Mensa Otabil - God's Everlasting Memorial (10/01/2025)
Exodus chapter 3, verse 15: Moreover, God said to Moses, «Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is the 'I Am' that I Am.» He is not just God because of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He is not limited to them, but He is God all by Himself. That is what God is communicating to Moses: «Don’t see Me as only belonging to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am who I am.» God’s name and self-identity is «I Am.»
The reason this is important is because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob experienced God in different ways. To Abraham, God showed Himself as the Lord Almighty and also the Lord who provides. Isaac got to know God as the one who makes room for him, and Jacob got to know God as the one who blesses him. However, all of these were aspects of «I Am,» because they only saw aspects of Him. But to Moses, God is saying, «This is Me; I am that I am.»
The Lord told Moses that this name is forever and for all generations, and that is so important. God is saying, «Although I am revealing Myself to you as 'I Am, ' I am not only 'I Am' at this time. I am 'I Am' tomorrow. I am 'I Am' a thousand years from now. I am 'I Am' ten thousand years from now. For every generation, He is 'I Am.'» So though Moses experienced Him in the unique burning bush, He is the same God we call upon; He is the same God we worship. He is 'I Am' to us.
And God says, «When you go to Israel, that is what you go to announce. When you go back and face Pharaoh, this is what you tell him: 'I Am has sent me.'» And to the Hebrews, «I Am has sent me.» Isn’t it interesting? To those who believe, He is 'I Am'; to those who don’t believe, He is 'I Am, ' because their attitude doesn’t change God one bit. God is who He is, whether you believe Him or not, whether you accept Him or not, whether you think so or not. He doesn’t need our opinion to be who He is. He is the great 'I Am, ' and it is for all generations. God wants every generation to experience Him in a present tense.
We don’t just want to say, «Oh, our fathers knew God,» or «My mother used to know God,» or «My father prayed very hard,» or «The old-time Christians did great.» Yes, it’s good to acknowledge what happened in the past, but He is 'I Am.' He’s the God of all generations; He’s the God of the present. If you are a parent, you must know God for yourself, but beyond that, you must also pray that your children will know God for themselves—not the God of their parents, but the God they have come to trust so that they can pass on this faith and this knowledge of God from generation to generation.
And God must be authentic to each one of us, and that’s what He says to Moses: «This is my name; it’s my name forever, from generations to generations, in all time. This is who I am.» In every generation, when people trust Him and believe in Him, He will be to them the great 'I Am' who shows forth His power at all times and in all seasons. May the great 'I Am' manifest Himself to each one of us. In Jesus' name, let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, you are the God of all generations. Help me to have a life-changing encounter with you.» In Jesus' name, amen and amen. He is present with you right now. I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom. Peace and life to you.