Audio from Senior Pastor Vaughn Drawdy on Sunday morning February 18th, 2018.
John 17:1-5 NIV
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Interesting request that Jesus made in this prayer. Now this is eternal life: ______________________, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Jesus prayed that we would know God. This word “know” goes beyond just knowledge. It is to know within your heart. An understanding that is entwined within your beliefs, values, actions and thoughts.
When we do, our words and actions then become a great evangelist tool of His redemption, love, care and hope.
Let’s look closer at the descriptions of God and grow in our knowledge so that we can grow in faith and grow deeper in our understanding. Let’s know Him more…WHY?:
Luke 6:45 NIV
45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
SO THAT - Our heart overflows into our actions. This is ministry.
Colossians 3:17 NIV
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
REVIEW - FROM LAST WEEK
ELOHIM. The first place we see God is again in Genesis 1:1. God is the “All-Powerful One Creator.” In this we see His creation of order where there was chaos. Life where there was death, nothing, a void. God created. How: In this we see that He knows all, creates all, and is everywhere at all times. In His creation we see His provision where there was absolutely nothing.
Aren’t you glad that our God can handle the darkness, the emptiness?
God looks into the emptiness of your life and can create LIFE. Eternal life through Christ Jesus.
El Elyon (The Most High God) Gen. 14:17-22
He is Sovereign God in whom we can put our trust. He has supremacy over all false Gods. God was referred to as El Elyon 3 times by Melchezidek when He blessed Abram.
El Roi (The God Who Sees Me - with a Fatherly awareness) Gen. 16:11-14; Ps. 139:7-12
El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One, The God of the Mountains, God Almighty) Gen. 17:1-3, 48:3, 49:25, 35:11; Ps. 90:2.
El Olam (The Eternal, The Everlasting God) Gen 21; 33
He is the beginning and the End, the One who works His purposes through the ages.
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord will PROVIDE (Gen. 22:13-14)
Jehovah-Mekaddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies
Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord is My Banner
Jehovah-Rapha (The Lord Who Heals)
Jehovah-Rohi (The Lord is My Shepherd)
Today let’s look a more names of God. For the name reveal His character.
The most used name in the Bible for God is:
YHWH (YAHWEH) - “I AM” The One Who is The Self-Existent One
Exodus 3:13-15 NIV
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the 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,the name you shall call mefrom generation to generation.
-This name of God is known as the tetragrammaton, meaning “the four letters” and is used over 7000 times in the Old Testament.
Exactly how this four letter name was to be pronounced is no longer known, Jews inadverttenly did it in order to obey the command in Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain,” they would substitute another Hebrew word that meant “Lord.” In the course of time, the proper pronunciation of this name of God, YHWH, was forgotten.
The central truth that God reveals in this name is: He is the God that never changes. His promises never fail. He is the covenant-keeper.This name is also JEHOVAH (In Hebrew: Y=J sound, H, V=W sound, H)
This variation occurred in the 16th century when a German Bible translator wrote the name YHWH using the vowel sounds of Adonai. There is a long debate and discussion as to why he did this. But whatever the case, the name JeHoVaH appeared in the KJV Bibles since. When you see Jehovah, it is also YHWH. (LORD)
ADONAI - “to judge” or “to rule” - Lord, Master, Owner (Ps. 8, Is. 40:3-5, Ez. 16:8, Hab. 3:19)
This name also deal with the name YHWH but it also has the meaning of “lord.”
The core truth in this name is “God is owner.” The One who is Lord over, ruler over, master over; has dominion and authority over.
Our response to this name is centered in obedience. Jesus instructed His disciples to obey out of love: John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
If people ever ask the question, "How can believers show their love for God?" The answer is , “They do not show their love for God through emotionalism, they show their love for God by means of their obedience." This was the way Jesus showed His love…He obeyed…even at an early age - “Don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business.” He did so unto death…
Qanna - Jealous (Exodus 34:14) (a righteous jealous - like a Husband or wife jealous over their adultrous spouse.)
Exodus 20:4-5 says, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”
God is jealous when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him.
EL - THE STRONG ONE (Ex. 15:2, Numbers 23:22, Deut. 7:9 (Mark 15:34))
-Appears over 200 times in O.T. as a compound - first part of a name (we see this in EL-ELYON, EL-OHIM, El-ROI, El- SHADDAI, EL ELOHE YISRAEL (God, The God of Israel)
JEHOVAH (YHWH) SABAOTH - The LORD of HOSTS, The Lord of ARMIES - ALMIGHTY (1 Sam. 1:3, 1 Sam. 17:45, Ps. 46:7, Mal. 1:10-14 (Rom.9:29))
The Lord will always prevail.
1 Samuel 17:45-46 NIV
45 "David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord (YHWH) Almighty (The LORD of Armies), the God (ELOHIM - The All-Powerful One) of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."
God is in your battle - (Jesus is in your boat) - don’t loose heart, grow weary or be afraid. Trust God’s path and embrace His presence.
JEHOVAH (YHWH) SHALOM - THE LORD IS PEACE (Num. 6:22-27, Judges 6:22-24, Is. 9:6, (heb. 13:20))
God defeats our enemies to bring us peace. Jesus is our PRINCE of PEACE. God brings us inner peace and hope.
JEHOVAH (YHWH) SHAMMAH- THE LORD IS THERE, THE LORD MY COMPANION. (Ez. 48:35, Ps. 46 (Matt. 28:20, Rev. 21))
God is not limitied to a location, a place… like in the OT - Tabernancle or Temple. He is accesible to all who love Him and obey Him.
JEHOVAH (YHWH) TSIDKENU - THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jer. 23:5-6, Jer. 33:16, Ez. 36:26-27, (2 Cor. 5:21))
Jesus is our King and in the One who imparts His righteousness to us. He brings us in to right standing with God.
IMMANUEL - GOD WITH US (Is. 7:14, Is. 8:8-10 (Matt. 1:23)
More on this next week…
God has revealed who He is throughout the ages, He’s revealed Himself in miraculous ways - for the soul purpose of US knowing Him.
To know Him, simply come to Him on His terms. When we stop and really surrender, calling out from our desperate need, our brokenness, genuine desire… asking Him to show us the way to Him, and walking in humility,- God show us His ways, blesses us with peace. In this we are filled with hope, love and His presence. You can know God… walk with Him.
-Do you want to know Him more? Do you feel like He is not there or millions of miles away?
-It could be that you aren’t coming to God on His terms… Instead of God I want this or this… simply say, God I surrender my life to You. Help me understand who you are so that I may grow closer to You and reveal Your love to others.