Genesis 12:1-2

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you

From Background Notes [BN] for June 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Through Abram, God will do what Nimrod failed to do: he will make him a source of blessing. For pagan heroes, every personal success meant the diminishing of others in battle or conquest. Not so for Abram.

Genesis 17:5

No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

So the big question before us becomes: whose name will be glorious on the earth? It is clear that the contest is between those who make a name for themselves, and...

Genesis 10:8

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The human quest, under the rule of sin, seeks to "make a name for itself", rather than exalt the name of God. Of course, this is the classic definition of the pagan hero: one who makes a name for himself.

Exodus 4:11-12

The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The story of Moses’ call to a new identity begins with the sort of wonder that takes off its sandals and continues in the presence of slaves who see signs and then bow and worship. There is no new self, no new person, or no new identity without the profound experience of the Sacred before whom we bow and worship.

Exodus 4:10

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“That’s just who I am,” holds no muster with the God whose name is “I am who I am”! Karl Barth wrote in the earliest pages of his Church Dogmatics...

Exodus 3:4

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The time has come to tell the truth about you, Moses, and bring to the level of consciousness all the submerged secrets about who you really are. It will not be easy knowing your true identity, because with that knowledge comes serious responsibility that you will need to take for yourself.

John 8:28

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."

From Background Notes [BN] for June 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In other words, the answer to the question, “Who am I?” for Jesus, rests with his relationship to God as his Father. He does not label himself (“I do nothing on my own”), but allows God to give him his identity (“he has not left me alone”).