Who Is God?

Exodus 3:13-15 (NKJV)

Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel 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?" 14And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15Moreover 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.'

Introduction: In my reading the Bible, I am in the Old Testament and I am very taken with God, who He is, what He does, and how He does it. I have been thinking about “who God is” and wondered how many have thought the same thing. If someone asks me before service who I am and I respond that I am the pastor, I am telling them what I do, not who I am and so it seemed good to me and the Holy Spirit that I speak to you today on “Who is God?”

Who is God?

1. “I Am Who I Am” (NKJ)
       • Hayah: to exist; be or become, come to pass.
       • He exists. He is.
       • Dictionary: Am- to have reality or life: breathe, exist, live.
2. “I Am That I Am” (KJV)
3. “I Am the One who always is” (NLT)
4. “I Am Who I Am and What I Am and I Will Be What I Will Be.” (AMP)
        • I Am speaks to His isness.
        • What I Am speaks to Him as Creator, Lord, King, God, and Father.
        • I Will Be What I Will Be speaks to His eternal existence Rev. 4:8 (NIV)
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
5. God is Spirit. John 4:24 (MsgB)
God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

What does God have to say about who He is? Exodus 34:5-7 (NKJV)

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

1. The Lord, the Lord God: Yehovah- the self Existent or Eternal Jehovah. El: the Almighty; God.
2. Merciful: rachuwm- compassionate; full of compassion.
3. Gracious: channuwn- gracious; to show favor. (giving us what we don’t deserve)
4. Longsuffering: arek- patient.
5. Abounding in goodness and truth: rab- abundant kindness (goodness), stability, certainty, and trustworthiness (truth) Keeping mercy: natsar- to protect & maintain; checed- kindness, mercy (not giving us what we deserve)
7. Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.
      • Forgiving: nasa- to remove.
      • Iniquity: avon- perversity, (moral) evil, fault.
      • Transgression: pasha- revolt (national, moral, or religious), rebellion.
      • Sin: chattaah- an offense and the penalty or sacrifice for it. By no means clearing the guilty.
9. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers (mothers) upon the children and the children’s children.
      • Visit: paqad- to visit (with friendly or hostile intent), charge, do judgment, punish.
      • Iniquity: avon- perversity, (moral) evil, fault.

Conclusion: “Who is God” is a question that each one of us need to be asking because we need to know who or what we worship, follow, and obey; because if you will blindly follow God you will blindly follow someone or something else. The Scriptures tell us who He is and we need to check it out for ourselves. He has always been and is. He is eternal, immortal, and spirit. The Scriptures tell us He was, is, and is to come. They also tell us He is merciful, gracious, patient, and abounding in goodness and truth. He is a forgiving God. Do you know Him? If you don’t, today is a perfect time to receive His mercy and grace, which will lead you into a new life. “Who is God?” I know and so can you!

Close: Isaiah 44:6 (NIV)

"This is what the LORD says--
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.