Sheep in pasture

Sheep in pasture
Feed My Sheep, Feed My Lambs, Feed My Sheep

Monday, January 6, 2014

“Our Many Faceted God”

January 5, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series on “The Names of God”
Sermon 1 of “What’s In A Name…”
Exodus 3:13-14
Leviticus 24:10-16
 (All Scripture is from The Names of God Bible)



(Show Video of the “Names of God”)

I have heard it said that Eskimo’s have about 400 names for snow. Now that’s a lot of names for one thing. It may be hard to fathom that one thing could have so many names. But then I think about how many names each of us goes by. Sure…my name is Ruth but I have so many other names I go by…:
1.     Pastor Ruth: I am called this by those who God has me shepherd
2.     Mom: Used by my daughters and most of their friends
3.     Honey: Used by my loving husband
4.     Ruth: Used by my mom
…and each name has a unique undertone. The list just goes on. Names sort of explain…they say who you are to the one who is calling you that name. Each name I am called sort of says what “role I am playing” at that time. I am sure that most of you go by more than one name.

Our God also goes by different names at different times depending on what was going on in the life of those who were calling upon His name…depending on how God is viewed at the time of the person calling out His name…what they needed from Him. There are different names that are used when you are calling upon Him for strength…provider…or guidance…or to just be there with the person. As a matter of fact…I think there are about 72 names that the Hebrews called God. Can you believe it…72 different names for one God? By the way, some of the names are for God through Jesus Christ… There is beauty and elegance found in each name of God. As a matter of fact, each of the Names comes with a promise of and from God that is associated with each name.

With that being said, I would like to invite you all on an excavation…a treasure hunt so to speak…this year as we dig up the treasures of God’s Names and the promise that it holds for you and me. For the year 2014, we are going to be looking at the names of God…praying the names of God…understanding the message and promise behind the name. I pray that by doing so, we will all grow in our love and faith of God. I pray our vision of God would grow wider and larger as we begin to understand these sacred names that we may not hear every day but they are not any less important to our understanding of who God is. So let’s begin on our treasure hunt. In the Scriptures from this morning, you heard me use a couple of names that you may not recognize…Ha-shem and Ehyah.

Now the word Ehyah that I used in the Exodus scripture simple means “I Am.” When Moses wanted to be able to tell the Israelites the name of the person who sent him God just said My Name is I Am. Now here is Moses, in front of the burning bush that God used to speak through to him. He has been called to go and free to people from their slavery and the only name he is given is “I Am”. I think that Moses must have felt a little “jipped”. He wasn’t given some long fancy name…nor was he given a name that spoke some kind of power. All he got was “I Am”. Now who would want to put their trust in a person named simply “I Am”? They probably thought that Moses was just making up the name. Their God was supposed to be great so He really should have this great, fantazmalatical name…something like “The All Powerful God Who Rules Over Everything… but it was just simply “I Am”.
So…what’s in a name? This name that Moses gave the Israelites is a name that is so sacred that even Jews today don’t pronounce it…it is and was a deeply sacred and holy name. Now this name not only reveals that God has always been there but it also reveals that God is a God who is always present…He just is. I Am the God who is always with you…you never walk alone; I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life; I Am the true Vine…

The other name that I used this morning in the Leviticus scripture was Ha-Shem which means “the Name.” Now…His…and our…Name is our reputation. God’s reputation was and is one of glory, power, holiness, protection, trust and love. So When you call upon the “Name” of God…Ha-Shem… you call upon His presence…to act in His name is to act with His authority…to fight in His Name is to fight with His power and might…and to pray in His name is to pray to Him…to invoke His name…Ha-Shem. Now invoking His Name is not some sort of magical thing…when men and women of faith call upon His Name…they are exercising their faith in God. When we pray to Ha-shem…we are praying to the holy God who dwells with us, hearing and answering our prayers. When you call me I will answer…Because you know my name I will protect you…I will call upon the name of the Lord and be saved

Beloved Children of God…to know God’s names…to pray God’s names…well it is a privileged access to Him and that piece of Him, to that part of Him. As we pray the Names of God we pray about and to His character…about and to His Very Nature…about and to His very essence. God…by revealing His name…invites each and every believer into relationship with Him. A Close relationship, that we know that special name. But it comes with responsibility…you shall not take the Name of your God in vain. Cursing in His name certainly dishonors His name but by living a life that contradicts His character also is using His name in vain. As we journey together on this treasure hunt for His names…as we look at the many facets of who He is, may we draw ever nearer to His heart and fall more deeply in love with the One who shares His most precious names with His beloved children…our Lord and our God. May we grow in stature as we rediscover the Hebrew names of the One who created heaven and earth.

Let us pray…
Our Great God Ehyah…may we come to understand that You are I Am…the One who was…who is…who will always be. May we come to understand that You are always with us and that we never walk alone because I Am goes with us. May we honor Your Ha-shem…your name in all that we say and do. As we call upon He-shem may You draw ever near to hear and answer. Thank you for protecting us as we sojourn in this world. You truly are the Great and Powerful I Am.


Amen

No comments:

Post a Comment