Hello my name is, Chad. (point to name tag) (Talk about names, trying to remember names, introducing names, getting to know people).

Transcription

1 Title: What s in a Name? Pastor Chad E. Billington Morning Service September 4, 2011 Smythe Street Cathedral C h a d E. B i l l i n g t o n

2 Introduction Hello my name is, Chad. (point to name tag) (Talk about names, trying to remember names, introducing names, getting to know people). Can you know God? People believe in God. If you ask people on the street, around the world, do you believe in God? You ll get yes, more times than not. But what happens if you follow it up with, Do you know God? or Can you know God? Maybe you are sitting here today, and you re asking the very same question. I m listening to (or singing with) the songs, among some good people, but asking, can I really know God? God is big, infinite, powerful, loving, but can we know God beyond knowing about God? I know it would be different, but can I know God like I know Chad, or Heidi, or Fred, or You re not the first to ask Moses, the great leader of Israel, asks the same kind of question. RECAP THE STORY (EXODUS 3) Moses has fled Egypt He s tending sheep and he sees a burning bush, that burns but is not consumed. Moses asks God what his name is Exodus 3:14-15 (NIV) 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. 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 What s in a Name? 2011 Page 2 of 6

3 name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. God has a name In verse 15 we read, THE LORD is the name of the God of Israel. In actuality the letters where we read, THE LORD actually are not what is in the text. It all stems from how one of the Ten Commandments was lived out Exodus 20:7 (NIV) You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name There developed a tradition, among Hebrew rabbis, to not say the name of YAHWEH, (what is actually in the text) for fear of misusing God s name, so they would read the Lord (or Addonai if you know Hebrew) in its place. There is an awesome reverence in this tradition, and it should not be taken lightly (which is why most English translations of the Bible have gone with it), but something is lost. Think of it like this: What if you only called your husband or wife, well, husband or wife and never used their name. Or called your children, Child. It is true, reflects a relationship, but it is less intimate, personal. God has a name. How different is it when we think, The name of the LORD is like a strong tower, the righteous take refuge in it and are safe or Call upon the name of the LORD and be saved. It is not just seeking, the distant God, the Lord, but Yahweh, someone. Just as amazing as that There are stories in the Bible of people who in their encounters with God, the God of Israel, discover something about God and give him another name. I want to tell quickly four stories. What s in a Name? 2011 Page 3 of 6

4 Hagar The God who sees me (Genesis 16) The first time this happens in the Bible, a woman named Hagar has an encounter with God. Fleeing Sarah, when she is pregnant with Abraham s child, and she has an meeting with the angel of Yahweh (the LORD). Genesis 16:13 (NIV) She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: You are the God who sees me, for she said, I have now seen[a] the One who sees me. Hagar named God because he intersected with her life. Abraham & Isaac Yahweh will provide / provider God talks to Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his son. This sounds weird to us, but in Abraham s day people did it all the time. God stops Abraham at the critical moment (a sign that we are not to harm children in God s name), and Abraham looks up to discover a ram caught in a thicket, which he sacrificed instead. Genesis 22:14 (NIV) So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. Yahweh Yireh (Jehovah Jireh as you may know it). 1 Abraham named God because he intersected with his life. Gideon Yahweh Shalom Yahweh is [my] Peace Gideon was a frightened man with good reason. Enemies had overtaken the land. God spoke to him calling him a mighty warrior, and giving a sign that he was with him. Judges 2:24 (NIV) So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. There are many more examples (Yahweh Rohi Yahweh is my shepherd Psalm 23). But all these help us answer the bigger question. Can we know God. The answer is yes, because the Bible, not only gives us names that reveal his character, the bigger point is that 1 Scholars say the use of Jehovah for the name of God finds its origins in a mispronunciation. I don t fret about it much as the point is that we know about God s character and follow him, although I have a preference for using Yahweh, as it is more accurate. What s in a Name? 2011 Page 4 of 6

5 Gideon named God because he intersected with her life. Back to the Question, Can We Know God? There are more names for Yahweh [Yahweh is my Shepherd, Yahweh is Here, Yahweh is Righteousness, Yahweh is My Banner ] The bigger thing to note is not to just know the names, but that these names tell the story of a God who intersects with our life. We can know God because he intersects with our life s story. God shows up, he appears in times of crisis or blessing. We can look back at our story, or praise God in a moment saying he is here. The God of the Bible, is not a distant god, he is the God with a name, the God who reveals himself, the God who encourages, heals, gives peace, who gives victory, who is present, who shepherds, who provides, or as Hagar would say, he is the God who sees you. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the God who will receive the names we give him as he reveals himself to us. One last story This is about the name of a baby. Talk about naming babies. Our children s names have meanings, and parents take a long time picking names, at least some of us do. This baby we read about in Matthew 1, where we read: Matthew 1:21 (NIV) you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus is a form of Joshua (or Yeshua) which means, Yahweh saves, Yahweh is salvation, or Yahweh rescues. Everything we need to know about God, begins in God s special revelation of himself. Yahweh comes to rescue us, to save us in Jesus. What s in a Name? 2011 Page 5 of 6

6 The life of Jesus tells us of how God chooses to intersect time and history in a way unlike any other, and makes himself known. His coming is a sign that God does not stand afar off, but he comes to us, loves us and wants to interact with us. Can we know God Yes as we look back upon our lives, we can see the hand of God intersecting, weaving and working. Question: Have you named God? If God handed you a sharpie and a name tag, asking, who do you say I am? What would you write? Where has God, where has Yahweh, where has Jesus intersected your life? Would you name him today? When you stop to give God a name, you do what they did in the Old Testament, you make a memorial, a place you can look back upon and remember who God is, and what he s done. Some of the names of God in my life: God my protector guarded my heart in youth, and college years God my friend long walks as a youth doing a paper route God my direction, my call God spoke to me about going to seminary Jesus my gracious saviour at the piano praying after Easter, a tearful revelation of his great sacrifice What are your names? Has God been your shepherd, healer, peace, strength, rock I can guarantee he is the God who sees you. Maybe pray using his name. Maybe this morning, your name for God is, The God I don t know who somehow lead me to here, and I m not sure how it happened. If that s you, this morning, I tell you the reason you are here is because Jesus is Yahweh who rescues and saves. If you ll follow him he will rescue you from things you cannot handle, and lead you into the life that is truly life. What s in a Name? 2011 Page 6 of 6