March 23, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Sermon
Series on “The Names of God”
Sermon
11 of series-
“The
Sacred Names of God: Rabbouni/El Emet”
Psalm
31:1-5 Names of God Bible
John
13:12-17 Gods Word Bible
Let
us pray…
Loving,
gracious, God giver of all insight and knowledge, we pray this day that You
would open Your word to us that we may receive the wisdom and knowledge that
You have for us this day. May we drink deep from Your Living Water that washes
over us and gives us insight of who You are and how You would have us live our
lives. Pour forth Your word on us as we sit by the pool of Wisdom and Truth.
Speak Lord; we thirst for Your truth in our lives…
It is interesting having a Senior in our
house. Erica receives all this information for all these colleges that want her
to enter their school and receive the knowledge and wisdom that she needs to
follow her path of writing in her life. They make promises that if she goes to
their school she will have the best teachers and that she will succeed by
attending their school. It is hard, I think, for people this day who want to
acquire knowledge and truth. There are so many things that are vying for our
attention…some many promises of wisdom and knowledge out there. But…where is
the Truth for our lives found?
We are continuing on our journey of
learning the Sacred Names of God and
praying in that same name. We have prayed to the one true God…our Elohim…we have talked about and prayed
to El Elyon who is the Most High
God…we have come to realize that our God is the everlasting, eternal God…our El Olam. Our God is our Redeemer…He is Go’el. It is within El Emet that we find Truth for our lives as long as we follow our Rabbouni…our teacher.
One of the most awesome truths that we
have as children of God is that our God is El
Emet, the God of Truth. Now...everyone needs to depend on and trust other
people. Many people in our lives are trustworthy, but we’ve all been let down
at one time or another. Maybe you trusted someone or some product with your
health, only to be disappointed. Or maybe you trusted a financial advisor or
broker with your money, and you lost everything. Sometimes even close friends
or family members let us down in harsh and inconsiderate ways. People and
things eventually let us down.
From the Psalm this morning, The name of
God—El Emet—contrasts sharply with the unreliability of people and things.
Emet, the Hebrew word for “trueness” and “faithfulness” calls to mind God’s
trustworthiness and dependability. The psalmist conveys God’s steadfastness
using rock-hard imagery: “You are my rock and my fortress.” Amid all of life’s
uncertainties and disappointments, and especially when people let you down, we
are still able to confess that God is our rock and fortress. If you can do
that, you can also take the next step with the psalmist and say, “Into your
hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.” We cannot always
be faithful and true to God, we live in a fallen world and we are not perfect, but
El Emet, “the Faithful God of Truth,” will always be faithful and true to us.
Truth is one of His many names. The
Hebrew word "truth" means what is firm; faithful; something that
grabs hold or supports something else. When we commit our lives to Christ, He
Who is firm (the God of Truth), the truth of His Word grabs hold of us and
supports. It will never deceive or lie or let us down. Numbers 23:19 tells us: "God
is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His
mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"
If we firmly believe He is El Emet (the God of Truth), we should be
a people eager to know what His truth says. That is a necessary part of
embracing all that He is. It is in knowing and understanding the truth of His
Word so we can be guided by it. It is the basis for wisdom and understanding
and it will protect us from what is untruth and lead us away from the God of
Truth.
God Himself came to earth in the form of
Jesus to be our Rabbouni/Rabbi…our teacher of Truth. Rabbi, a Hebrew word, is
literally translated “my great one”, and it can also be translated as “my
master” or “my teacher.” In the early first century, it was used to honor
someone who acted as a teacher of the Torah. Rabbouni is an expanded Hebrew
form that means “my rabbi. “Some decades after Jesus’ time, “rabbi” became a
more formalized title. Unlike most rabbis, who merely taught what they had
learned from another rabbi, Jesus taught with his own authority, as though his
wisdom came from above—a fact remarked upon by many who heard him. Jesus
counseled his disciples never to seek the honorific title “rabbi.” He alone was
to be their Teacher and Master.
John 13:12-17 tells us:
“12 After Jesus had washed their feet
and put on his outer clothes, he took his place at the table again. Then he
asked his disciples, “Do you understand what I’ve done for you? 13 You call me
teacher and Lord, and you’re right because that’s what I am. 14 So if I, your
Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you must wash each other’s feet. 15
I’ve given you an example that you should follow. 16 I can guarantee this
truth: Slaves are not superior to their owners, and messengers are not superior
to the people who send them. 17 If you understand all of this, you are blessed
whenever you follow my example.”
Through his words, his miracles, and the
example of his life, Jesus teaches us who God really is and how we can come
into a relationship with him and others we come in contact with each day. God’s truth is still the same today as it
was from the beginning. Jesus still wants to lead His disciples in the way of
Truth. Jesus not only taught but showed humanity what His teachings look like
and those same actions…those same principles are just as awesome and dynamic as
they were when they were first modeled by the Perfector of our Faith Jesus
Christ.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the
Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). I'm sure we can all
agree that we love truth and find it
most upsetting when we find out we haven't been told the truth. If we truly
believe in our heart that Jesus is the Truth, why do we then reject His Word or
even a portion of His Word? If we truly believe He is all truth, why do we hold
back giving Him everything we are or have?
Jesus warned us to watch out that we are
not deceived (Luke 21:8). Many will come in
His Name and they may mix some untruth
with the truth and unless we say, "Wait a minute. I need to check what you
way with the God of Truth," if we do not, we may just walk through
deceptions door. Unfortunately, we are seeing others placing what man may say
or what they write above what the God of Truth says. People are flocking to
other books before God's Word. We need to be careful. Something that pleases
the senses or "tickles" our ears may not line up with the author of
Truth. If there is only partial truth, the whole is untruth. Just because a
book is sold in a "Christian store" or labeled a "Christian
book," may not contain the stamp of approval from the God of Truth. How
awesome it is that we have His Word to be that guide of truth for us.
In a world full of untruths it is
comforting to know that we have a God of Truth, El Emet. In a world full of false advertising it is hope giving
that we have a Teacher, our Rabbouni that
is the perfect example to follow…that will not give us a 30 day warranty but a
life time warranty. Are you searching for the Truth in a world full of
illusion? Are you ready to be taught by the One True Teacher or are you will to
settle for the teachers of this world? The doors are open at the “God’s
University of Truth” and your tuition has been paid by the blood of our Risen
Lord Jesus.
The price of a child going to college ~
$25-50,000,
The price of Truth, 1 cross + 3 nails=4
you.
Let
us pray… (pray to Rabbouni/El Emet)
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