Sermon Tone Analysis

The Names Of God

Father, may Your Name be kept Holy.

jkol

Has it ever happened to you that you wake up in the morning knowing that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour as you have know for many years.

You say a cursory “morning Lord”.

While getting ready for your day, certain things go wrong, you run out of milk, then someone has lost a sock or jacket or homework.

You didn’t sleep well and you’re starting to feel a bit irritable.

The day goes on, some things go really well and others not so much.

You show your frustrations and even become impatient with some people.

At one point in the day you even exclaim Gods name in an attitude of anger.

By the time you get into bed, you are worn out and ready for sleep.

Just as you are about to drift off, a gentle voice whispers to you, “I missed you today”.

You realise that you haven’t talked to God all day.

You realise you have put God in a box, a box that says “use only in case of emergencies!”

Putting God in a box is like putting Jesus back in the tomb and rolling the stone over the opening.

This is what we do when we think our way is better than His.

We think we know more than God or we simply forget about God.

Sometimes we only let Jesus out when we believe His will, will line up with ours.

Most of the time we don’t really understand how awesome our God is.

There are no real words in our language to express His grandeur.

So how do we start to grasp Gods greatness?

How do we let God out of the box.

How can we get out of the way to let God be God.

It’s all about trust.

When we first meet someone and don’t know them very well, we may not trust them greatly.

As we get to know them and the way they react and behave in certain situations, we start to know their strengths and weaknesses.

We start to know if we can trust them.

Our relationship with God can be similar.

Sometimes we only get to know God from a distance.

Sometimes our relationship is much closer.

The question is, how do we get to know God so well that we can trust Him totally?

Here are some ideas.

Isaiah 49;

Names are important.

My name, Kelly, means warrior spirit.

Without me knowing what Maddison meant when i named her, Maddison means daughter of the warrior.

Names in the bible are very important.

Names tell us about the person and the bible often explains what a name means.

Names are important.

My name, Kelly, means warrior spirit.

When I named Maddison I had no idea that her name meant daughter of the warrior.

Van Groningen, G. (1988).

God, Names Of.

In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 880).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

The Biblical Idea of a Name

In the Baker encyclopedia of the Bible there is a whole chapter on The Names of God.

It states:

“In the Scriptures, the name and person of God are inseparably related.

This is in keeping with the biblical conception of what a name signifies.

In the Hebrew language, the term for “name” most probably meant “sign” or “distinctive mark.”

In the Greek language, “name” (onoma) is derived from a verb which means “to know”; a name then indicates how a person or object is to be known.

“Name” in biblical usage correctly describes the person, place, or object and indicates the essential character of that to which the name is given.

Adam names the animals according to their nature (, ); “Noah” means “one who brings relief and comfort” (); “Jesus” means “savior” ().

When a person was given a new position or a radical change took place in his life, a new name was given to indicate that new aspect, for example, Abram became Abraham (“father of many,” ); and Jacob became Israel (“one who strives with God” or “God strives,” ).

Van Groningen, G. (1988).

God, Names Of.

In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 880).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

No one name God employs, states all that can be said by God about himself; in fact, all the names taken together do not reveal all that God is.

God is infinite; he cannot be fully known.

But he has revealed much concerning himself, so much that if one studies the names of God one is struck by the greatness, holiness, majesty, glory, indescribable goodness, and justice of God.

God’s name is wonderful” (Jugs 13:18).

Why ask about it?

The answer is that by his name(s) God has chosen to reveal himself.

But, the better we know God, the more we know and feel that His Mystery is unfathomable” (Christian Doctrine of God, p. 117).

Van Groningen, G. (1988).

God, Names Of.

In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 880).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

When men and women call on the name of God, God himself is worshiped (); when they forget the name of God, they depart from God himself (); when they take the name of God in vain, God himself is personally profaned and affronted ().

Van Groningen, G. (1988).

God, Names Of.

In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 880).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

So, names are important.

God’s name is vital and has great significants.

Debbie McDaniel has written a great article on the names of God which I have drawn from and which I suggest as good reading.

For me, the first name that moves me closer to God has to be Adonai.

1. Adonai: Lord and Master

Imagine two children are playing a game.

One of the children, the older of the two, begins telling the younger child what he is supposed to be doing.

After listening for a bit, the younger child looks up at the older and said, "You are not the boss of me."

When the title Lord and Master came up on the screen just now, it is quite possible that there may have been a similar reaction from many of us.

We don’t like to have anyone be the boss of us.

This has to do with control and pride.

I challenge myself and you to think about this differently.

Adonai is the name which correctly describes personal communication between us and God.

In such communication we acknowledged God’s intense majesty and greatness and also the sense of belonging to God.

Adonai, coming from human lips, expresses honour for God and humble submission on our part as the believing person.

Adonai, is the name that expresses faith, assurance, security, ready service, and thanksgiving.

This is the only name I will talk about today that speaks of how we behave toward God.

ace herself in submission to anyone and her attitude toward the word ‘boss’ made that very evident.

It is a name by which people addressed God, and when so used, it was in combination with Elohim.

Adonai is correctly described as the name of personal communication between the believer and God.

In such communication the worshiper acknowledged God’s intense majesty and greatness and also the sense of belonging to this God.

Adonai, coming from human lips, expressed honor for God and humble submission on the part of the believing person.

Adonai, thus, is the name that expresses faith, assurance, security, ready service, and thanksgiving

Today I want us to ponder the question, “Who is the boss of you?”

Each of us has someone or something that is the boss of us, and a master to whom we bow in submission.