Sermon Tone Analysis

Setting the name

Trust in the name

Remembber the name

Boast in the name

The importance of names

Nuclear safety meeting name mix up.

Names are important

The names are personal

Names have to be precise

Video

Names are important as they identify us but the bibles use of name is far more than just a word so your mum can call you in for tea.

Hebrew names were thought to convey something about the persons character, birthright / circumstance or the destiny there were to fulfil

J mark Comer says - names are revelatory, names are your autobiography in one word.

Destiny

Abraham - was Abram before the encounter with God at the young age of 99.

Abram was a good name it meant exalted father but Abraham meant Father of many nations.

When God blessed Abram God Changed his name to remind him of the promise God had made.

In doing this God put his own character on the line when it came to fulfilling this promises

Imagine:

Hi Abram!

It’s Abraham now.

How come?

God changed it - I’m going to be the Father of many nations

Errrm - how many children have you got and how old are you?

God changed Abram’s name to seal the promise and to remind Abraham and others of it.

This name revelled the destiny of Abraham and his descendants.

Birthright or circumstance

When Abraham and Sarah (who had also undergone a named change) had their first born.

They called him Issac which means laughter.

How they laughed when they heard God tell them that they would have children.

Partially out of unbelief, they laughed mockingly, They were old, past it - and yet it happend

Imagine them calling in Issac from Dinner - Laughter, come in it’s time for tea.

Laughter can you pass the bread?

Every time they said his name they were reminded of their encounter with God and Gods promise.

Re-identity

Later we have Jacob which means heal grabber, or deceiver possibly liar - God changed his name to Israel - with this name change he had a character change - he became a man of God living a life of God.

Theologians can’t agree what he name Israel means.

Some settle on ‘Wrestles with God’, others, ‘He retains God’ or ‘God is upright’.

Whichever the meaning - possibly all three.

The change in name made signified a change in Jacob.

From deceiver to a God defined life.

Jesus does the same for each of us.

I was Darren before I knew Jesus.

Afterwards, having been adopted as God’s sone my name was changed to Darren.

Sounds the same but the meaning is so much different!

Names identify you, that identity can go beyond the knowing who you are and become who you are.

Even now some people are very careful about choosing names for children others less so.

If you have a carfully chosen name great, if not God changes the meaning.

We have an Alice (a non biblical name - meaning noble type or truth depending on which root you think it is from - we didn’t know this when we chose it) and an Andrew (a very biblical name - meaning manly one - we didn’t choose either for their meaning) both our children’s names start with A - the reason?

do you know how boring reading baby name books is ?

Aaden Aage Aakil Aalto Aang Aarav Aaron Aart Aaru Aarush Abacus Abaddon Aban Abanito Abanu Abba Abbas Abbott Abdalla Abdallah Abdiel Abdirahman Abdu Abdul Abdullah Abe Abebe Abeeku Abel Abelard - There are 528 of these - I am amazed we got as far as Andrew.

You don’t have to live under the meaning of your name.

I went to college with a girl called Misty Temple.

- In fear of ageing into a foggy ruins she married in the second year and became Misty Bower.

Not much better she is now a foggy shady wooded place.

Or maybe not names do not have to define us, God can step in and change things.

Our pasts do not have to dictate our futures.

You may know of a character in the Bible called Jabez (means pain or sorrow) he had a revelation one day that he did not need to live under that name.

We don’t know the circumstance of his birth but one day he calls out to God and asks God to bless him and God did.-

Your name does not have to define you, But when it comes to the name or names of God we can rest assured it reveals who he is and he is never going to change.

He is the God who protects us (psalm 20) it is a strong tower it is eternal, it is unchanging.

The names of God

We know God by many names - names that are revealed at a time of need.

Like the strong tower reference.

God seems to reveal his nature along with his names to us in bit by bit way.

[progressive revelation]

When God made Adam and Eve he did not immediately revel his name or names.

When He does, it is to revel his nature that meets humanities needs at that time specific time.

Jehovah Jireh - was revelled to Abraham had his son on the alter and needed a sacrifice - God provides.

Jehovah shalom - Gideon was in the wine press hiding from marauding armies - he needed peace

The Nature of God is revelled in these names but this is not HIS name.

The Name of God.

There is only one name that God declares is his.

I have drawn a lot from this book - John Mark Comer - The name of God.

The context of God revelaling his name is this, Moses was instructed to take the people of Israel up into the promised land.

God had told Moses that he would send an Angel before him but God himself would not go with him.

You can read all this in Exodus 33

It is enough to say Moses was not too keen on the idea and has a conversation in which he pretty much argues that God is wrong.

Moses tells God that if God will not go with them then others will not know we are God’s people.

Exodus 33:12-34:9

We get to listen in on this conversation with Moses.

God changes his mind because of a conversation with Moses - that has implications for our prayer life.

God then declare his nature and his name.

God - listens and responds.

God grants Moses request - but not all of it (he would die) AND God tells Moses his nature and his name.

God tells Moses His autobiography in one word.

This is Gods Autobiography in one word- His name.

God reveals his nature to be amongst other things - Full of Compassion, mercy and Grace.

You know God only revels himself to the level we can cope with

Before this occasion Abraham new something of God

Abraham new something of God at that point but God revealed more

Progressive reveleation

How may of us think we know more of God today than last year?

that is how it is supposed to be.

God is a God of now.

People often misquote the story of Jesus at the wedding in Cana where He turns water into wine.

They quote ‘God saves the best last’ but that is now what the story says.

The story says he saves the best for now.

Check it out - John 2:10

God wants a relationship where he reveals the best of his nature that we can handle now :