He Is
Like many of you, the first verse of Scripture I memorized was John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I would imagine the ribbon bookmark is still in that third chapter of John's gospel in that little blue New Testament someone gave my mother for me when I was born. (I still have that Bible somewhere.)
The second verse I put to memory was much later, and it was Hebrews 11:6. I am not sure why I chose that verse--I really wasn't in church, and didn't have anyone to encourage and disciple me in my faith. But I remember I had it written in red ink on a small slip of graph paper (why that, I do not know) and I used to carry it around in my pocket, almost superstitiously. That verse, in the King James Version that I learned it in, says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
I think the part of that verse I was holding to the most was the phrase about God rewarding those who sought Him. I had my own little self-made "word-faith" theology even as a teenager, even while I was not involved in church. I really wanted to believe, and I really wanted God to reward me too. Even still I guess I had some understanding that it is only through faith that I could please God.
But the one thing that I remember intrigued me about that verse, at least in the KJV, was the simple phrase, "He that cometh to God must believe that He is." That's an interesting phrase, and I always wondered if the sentence was incomplete. As in, "He is...what?" Grammarians might protest that there was a direct object missing in that sentence that the verb "is" demanded. Later translations helped to provide a little better understanding, rendering the verse, "must believe that He exists."
But over time I have come to understand that the nature and character of God are satisfactorily communicated with those two simple words: "He is." You will remember, when the Lord came to Moses in the burning bush, to send him to Pharaoh, he asked, "Who should I say sent me?" The Lord's answer: "I am"
God is the eternal one, the forever present tense. He is the one who was, and is, and is to come. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He was the "I am,", and He still is.
Back in the mid 90's I went to several Promise Keepers gatherings, and one of the more popular preachers who shared messages at those conferences was the great Pastor E.V. Hill from Los Angeles, California. In one message, in his own unforgettable style, Dr. Hill preached for forty minutes on just those two words: "God is." He said it over and over again. He whispered it and he shouted it. He illustrated it, declared it, proclaimed it, and dared anyone to deny it. It wouldn’t seem likely that you could preach that long on just two words, but he did.
But the reality is, that profound truth--"God is"--is foundational to everything else we believe. Because "He is," everything else is possible. Which is why one pastor said the hardest Bible verse to really believe--but the most important--is Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created...." That means He is God, creator, above all else, and certainly worthy to be trusted. That is the beginning point of faith. It's when He is removed from the creation that chaos comes and you don't know who or what to believe.
Once you get it settled in your heart that “God is,” and you are willing to place your faith in Him, most of the other problems you face will be solved as well. Or at the very least, you'll know who you can trust when those problems come. The one who is the great I am, and still is.
I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
