When we read the words in this passage, it feels like it’s been cut off right in the middle, doesn’t it? At the very end, this is what Moses asks: “If they ask me who sent me, what shall I say to them?”

Following the end of World War II, Israelites who had been scattered across the entire world gathered in the region of Palestine. Other peoples were already living there—and yet, remarkably, the very nation that had lost that land thousands of years ago returned and restored their country. It was a truly astounding event, unlike anything seen anywhere else in the world.

However, a remarkably similar event took place about 3,500 years ago from now. While the Israelites were living in Egypt and serving as slaves there, God sent a man named Moses to lead them out to the region of Palestine. Such an event has occurred twice, then. The passage we just read records what God said when He sent Moses to Egypt at that time. Moses was someone who had never before encountered God—and it was in this very first meeting that all this took place.

Here at church, we often hear the word “God.” This particular word, as used by Christians, came about through a specific choice made in translating the Bible. But the word “god” is used universally across the world. Jews, Israelites, the Chinese, Koreans—people everywhere use the word, “god.”

Are there many gods in the world, or just a few? There are a great many. In fact, those who do not believe in Jesus often know this even better. There truly are so many gods in this world. “Which god shall you fellowship with?”—this is, in truth, an incredibly important question. Some may say, “I don’t want anything to do with any god! I just want to live among people!” But that is not possible. Each god has a distinct personality, a distinct character, a distinct nature. Some gods respect us; others do not. This is why it is impossible for a person to live in complete isolation from the gods. In one way or another, every person comes into contact with them.

The God who appeared to Moses is also a god. A certain god appeared to Moses, but Moses did not yet know who this god was. There was a bush on fire, burning brightly, but the bush was not being consumed. Finding this strange, he went closer, and from there he heard a voice saying, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moses immediately took off his sandals and stood before Him with a trembling heart. It was then that the god gave this command to Moses: “Go to Egypt and bring my people out.”

Filled with fear and uncertainty, Moses asked that god, “Who exactly are you to be sending me? Even if I respect you, what will the people say when I come to them?” Think about it—what would the Israelites say to Moses? “Who do you think you are, that we would follow you out of this place? And who is this god who sent you?” That is precisely why Moses asked that god, “If the people of Israel ask me this, what shall I say to them?”

Now, we think of it as “Moses met God.” But from Moses’ perspective at that moment, he had met a certain god. So, when he asked, “What is Your name? What shall I say to them?” that god introduced Himself directly. What this god said to Moses in that moment is very important. He said, “I AM WHO I AM.” “I AM WHO I AM.”

As far as we know, there is no being in this world that exists by itself. We exist only because something else exists. I can stand here like this only because the ground is beneath me; I was born because I have parents; and I am breathing and alive right now because there is air. We do not exist on our own.

And yet this god introduced himself by saying, “I AM WHO I AM”—and further, “I am the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When we introduce ourselves to someone, the way we do it varies every time. For example, if a kid asks me, “Mister, who are you?” I might say, “I’m your dad’s friend.” In another place, I might say, “I am Pastor Lee.” And in yet another place, I might say, “I am his son.” It’s different every time. So, what is the best way to introduce oneself? The shorter the time we have, the more thought we must put into how we introduce ourselves, right? The answer this god gave to Moses was, “I AM WHO I AM.”

Now, what we focus on is not the answer god gave Moses—but the question Moses asked. “If they ask me, ‘Who is the god that sent you? Which god shall you fellowship with?’—what shall I say to them?” And it is the very same question I want to put to each of you today. Up until now, you may have lived without any contact with a god at all—or you may have already been in contact with one. Then as you think for yourselves, if you have lived in contact with a certain god until now—who is that god?

By coming to church, we are seeking to meet a certain god once again. If so, the question you must ask here is: “Exactly what kind of god do Christians believe in?” That is the question we need to bring. Because the church is the place where people who serve that very god gather together. This means you must not make contact with just any god. Having a fellowship with a god is a deeply serious matter—and meeting the wrong one can lead to serious trouble. That is why we must keep a very close eye on what kind of god that is.

One day, a Chinese brother who attended our Chinese service came to see me at my office on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. Usually, it’s not easy for Chinese people to visit during the week because they are working, but he came on that day when the rain was pouring down. So, I welcomed him warmly. As we began to talk, he told me that a friend had told him to come here. At first, I was confused about what he meant. “Why did your friend tell you to come here?” I asked. “I’m not sure,” he said. “He suddenly told me to go to church, so I came.” “And where is this friend? Who is he?” “He is with me right now,” he said. “Oh, tell him to come in!” But the brother replied, “He is right beside me.” “What do you mean, beside you?” “He is sitting right next to me.” You see, the “friend” this man was talking about was a god. He was hearing the voice of a certain god and was in ongoing fellowship with this god. That morning, when he woke up, this god had told him to go to church—and so he came.

I quickly caught on, and asked, “Is that so? Are you close with him?”—using the pronoun “him.” “Are you close with him?” He said they were very close. “Do you like him?” Very much, he said. “Why do you like him?” “He has helped me a great deal.” “How long have you known him?” “Since I was very young. We practically grew up together.” “Is that right? But why do you like him—what kind of help does he give you?” “Whenever I didn’t know what to do, if I just did what he told me, things always worked out. So today, I felt like something good would happen if I went to church—and so I listened and came.” And that is why, on a weekday, he had come out soaking wet in the rain.

So I explained it to him. He already knew that this “friend” was a god. I said to him, “That god has helped you a great deal until now. But that help cannot stay with you forever. He may help you for a time—but that god is also a created being. He cannot take care of himself. He does not exist on his own. And so it is not good to remain close to him. Besides, you are already coming to church and serving another god, are you not? You are already in fellowship with the god we have introduced to you—and our god does not want you to live in such close connection with another god.”

That is why, among the commandments this god gave to the Israelites through Moses long ago, there is one that says: “You shall have no other gods before Me!” Some people misunderstand this as the god saying, “There are no other gods besides me!” They interpret it to mean, “There is no god in the world other than God!” But that is not what it means. There are a great many gods in this world. In fact, it is precisely because there are so many gods in this world that He said it. The commandment is this: “Do not let there be any other god in you!” I did something similar when I got married. I said to my wife, “From now on, do not let there be another man for you!”—and then we were married. I said that because there are many men in this world. In the same way, because there are many gods in the world, our god said, “Do not let there be other gods for you!”

The god we serve in the church does not want you to be in fellowship with various other gods. So I told him: “Our god is the God who created the heavens and earth. And it is this God alone who can give you eternal life and true happiness. But that god who has been staying with you will eventually lead you to ruin. So, make your choice!” As he listened, the god that was inside him manifested itself. That god began to reveal his true identity. “I have grown up with this man since he was a child.” I prayed for this brother, and he collapsed as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Then, after he woke up, he said, “Why am I here?” From that very morning, he had been completely seized by that god and brought all the way here. He had no memory of how he had gotten there. In this way, he had been wandering around, held captive by that god. That god had dominated him and moved him around—whether he wanted it or not.

But the god we introduce in our church has a completely different nature. Every god has a different character, and our god deeply respects our will. So if we do not want him to, he will never force himself upon us. No matter how good something may be, a parent who truly respects their child will not force it upon them if the child doesn’t want it. Even if it’s great for their health, if they refuse it, they will not force it into their mouth. In the same way, our god has many good things to give us—but he does not give them by force. Instead, he asks. If we are willing, he introduces himself to us. If we are not yet ready, he waits. When we are willing, it is then that he gives us what is his. That is the god I have encountered. That is the kind of god our fellow Christians have encountered. And throughout the Bible, there are many stories of people meeting this very god—and he is exactly that kind of god.

So then, if we were to introduce him in a single word, what kind of god would we call Him? There are many ways to introduce him, but Moses would likely have introduced him to the Israelites like this: “The god who sent me is the god who exists by himself!” When I have asked many people at our church, “How would you introduce your god?” some followed Moses’s words exactly, saying, “He is the I AM!” Others said, “This god is full of love,”, “He is full of life,” “He created the universe,” “He created me”—and so on. They introduced this god in various ways.

But if we go down that road, we could be here all day. We would have to read the entire Bible to cover it all. If I only had one minute left and someone asked me, “Then who is your god?”, how would I introduce him most accurately and at the very core? When we get blood drawn at a hospital, it’s best when they get it on the first try, isn’t it? It needs to come out in one clean draw—but if they miss and have to stick us multiple times, that’s frustrating, isn’t it? In the same way, when someone asks, “Who is your god?”, we should be able to give them a sharp and satisfying answer in a single word. I will tell you what that is.

Who is the god we are meant to meet here at this church? Now, we’ve all heard of Jesus, haven’t we? Jesus! He came to Israel two thousand years ago and did many good things—and yet the people who were considered most respectable at the time cried out in anger, “Kill Him! Kill Him!” And so He was brought before a Roman court, condemned, and died a brutal death on the cross. That man of Nazareth—people killed Him. Even though He died after losing all his blood and water, that very Jesus came back to life. When people went to His tomb on the third day after He died, the tomb was empty. And later, the risen Jesus appeared before His disciples.

It is remarkable. Jesus died, so how could He have come back to life? Death means being unable to do anything at all. But there was One who raised Him after He died. Jesus did not rise on His own. Death means we can do nothing. And yet in that very state, there was one who raised Him up—not a human being, but a god. The god we believe in is precisely that one who raised Jesus from the dead.

And this god promised us: “Just as I raised Jesus, I will also raise those who believe in Jesus!” He promised, “Just as I prepared all good things for Jesus and gave him the spiritual glory of heaven, I will give all those things to those who believe in Jesus!” The god I believe in keeps his word to the very end, even to the point of sending his beloved One, Jesus. He seeks to share good things with even more people, even at such a cost. He doesn’t keep good things to himself—he wants to share them. He even desires that the wicked receive and enjoy them. His nature is beyond human understanding. And it is precisely this god that we serve. The god who raised Jesus from the dead—the god who worked in that way two thousand years ago—is with us even now.

Some gods in this world do not last for a long time on this earth. There are gods who appear for a time and then disappear, nowhere to be found. But this god has been at work with human beings for thousands of years. He is keeping his promises even now. I bless you in the name of Jesus, that each of you may come to meet this god.

We must not come into contact with just any god. If we say, “Anyone will do! Whoever you are, come and help me!” a wrong god may come and torment us. He may even bring disaster upon us. So we must not approach just any god. I bless you, in the name of Jesus, that you may come to meet the god who has been trustworthy, the god whose nature is clearly revealed, the god who has already declared his works and fulfilled them, and the god who showed his love by not sparing even his own son to save us, and who has been acknowledged, affirmed, and praised by countless people throughout the ages.

God our Father, though there are many gods in this world, we thank You that You have allowed us to meet, to serve, and to call You Father—You, the Creator who made and governs all things, the very God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. We ask that You help every person gathered here today to experience the same. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.