Sermon Tone Analysis

The Names Of God

Heritage Message May 4, 2003

 

! Introduction

- Carla’s niece

- Caroline Grace

- Caroline - “after grandma”

- Grace - “The grace of God we were able to conceive.”

- Zachariah Robert

- Zachariah - “God remembered”

- Robert after the father.

- Hannah Lynne

- Hannah - “after the woman in the Bible who couldn’t conceive, but God finally heard her and opened her womb and also I was involved for 3 years with Hannah’s Prayer, a support group for infertile women,”

-Lynne - my middle name.

- unusual in our day.

- Biblical days when a name meant a lot.

- God changed Abram’s name to Abraham

- Jesus - “Immanuel” -- “Jesus”

 

- Psalm 9:10.

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

- Knowledge of the name of God

- experience God and discover his character,

- come to trust Him.

 

- By what name have you come to know God?

!

II.

Holy God

- I have some clothes which I wear when I am working outside or in my workshop.

- not afraid to kneel down in the dirt, get dirty.

- Sunday suit.

- clean,

- more expensive

- a strong sense of making sure it doesn’t get dirty.

- Cleanness separates.

- true spiritually.-

Isaiah 57:15 says, “For this is what the high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place…”

 

- holy

- means set apart.

- above all in sinless-ness, in purity

- “pure as the driven snow.”

- God is absolutely pure.

- unmixed in all his characteristics.

- When we meet God by His name “Holy,”

- majesty, holiness and “above-ness”

- we know instinctively that we can never reach him.

- to even come near to him would soil the perfection of His holiness.

How do we handle the holiness of God?

!

III.

Forgiving God

- Jeannette George tells the story of a flight she took from Tucson to Phoenix, as she got on the plane, she noticed a young woman with her baby.

They were both dressed in white pinafores.

The mother was smiling, and the little baby was saying "Dada, Dada."

And the little baby was darling.

She wore a little pink bow where there would probably be hair pretty soon.

They sat down opposite me and I heard that every time anybody went by, the baby would say, "Dada, Dada."

The young mother said they were going home, and Daddy was waiting for them.

Everybody was so happy, and we all enjoyed the little baby.

The mother had a little Thermos with orange juice in it.

She kept feeding the baby, a little fruit and then a little juice.

It was a rough flight.

Every time the baby cried the mother fed her a little bit more orange juice and a little more fruit.

Because of the rough flight, inevitably the fruit that had gone down came up.

I think more came up than had gone down; I think there was more up than there was baby, and it was startling; the carpet was not in good condition.

It was a mess.

Those of us on the opposite side of the aisle were not in good condition at all.

We kept trying to tell the young mother it was just fine.

We were handing her tissues and things.

It was a very loving time, but a mess.

The baby was crying, and she looked awful.

We couldn't cry, but we looked awful.

The mother was so sorry about it.

We landed and the minute we landed, baby was fine: "Dada, Dada."

The rest of us were just awful.

We began to get off the plane, and we all moved very carefully.

I had on a suit, and I was trying to decide whether to burn it or just cut off the sleeve.

Have you ever tried to get away from something really unpleasant and it was you?

Well that's the way we were.

It was really bad.

I looked out of the plane, and there waiting was the young man who had to be Daddy: white pants, white shirt and white flowers.

I thought, I know what's going to happen.

He's going to run to that baby who now looks awful--I mean the hair and the pinafore were dreadful.

He's going to run to that baby, get one look, and keep on running, saying, "Not my kid!"

As he ran to the young mother, I wouldn't say she threw the baby at him, but she did kind of leave quickly to go get cleaned up.

He picked up that baby, and I watched him as he hugged that baby and kissed that baby and stroked that baby's hair.

He said, "Daddy's baby's come home.

Daddy's baby's come home."

I watched them all the way to the luggage claim area.

He never stopped kissing that baby.

He never stopped welcoming that baby back home.

I thought, Where did I ever get the idea that my Father God is less loving than a young daddy in white pants and white shirt with white flowers.

- Exodus 34:6-7a - “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

 

- context.

- camped at the foot of mount Sinai.

- heard God thunder

- God had given the tablets

- had built a golden calf

- God was so angry

- told Moses, forget about these people,

- Moses prayed

- Exodus 34:1-10.

- glory of God is that He is a loving God.

- loving and forgiving.