In Your Name

In Your Name Declaration: ● ● ● ● ● My eyes are on Jesus My heart is tuned to His Spirit My ears are listening to His voice My mind will believe what He says My voice will declare the truth of His word Today, we are continuing our series, “Asking For A Friend”. In this series we will answer your questions regarding the church, God, faith, theology or anything else that comes up! Here are a few questions that we will discuss today: Why does God have so many names? What does the Bible say about Jesus’ name? Are Buddha, Muhammad or Allah Other Names For God Too? Why is there power only in Jesus' name? Why is praying in Jesus' name important? **(Show Graphic) As a reminder, you can write your questions and drop them in the baskets or you can send them to me via email. Why Does God Have So Many Names? A few weeks ago, we talked about a few of the names that God has, according to scripture. I want to visit a few more. EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains. ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1). EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all. ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles. YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3). **YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities. YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17. YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him. YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords. YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4). **YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do. **EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship. EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). The primary reason why there are so many names for God recorded throughout the Scriptures has to do with God's nature and character. The Bible itself is meant to reveal who God is—to show us what He is like and teach us what He has done throughout history. We will never fully understand God, of course. He is too big for our comprehension, which also means He is too big for a single name. The good news is that each of God's names in the Bible highlights a specific aspect of God's character. So, in studying the Word and discovering these names and titles, we begin to know Him better! **When I met Christy, I began to ask all sorts of questions. I wanted to know what she liked and what she didn’t. I believe that as we seek to abide(dwell) in Jesus, we get to ask these questions too and I believe He delights in answering us! What Does The Bible Say About Jesus’ Name? He Shall Be Called Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Messiah (the Christ) (Ha Mashiach) - the anointed One Matthew 1:16 NIV “and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.” The Name (Yeshua) Matthew 1:20-23,25b NIV “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” “…And he gave him the name Jesus.” Joseph was the first to get to choose Jesus! Every Tongue Will Confess Philippians 2:9-11 NIV “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Are Buddha, Muhammad or Allah Other Names For God Too? Buddha (Buddhism) He claimed to be a man and taught that there is no Almighty benevolent God. Buddha encouraged people to follow his teachings: the noble eightfold path. He did not teach about deities, an omnipotent God or prayer. Rather, he encouraged finding the truth yourself through meditation. Muhammad (Islam/Muslim) He was a man that was born ~600 years after Jesus. Islam says the he was the last prophet of God. There is a lot that can be said, but I’m going to keep it to the first few facts I found. I have an exhaustive comparison sheet if you’re curious… ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Said Allah hates those who don't accept Islam. "I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" Stoned women for adultery. Permitted stealing from unbelievers. Permitted lying. Owned and traded slaves. Beheaded 800 Jewish men and boys. Murdered those who insulted him. Allah (Islam/Muslim)As we’ve discussed, some “names” are actually titles. In this case, this name means “the god”. It was used for centuries before Muhammad was born. This is not the God of the Bible, Yahweh. For one thing, Allah is a distant, remote being who reveals his will but not himself. It is impossible to know him in a personal way. In his absolute oneness there is unity but not trinity, and because of this lack of relationship, love is not emphasized. Indeed, for the Muslim, Allah cannot have any associates. In fact, to claim that Jesus is God’s son is the greatest of all sins in Islam. Allah is also an arbitrary God and is said to deceive people, especially unbelievers. In the end, even for the devout Muslim there is no guarantee of salvation because in his arbitrariness Allah may reject the believer’s good works and send him to hell. Thus, even if one’s good works outweighed his bad works salvation is ultimately up to the Will of Allah, which is arbitrary at best. When we look at the God of the Bible, we see His desire for relationship, intimacy and how He gave Himself as a sacrifice so that we could be restored to a perfect relationship with Him and receive the forgiveness of our sins. Does this sound like any of these guys? NOPE! Why Is There Power Only In Jesus' Name? Jesus was a very common name in first-century Israel. (Story of the barber shop, Haysoos!) The only thing that sets apart the name of Jesus of Nazareth is the Person it belongs to and what He did for us. In Him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). But where there is no faith, no relationship, or no submission to His lordship, the name Jesus is nothing but a word. Are we keeping His name holy? Or are we taking it in vain? Is it your regular curse word? The Bible tells the intriguing story of a group of seven Jews in Ephesus who attempted to cast out demons using the name of Jesus. These men did not know Jesus. They were not believers. Instead they sought the admiration of others and an opportunity to make names for themselves. Once, a demon mocked the seven exorcists, who were essentially trying to perform magic tricks using “Jesus” as their incantation of choice: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” the evil spirit taunted. Then the evil spirit empowered the man it possessed to beat the would-be magicians until they were bloody and naked (Acts 19:13–16). These seven men attempted to misuse the power in the name of Jesus for their own gain, but we serve a God who will not be manipulated and cannot be fooled (Job 12:16). Closing Praying In His Name It is in Jesus’ name that God instructs us to pray (John 16:23–24). We are told to pray in Jesus’ name with an expectation that God answers prayers (John 14:13–14). John 14:13–14 (NIV) 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority (Luke 10:19) and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come by faith in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in line with Jesus’ character and His will. Praying in Jesus’ name demonstrates our faith in God’s power to act when we believe that Jesus’ name is more than just a grouping of letters but a representation of who He actually is. Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV) 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mark 16:17–18 (NIV) 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Are you praying and serving with the Authority given to you by Jesus? Are people getting saved, are people getting healed? ● ● Prayers for authority. We have to take a stand! Prayers for relationship. That head knowledge would become heart knowledge.