Knowing God God vs. Lord
Knowing God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Begin with a word association game:
El, Elohim, Theos, YWHW, Jehova, Kyrios
When you open your Bible and start reading there are a lot of references to God and Lord. Unfortunately translation removes some of God’s personality, some of His greatness. The single word God or Lord does not convey all that is embodied in the Hebrew.
I’ve gone a long time and haven’t thought to much about it. God is God. Some of you may think about it all the time. So today we are going to take a look at the two most important names of God. In English it is God and Lord. We will also look at some of the differences between these words.
So some verses to get us started.
Scripture:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
Transitional Sentence: God and Lord are two of the names of our Heavenly Father, but What are they and what’s the difference?
The Names of God. Let’s begin with:
Elohim - translated as God in the Old Testament (Hebrew)
El - Mighty or Strong him - is a plural ending. Which means Elohim is - gods Elohim is the Hebrew name for the Supreme God. The Creator God.
This is why Genesis 1:1-2 uses Elohim - gods to identify to triune creator God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 3 in 1. The same but different. Three persons joined together as one.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
These two verses don’t mention the Son, however Colossians 1:16 says:
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Even though it says gods they are One - Deuteronomy 6:4
4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
The entire first chapter of Genesis speaks of Elohim creating all things. But in chapter two a new name is introduced. Genesis 2:4 says:
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
The Lord God. This word Lord is:
b. YHWH (Yahweh) - Lord (Hebrew) Jehovah (Latinized - first used in 1530)
Yahweh n. — the name the God of Israel gives to the Israelites through Moses.
A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible יְהֹוָה
Yehôvâh, yeh-ho-vaw´(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
Jehovah is the absolute self existent One, the One who in Himself possesses essential life, and permanent existence.
This is the name that God gave to Moses when He was speaking to him from inside the bush that never burned. I Am who I Am. Exodus 3:13-15
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘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, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.
This statement I Am that I Am points to the simple fact that God is. The statement is a form of to be, which has the quality of existence.
Lord together with God (YHWH Elohim) points to the self existence of the creator triune God.
The Alpha and the Omega, the One who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
So, when you see the word LORD in all capital letters in your Bible it refers to Yahweh not some other lord who is just a person who has authority over someone else.
That’s the basics of the Old Testament Hebrew lesson. But what about the New Testament Greek version?
c. God (Greek) Theos a deity, but in this case it is the Supreme Divinity.
John 1:1 says:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Theos is the Supreme God. He is the Creator and all powerful one. All that is covered by the Hebrew names of God is wrapped up in this one Greek word.
A little side note - do you know the word theology? Do you know what it means? If you put the words Theos or God and ology - a branch of study together you get theology. Which is the study of God.
And then the word:
d. Lord (Greek) Kyrios supreme in authority, controller
Master. This is the main word used by the disciples when they spoke to Jesus. Jesus is Lord and Savior. He is the supreme authority in the lives of those who call upon His name. As the supreme authority in our lives we should be doing what He says.
2. So, what’s the difference between Elohim and YHWH/Jehovah
a. Elohim -
23 Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.
24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This is a Descriptive name, it tells us who God is, as the triune creator God. It is used when talking about Him. The word El (strong and mighty) with other words gives us an idea of who this strong and mighty God is and what He is like. We can derive an appropriate picture of who God is by these various names that He has been given. So here is a list of those names:
El - the God of Power and Might
Elohim - the Triune God, The Creator
El Chay - The Living God - this separates Him from those gods made by human hands in the image of something. gods made from sticks or metals are not living.
El Elyon - God Most High - there is no other god before Him
El Olam - The Everlasting God - He is, has always been, and will always be
El Roi - The God Who Sees You - He cares, He’s not a god that is aloof and impersonal
El Shaddai - The Almighty, All Sufficient One
With these names we get a good sense of who God is and how we should view Him as our God. Although in these descriptors God is never being directive or telling people what to do. Only who He is.
But then we have the name of:
b. YHWH - Jehovah - Is the Lord the self existent one.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
This is the name of the One who has authority over all creation. This is the One who directs the comings and goings of all things. This is the One who has authority over the lives of all those who call upon His name. This is the One who watches over and provides for His children. This is shown when we look at some of His names as Lord.
Jehovah - The self existent one
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord will provide
Jehovah M’kaddesh - The Lord who sanctifies
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner
Jehovah Raah - The Lord our Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord Who Heals
Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is There
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah Tsuri - The Lord My Rock
c. The idea in the Greek is the same. God - (Theos) is the descriptor for the supreme divinity. God alone does not demand obedience. However, the Lord - (kyrios) does. He is the supreme authority in creation. He is the authority that every knee will bow before at the final judgement.
So here’s an example to try and explain it. There is a man walking down the road. You don’t really know him but you know his name is Bob Smith. Everyone calls him Bob. He’s a friendly guy and everyone likes him when he is in regular street clothes. But Bob has another name. Sheriff Smith. When Bob is Sheriff Smith everyone knows he has authority over them according to the law. He can wield this authority to ensure the laws are not broken or if they are then the offenders are duly punished.
This is just like God. When we see that Elohim created all things we know who He is and we know what He can do but He isn’t telling anyone what to do. However, when we call Him YWYH/LORD or YWYH Elohim, Lord God then He becomes the Master the Supreme Authority. He becomes the authority figure that can enforce the laws and bring evil doers to justice.
So knowing the difference between His names helps us have a correct view of God and how we should respond to Him and His word.
3. Our Response
a. Know Him - Know His different Names. A right response when faced with so much information is to do the best we can to learn these names. Learn what the names mean and what it means for us. Knowing that God is the God that sees us can bring us encouragement when we are feeling unloved and unseen. And knowing that He is the Everlasting God can remind us that He is the same today as He was in the beginning. This can bring peace in an ever changing world where nothing remains the same.
And knowing who God is helps us respond in an appropriate manner.
b. When we know God as the almighty One we should fall before Him and worship Him with Awe and wonder. To many people flippantly pass Him off as nothing to be worried about. They don’t acknowledge Him in any way now. I say now because we know that they will acknowledge Him. It will probably be too late but they will do it. They will bow their knees and humble themselves.
c. And then when we know our God as Lord we should do what He says.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
He expects obedience. He expects everyone to follow His will. The easy way to learn God’s will is to Google it. We can find loads of information online about God’s will. But to really know it, we need to learn it by digging it out of scripture, praying about it and then putting it into practice. As we put His will into practice in our lives we will begin walking with Him. We will begin building a relationship with Him. Christianity isn’t about religion. It is about being reconciled with our Heavenly Father. It is about a relationship. Let’s face it, people were made for relationship, and the best relationship is the one that we can have with Elohim, the creator God. The one who made us to be in relationship with Him.
To cultivate this relationship we must spend time in His word, taking time to pray and take every opportunity possible to be involved in church and small group study opportunities. As we move closer to Him, He will move closer to us. Seek Him, He is near at hand.
Once we have grown in that relationship with the Creator of all things then:
d. Rest in Him. Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
The point of this passage is to look no where else for anything we need. In Christ Jesus we can find rest. Face it, life isn’t easy. Some of us have heavier burdens then others. Some of us take on burdens that aren’t ours to bear. And some of us just don’t know how to take a break. But God the Son, His burden is lite. He has rest to spare and wants to give each of us some of that rest. The problem is we have to be willing to give up the burden. If you keep a hold of it you are going to continue carrying it. To take on His yoke you have to take yours off. So go to Him, ask Him for His burden and give Him yours. Find rest, for the here and now, but especially for life everlasting.
Exit: So, Dig Deep. Which God or Lord are you reading about? Which name is being translated to God or Lord. How will that change your idea about what the particular passage means? Will it lead you into a deeper and more worshipful attitude? Will it drive you down onto your knees in His presence? Will you throw up your hands in surrender because you have not given your life to Him in obedience. He is Elohim, the triune, creator God and the self existent One, our Lord.
To Him be the Glory, Honor and power for ever and ever.
Pray:
