I have heard... I know... I have come down." When Moses questions "Who am I?" God's answer is profound: "I will be with you." The question isn't who we are, but who is with us.

Most significantly, when Moses asks for God's name, God reveals Himself as "I AM WHO I AM"—the self-existent, eternal, uncreated Creator who is the inexhaustible fountain of being and blessing. This name, Yahweh, becomes God's covenant name forever. Pastor James notes how conspicuously absent God's name was during Israel's time in Egypt (appearing only once from Genesis 40 through Exodus 2), suggesting they had forgotten their God and needed spiritual revival, not just physical deliverance.

The sermon powerfully connects to Christ, showing how Jesus claimed this same divine name in John 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I AM." The name above every name is Jesus, and there is no other name by which we must be saved. Pastor James concludes with a searching challenge: Do we truly know this God, or have we become like the Egyptian Israelites who barely knew Him? He urges us that the most consequential thing we can do is "press on to know the Lord"—not just claim His name while living as our own gods, but genuinely knowing Him as our self-existent, sovereign Savior who acts for His people.