“Hello My Name is…Yahweh Ropheka… (The Lord Who Heals)”

May 25, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 20 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: Yahweh Ropheka”

1 Peter 3:13-22 Common English Bible (CEB)

Acts 17:22-31 Common English Bible (CEB)

Sirach 34:19-20 Common English Bible (CEB)

  (2011-09-01). Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup),

The (p. 100). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination of our hearts, minds and souls.)

The Lord’s eyes

are upon those who love him.

    The Lord is a powerful shield,

    a strong support,

    a shelter from the heat,

    a shade from the midday sun,

    a guard against stumbling,

    and a help against falling;

one who lifts up the spirit,

    one who gives light to the eyes,

    and one who gives healing

    for life and blessing.

(Sirach 34:19-20)

As we continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of God, we have come to a name we, as people of God, have prayed in so many situations throughout time and space. This name is close to the “broken hearted”. It is a name that gives you another glimpse of who our Multi-Faceted God is. It is the name Yahweh Ropheka…the Lord who Heals…

The Names of God Bible tells us that:

“The Hebrew word rophe means “heal,”“cure,”“restore,” or “make whole.” Shortly after his people left Egypt for the Promised Land, God revealed himself as Yahweh Ropheka, the LORD Who Heals. The Hebrew Scriptures indicate that God is the source of all healing.

The verb from which rophe is derived occurs sixty-seven times in the Old Testament. Though it often refers to physical healing, it usually has a larger meaning as well, involving the entire person. Rather than merely healing the body, Yahweh Ropheka (yah-WEH ro-FEH-ka) heals the mind and soul as well.

The New Testament reveals Jesus as the Great Physician, the healer of body and soul, whose miracles point to the kingdom of God. According to Jesus, sickness is not necessarily caused by sin on the part of the person who is ill. Rather, it can result from living in a sinful, fallen world.”

Throughout the bible we hear of God’s healing power of both body and soul. The LORD Provided Manna and Quails for the Israelites to Eat soul that their hungry bodies would be healed of that hunger… The LORD Provides Water for the Israelites from a Rock so that their thirst could be healed by cool water in the desert…The LORD Provides Healing for all of humanity through His Son, Lord Jesus Christ so that humanity’s body and soul would be fed and healed of sin… It is this healing from God that we proclaim to the world. Yahweh Ropheka is the healer of all of our ailments…He is the healer of what we cannot go to a physician to be healed of…we need the Great Physician to heal us from our sin. It is in the name of Jesus Christ that we are healed. So…what do we do with this joyous news? What do we do now that we have been prescribed with the right medication for our souls? 

The 1^st Peter I read this morning gives us a view of what we should do with this information. It tells us how we can obtain the prescription and how others can do the same. This healing not only heals us from sin but also brings us closer to God than we can do on our own. It tells us that we should share this Good News with others, especially when they ask about the joy we have. But it also tells us that we shouldn’t try to “beat them over the head with the truth” as some do but to do so in respectful humility. We need to share the truth in love. There may also be times when we suffer because we are so “on fire for the Lord”. You know those times when our family may not talk to us because they think we are “holy rollers”…those times when people may call us “Jesus freaks”…those times when people may talk bad about us because we are so dedicated to the Gospel of truth, God and our Savior… We can’t let that stop us. We need to even be glad about it. God cared so much about humanity’s health that Jesus even went and preached the Gospel to those in prison…in Sheol.

We need to make God known to all those around us. Paul spent his life devoted to making God…Yahweh Ropheka…the Great Physician… known after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Let me read one of those account to you. It is found in Acts 17 verses 22-31. Paul was a very bold and wise speaker. Listen to what he had to say to the people of Athens…

Acts 17:22-31 Common English Bible (CEB)

“22 Paul stood up in the middle of the council on Mars Hill and said, “People of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. 23 As I was walking through town and carefully observing your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an unknown God.’ What you worship as unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in temples made with human hands. 25 Nor is God served by human hands, as though he needed something, since he is the one who gives life, breath, and everything else. 26 From one person God created every human nation to live on the whole earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us. 28 In God we live, move, and exist. As some of your own poets said, ‘We are his offspring.’

29 “Therefore, as God’s offspring, we have no need to imagine that the divine being is like a gold, silver, or stone image made by human skill and thought. 30 God overlooks ignorance of these things in times past, but now directs everyone everywhere to change their hearts and lives. 31 This is because God has set a day when he intends to judge the world justly by a man he has appointed. God has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.””

The altar to an unknown God that Paul saw in Athens shows the plight of the pagans…and some people who call themselves Christians today. They have an idea of who God is but they have no experience of who God is. We, as a church, need to reveal the way that the world might come to a personal relationship…to personally come to know God, through His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

You see the world…the non-Christian…humanity…worships some unknown god. It may be power and position that they worship. It may be possessions that they worship. It is anything other than the God of our salvation. Yet within our hearts we really we want to know God. We want to be healed of our infirmities that our worldly god just can’t heal us from. It is within and through our risen Lord that we come to know the unknown God. The prescription that we need is to repent of our sins and trust in the Living Christ.

We live in a world that is broken and torn. We live in a world that is full of open wounds that need to be healed. God uses us to be that healing balm that the world needs. But in order to be that conduit of healing we need to be willing to be and to go where God wants us to be and go. Yahweh Ropheka is looking for a few good men and women who are bold enough to take on the task of healing and restoration in His name. Yahweh Ropheka…our Great Physician…wants us to share our witness to those who are hurting and need a healing in their lives…to tell them that their unknown god is revealed in Christ. Yahweh Ropheka…our Great Physician…wants us to make Him known through our words and actions, giving healing and restoration to those who are in need. Yahweh Ropheka…our Great Physician…wants us to understand that Christ will make himself known to us through the Holy Spirit…giving us the boldness of Paul to share the Good News…the power of Peter to proclaim the gospel of peace.

How will you answer the call to action and healing? How will we become that healing balm? Where is there a need for healing in our lives and in the lives of those around us? Perhaps…as we look inside…we can find healing and restoration for our souls. Maybe, just maybe, as we are healed we can spread that healing save with those around us. Then…maybe then…we will have healing and wholeness as a people and as a nation. But it begins with you and me…

Let us pray…

Yahweh Ropheka, the LORD who heals me, the Great Physician, we want to experience your healing grace in our body and our soul. Please work in us and through us. As you heal us, please let us glorify you by bringing the knowledge of your healing power to those in need. Increase our faith and show us how to pray. Embolden us, by Your Spirit, to put our faith to work by praying for others so that they have healing in their souls and body’s. May your name be lifted up throughout the world as people come to know Your love and healing power by our prayers of healing.

Amen!

“Hello My Name is… Yahweh Roi/Yahweh Shammah”

May 18, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 19 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: Yahweh Roi/Yahweh Shammah”

23^rd Psalm King James Bible

  Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Let us pray… (Pray for God to illuminate His word and that we would have the open eyes, hearts and minds to conceive and receive it)

Have you ever had times in your faith journey that you may have wondered “where is God”? You are looking for guidance and hope and God seems to be silent. How about times in your faith journey where you seem to have missed the mark…you felt that you took a wrong turn somewhere and now are feeling lost and alone?  You try as you might to find the path again but you seem to not quite get on the road you feel you should be on. You feel you need someone or something to guide you back to where you should be. You might even wonder to yourself, “OK I thought I was on the right road where God wanted me to be but I have ended up at a dead end.  How can I find my way back?  I really want to be in the presence of God again. I don’t like it out here on my own. I need help…”

As we continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of God, we have come to a name that we have talked about before. As a matter of fact we spent time in the fall talking about this Sacred Name. It is a name that gives us hope and comfort. It is a name that lets us know how loved and cared for we are. We may not have used this particular name in the fall but it is one of God’s names none the less. We talked about the 23^rd Psalm and about the Good Shepherd. But God is not only known by the Good Shepherd. He is also known by the names Yaweh Roi and Yahweh Shammah…the Lord is my Shepherd and The Lord is there.

The Names of God Bible tells us that:

“For at least part of their history, the Hebrews were a nomadic people who wandered from place to place seeking pasture for their herds of sheep, goats, and cattle. To sustain their livelihood, it was vital for shepherds to keep their animals from straying, protect them from thieves and wild animals, and provide them with plentiful pastures. Shepherding was one of the earliest human occupations. A family’s wealth was measured by how many sheep, goats, cows, horses, camels, and/or asses a man owned. Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds.” In the ancient Near East and in Israel itself, “shepherd” eventually became a metaphor for kings. Though Israel’s religious leaders were also referred to as shepherds, they were often chided for their failure to watch over the flock of God. The Hebrew Scriptures speak of God as the Shepherd of his people and apply this image to religious leaders as well. Both then and now Yahweh Roi (yah-WEH roe-EE) is the one true Shepherd of his people. The New Testament presents Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who protects the lives of his sheep at the cost of his own life.”

Now the 23^rd Psalm, that I read this morning, talks about Yahweh Roi and what He does for the sheep of His sheep fold. But let’s look at the Psalm in detail again and see if we might find a new vision of our Shepherd. Because Jesus is my/our Shepherd…:

a.     I shall not want:

1.     Rest-He maketh me lie down in green pastures

2.     Peace- He leadeth me beside still waters

3.     Forgiveness-He restoreth my soul

4.     Guidance-He leadeth my in the paths of righteous for His namesake

b.     I will fear no evil:

1.     Companionship-Thou art with me

2.     Comfort-Thy rod and thy staff the comfort me

3.     Concern-Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over

c.      I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever:

1.     Now-Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

2.     Future-And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Yahweh Roi is a Shepherd who will never leave us or forsake us. Yahweh Roi wants all of his children…all of His sheep to be in His sheepfold. Yahweh Roi is not an earthly shepherd who may or may not protect the sheep of their pasture. Remember…we are human and there may be times when that earthly shepherd may be too fearful to protect their sheep…they may be too busy to make sure that they are well and cared for. But Yahweh Roi is always on the job. There is nothing that can frighten Him away for His sheep. There is nothing or no one more important to Him than the sheep of His pasture.

Are you in need of guidance and direction? Is there a terrain in your faith walk that seems to be rock and hard to traverse? Is there someone in your life that needs to be lead to Yahweh Roi so that they too can have those restful, green pastures with clear, cool water? Has life somehow gotten you off the right track into a rut of chaos?

Listen…do you hear Him calling from the depths of your soul? Yahweh Roi is calling you to the comfort of His arms. Yahweh Roi is calling you to rest by the still waters to find rest for your soul. Yahweh Roi wants you to receive forgiveness and restoration. Yahweh Roi wants to guide you on His path as you reach out to others. Yahweh Roi wants to walk through your faith journey with you as you are comforted by His presence. Yahweh Roi is concerned for your well being. Yahweh Roi wants to feel his presence both now and for eternity. Yahweh Roi wants you to know that He is Yahweh Shammah…always with you. Come…rest…drink in the cool waters of his presence. Come and brings others with you to the waters of restoration and forgiveness only found in the presence of Yahweh Roi…the Shepherd of our souls.

Let us pray… (Pray to Yahweh Roi/Yahweh Shammah)

AMEN!

“Hello My Name is…El Hannora”

May 11, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 18 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: El Hannora”

Nehemiah 1:5 English Standard Version

Isaiah 35:1-2 The Message Bible

Deuteronomy 7:21 English Standard Version

John 4:7-15 The Message (MSG)

Spangler, Ann: Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Let us pray… (Pray for God to illuminate His word and that we would have the open eyes, hearts and minds to conceive and receive it)

As I go into Sherman, I always love driving by the overlook and see Mt Katahdin. It is so beautiful and I love to watch the season change on the mountain. When we first came to Patten, the mountain was still covered in snow and now I look forward to it changing back to its green self. It was awesome when we had the “Son”rise service there this year. To have the sun coming up and see it begin to illuminate the mountain was breathe taking. It is a moment that is etched in my mind. How Awesome it was as God began to paint that beautiful morning in shades of pink and blue…the sun shining off Mt. Katahdin…how awesome is our God to create such splendor and beauty…

We are continuing our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of God. There have been many names we have learned and prayed in but I think that today’s name sums up…at least for me…who God is. God is El Hannora…the Awesome God. Now we use the word awesome when we describe a person, a place or some possession we might have. I think that maybe that word should be used only when we talk about our God and King. It means to have an inspiring awe; expressing or marked by awe. The word Awe means reverential fear. Now only God is that…nothing or no one in our lives should be placed on His level.

In the scriptures I read this morning we hear about that Awesome God we have. Our Awesome God keeps His covenant and stead fast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.  It is our Awesome and Majestic God that all of nature…all creation sings joyously to. Our Awesome God fights on our behalf and nothing can beat Him…nothing or no one is greater than He. But that is not the end of the story…it is not the end of His awesomeness. Our God is so awesome that we are even healed in His name through the power and awesomeness of the Cross…through Jesus our Risen Lord.

Now the words healing and salvation means to be made whole. To be well physically means that each and every organ is doing its part and is in working order and the result is health. To be saved is to be whole, to be one with and in God. When God and man are one, peace results as well as well being and health. There is a piece of Scripture found in John that talks about this wholeness. It is found in chapter 4 verses 7-17. Let me read this for you from the Message Bible. In this text we hear about two forms of healing-physical healing of the body and the spiritual healing of everyone who calls on the name of Christ…Read scripture…

John 4:8-12 The Message (MSG)

7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”

This is an interesting story from the bible. This woman really didn’t know who it was she was talking to. I love this scripture because it shows that Jesus came for everyone…not just a select few. He offered her living water…within in this water there is healing and wholeness. You see, the name of Jesus has power. Within that name there is power to:

1.     Heal your body – we hear of the fresh, living water. It is within this water that our bodies are healed. Jesus came to heal those who were in need. Jesus is that Living Water. We hear stories of how this Living Water went around healing those who were diseased. We hear of Jesus having compassion for those who were outcast because of their diseases and healed them.

2.     Heal your soul – we heard about the healing of the soul. Jesus offered Living Water that would be an artesian spring full of life and wholeness….fresh and rejuvenating water that is clean a pure…water that will give endless life. And this woman as well as we today need…want…that life giving water only found in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes…we have a God named El Hannora…Awesome God. Not only did He create the world in which we live but He provides water and sunshine. He offers humanity Living Water and baths us in a shower of Sonshine. How Awesome is that…? Our God shows His love…His Awesomeness in a wooden cross where He showed His awesome power in the death and resurrection of His Son, Lord Jesus Christ. He shows His awesomeness in the fact that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He shows His awesome power in the fact that He offers forgiveness and salvation to ALL of humanity…not just a select few.

As we give God the rightful position in our lives…the position of authority…we will experience His and see Him as the Great God…we will see and experience Him as the Mighty God who goes to battle for us. As a matter of fact He is already our champion because of the work He did…the battle He fought for us through Jesus Christ, His Son. When we encounter Him in these ways, how can we not see Him with a Holy Awe? Our God is the Awesome God…El Hannora. How can we not want to share that with others? How can we keep the cries of our souls silent? How can we not sing along with nature’s song? This is the same God who rolled up His sleeves and created humankind. This is the same God who set His people free through the waters of the Red Sea. This is the same God who saved humanity through one family in a boat. This is the same God who created a nation through an old man and a barren woman. This is the same God who saved 3 men in a fiery furnace. This is the same God who shut the mouths of lions so that He might save one of His own. This is the same God who loved the world so much that He sent His only Son and whoever believes in Him and calls upon His name SHALL BE SAVED! El Hannora is great and Awesome…what more do we need in our lives? How awesome it is to be able to share it with our neighbors and friends. We have a great and Awesome God…who are you going to share that message with today?

Let us pray… (Pray to El Hannora)

AMEN!

“Hello My Name is…El Kanna”

May 4, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 17 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: El Kanna”

Exodus 34:10-14 NIV Bible

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 NIV Bible

1 John 3:1-7 Common English Bible

Spangler, Ann: Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Let us pray… (Pray for God to illuminate His word and that we would have the open eyes, hearts and minds to conceive and receive it)

A reading from Deuteronomy chapter 4 verses 23-24…listen for a Word from God to you and me the people of God…

23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Have you ever been jealous about anything? Maybe someone who seems to have it all or someone who seems to get all the breaks in life…good breaks that is. Maybe someone who got that big promotion instead of you…even though you know you are more qualified than they are. Having 3 daughters has been interesting…especially when the “green eyed monster” decides to make a visit. Either someone is able to stay up later than someone else…maybe someone gets something and the others didn’t…someone seems to get all/more of mom’s or dad’s attention… The list can go on. Three have even been time when I have felt jealous regarding my children. Times when they spent more time at a friend’s house with their mom…they come home and tell me how cool this mom is or that mom is…stuff like that. Things that make me feel they are happier with other people than with me. I can kind of understand how God must feel when we decide that we “like other things better than Him…when we put the god’s of the word before Him.”

Scripture compares God’s jealousy to what a husband feels when his wife has been unfaithful. No wonder the first of the Ten Commandments prohibits the worship of other gods. The Lord is our Jealous God…El Kanna, who cannot endure unfaithfulness.

Shakespeare described jealousy as a “green-eyed monster.” Mark Twain called it the “trademark of small minds.” Robert Heinlein labeled it a “symptom of neurotic insecurity.” But these are descriptions of  human jealousy will only confuse you if you try to apply them to God, whose jealousy might better be described by the words of the English poet Joseph Addison: “Jealousy is that pain which a man feels from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he entirely loves.” This is the kind of jealousy that impels God to pursue us, despite our evasions, our indifference, or our waywardness.

We are so wayward at times why would our God be Jealous for us? Why would He pursue us and bring us back? Because we are His children…as I said I have been jealous at times when my girls have talked highly about other mothers to me. How must God feel when His children go to idols and forget about Him? 1 John 3:1-7 tells us what it means to be a child of God…let me read it from the Common English bible for you…

See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.

Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. Every person who practices sin commits an act of rebellion, and sin is rebellion. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and there is no sin in him. Every person who remains in relationship to him does not sin. Any person who sins has not seen him or known him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, in the same way that Jesus is righteous.

What does it mean to be children of God…are there thing that are our responsibility as children of God…:

a.     God Loves us (vs. 1)® He calls us His children. We are considered children and co-heirs with Christ. We are adopted into the family of God through the blood of Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know this? Because of the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus…because God’s Word tells us…because of faith and because of the witness of the Holy Spirit within us. Pure undeserved grace given to us from God

b.     We are to be like him (vs. 2)® since we are children of God we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. We have this hope in our hearts and we purify ourselves by the renewing of our hearts. We renew ourselves by the living word of God and having a relationship with Him and our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. As we become more in the image of Christ we become more like who God has called us to be.

c.      We are not to sin (vs. 6)® Now there are some that believe since they are under grace they can do whatever they want and God will forgive them because they are “a child of God.” This is partly true as in God does forgive us but we are called to remain in our relationship with God and not sin. If we keep sinning and not even trying in this relationship have we truly seen God…do we really know Him and His plan for our lives?

Real faith arises from contact with the living God, who by his own definition is jealous for our attention, our devotion, our love. He’s not interested in competing with other deities. He neither shares his glory nor compromises his holiness. This is our Jealous God, the one who loves us with an everlasting, all-consuming love.

So…how are we doing as we try to become the likeness of Christ? Are we causing Dad to be jealous or are we giving Dad our attention? Are we are looking up to our Big Brother, wanting to be just like Him or are we going our own way? Are we striving to be more like Him each day? We have a jealous God that loves us with a passion. We have a God who will not put up with our putting other gods before Him…the god of money…the god of possessions…the god of envy…the list deities goes on. How will you respond to the call to new life of being the mirror image of our Brother and Savior, Jesus Christ? Will you lay aside the deities of the world and follow the One true God? The choice is ours to make. Which will you choose?

Let us pray… (Pray to El Kanna)

Lord, you are holy beyond my understanding, perfect in a way I cannot perceive. Help me to catch a glimpse of your glory and to grow more zealous for your name, that I might exalt it by the way I live and the way I love. Send your refining fire to heal and purge my heart and send your all-consuming love to lead me home.

(Spangler, Ann (2008-09-09). Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide (p. 122). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

AMEN!