Address—C. Hendricks
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You cry in the skies abroad.
And.
What?
Swelling.
Of course is my.
Our father's plans are.
And he was gone to come to him.
I'll be.
Right back with.
Great grandson as we.
Go to the land. We saw it in his quarantine.
And failed me to the world.
Lord Jesus.
We have been singing of thee.
And we would again ask thee the question.
Couldst thou be delighted with sinners such as we who, when we saw these, slighted, and nailed thee to a tree?
Unfathomable wonder, mystery divine. The voice that speaks in Thunder.
Says Sinner. I am thine when we consider who thou art.
Lord Jesus, Jehovah.
Over all blessed forever.
To be delighted in the likes of us.
A wonder that has passed our comprehension and understanding, but we rejoice in the truth of it. And now, as we consider thee to this afternoon, we ask that Thou wilt help us and feed us, Encourage us as we learn more of Thy blessed person. Lord Jesus, we ask it and thank Thee, Father, for him, and ask it in his precious name.
Better. Please turn with me to Exodus chapter 3.
Exodus chapter 3.
And verse 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. 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, under the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the parasites, and the Hiveites, and the Jebusites.
And now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come unto me. And I have also seen the oppression where with the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 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. 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.
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And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them.
The God of your Father's hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? 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.
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 forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
And in the 6th chapter.
Verse one And the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh? For with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of this of his land.
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God almighty.
But by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in *******. And I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and will read you out of their *******.
And I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgment.
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you of God. And ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land. Concerning the witch, I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you. For an inheritance, for an heritage. I am the Lord. And I think we all know that when the word Lord is in all capitals, it means Jehovah.
And we have the definition of that word in the third chapter. If you'll turn back there when Moses asks him, What is thy name? What shall I say?
And he answered, I am that I am.
And we would translate that expression.
We would have to translate it the same.
He is the same. He is who he is.
Is the same, the unchangeable one. It's the name that speaks of his.
Essential.
Being it's his name forever, he says, This is my name forever, this is my memorial unto all generations. And then he condenses the expression, and says, Thus thou shalt say I am hath sent me unto you. And now if we would translate that, we would translate that as the eternal 1.
It's the name of his essential existence.
He is the same, and He is the one who lives in an eternal present.
There's an expression in the Book of Revelation, and I'll read it to you. It's in the first chapter and I believe it's in the fourth verse. That doesn't use the word Jehovah, but it uses the equivalent expression to what Jehovah means.
And I'll read it in Revelation 14, John, to the seven churches which are in Asia.
Grace be unto you in peace from him. Here it is from him which is and which was, and which is to come. And that's what Jehovah means. He who is he? Who was he who is to come, The one who inhabits eternity.
The Eternal God, the Changeless, the Unchangeable God.
The same.
Turn to Isaiah 57.
Isaiah 57.
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Verse 15.
For thus saith the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity.
Whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place.
With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.
To revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart.
Of the contrite ones.
What a vast scope we have in that verse.
Thus saith the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity, if it had said, inhabits heaven.
We can grasp that with our minds. Heaven is a place. Eternity. What is that? That's an expression of timelessness.
He who is and who was and who is to come, He inhabits eternity. He is everywhere, not only in space, but in time.
Can you grasp that? I can't grasp it.
He is the I am that I am.
The same. And He is the I am the eternal One, the name of His essential existence.
Now only he can say that I have seen the blasphemy in print.
Of men who claim to be I am.
Puny creatures, Creatures of time who had a beginning and who will have an end as far as their space down here, Who will could record their birth. You go to any graveyard and you'll see their birth recorded and their death recorded. And he died.
But here is a being.
Who is eternal?
Remember a brother saying to me once I can, I can grasp in my mind someone who exists today and will live forever.
But I cannot grasp a being that go back so far as you can.
To the beginning of time, and then beyond that he had no beginning.
The I am the name of his self existence.
Essential Existence turn to First Timothy Chapter 6, please.
One Timothy, Chapter 6.
Verse 13.
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.
That thou keep this commandment without spot unrevuable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed, and only potentate the king of kings, and Lord of Lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, unto whom no man hath seen, nor can see.
To whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.
Who only have immortality. No creature has immortality, essentially.
No creature has immortality.
If God sustains him in immortality, that's another matter.
But only he has it, essentially.
The I am.
And he's unchangeable.
The Eternal God and as we sang in this little hymn.
The great I am and could he be delighted?
Could he be delighted with creatures such as we who, when we saw him, slighted and nailed him to a tree?
Is that one that became a man? Is that this person that we're talking about?
Well, let's turn to the 102nd Psalm, if you will.
The 102nd.
The Messiah is speaking in this Psalm. It's called a Messianic Psalm.
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And he says in verse six he says I am like a Pelican of the wilderness.
I am like an owl of the desert. I watch in them as a Sparrow alone upon the housetop. Mine enemies reproach me all the day, and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping because of thine indignation and thy wrath, for thou hast lifted me up and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass.
And he is addressing God, And he says, But thou, O Lord, shall to endure forever.
And thy remembrance unto all generations, and then a little farther down in the Psalm.
He says in verse 23 he weakened my strength in the way he shortened my gaze. Now this is the one speaking who is eternal. He is the I am. And yet he's speaking here as a man. And he says he shortened my days. He only lived 33 years as a man. He was cut off in the midst of his years as a man. And so he says.
He shortened my days. I said. Oh my God, take me not away in the midst of my days.
And then God answers that prayer right in the middle of the verse, we have the divine answer.
You might say, how do you know this is the answer of God to him? Well, we'll get that in the New Testament where this passage is quoted.
God says to him, the Messiah, Thy years are throughout all generations.
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens Of the work of thy hands they shall perish, but thou shalt endure. Yeah, all of them shall wax old like a garment as a vesture. Shall thou change them? They shall be changed. What is characteristic of every creature is that he is changeable. Every creature changes. Everything that is created changes. They shall be changed. This is the word of God to the Messiah. But thou art the same.
That ought to be a capital S Wherever you read that thou art the same. He is the I am that I am.
Thou art the same.
And thy years shall have no end.
As man the Messiah says, don't take me away in the midst of my years. And then God says.
You will live forever. Thou art the same. Thy ears shall not fail. Let's look at the quote of that in Hebrews 1.
Hebrews one where the Where the Apostle Paul the author is setting before these Jewish believers the glories of the sun.
The glories of the sun. We'll pick it up in verse 5. But unto which of the angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee? Did God ever speak in such language to angels? They're called sons of God simply because they were created by the Creator directly. Adam was called the Son of God because he came from the hands of the Creator directly. And so all the angels individually created. There's no such thing as a family of angels.
Each one individually created sons of God, but he never pointed one out and said guard my son.
So he says to which of the angels This shows he was not an Angel, he was above the angels and he came below the angels to reach us.
To which of the angels said he at anytime Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee?
Thou art my son, is an expression referring to what he always was. He never became that.
Never became the Son. He was always the Son. This day have I begotten thee, is when he became a man, when the eternal Son of God came into time and was begotten.
Of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin.
And again, when you bring us in the first Begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him.
He's not telling angels to worship another Angel.
No, he's showing that he was infinitely above the angels.
They worship him. That's the Messiah. When God brings that Messiah back into this world, all the angels will worship him.
They were there at his birth and proclaimed it and at his resurrection. And when he comes back, they'll see it and they'll worship.
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And again when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith let all the angels of God worship him. That's still future.
And of the angels he saith, who maketh his Angel spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire, they are the ones that carry out his bidding.
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, here is God the Father addressing his Son, and he addresses him as God.
Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
This is all a quote from that 102nd song. And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old, as doth the garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold him up, and they shall be changed, like at the end of the day. You take your suit coat off, take your clothes off, you fold them up, you lay them aside.
That's the language that we have here, and this is the Messiah that he's talking to.
And then he says, But thou art the same.
Thy years shall not fail that again, that ought to be a capital S It's the name of Deity.
No creature is ever called the same, because he's not. He changes. All of us change. We change, He changes not. Our Christ can never die. To which of the angels said he at any time sit down on my right hand till I make thine enemies? Thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? And again in the 13th of Hebrews, we know the verse so well.
It is verse 8.
Do you ever notice the verse isn't the complete. It's not a sentence. It has no verb. Jesus Christ. The same yesterday and today and forever. You have to supply the verb. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. But I like to think of it as this. He sets before them who he is. He is the same yesterday, today and forever unchanging.
Unchangeable the I am that I am, the eternal I am.
And once he says that he doesn't have any more to say, he is everything, so he doesn't continue the sentence. He just stops with that glorious person. Now turn back with me to John's Gospel chapter 8. We've been in John's Gospel chapter 10 and we'll just read a few verses in John chapter 8.
And verse 47 he says he that is of God heareth God's words.
Speaking to the Pharisees, ye therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast the devil?
Jesus answered. I have not a devil.
But I honor my father, and ye do dishonor me, and I seek not my own glory. There is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast the devil, Abraham is dead, And the prophets and thou sayest if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death? Art thou greater than our father Abraham? Was he greater, infinitely greater?
Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead? Whom makest thou thyself?
Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father that honoreth me, of whom ye say that he is your God.
Yet you have not known him, but I know him. And if I should say I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you.
But I know him, and keep his saying, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. What day is he referring to? It's a day of his glory, the day of the Kingdom reign. Abraham looked on to that day, and he rejoiced to see it, and he saw it by faith.
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Your father Abraham, rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it. And he was glad and said to Jews unto him, Thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? And now we have the most stupendous statement in all Scripture.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, when he prefaces any comment, any statement he's making with those two words, that means truly, truly listen. This is something that is most important. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, before he was born, I was no, it's not what he says. He could have said that that would have been true, but he says something infinitely more majestic.
Before Abraham was I am.
We read it. We ponder it.
We don't meditate upon this enough.
He is the I am and this is the Messiah. This is Jesus of Nazareth.
That speaks these majestic words. Jehovah become a man, his name forever, he only who has immortality.
He says I am, I am. Before Abraham was, I am, and they knew what he was claiming. Of course they understood it. They knew that scripture that we started with in Exodus 3 and in Exodus 6. They knew those scriptures well.
He had revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the Almighty God.
Now he reveals himself as the I am.
The name of his essential existence.
Tremendous, awesome, majestic truth.
Then they took up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself. The I am.
They were in the presence of one who could have spoken a word. They would have instantly been destroyed.
But he hides himself.
Of his essential glory, and passing through the midst of them.
Led his way. He dwells essentially in light, which is unapproachable.
Which no creature has seen nor can see.
He only who has immortality, He who inhabits eternity.
Who is not defined by time and.
Past, present, future, undefinable. He's everywhere that.
Every moment that has ever existed. I don't know how to put it.
It's beyond human language to express.
How can we express his being and they didn't understand how many?
Could be that person.
Do we understand it?
The glory of it that he, the Creator, the eternal I am the one who dwells in unapproachable light, the one who only has immortality.
He became a little baby.
Born in a stable lady in a Manger.
Foxes head holes. The birds of the air hadn't nesting places, but he had nowhere to lay his head.
He was asleep in the boat.
The enemy stirred up a great storm.
Master, Karast thou not that we perish?
He rose and said peace.
Be still.
Jehovah doesn't sleep. 121St Psalm says he neither slumbers nor sleeps.
You can call upon him at any moment of anytime in the day or night. He's always awake. He'll always hear you. But here he was asleep in the boat. That's his humanity.
Then he stands up and stills the storm. One word. Peace. Be still.
What manner of man is this?
That even the winds and the waves obey him.
Is there anyone here that doesn't know this person?
As his very own savior.
If you don't, you're missing the very purpose for which you were created.
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The very purpose for which you were born.
We missed everything.
We missed everything if you don't know him.
And he came to where we were beloved Saints of God.
That we might know this infinite being that we've just touched upon just a little this afternoon.
I made a study of the expression. You do it with Mr. Darby's translation.
Starts out some. I think it's in Deuteronomy 29.
And it's the same, the expression the same all through Scripture.
There are quite a few references to it. It's a wonderful study.
At our conference at Bridgeport a few years back, Don Bilaslly gave us a an address on that subject. I found it most precious.
Many, many scriptures. I've just referred to a few. Now in the time that remains, I'd just like to look.
In this precious gospel of John at the I am statements.
Of the Lord Jesus.
Turn to John 6.
John 6.
Verse 35. And I want you to think of the immensity of the statements that he made.
Starting out, I am.
Jesus said unto them, verse 35 of John six, I am the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me.
Shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life. Tremendous statement. And then he says he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes on me.
Shall never thirst. How anyone can read the Gospel of John and read these I am statements of the Lord Jesus.
Jehovah God and deny his deity.
Is unbelievable.
Verse 48 He says I am that bread of life. Your father did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven.
That a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living Bread.
Which came down from heaven.
Now let's turn to the.
8th chapter.
And I've already read it, but I'll read it again, verse 58. And Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was.
I am.
Chapter 9.
Verse five As long as I am in the world, I am.
The light of the world.
I am the light of the world. Back to chapter 812. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Then he says, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. The 10th chapter. We've had this before us. Verse nine, I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved and.
Shall go in and out and find pasture. Verse 11 I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Chapter 11 verse 25 Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me.
Shall never die.
No doubt I will miss some.
But in chapter 14 he says in verse 6 Jesus said, saith unto him.
I am the way.
The truth.
And the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me. How anyone could read these statements. These I am statements. There are many more I've only touched. A few time has passed.
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I am the way.
The road.
He's the truth. There's no truth outside of him.
No truth of a moral and spiritual character is the truth. There's no life outside of him. He's the life.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me in the 15th chapter he says, I am the true vine.
My father is the husband of men.
He is the true vine.
He is the Great.
I am.
18th chapter.
Verse 4.
Now let me read from the first verse. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brooks cedron, where was a garden into the which he entered, And his disciples and Judas also which betrayed him, knew the place. For Jesus oftimes resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and tortures and weapons. Jesus therefore knowing all things.
That should come upon him went forth, and said unto them, Whom Seek ye they answered, him, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus saith unto them, I am he, or you notice that he is an italics, he just says, I am.
And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with him. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way.
That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gaveest me, I have lost none.
And then Peter tries to defend him. The Lord says, put your sword up.
They that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
And he says, the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
And then they led him away to crucify him.
The I am all he had to say were the words.
And they went back, he said in the 10th chapter. We had it before us. In the reading. No man taketh my life from me. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. His commandment have I received of my father. He did not die a martyr.
He died as a sacrifice. He gave himself up to die for our sins. On the cross there are his martyrs, sufferings and the world is responsible for inflicting the monium.
But the truth is that they couldn't touch him.
Until he allowed it.
Because of who he is.
I have read such blasphemous statements by men that do not know his person when they took him up to the top of the hill in Luke chapter 4 to cast him down headlong. He passing through the midst of them went his way, and statements such as had they thrown him over, he would have died. He would not have died. He walked away unharmed at the foot of the hill. But he didn't choose that method of delivering himself. He was invincible.
Death had no claim upon him. He had no sin. The wages of sin is death.
He did not have to die. He's the only one that was ever here that didn't have to die. But he did die for you. For me.
The I am.
This eternal one, the same yesterday, today and forever. Do you know him?
You know him as your Lord and as your savior.
Let's just sing 2 verses of #59, the first verse and the last verse of #59, Wisdom, Jehovah's First Delight and so on. Verses 1:00 and 6:00 please.
Someone raised the two.
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Take my love words.
All his words.
Create.
Time was beyond.
His brother.
Was in this.
God.
Our God and our Father to this afternoon, we've we've pondered, We've considered him a little.
Thy fellow.
The eternal Son.
Become a man.
The I am the eternal 1.
The same yesterday, today and forever.
O our God and Father, we praise. We worship Thee and Him for who He is and all that He has accomplished for thy glory and for our eternal blessing.
We pray for each one that's in the room this afternoon that each one might have faith in him.
Whom to know is life eternal?
We praise thee for Him, our God and Father.
May our thoughts be raised to consider him more and more.
Who he is and all that He has done our God, we just stand in awe and amazement and wonder at these immense realities that we've been looking at. From my precious word, we thank thee for Him, our Lord Jesus in his precious worthy name. Amen.