The Names of VII
Life & Light Community Church
Message from 2/18/2023
Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:12–13 (NASB95)
In Hebrew thought, a name was not just a way of identifying a person, it was a way of revealing that person’s identity and essence. The same is true with God, but God’s identity is not revealed in just one name but in many. Each name is like a curtain hung upon a window, as we draw back that curtain the view behind the curtain becomes more fully known. So, it is with the names of God, as we draw back the curtains on His name, we gain a more fully developed picture of who God really is.
When Moses asked God who He was, he wasn’t asking what he should call God. No, what Moses wanted was for God to describe Himself. He is not just God. He is the eternal God. He is the God of Israel. He is a God of compassion. He takes notice of the storms His people face. Moses asked for a name, he was given an expression of God’s relationship with His people, and so, the Christ follower too must seek to know and understand this One we call Father, for there is far more in a name than just a title.
Scripture tells us that “those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 NASB95) But which name are you calling upon? Yes, that’s right, the Lord God has more than one name. The Names of God, which we are looking at today, are found in the Old Testament. Each name reveals a different characteristic or attribute of God. These names were revealed to those who needed God, a specific part of God, at that moment of time. There are some amazing things revealed about God in His names and those things help the Christ follower develop a deeper faith.
The Names of God brings the Christ follower into a deeper relationship with the One who created them, the One who makes the whole, and the One who has overcome the world and won the victory over sin, death, and the grave.
In this message we seek to understand how The Names of God help the Christ follower develop a deeper faith.
1). The importance of the name Jehovah-Shalom in the life of the Christ follower.
The meaning of this name is The Lord our Peace.
Jehovah-Shalom is the God with which we have inner peace and harmony; He defeats His enemies to bring us peace. In Judges 6:22-24 we find the story of Gideon. Gideon has had a face-to-face meeting with an angel of the Lord. Gideon is seeking proof that God is with Israel and to understand why all that has happened to Israel had to happen. Gideon believes that God has abandoned Israel and left them to the hand of Midian. However, after receiving instructions from the angel of the Lord, Gideon questions how Israel can be delivered by him, for he is from Manasseh, and in fact, the smallest family of Manasseh.
God speaks to Gideon, promising He will be with him, and Gideon asks the Lord to wait as he prepares an offering. Following the instructions given by the Lord, the offering is prepared and then consumed by the Lord, thus opening the eyes of Gideon who then acknowledges that he has seen the Lord face-to-face. The Lord greets Gideon with a greeting we see often in Scripture, “Peace be with you; do not be afraid.” It is at this point Gideon builds an altar to the Lord and gives it the name “The Lord is Peace.”
In Isaiah 9:6 we find one of the most well-known Advent passages, this one listing the names of Messiah – among them and most notable for us is “The Prince of Peace.” He is the One who brings peace in its fullest sense – wholeness, prosperity, and tranquility. Individuals can now know His peace and one day – at His return – the world can experience His peace as well. However, it is in Numbers 6:22-24 where we find the first use of this name, it comes in what has become known as the Aaronic Blessing or Aaron’s Benediction.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24–26 (NASB95)
He is the God who gives us peace, regardless of our circumstances, our surroundings, or our afflictions.
As Christ followers, we can also point to Yeshua as the One who brings and gives peace to those who place their trust and faith in Him. In John 14:27, we find Yeshua walking with His disciples to Gethsemane, as He walks He gives them His peace – not peace as the world gives but the true peace that goes beyond our understanding. Following His resurrection, Yeshua greets His disciples with, “Peace be with you.” Finally, all four gospel accounts offer a perspective on Jesus calming a sudden storm on the seas.
Three of the accounts include Yeshua walking on water, while Luke has an account of Yeshua sleeping as the storm rages around the small boat that contains the disciples and Yeshua. All four stories are meant to show the power that Yeshua has over nature but there can certainly be an application that Yeshua is able to calm the storms of life, for Yeshua came to destroy the works of Satan, our enemy, thus bringing peace because our enemy has been destroyed – and we all know how our enemy likes to use the everyday events of life to brew up an unexpected storm!
Questions for discussion/reflection:
How is Jehovah-Shalom defeating His enemies, in your life, to bring you peace? If not, why do you think this is happening?
How are you experiencing peace that goes beyond our understanding during this season of life? If you are not, why do you think thinks might be?
Where do you need the peace of Yeshua in your life today?
The Names of God help the Christ follower know the One who called them into fellowship on a deeper, more personal level.
2). The importance of the name Jehovah-Shammah in the life of the Christ follower.
The meaning of this name is “The Lord is There” or “The Lord is My Companion.”
The second name we will examine today is Jehovah-Shammah. God’s presence is available to all who are obedient and love Him; His presence is no longer bound to the Tabernacle or Temple. In Ezekiel 48:35, we find a description of the New Jerusalem. This description will be seen again in Revelation 21:12-13, as John describes the end of the ages and the revelation of Yeshua Messiah. God revealed the name of the New Jerusalem to Ezekiel, “The Lord is Here.”
Psalm 46 is yet another Scripture that reveals the name of our Great God. This is a psalm of trust and thanksgiving for the One who is our refuge – a place of safety, security, and peace – a place where God Himself dwells for “He is in the midst of her, she will not be moved.” This is where we find the throne of God, a place that is unshakable, undisturbed, and filled with the power and majesty of God.
As Christ followers, we can draw on the promise of Yeshua to be with us always, to never leave us as orphans, and to send us a Helper to guide us into all truth and to remind us of the words of Yeshua. This is, of course, the promised Holy Spirit who dwells in those who love and obey the commands of Yeshua. With the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, Christ followers are never alone, for Yeshua has kept His promise to be with us always. In Revelation 21:3-4 John is given a revelation of the new holy city – a city where the Tabernacle of God will be among His people, for God Himself will live there and wipe away every tear; there will be no more death, crying, mourning, or pain. There will be no more sun or moon, no more need for a lamp, for the Lord God Himself will illuminate the city and His people.
Questions for discussion/reflection:
How is Jehovah-Shammah illuminating your world today? If He is not, what has caused this disconnect?
How are you experiencing the presence of Jehovah-Shammah during this season of life? If you are not, why?
How is Jehovah-Shammah helping you deal with or remove suffering during this season of life? If He is not, why do you think this might be?
The Names of God help the Christ follower know the One who called them into fellowship on a deeper, more personal level.
3). The importance of the name Jehovah-Tsidkenu in the life of the Christ follower.
The meaning of this name is “The Lord our Righteousness.”
The final name we will examine today, and in this series, is the name Jehovah-Tsidkenu. He is the One who imparts His righteousness onto those who call on His name. In Jeremiah 23:5-6, we find the Lord God has been lamenting to the prophet over the way the shepherds of Israel have been destroying and scattering the sheep of His pasture. The Lord God promises to raise up a shepherd who will shepherd His people. The Lord declares the raising up of a righteous Branch from David. He will be a King and will be successful; He will act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety, for His name will be “the Lord our Righteousness.” We also find a sister verse to this in Jeremiah 33:16.
In Ezekiel 36:26-27 we find the promise of a new covenant with Israel at the end times, but this also applies to the Christ follower, because of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, for those who have placed their trust in Yeshua as Messiah. In the new covenant there is the promise of a new heart and a new spirit – one that will be placed within people – His Spirit will cause us to walk in in ways, obey His commands, and place our trust fully in Him.
For the Christ follower, we have already experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul reminds us that Christ has become sin for us, on our behalf, that we might become His righteousness – the righteousness of God in Yeshua. Romans 3:24-25 reminds us that through Christ we have redemption – in the righteousness of Christ, God passes over those sins that have been previously committed. Yeshua has paid the price for our sins, for we have all fallen short of the glory of God.
Questions for discussion/reflection:
How are you experiencing Jehovah-Tsidkenu as justice and righteousness during this season of life? If you are not, why?
How are you experiencing a new heart and a new spirit in Jehovah-Tsidkenu today? If you are not, why might this be?
How has Yeshua, Jehovah-Tsidkenu, given you His righteousness that you might stand before God the Father, white as the new fallen snow? If He has not, what steps do you need to take to correct this?
The Names of God help the Christ follower know the One who called them into fellowship on a deeper, more personal level.
Yeshua has promised that He would never leave us alone, and through the names of our Great God, we learn this is absolutely true. Whether it is through Jehovah-Shalom as He imparts His peace to you, or through Jehovah-Shammah as He reveals His presence to you in some new way, or through Jehovah-Tsidkenu as He creates a new heart and a new spirit within you, imparting His righteousness on you, to make you able to stand before God the Father, we are never alone.
The love, care, and concern our Great God has for each of us, goes beyond anything we can every expect to experience here on earth, it will only be when are with Him and able to see Him face-to-face, that we will fully begin to realize just how great His love is for us. Until that day we must persevere, we must continue to draw on His great strength, call on His Spirit to guide us, and above all, love our brothers and sisters in Christ, as a witness to the love He has for all people, even those who are currently rejecting Him.
Until His return, there is always hope for those who are hopeless, there is love for those deemed unlovable, mercy for those who are merciless, and forgiveness for those who refuse to forgive others. Our job, our responsibility as Christ followers, is to love like the end is near, for love is the true mark of the Christ follower. Love for those in the family and then love that brings those outside of the family, into the family through the love of Christ.
We do all things for the glory of God through Christ our Lord,
Amen and amen.
Next Week; John 8:1-11
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